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30-04-2012 20:06 Having some fun and getting a work out done

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The Kentucky Derby has been the focus of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum's horse racing efforts for over a decade.

The ruler of Dubai is known for his avid thoroughbred breeding and racing, and while he has emerged victorious from many of the world's top horse races, he has yet to win a Kentucky Derby, NBC News reported.

"The Kentucky Derby is a more difficult race to win than I first believed," Sheikh Mohammed told ESPN.

But he vowed to return to the classic horse race, which kicks off on May 4, every year until he could win and many believe that this could be his year. The Daily Racing Form(DFR), a website devoted to covering the horse racing season, began speculating in January that the Sheik could have a shot at Churchill Downs this May.

More from GlobalPost: Video of starved horses prompts investigation by the New Mexico Livestock Board

The sheikh's Derby strategy has always been to ship his horses in from Dubai to Louisville, NBC News reported. This year, however, he has kept his Derby hopeful Alpha in the United States with the horse's original trainer, Kiaran McLaughlin.

Alpha has done well so far this winter, NBC News reported, taking impressive wins in the Count Fleet and Withers races at Aqueduct in New York.

"You couldnt blame Sheikh Mohammed if he woke up Sunday morning with the feeling that he has his best chance yet of winning the coveted first leg of the US Triple Crown," wrote DFR's Mike Watchmaker after the Aqueduct races.

The Sheik's passion for horse-racing knows no financial boundaries: He is consistently one of the top buyers at horse sales across the globe, ESPN reported. In September of 2006, for example, he spent $58.6 million in three days at the Keeneland yearling sale.

For the Middle Eastern leader, winning the Derby is a matter of pride and heritage, as NBC News pointed out. His 20-year-old racing unit, Godolphin, is named after a breed of thoroughbred that originated in the Middle East, according to NBC News.

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Kentucky Derby: Dubai's Sheikh Mohammed sets his sights on a victory at Churchill Downs

Vietnams No.1 tennis player Do Minh Quan lost 6-3, 6-7, 6-7 to Thai player Wachiramanowong in the second round of the Vietnam Futures F2 tournament in Ho Chi Minh City Wednesday.

Quan missed several chances to beat the young Thai player.

After winning the first set 6-3, Quan continued to play very well in the second and had a chance of a match point when he was leading 5-4 and 40/15. However, the only Vietnamese hopeful at the event let the Thai player level the score and eventually win the set 7-6.

In the decider, Quan had a great start again and led 4-1 for a time, but then lost the set 7-6 and bowed out of the competition.

Vietnams former No.1 player Tran Duc Quynh said Quans efforts were a good example for other young Vietnamese players to follow, but he was not determined enough at important moments. It was partly because Minh has not had many chances to compete at international contests, said Quynh.

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Tennis ace suffers home defeat

Yoga enthusiasts are invited to the Wichita Art Museum, 1400 W. Museum Blvd., to learn the art of stretching.

The museum is taking reservations now for a May 19 yoga class in the museums Farha Great Hall under Dale Chihulys Confetti chandelier.

The class, open to all ages and all levels of yoga, will be lead by registered Vinyasa yoga teacher Amanda Assaf. She will use positions inspired by artwork in the museums collection. Participants will need to bring their own mat. Doors will open at 8:15 a.m., with the class from 8:30 to 9:45 a.m.

Its another way to get people who wouldnt normally come into the museum, said Debbie Deuser, museum membership manager. We have a great space for yoga with lots of room.

Museums nationwide, including those in Baltimore, Cincinnati and New York, are hosting yoga classes among their artwork. This is the first time the Wichita Art Museum has offered such a class.

If the class is popular, we will continue offering it, Deuser said. Organizers will consider offering monthly sessions, possibly themed around exhibitions.

Cost for the class is $10. Space is limited, and registration is required. Call 316-268-4985.

Reach Olivia Burress at oburress@wichitaeagle.com.

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Wichita Art Museum stretches out into yoga

Here's how these yoga practices will help you keep your cool this summer.

Interestingly, extreme seasons like the summer and monsoons are not a good time to launch into yoga sadhana, if you are new to the whole experience. Yoga also appreciates that the body reacts to extreme seasons with a flush of fever which can get aggravated when it is stressed with anything new, even if it is a healing science like yoga.

If you are already doing an intermediate level or advanced practice, seasonal shifts will not affect you. But if you are indifferent practitioner or a beginner level person, you may wish to contain your enthusiasm on the mat and do practices which will keep you cool.

Some advice along the way for a summer practice: schedule your practice for early morning since it is the coolest time of the day. Use calming pranayamas like anulom vilom, bhramari and ujjayi as the main breathing practices. Even if you wish your practice to be intense, do it meditatively: this will have a cooling, calming effect.

Hold poses long, even if it makes you sweat more, because the end result is that you will be cooler mentally and physically. Importantly, have a longer final meditation or relaxation to cool down properly.

Shameem Akthar, yogacharya trained with the Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Center, takes you through five yoga practices that will help you keep your cool this summer.

For more of Shameem's yoga writings visit http://jaisivananda.blogspot.com. Shameem's second book Yoga in the workplace, with photographs by ace photographer Fawzan Husain, is now available at online shops and bookshops across the country. It is also available as e-book, with Kindle, Amazon.

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5 yoga poses to keep you cool this summer

Editor's Choice Academic Journal Main Category: Mental Health Also Included In: Sports Medicine / Fitness;Complementary Medicine / Alternative Medicine;Pediatrics / Children's Health Article Date: 30 Apr 2012 - 0:00 PDT

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The study involved 51 students from the 11th- and 12th-grade who were registered for physical education (PE) at a Massachusetts high school. Two thirds of the students were randomly assigned to Kripalu yoga classes that consisted of physical yoga postures as well as breathing exercises, relaxation, and meditation, whilst the remaining third was assigned to regular PE classes.

Before and after the 10-week course, all 51 students completed a range of psychosocial tests, including tests to measure their mood and tension and/or anxiety.

The authors also assessed the students' development of self-regulatory skills, including their resilience, control of anger expression, and mindfulness, which are believed to protect against developing mental health problems.

The results showed that students in the yoga group scored better in several of the psychological tests. The authors noted in particular that students in the control group were more likely to have higher scores for mood problems and anxiety, as compared with those in the yoga group whose scores remained unchanged or improved.

Yoga appears to have preventative benefits for adolescent mental health

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Yoga May Help Prevent Adolescent Mental Problems