Adi Shakti Kundalini Yoga Center, 6717 Valmont Road, Boulder, 720-252-3962, adishakticenter.com

Instructor: Rachel Zelaya, of Niwot, is a certified Kundalini Yoga teacher and has been teaching since 2011. She taught yoga to refugees in Liberia before opening the Adi Shakti center in Boulder. She has also trained with Guru Meher Singh Khalsa, a yoga teacher and author of the book, "Senses of the Soul," upon which this class is based.

What is the workout? A Kundalini Yoga and meditation series that is designed to help participants work with difficult emotions, such as grief, guilt and shame. My class focused on anger. The classes use meditations and guided visualizations from the "Senses of the Soul" book, incorporated with Kundalini movements which are centered on the breath and doing specific, repetitive motions for one to five minutes.

Adi Shakti's website calls Kundalini a mixture of "P90X and yoga, while being rooted to the creative power" of energy.

What's different? Kundalini Yoga is dramatically different from any other form of yoga I've tried. The only familiar move we did was one short downward dog at the beginning of class.

"It's not your typical idea of what you think of as yoga," Zelaya says. "Everything is dynamic movements to move energy to release blocks, stretch muscles and get the lungs and heart pumping, so when you sit to meditate, you have a better chance to go deeper."

For example, we interlaced our hands behind our neck and twisted from the base of the spine from left to right (inhaling left, exhaling right) for several minutes. Or we laid on our backs with our legs 90 degrees toward the ceiling and pounded on the floor with the palms of our hands. (That one felt like an adult tantrum.)

"When people think of yoga, they think of a posture you hold for a while, or flow yoga with sun salutations over and over," Zelaya says. "With this, you take one movement and do it for one to three minutes, which gives the energy a chance to start moving."

Plus, Zelaya wore head-to-toe white cotton, as did many of the students; some wore turbans on their heads.

We also interspersed meditations throughout the class, not only at the end.

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Workout: Kundalini Yoga and Meditation: Senses of the Soul

Perhaps youve been considering trying yoga for a while but are hesitating because of one reason or another.

Perhaps youre pregnant. Maybe youre a runner. Maybe youre a muscle-bound man. Perhaps youre recovering from an injury or surgery, or are over 50 and feel too stiff for yoga.

Heres how yoga can actually be very beneficial in each of these circumstances:

Pregnant: A regular yoga class will generally not be suitable for you if youre expecting a baby. There should, however, be prenatal yoga classes running fairly frequently in your community. Attending yoga while pregnant can have profound effects on your comfort, your breathing techniques during labour (for pain management) and your ability to recover your strength and fitness after the baby is born.

Runner: Yoga is a great complement to running, as it will stretch your overused muscles and bring your body into greater balance. It can also enhance your self-awareness, which is effective for injury prevention.

Muscle-bound: Feeling far too tight to even think about doing some of those poses you see? Look for a specific Yoga for Men class.

Recuperating: A very gentle class can greatly help you in your recovery process. As well, one-on-one therapeutic yoga is perfectly suited to helping you regain your mobility and comfort.

Over 50 and new to yoga: You might want to find a teacher who is also over 50, or who is experienced in teaching mature bodies. Even if youre fit, youll need to learn how to approach yoga poses with respect, and with awareness of joint alignment. Theres a variety of seniors classes offered locally.

Make sure to check with your physician before starting yoga, especially if you belong to one of the above categories. You may also like to speak in advance with a few teachers, to ensure they can accommodate your needs.

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Yoga in special circumstances

Diet & Fitness

Reuters

4 hours ago

MIKE BLAKE / Reuters

Jaysea DeVoe, 12, teaches her yoga class at the Bergamot Spa in Encinitas, Calif. on March 11, 2014.

Jaysea Devoe is a yoga instructor who has the challenging job of teaching fidgety preschoolers the ancient practice, but once her charges get going, she says, "they really start to focus and listen."

Devoe knows a thing or two about childhood and focus, for she is only 12 years old and just recently became a certified yoga instructor after completing 200 hours of teacher training. She is believed to be the youngest certified female yoga instructor in the United States.

In addition to her pint-size students aged 4 to 6, Devoe teaches teens and fellow tweens in her California beach town of Encinitas and is about to start a family yoga class. Oh, and she just told her dad she wants to look into making eco-friendly yoga mats.

"I feel like I want to do this for a long time because I love teaching so much," says Devoe, the picture of a California beach girl, with long blond hair and long legs to match.

But Jaysea is not alone in her entrepreneurial zeal. Her twin brother is a sponsored competitive surfer and works at a surfboard fin manufacturing company. Her 15-year-old brother is a "professional water man," a spear fisherman, rod and reel angler and surfer who also teaches and has sponsors.

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California tweening: The making of a 12-year-old yoga teacher

I am not a naked person. By naked person, Im talking about the Italian friend you had in elementary school whose dad used to answer the door without underwear on. Or the Marxist freegan you dated sophomore year of college who referred to things like pillows as societal constructs. Or the life coach/bartender/video artist your brother dated, who called herself Nectar and had an Egon Schiele portrait on her back, even though she didnt know how to spell Egon Schiele. Im talking about people who, for whatever reason, regardless of the time or place or circumstances, are always totally down to drop trou and party.

I am not one of these people, and I never have been. I did not grow up in a naked house, I didnt have naked parents, and Ive always felt somewhat squeamish about the human body in its natural form. To paraphrase a line from a Seinfeld episode, when people say theyre not ashamed of their bodies, I always think, regardless of what they look like, Thats your problem. Maybe you should be.

So when I heard about Bold and Naked, a yoga studio in New Yorks Chelsea where people practice naked yoga, I had two thoughts. The first was: OMG that sounds horrifying. Dont people know that downward dog is the leading cause of fart induction in the United States? Why would anyone subject themselves to this? Im surprised the propulsion of peoples naked farts hasnt caused the building to detach itself from its foundation and float away into the abyss, never to be seen or heard from again. And my second thought was: OMG I totally have to do this.

The ancient practice of naked yoga (sanskrit nagna yoga) has been around for centuries: In the 1960s, it popped up on various communes, and in recent years naked yoga classes have popped up in the crunchier corners of the United States, like San Francisco and Tempe, Ariz. Yet if you look up naked yoga online, the practice seems to be more aligned with erotic titillation than yogic principles of self-realization, with videos popping up of lithe, big-breasted women undulating to synthesized bass grooves.

On its website, Bold and Naked, which co-founders Monika Werner and Joschi Schwartz founded eight years ago, is adamant in insisting that naked yoga is not supposed to be erotic. While many equate being naked with sex, this couldnt be further from the truth in a naked yoga class, the FAQ section of the website states. Its about being comfortable in your own skin and the amazing confidence that comes with it. Its about knowing, accepting and loving yourself at your core.

Now, I dont accept or love myself, at my core or otherwise. But I do know myself pretty well, and I figured that despite its message of empowerment and self-love, Id probably dismiss Bold and Naked as crunchy granola hipster nonsense, an excuse for 60-something retirees with ponytails to come get an eyeful of a 20-something ladies 32C chakras. Yet despite my reservations, I signed up.

I showed up to a Thursday evening naked yoga womens class (as a Bold and Naked first-timer, I was warned against signing up for the coed class, which is more rigorous than the single-sex classes; as a yoga beginner with the flexibility of an antique oak armoire, I was more than happy to err on the side of caution). With its vaulted ceilings, wooden floors and lavender-and-black walls, the Bold and Naked studio was upscale and inviting; it looked a bit more like a hair salon or a high-end boudoir than a yoga studio.

There were only two other people in my class: Bold and Naked Studio co-owner Monika Werner, a tall and curvaceous German woman with cropped red hair, and Elizabeth (name changed), a pale, oval-faced woman in her early 30s who worked in higher ed. Monika explained that due to the amount of press coverage Bold and Naked had received in the past few weeks, theyd had to change the schedule around, which had resulted in this class being unusually small.

After Monika and B&N co-owner Joschi Schwarz made me sign a waiver and grilled me on my yoga experience I thought theyd be impressed when I told them I did the P90X yoga DVD a few times a week, but they just seemed bemused Monika led Elizabeth and me upstairs to another studio. Before we took our clothes off, we chatted for a bit, and she asked us why we had decided to take the course.

Im a very shy person and I figured doing something like this would help me get rid of my inhibitions and feel more comfortable in my own body, Elizabeth said.

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I loved naked yoga: Maybe I am a naked person!

1. Certified yoga instructor at 12

She is a yoga instructor who has the challenging job of teaching fidgety preschoolers the ancient practice.

But once her charges get going, she says: "They really start to focus and listen."

Jaysea Devoe knows a thing or two about childhood and focus, for she is only 12 years old and just recently became a certified yoga instructor after completing 200 hours of teacher training.

She is believed to be the youngest certified female yoga instructor in the US.

In addition to her pint-size students, aged four to six, Jaysea teaches teenagers and fellow tweens in her California beach town of Encinitas.

But she is not alone in her entrepreneurial zeal, Reuters reported. Her twin brother is a sponsored competitive surfer and works at a surfboard fin manufacturing company.

Her 15-year-old brother is a "professional water man," spear fisherman, rod and reel angler, and surfer, who also teaches and has sponsors.

2. Boy, 5, uncovers Microsoft glitch

Microsoft recently received a tip about a security problem uncovered by an unlikely source - a five-year-old boy.

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Kids in the news

Los Angeles, California (PRWEB) April 08, 2014

In this immersion, students will take a refreshing look at the Upanishadic model of the Pancha Maya Kosha and learn how they got to where they are and set the goals of where they began and how to get back there. All journeys eventually are supposed to bring everyone back to who they really are. Free of suffering is not a lofty goal, it is our birthright. For more information, please visit: http://bit.ly/1lFVG5B.

Human beings begin their journey in life by first forming their personality, quirks and all, then learn how to make decisions, some smart and others not so much. Next they begin forming sensorial likes and dislikes that begin to solidify into their vitality, immunity and radiance or ill health, mental weaknesses and emotional predictability. Finally, humans present who they are as a physical being radiating peace, love and joy or fear, anger and grief.

This then is the journey through the layers of Being: from the simple vibrations of creativity, innocence and joyousness into the blockages in their flow that manifest as emotional response factors, our mental patterns and even the shape humans manifest physically to the world, that they call "ME" Since most humans are a mix somewhere between the ideal and the predictable, each person has their own five model imprint.

Topics That will be discussed:

Foundational aspects of Ayurveda, Yoga and the Pancha Maya.

Exploring the five layers of our Beings for the purposes of integrative healing: unraveling the layers to reveal the Self.

Patterns that disrupt our five layers. Understanding how we got here.

Practical Session that includes movement, breath work, imaging, chanting and contemplation. Video of session will be provided to participants for home practice.

Recommended Reading (All available at the boutique store): Dr. Lad: Ayurveda: Science of Self-Healing

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Yoga, Ayurveda and Tantra - A Course on Healing through the Five Layers: The Pancha Maya Cikitsa at the Sivananda Yoga ...