I've always been curious about Lululemon's free yoga events. Considering they've convinced women to shell out $98 for yoga pants, they've clearly found a way to strike a chord.

I went to the retailer's free yoga course at NYC's Bryant Park Thursday night. When I arrived, they had roped off the entire green space and filled them with mats:

The yoga instructor told me the typical crowd on Thursday nights is 600 people! The crowd was mostly women, with a few disgruntled boyfriends thrown in. There were also some spectators, mostly men, some of whom creepily took pictures of us:

Of course, the mats included the Lululemon logo, the only mention of the company that I saw. Some people brought their own mats but weren't allowed to use them.

A yoga instructor stood at the front and yelled out different poses over a loudspeaker, while other instructors walked around and corrected people. But no one really knew what they were doing, especially me. At one point, I fell over and some of the instructors who were just sitting at the front laughed at me.

At the end, the instructor told us we had exercised our bodies and let go of our negative energy. But all I had done was stand on one leg and tried not to hit the person one foot away from me. People became lazy and started to fall asleep on their mats, causing the teacher to yell at them.

If you're considering going to yoga, it's probably worth shelling out $20 for a class more intimate than 600 people.

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Don't Expect To Get A Workout At Lululemon's Free Yoga Course

A beat-loving Vedanta-inspired hip hop artist, MC Yogi has been called the man 'changing the face of devotional music in America. The Californian rapper, who also runs a yoga studio, is redrawing the musical map but he's not the only one. Yoga and hip hop, kirtan and electronica, stories of Hanuman and Krishna supercharged by loops and beats - they're all part of the new wave of yoga-inspired grooves and this week we'll hear some of the best.

Yoga of course these days is more than simply yoga-cise; for millions of people its a form of spiritual practice thats taken the place of traditional religion. And this is its devotional music. And with yoga studios around the world rapidly becoming venues for this new style of music, its fascinating to watch as the genre develops.

We start with Australian vocalist Carmella Baynie who is taking kirtan, the call and response chant of Hinduism, into a new direction - whats been called kirtronica, sanskrit chant with electronic beats. There's music that might have been inspired by savasana, the meditative period at the end of a yoga session from DJ and producer, Pravana. And contemporary sacred music from the American singer-songwriter Kirtana, a performer at New Thought churches and satsangs, including those of her guru Gangaji.

We also check in with the new album for Jai Uttal, Queen of Hearts, a reference to Radha, beloved of Krishna, the divine goddess of Hinduism. Jai, who has been pioneering new forms of devotional music for Western yoga devotees for more than two decades, calls himself a bhakta or devotee. He also says he's a musical explorer who's been chanting kirtan for more than 45 years. He's certainly an explorer of great renown, so when I met him earlier this year and he handed me this album, I felt honoured.

All our musicians this week are leading the new wave of yoga-inspired devotional music. They're part of a wider social movement - what the Canadian philosopher Charles Taylor has called the nova effect - in which traditional religious practices are renewing themselves by diversifying into new forms.

Track Title: Divine Love Artist: Carmella Baynie Composer: Baynie/ Nougher CD Title: Rasa Mandala Record Co/ Number: Independent Release GT001 Duration: 7.05 Homepage: http://www.carmellavoice.com Taking kirtan into a new direction - whats been called kirtronica, Sanskrit chant with electronic beats. Just one of the new musical genres created by the incredible growth of yoga in the West. Kirtan artist and composer Carmella Baynie, a yoga practitioner whos classically trained in Eastern and Western vocal music, with instrumentalist Dale Nougher. Carmella has studied, performed and taught sacred music for many years.

Track Title: Ocean of Milk ( He Natha Narayana) Artist: Jai Uttal Composer: Jai Uttal CD Title: Queen of Hearts Record Co/ Number: Nutone 0 6700 30928 2 1 Duration: 9.05 Homepage: http://www.facebook.com Sung in Sanskrit, a prayer to the Lord of the Universe, to Sri Krishna, (also Vishnu) who lies eternally at rest in an ocean of infinite blue, creating and dreaming the universes. Jai Uttal has been pioneering a new form of devotional music for Western yoga devotees for more than two decades. His new album Queen of Hearts (a reference to Radha, beloved of Krishna, the divine goddess) mixes reggae, ska, and samba rhythms, behind call and response, rock-oriented kirtan.

Track Title: Do You Hear the Music? Artist: Kirtana Composer: Kirtana CD Title: A Deeper Surrender Record Co/ Number: Wild Dove Music WDM105 Duration: 4.33 Homepage: http://www.kirtana.com American singer-songwriter Kirtana is a performer at New Thought churchesand satsangs, and dedicates this album of contemporary sacred music to her guru Gangaji.

Track Title: Uluwatu Artist: Pravana Composer: Lewis CD Title: Yoga Grooves Record Co/ Number: OWM042 Duration: 5.30 Homepage: http://www.oneworldmusic.com Music that might have been inspired by savasana, the meditative period at the end of a yoga session. Pravana (aka Simon Lewis) contributes keyboards, percussion, harmonium, didgeridoo, vocals and all of the programming, while his guests play the tabla, lyra, sarangi, ney flute, bansuri, and Guru Siki Charan contributes vocals.

Track Title: Hanuman Artist: MC Yogi Composer: MC Yogi CD Title: Pilgrimage Record Co/ Number: Black Swan Sounds/ White Swan Records Duration: 4.00 Homepage: http://www.mcyogi.com According to the the Canadian philosopher Charles Taylor we live in view of the nova effect, in which traditional religious practices are renewing themselves by diversifying into new forms. A perfect example of Taylors nova effect is Californian hip hop artist MC Yogi, a man who calls himself, only slightly tongue in cheek, a working-class mystic. Described by others as changing the face of devotional music in America. A beat-loving Vedanta- inspired rapper, who runs a yoga studio and is redrawing the musical map with his yoga hip hop. His new album out this week, is called Pilgrimage and this is a prayer to the remover of suffering, the Hindu god, Hanuman.

Originally posted here:
Yoga Grooves

By KRISTINA THOMAS

ThisWeek Community News Friday June 22, 2012 4:57 PM

The Sunbury Library doesn't just offer books about yoga, it offers hands-on instruction.

For the second consecutive year, the library will offer yoga classes at 1 and 7 p.m. Wednesdays, throughout the year.

The class costs $5 and "yogis" will need to bring their own mats.

Gentle yoga, geared toward those with physical limitations, is at 1 p.m. Beginner's yoga, an introduction into yoga, is at 7 p.m.

Mary Nice, adult services manager, said she tries to offer programs that are of interest.

"We have books and videos on yoga and we know these are popular," she said.

"This is a great class for stress relief and it keeps or community healthy. I even take the classes," she said.

Nice said she also likes to promote local people and instructor Leslie Myers is very enthusiastic and dedicated.

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Yoga classes help give 'brains a break'

I could not imagine the words "yoga" and "military" used in the same sentence when I first began studying yoga 17 years ago at the Omega Institute. The world of yoga, with its grounding in nonviolence, and that of the military, with is call to violent action if necessary, seemed to me to be polar opposites.

Slowly, yoga is being accepted as an effective complementary therapy for mental health issues including PTSD. Many returning service members experiencing symptoms of combat stress such as nightmares, chronic physical pain, hyper-vigilance, sleeplessness, difficulty in controlling anger, and problems in personal relationships say they feel somehow disconnected from themselves, from their loved ones and from life as a whole. You see that look on the faces of veterans when they first hear about yoga class as part of a treatment program for PTSD, the one that says, "you've got to be kidding." But often another veteran will jump in: "I know what you're thinking, and I felt the same way. It took me a while to even give it a chance, but you know, it really helps me."

Are there enough yoga teachers and therapists to complement the work of other health professionals addressing the growing health crisis those now face who have served our nation in Iraq and Afghanistan, and even Vietnam? That crisis is here, now:

Up to 37 percent of the more than 2 million service members who have been deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan are struggling with serious mental health problems including PTSD, major depression, and traumatic brain injury.

Active duty suicides reached epidemic levels in 2010 with one active duty service member committing suicide every 36 hours. Our veterans are killing themselves at twice the rate of other Americans.

There are approximately 214,000 women serving in the military today, with more entering military service every year. In addition to the combat experiences that their male counterparts have to cope with, female veterans suffer from significantly higher rates of Military Sexual Trauma and have suicide rates that are up to three times higher than the rates of civilian women. In addition, the impact of these problems has a cascading effect on each of the 8-10 family members directly related to each service member and veteran.

Despite barriers to care (e.g., the perceived and/or actual availability of health care services, particularly the availability of women-specific services), soldiers are seeking mental health help more than 100,000 times a month. The number of active duty troops discharged from the army for mental health problems increased by 64 percent between 2005 and 2009. In 2009, there were 17,538 hospitalizations for mental health problems and 11,156 for injuries and battle wounds. Mental health problems now account for one in nine medical discharges.

Yoga is being offered in some VA medical centers to help address unmet mental health needs. In fact, a recent study found that nearly 30 percent of Specialized PTSD Treatment Programs offer yoga as a treatment option. But is this enough? Are we moving fast enough? Veterans and active duty military personnel who practice yoga regularly report reduced anxiety and depression, improved sleep and concentration, a greater ability to focus on the positive, support in addiction recovery, pain relief, and increased ability to deal with the mental and emotional strain of combat.

Ways to Help

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Rob Schware: Veterans, Trauma and Yoga: Are We Moving Quickly Enough?

Published: Wednesday, June 20, 2012 at 3:04 p.m. Last Modified: Wednesday, June 20, 2012 at 3:04 p.m.

Practicing yoga even a few times a week could deliver benefits both physical and mental.

The improvements to your body are easily recognizable. The range of motion in your joints will increase along with your flexibility and balance, said Jana Whiddon, owner of Yoga Pointe in Lakeland. Some positions are known to ease symptoms of menopause or PMS.

Perhaps unexpected, women can see an increase in muscle from doing yoga.

"Yoga is a nice balance of things, strength being one of them," said Whiddon, who has taught the practice for 12 years.

Mentally, yoga can help ease pressure for women who balance different roles in daily life, Whiddon said. If you work a full day and then switch roles at home to be a mother, it creates tension in the mind.

Practicing different postures and breath awareness allows you to "increase your self-knowledge and connect more with your internal locus of control," Whiddon said.

Yoga cultivates a state of mindfulness, a way of paying attention to what every moment has to offer, Whiddon said.

"It's a way of living in the moment and experiencing the moment for everything it has to offer, instead of being on autopilot," Whiddon said.

Yoga has a spiritual element, but doesn't preclude any certain religious belief. The American Yoga Association says the practice is commonly thought to be derived from Hinduism, but that's a misconception.

Continue reading here:
Yoga Offers Many Benefits for Women

WHO

Lynne Begier

WHAT

Begier, 40, started practicing yoga in 1991 and completed her teacher training in 2001. In 2002, she opened Back Bay Yoga Studio, now one of Bostons most popular yoga studios. Yogis choose from a wide variety of yoga styles, including Forrest, Vinyasa, Yin and Hip Hop. This original genre, started by Begier, combines downward dogs with Beyonc, for a fun and unique yogic experience.

Q. What first brought you to yoga?

A. I first started doing yoga when I was in college. I struggled a lot with eating disorders and depression, so much that I was actually hospitalized twice and left school for a while. My doctor at Johns Hopkins Hospital recommended yoga to me. At that time, there really werent studios everywhere like there are now, so I just started with a book.

Q. You studied a variety of different styles of yoga. Is there any one that you like best?

A. My initial training was in Kripalu, and it has always really spoken to me very strongly. But in 2002, I met Ana Forrest [founder of Forrest yoga], and shes been one of my main teachers since then. Ive always done different styles exclusively, working solely on one style for a period of time, and just meandered through different styles. I appreciate each style for what it has.

Q. How has yoga changed since you started?

A. Yoga has progressed so amazingly, and its become very fitness-oriented, but when I learned yoga, it wasnt what it is now. There was some breathing, some stretching. It was still really coming over to the United States. Ashtanga yoga, which is the father of Vinyasa and power yoga, became more popular in the 90s, but until then yoga wasnt as athletic. Things have progressed a lot. Now, there are a lot more styles and people are inventing new styles. It evolves.

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Lynne Begier talks about her Hip Hop yoga class

Leigh Claxton / Leigh Claxton

Students practice stand-up paddle yoga, traditional yoga and fitness exercises taught on the water on floating boards.

Who wants to do yoga in a sweaty gym room or even a breezy studio when you can do it on the bay? That's where Leigh Claxton goes. Claxton teaches stand-up paddle yoga (known among practitioners as SUP Yoga), which combines balance and stabilizing training with the core workout of a typical yoga class. Classes are three or four days a week in Sausalito. More information is at http://www.onboardfitness.org.

Name: Leigh Claxton

Age: Late 40s

Residence: Mill Valley

Occupation: Yoga instructor and rehabilitation coach

Activity: Stand-up paddle yoga

Describe paddle yoga: Classes are traditional yoga and fitness classes taught on the water on floating boards. Your mat is a stand-up paddleboard.

Where the idea came from: In 2009, I began experimenting with some stabilizing exercises on the boards to use with head-injury patients. By being able to actually feel what they were doing and see minor weight shifts, they were better able to grasp the relearning and reprogramming that needs to take place after a head injury. I realized how much centering was taking place and how great that would be for yoga.

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Stand-up paddle yoga classes on the bay

BEIRUT: Unlike capitals in North America and Europe, where yoga studios are almost as common as corner stores, local practitioners have to do a bit of searching to find the studios of Beirut, mostly tucked away in converted living rooms and unlikely spaces.

But this is beginning to change, as new studios open, teachers bring new styles from abroad and the yoga community grows significantly.Nok Yoga Shala is one such dynamic new space. The studio, located in Saifi Village, was opened by the founder of the New York-based Nok Foundation, Nigol Koulajian. Koulajian, who is of Lebanese origins, and local architect Hisham Hert opened Nok based on a dream for a yoga and wellness community center in the heart of Beirut.

Its a not-for-profit center, were just here to offer a space for the yoga and Eastern philosophy community to get together, bring teachers from abroad and have a space where all different types of tradition are given equal playing time, explains Erin OHalloran, manager of Nok and a yoga teacher.

Every week Nok offers a range of yoga classes (updated on the Nok Facebook page) from vinyasa flow and tantric yoga to the more traditional hatha and ashtanga approaches and holds frequent events and workshops led by teachers from abroad to introduce various aspects of Eastern religions, as well as meditation traditions.

At the moment the yoga community in Beirut is functioning off of a number of individuals who are all trying to eke out a living offering classes in their homes or doing private lessons. Its really grassroots, which is something that I love about the community here youve got to be intrepid, youve got to be a self-starter, youre not in it for the money because there isnt really money to be had, continues OHalloran, who has been based in Beirut for three years and teaching at a number of studios.

One of the ideas behind Nok is to take some of the burden off of teachers, says OHalloran.

We are really hoping that this can be a space to benefit yoga teachers in Beirut as much as the yoga community in terms of students.

Though Nok promises to be a hub for yogis in Beirut, many smaller studios and teachers operating out their own homes are seeing an influx of students and introducing different yoga styles to the country.

Danielle Abisaab, who has operated a boutique studio out of her home in Mar Mikhail for more than seven years, has recently brought aerial yoga to Lebanon.

Aerial yoga is a practice using a silk hammock to elevate and support the body as the person moves into different asanas (poses), using the force of gravity to help with alignment. Abisaab fell in love with the practice last year in New York City and obtained her certification.

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Grassroots yoga studios bloom in Beirut

Gilbert, AZ (PRWEB) June 20, 2012

Dahn Yoga & Health Centers, Inc., a national leader in health and wellness celebrating their sixteenth year, now features a new Dahn Yoga Glossary for practitioners in their newsletter, Dahn Yoga Life. Every monthly issue of Dahn Yoga Life will offer an in depth look at a word or phrase regularly used in Dahn Yoga practice. This months Glossary term is Geumchok.

It is very likely that most people who have attended Dahn Yoga classes or read books and articles about the Dahn Yoga community have come across a word or phrase that they didnt quite understand. While class experience can often fill in any gaps, many people would benefit from more thorough explanations.

In the June 2012 issue of the newsletter, Dahn Yoga Life, the word Geumchok is defined.

An intriguing concept related to meditation, practitioners use various Geumchok techniques to transcend the effects of external stimuli on the five physical senses which impact the emotions and energy. The greater understanding offered this month regarding the benefits of Geumchok and how it relates to Dahn Yoga Practice, as well as to daily life, is sure to create a desire to explore this method of focusing ones awareness.

With in-depth explanations of words and phrases regularly used in Dahn Yoga classes and Dahn Meditation practices, the new Dahn Yoga Glossary will deepen the practitioners understanding, experience and results.

About Dahn Yoga: Dahn Yoga is a dynamic mind-body practice originating in Korea. Dahn Yoga classes combine stretching, flowing movement, deep breathing exercises and meditation in a simple and easy to learn format. Dahn Yoga is often taught alongside Tai Chi, Qigong and Meditation classes. In the United States, Dahn Yoga classes are offered at Dahn Yoga & Health Centers, Inc., a national leader in health and wellness. Dahn Yoga classes are also offered at Body & Brain franchise, affiliate and community-based locations

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Dahn Yoga Monthly Glossary Enlightens Practitioners

By Claire Harlin editor@delmartimes.net

A yoga instructor of nearly a decade, Del Mar resident Aubrey Hackman used to attend a huge yoga conference in Colorado each year. One year, the conference was sponsored by Fiji water, she said, and by the end of the well-attended event, the grounds were covered with empty plastic water bottles.

I thought, This isnt right, said Hackman, 29. This is a yoga event and it should promote mindfulness. People should be aware of the consequences their actions create. Thats whats taught in the philosophy of yoga.

Aubrey Hackman

Not only was Hackman able to secure grant funding from the town of Telluride, but dozens of highly coveted yoga instructors from around the world have committed to being a part of the festival because they are in tune with her no-waste philosophy.

I got huge names I never expected to get because they also wanted to be part of something that was environmentally focused, said Hackman. As soon as they caught wind of this event that was going to be totally different they jumped on board.

Sponsors of the event are only allowed to provide product samples that are consumable and recyclable, and Hackman has turned away a number of companies that have offered ample sponsorship funding, but could not supply plastic-free promotional products. A portion of proceeds from the festival is also dispersed among several environmental nonprofits.

All the paper we use is ancient forest-friendly, too. Weve been doing that from day one, said Hackman. The commercialization of yoga is huge right now, a $30 billion industry. Its enormous. I just want to focus on tradition and the older integrity of the practice.

Hackman said the success of the festival inspired her to move to North County, where yoga is heavily embraced by the community. She said she would like to start a yoga festival here, and there have been many local people who have come forth to help her.

Its still up in the air, she said. I have whats necessary; Im just waiting for the right time.

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Del Mar woman starts unique yoga festival in Telluride