Its the perfect combination: doing yoga in a brewery while surrounded by free-roaming, adoptable dogs and puppies.

And its exactly what two classes of 45 people got to experience at Olde Mother Brewing Co. in Frederick on Sunday.

Youre taking something healthy: yoga. Right? And youre bringing animals that can be adopted...thats wonderful. You cant get anything better than that, I dont think, said Sarah Chlebowski, who attended the event. I just think its a really good thing.

The event was led by Sol Yoga Advisor Wendy Phillips and the class was coordinated by Doggy Noses & Yoga Poses, an organization that helps raise money for animal rescue groups.

On Sunday, a portion of the proceeds went to Key to Lions Heart Rescue, located in Derwood, Maryland.

Chlebowski wasnt there to adopt a dog, since she and her husband already have one at home, but never say never was the phrase of the day when floppy puppies began romping around the room.

Ann Anders accompanied Chlebowski and said she was excited to have a great day spending time with a friend, doing yoga and playing with puppies.

She said events like this are important because people can see dogs in their natural environment, instead of in cages.

Here, we can see how playful they are and loveable and their interactions with other dogs so I think its a great opportunity for the community to come together and support a great cause, Anders said.

Doggy Noses & Yoga Poses was founded by Debra Furstenberg and was originally based out of Central New Jersey.

We started it two and a half years ago, she said. It was originally supposed to be a one-time event. It was a community service project for my older daughter and after the first one people wanted to do more of them.

The program has now expanded to seven states and donated over $80,000 to animal rescue groups.

Furstenberg said that the events arent just good to support animal rescue groups and introduce adoptable dogs to people but they also help the communities where the events are held.

We always look for rescues who are local to the venue. We look for yoga studies and instructors who work local to the venue. We really want new audiences to be introduced to everybody we work with, she said.

Furstenberg said part of what keeps her going is her love of animals, but also her love of the people who rescue them.

I see some of the stories that they tell about, you know, the situations that they go into to rescue the animals, some of the conditions that these guys are found in, some of the places that theyre kept in and rescuers, in my mind, do something that you need to be a certain kind of person to do, she said.

Ali Imhoff and Chelsea Hayas-Keller came to the event together and Imhoff was already eyeing one of the puppies before she got there.

Im hoping to [adopt a dog], she said. I keep going back to one in particular.

Imhoff said events like this one are important because they bring awareness to charities and dog adoption but also help support local businesses like Sol Yoga and Olde Mother Brewing.

I just think its really important to collaborate and show what Frederick is about, she said.

Hayas-Keller has two dogs of her own and wasnt looking to adopt on Sunday but was excited to spend time with the puppies and see how yoga and dogs were incorporated.

I think for these dogs, theyre getting to know each other, theyre getting to know us and different humans and getting comfortable around all these people, she said. It makes them more adoptable.

Follow Hannah on Twitter: @hannah_himes

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Paws-itively adoptable: yoga with a twist hosted at Olde Mother Brewing Co. - Frederick News Post

Enjoy a wine walk with your friends downtown Wednesday

Join Wine Walk Wednesdays for a get-together of wine walkers on Wednesday, Feb. 26. Head downtown to Register Bar, Hotel Indigo, Jolie Pearl Oyster Bar and more, and indulge in two wine tastings per venue, 5:30-11:59 p.m. You must be 21 or older to participate in this event.

Tickets can be purchased here.

This event is in downtown Baton Rouge.

Give your core and your soul a workout with Yoga on the Lawn with Tin Roof Brewing Co. Wednesday, Feb. 26. Besides indulging in some meditative yoga, enjoy a cold beer on tap while youre at it!

Tin Roof Brewing Co. is at 1624 Wyoming St.

Tapas are such a staple in Spanish cuisine, and heres a great chance to try some. Gather your friends and head over to City Pork Brasserie & Bar for its Tapas Wine Pairing Dinner on Thursday, Feb. 27, starting at 6:30 p.m. Executive chef Rory Wingett will prepare charcuterie boards, grilled octopus, red wine-marinated sirloin and more, all paired with different wines.

Reservations can be made and tickets can be purchased here.

City Pork Brasserie & Bar is at 7327 Jefferson Highway.

Mardi Gras season doesnt have to end on Tuesdayif you dont want it to. Creative Canvas LLC wants you to enjoy some light refreshments at Socially Yours Inc. when the doors open at 8 p.m., then get your painting session started at 8:30 p.m. Tickets include all art supplies, photo booth pics with your friends and more, all while having the DJ take you downtown, uptown, West Bank and more.

Find more information and tickets here.

Socially Yours Inc. is at 7227 Exchange Place.

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Dine Roundup: Wine walk, yoga-plus-beer and more events in Baton Rouge this week - 225 Baton Rouge

Monday Feb24,2020at4:15PM Feb24,2020at4:15PM

PAXTON On Mondays starting March 2, from 11 to 11:30 a.m. at the Paxton Senior Center Basement, 17 West St., Paxton Recreation is offering a kids and caregiver yoga class. The fee is $60 for one adult and one child for the eight-week session. Additional children are $40 with the same caregiver.

Bring your 3- to 5-year-old preschooler and join instructor Daniella Wittern Bush. The group will sing, dance, and move their bodies in ways that will get the wiggles and giggles out, and learn how good it can feel to settle into stillness with a mindful story, too. Playing with yoga poses together, the group will foster breath awareness and deep bonding between caregiver and child. Yoga teaches little ones, and the adults who love them, about the connections between movement, breath and emotions, offering children coping strategies they can use throughout their lives.

Daniella has been "playing yoga" with her own little ones for the past seven years, and teaching children's yoga in libraries, schools, summer camps and birthday parties for the past three years. She is an E-RYT adult yoga teacher through Yoga Alliance, a NASM certified personal trainer, and a certified children's yoga teacher through Kidding Around Yoga. Bring a yoga mat or a thick towel to class.

For more information or to register, visit http://www.tinyurl.com/Paxtonrecreation.

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Paxton offering kids and caregiver yoga class - News - The Landmark

Jafar Alexander - Based in Washington, DC, Jafarbegan sharing the practice of yoga in 2008 after years as an athlete and is certified in the styles of hatha, restorative, therapeutic, vinyasa, and yin. He is also a passionate meditation guide. New classes include "Arise and Unwind" (Vinyasa Level 1), "Softening the Shoulders" (Yin Level 1-2) and "Energetic Armor" (Meditation). See Jafar Alexander here.

Tiffany Bush- Based in Colorado, Tiffany is a 500-hour certified yoga teacher and loves teaching to underserved populations, athletes, and those interested in redefining their health. She specializes in flowing yoga asana and meditation. Newly added classes include "Shoulder Care for Climbers" (Hatha Level 2) and "Workday Rest for Hips" (Vinyasa Level 2). See Tiffany Bush here.

Taylor Harkness- Based in Atlanta, GA, Taylor is passionate about public health and social issues. As a former paramedic, he found his way to yoga in response to the stress of long nights spent driving an ambulance.Now a yoga teacher and nurse, his friendly, energetic and personable teaching style is supported with his medical background for a strong foundation in anatomy and his love of helping people de-stress and find healthy lifestyles. Newly added classes include "All Day Strong" (Vinyasa Level 1-2) and "Energy Flow" (Vinyasa Level 2). See Taylor Harkness here.

Jafar, Tiffany and Taylor join ranks of world-renowned yoga and meditation teachers now accessible to gaia.comsubscribers around the world.

About GaiaGaia is a member-supported streaming video subscription service available in 185 countries around the world. Using a powerful combination of modern technology and ancient traditions, Gaia produces and curates transformational video content that includes guided yoga and meditation instruction, as well as series and films covering a wide variety of topics, from health and longevity to human transformation and science, all of which aim to empower the evolution of consciousness. Gaia is available on Apple TV, IOS, Android, Roku, Chromecast, and sold through Amazon Prime Video and Comcast Xfinity. Subscriptions are US$11.99 a month and include exclusive, ad-free access to over 8,000 films, documentaries and original programs. Gaia is a division of Gaia, Inc. (NASDAQ: GAIA). For more information, visit: http://www.gaia.com

SOURCE Gaia

http://www.gaia.com

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Gaia adds Three New Yoga Specialists To Its Streaming Subscription Platform - PRNewswire

Tao Porchon-Lynch, the world's oldest yoga instructor, talks to lohud's Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy about yoga and its connection to life on Feb. 5, 2018, at Fred Astaire Studio in Hartsdale. She turns 100 years old in a few months.

Tao Porchon-Lynch, who was recognized by Guinness World Records as the Worlds Oldest Yoga Teacher in 2012 and who marched with both Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr., died Friday in White Plains. She was 101.

"Our beloved TAOpassed away this morning, peacefully and without pain. As she would say, she is now dancing her way to the next planet," wrote Joyce Pine, a close friend and student of Porchon-Lynch, in an email to The Journal News.

Known for her indefatigable energy and spirit, the diminutive yoga master continued to teachher students at the Fred Astaire Studio in Hartsdale well into age 101.

Porchon-Lynch livedby her personal mantra: Theres nothing that you cannot do.

She took up ballroom dancing at age 87 and won more than 750 first-place awards as a competitive dancer. At age 96, she appeared on NBC's Americas Got Talent, receiving a standing ovation from the show's judges.

Tao Porchon-Lynch(Photo: Raphael Abada)

Ever thestyle icon, she once scaled Machu Picchu in stilettos. She adored wearing black leather pants with a fur coat draped over. Her nails and lips were alwayspainted in bright colors. At age 100, she was a brand ambassador for Athleta, the line of women's fitness clothes,and once graced the cover of its catalog.

Tao Porchon-Lynch during her Hollywood days.(Photo: Submitted)

The longtime Westchester resident worked earlier in her life as a Hollywood actress. Porchon-Lynch rubbedshoulders withMarilyn Monroe, Clark Gable and Elizabeth Taylor, she recalled in various interviews with The Journal News..

Porchon-Lynch's life experiences spanned continents and historical events..

At age 12, she joined her uncle, Vital Porchon, who builtrailroadlines in Asia and Africa, to march alongside Gandhi in theSatyagrahaor Salt March of 1930. She would later take part in the 1963 March on Washington with Martin Luther King Jr.

Tao Porchon Lynch, the world's oldest yoga teacher, celebrates her 101st birthday with friends.(Photo: Raphael Abada)

For her 101st birthday last August, greetings came from around the world including from friends in Norway, Germany, India, Spain and Brazil. Dozens of comments on her Instagram account thanked her for her inspirational work as a yoga teacher.

To me 101 is natural. It doesnt scare me. I awake with the sun and think of all my many friends and that makes me ready to know that you never put anything off for tomorrow because tomorrow never comes, Porchon-Lynchtold The Journal News on the eve of her birthday.

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Born in 1918 in Pondicherry, India, to a French father and Indian mother who died giving birth to her, Porchon-Lynch was raised by her uncle.

It was from him that she learned lifes important lessons.

My uncle would say, never ask anyone to understand you, try and understand them," she said."Never look down upon anyone.

To her, he embodied the power of positivity and mindfulness.

"Every morning he'd say, 'It's a beautiful day, isn't it?'" Porchon-Lynch said."Wake up each day thinkingit's going to be a great day, and it will be."

Last year, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi awarded her the prestigious Padma Shri Award for exceptional achievement.

Tao Porchon-Lynch, the world's oldest yoga teacher, celebrates her 101st birthday with her students at the Fred Astaire studio in Hartsdale.(Photo: Raphael Abada)

So many people asked her what her secret for a long life was, and Tao said it was Pranayama, said Pines, of New Rochelle, who has known Tao for 20years. Pranayama is a yogic practice that involves controlling the breath, which is source of our life force or prana. The breathing exercise is thought to bring harmonybetween the body, mind and spirit.

Andrea Lublinski, a longtime student, told The Journal News in 2019about herbiggest takeaway from Tao: Never put off anything you can do today.

That has always been her philosophy, said Lublinski.And thats gotten her many careers,travelling all over the world and many friendships with people on many continents. Shes been an inspiration for me for a long time.

Tao Porchon-Lynch in Central Park recently.(Photo: Robert Sturman)

Editor's note: What follows is aprofile of Tao Porchon-Lynch, first published Feb. 7, 2018:

At 8:30 a.m. on a recent Monday morning, Tao Porchon-Lynch, recognized by the Guinness World Records as the Worlds Oldest Yoga Teacher in 2012, waltzed into the Fred Astaire Studio in Hartsdale for a yoga class wearing a fur coat and black stilettos.

Tao Porchon-Lynch in Central Park recently.(Photo: Robert Sturman)

A few months shy of turning 100 years old, Porchon-Lynch could easily be the most interesting woman on earth. (SorryDos Equis: she doesnt do beer, only wine).

The founder of the Westchester Institute of Yoga took up ballroom dancing at age 87 and has won more than 750 first-place awards as a competitive dancer. At age 96, she appeared on NBC's Americas Got Talent, receiving a standing ovation from the judges.

She now has a new bucket list item: to perform on the popular ABC show Dancing with the Stars.

Porchon-Lynch lives by her personal mantra: Theres nothing that you cannot do.

In addition to teaching eight classes a week, she hostsyoga retreats and speaksat conferences at more than 20 destinations a year. Some of her planned excursions for this year include Arizona, Singapore, Dubai, Slovenia, France, China and India. In 2016, Porchon-Lynch was recognized onWomen's Entrepreneurship Day at the United Nations.

As impressive as her personal achievements are,herlife experiences spanning continents and historical events are almost fantastical.

Born in 1918 to a French father and Indian mother, who died giving birth to her, Porchon-Lynch was raised by her uncle. Her light green eyes sparkle when she talks about her upbringing in Pondicherry, a coastal city in southern India which was a French colony until 1954.

It was there that she first got a glimpse of yoga. She was eight years old, and young boys, barely older than her, were creating beautifulshapes with their bodies on the beach.

She tried imitating them, but was told by her aunt that it was not a ladylike thing to do.

I said, If boys can do it, I can do it, recalled Porchon-Lynch, who continued to show up at the beach and over the years learned many of theasanasor postures just by watching. "If you believe in something, go ahead and do it."

Lohud's Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy and Tao Porchon-Lynch pose for a selfie after yoga class on Feb. 5, 2018.(Photo: Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy/The Journal News)

Her uncle, Vital Porchon, who builtrailroadlines in Asia and Africa, knew many of the great spiritual thinkers and activists of pre-Independence India, including Mahatma Gandhi. At age 12, Porchon-Lynch accompanied her uncle to march alongside Gandhi in theSatyagrahaor Salt March of 1930. (She would later take part in the 1963 March on Washington with

It was from her unclethat she learned lifes important lessons, she said.

My uncle would say, never ask anyone to understand you, try and understand them," she said."Never look down upon anyone.

To her, he embodied the power of positivity and mindfulness.

"Every morning he'd say, 'It's a beautiful day, isn't it ?'" Porchon-Lynch said."Wake up each day thinkingit's going to be a great day, and it will be,"

In 1939, she set sail forFrance from India to live with her aunt, and would eventually participate in the French Resistance. After the war, she worked as a model in France and England before movingto the United States in 1949. Soon she was working as a Hollywood actress under contract with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios, with credits including the films "Show Boat" and "The Last Time I Saw Paris,"and TV shows such as "The Bob Hope Show" and "I Married Joan." She also worked as a writer, producer and international film broker, rubbingshoulders with old Hollywood and Indian cinemacelebrities such as Marilyn Monroe, Elizabeth Taylor and Dev Anand.

In the 1950s she trained under some of the biggest names in yoga such as B.K.S. Iyengar and Indra Devi and taught yoga toactors in Hollywood, including Clark Gable.

To me yoga is in every animal, every blade of grass and its alive with the energy of life, Porchon-Lynchsaid as she taught a class at the Fred Astaire Studio.If I can feel it within me, then Im in touch with everyone in this room.

After marrying Bill Lynch, an insurance salesman, in the 1960s, she moved to Hartsdale and together they founded theAmerican Wine Society. (Her family in France had owned a vineyard in theRhne Valleyfor many generations).

Porchon-Lynch continued her passion for yoga by certifying and training hundreds of teachers and taught at various locations including the Jewish Community Center in Yonkers and the New Age Center in Nyack.

While always well-known in certain Hollywood and yoga circles, including serving on the Newark PeaceEducation Summit with the Dalai Lama in 2011, Porchon-Lynch was never acelebrity know to the masses.

That would change when she turned 93.

The recognition by the Guinness World Records catapulted her to yoga rockstar fame the kind of fame where shes mobbed at her local Trader Joes or at Chicagos OHare airport.

That was in no small part due to her student-turned-manager Joyce Pines.

In 2003, Pines, who had recently retired from the Mount Vernon School District, met Porchon-Lynchat a yoga class in Briarcliff Manor.

She stepped out of her Smart car wearing black leather pants and very high heels, Pines said. "I was captivated."

Porchon-Lynchs positive attitude toward life had a deep impact on Pines. When she was diagnosed with cancer in 2010, Pines saidPorchon-Lynch helped her cope and taught her how to live.

There arent a lot of 90-year-olds that are fun to be around, Pines said. She had so much to offer that I felt more people should know her.

It was Pines'idea to seek out the Guinness World Records recognition. In 2014, she enlisted the help of her son to create awebsite, and soon found people from all corners of the world seeking Porchon-Lynch. Last year, Porchon-Lynchgraced the cover of a catalog for Athleta,Gap's athletic-wearbrand, for their "Power of She" campaign.

"Shes like a magnet. She just attracts people, Pines said. I cant get people out after the class. They just wantto stand around and talk to her.

Forever a student, Porchon-Lynch continues to learn from her ballroom dance teacher and partner Anton Bilozorov, who is more than 70 years her junior. She also participates in four ballroom competitions every year.

"She really blossomed in her 90s,"Pines said.

Asked why wanted to participate in Dancing with the Stars, Porchon-Lynch, who'shad two hip replacements,didn't skip a beat:

To show people that it is possible. If you believe in it, anything is possible.

Don't bet against her: She claims to have climbed Machu Picchu wearing stilettos.

Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy covers women and power for the USA Today Network Northeast. Write to her at svenugop@lohud.com

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Tao Porchon-Lynch, the world's oldest yoga teacher who marched with Gandhi, dies at 101 - Lohud

A relaxing yoga pose informed the serene aesthetic of this exercise studio in Dublin, Ireland, created by local studio Jordan Ralph Design.

Located beside the waters of Dublin's Silicon Docks, The Space Between includes two yoga studios, a tea shop, and hosts a roster of events throughout the week.

When it came to developing its interiors, multidisciplinary studio Jordan Ralph Design aimed to create a "secular yet spiritually engaging" space that would draw in both yoga aficionados and those visiting for the talks, workshops or film screenings.

The studio was loosely inspired by shavasana a pose typically done at the end of yoga session to relax participants, who must lie flat on their backs with arms and legs spread to the side.

"I wanted the space to resonate with shavasana, and give a person a sense of calmness and grounding through the visual and physical elements in the space," said the studio's eponymous founder.

"In the digital age, beautiful, honest, well-designed spaces are more important than ever."

One of the studios, named Now, has therefore been finished with anthracite-coated surfaces and black wooden floors to foster a cosy, cocoon-like ambience.

This space will be specifically dedicated to hot yoga and meditation sessions.

The other studio, named Here, has been completed with calming white walls, inbuilt with gridded shelves that display potted plants and store yoga equipment.

Pale oak floorboards run throughout, while huge skylights have been punctuated in the gabled ceiling to keep the space filled with natural light.

Concertina doors that run along the periphery of the room can be pushed back to open up the space to the teashop, which features cloudy grey walls and slate-coloured bench seating.

The teashop sits directly next to the studio's reception area. It's anchored by an angled ashwood counter and features a circular ombre mirror created by Dutch artist Tjimke De Boer, which fades from blue to deep pink.

"The idea was for it to represent a portal into the space between," explained Ralph of the mirror choice.

Changing facilities are accessed via a corridor that's inbuilt with a 24-metre-long bench, a feature that the studio likens to a "backbone".

A "vertical garden" has also been created on the wall, composed of a series of greenery-filled planters.

Other design-focused yoga studios include Warrior One, which design studio Golden completed with a sisal-covered ceiling, woven-grass partitions and earth-toned furnishings.

There's also Humming Puppy, which architect Karen Abernethy designed to offer a complete sensory experience.

Photography is by Agata Stoinska.

Project credits:

Interiors and fit-out design: Jordan Ralph Design Architect: David Leyden Contractor: Kenny McDonagh Joinery: Billings & Brew

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Yoga poses inspire interiors of Dublin's The Space Between - Dezeen

Jordan Behrman is a lead yoga instructor at Calistoga Fit, seen here atAuberge Resort. There are opportunities to try different kinds of yoga at Calistoga Fit.

With everyones busy schedules, it can be hard to accomplish everything on ones to-do list, and some to-dos may fall through. And while exercise is on many peoples list and does get accomplished, yoga can be forgotten about. However, there is a reason why professional athletes take time out of their schedule to make room for yoga, and Calistoga Fit suggests yoga for everyone.

Yoga has many different practices. Whether you need a good stretch, stress relief, or a good workout there is a practice that can work for you. Beyond stretching, stress relief, and a workout, yoga can actually improve your life from within, both mentally and physically. Practicing yoga can improve body awareness, posture, coordination, and reaction time.

As you take time to hold poses, you can target specific muscles and parts of the body to work and increase your own knowledge on your body and what it can accomplish. Yoga can also increase flexibility, range of motion and spinal movement.

If youre working on rehab for your body or just getting over an injury, and have the clearance from your healthcare provider, try a yoga class and let the instructor know what injuries youve sustained and they can arrange a practice that will be beneficial for your specific needs. Because yoga has many different practices you can go from gentle and rehab focused yoga to a full body workout class. As you practice more and move on to more difficult practices that challenge you physically, you can build up your strength and achieve lengthened, slender muscles.

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Find the right yoga class for you and reap the physical, mental benefits - Napa Valley Register

In March, YogaSix, a new kid on the block yoga-wise, is scheduled to open in Burke, introducing six different varieties of formats and adding a

variety to the fitness craze that made the Downward Dog, a household phrase.

Its fun, modern and accessible to all, said Darren Nilsen, the co-owner of the new studio along with his wife.

YogaSix will be at a location on the Burke Centre Parkway, and one of several Yoga Six studios that the Nilsens are opening in this area over the next few months. The others will be in Tysons, Ashburn, Gainesville and Reston.

Yoga Six is a nationwide chain of yoga studios where the teachers have been trained in the YogaSix methodology to provide a consistent but creative experience for each class type every time. They teach in a way that is easy for everyone to follow and understand. Our expert staff will help you find the right class to help you achieve your goals, their website states.

There are many yoga places in Fairfax County, but Nilsen feels the Yoga Six approach to teaching is needed. People are looking for a different form of yoga, a milder approach, he said. Their yoga and fitness classes address the complete needs of the body in movement and intensity to conquer plateaus, continually progress, and repair itself, their literature states. Were about treating yoga as fun, he added.

It seems like everyone does yoga but Nilsen said that only eight percent of the population practices yoga, so that leaves 92-percent of the population that doesnt practice, so there is room for more studios, he thinks.

Nilsen is an alumna of South Lakes High School in Reston and wasnt too impressed with yoga when he first tried it, but grew to like it after he used it as a treatment for a pulled hamstring in his leg. His doctor recommended it as treatment, and now he practices regularly. One of his instructors is fellow South Lakes alumna Christiane Popperwell, who reunited with Nilsen through Yoga Six. She was blown away by the idea and wanted to be part of it, he said.

The Burke location suits Popperwell too. We are hoping to reach the very first timer and the experienced yogi as well to build a strong yoga community in the Burke area," she said.

The six core classes they offer are Y6 101, Y6 Restore, Y6 Slow Flow, Y6 Hot, Y6 Power, and Y6 Sculpt and Flow. The hot yoga doesnt have the 90 minutes of rigid poses like Bikram Yoga, but there are different levels of heat and lots of sweat.

Yoga training classes are available as well.

When it opens in March, the address is: YogaSix, 5765 Burke Center Parkway, Burke.

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New Spin to Yoga Coming Soon to Burke - Virginia Connection Newspapers

Cole Lauterbach The Center Square

Illinois group using art, yoga to ween foster kids off psychotropic meds its working, they say

SPRINGFIELD A nonprofit foster organization spent 2019 offering traumatized teenage youth in care alternatives to psychotropic medication and the group said the approach is working.

In 2016, there were 53,898 children that, at one time or another, entered into foster care in Illinois, according to a 2018 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services investigation. Of those, 10,109, or 18 percent, were prescribed psychotropic medications at a cost of more than $10.7 million to the federal government.

ChildServ, a nonprofit dedicated to building better lives for children, offered foster children in its three group homes access to therapeutic activities such as art, equine and drama therapy, yoga, meditation and others in an effort to avoid over-reliance on prescription drugs.

Some people may just think its easier, said Dan Kotowski, ChildServ president and CEO, of the high prescription drug rate in foster children. But, as we say all the time, what would you do for your own children? If your child was 3 years old and had behavioral issues, would you prescribe them an antipsychotic medication?

He gave a number of examples of these foster children who, after some time in their activities, were better able to process how past traumatic experiences affected them. Thats seen as a key step, Kotowski said, to making positive changes.

The Illinois Department of Children and Family Services has jurisdiction over many of the youth-in-care Kotowski described. He said his organization has been in contact with the department about the possibility of adopting a similar approach statewide.

DCFS would not respond to requests for comment about the states role in prescribing psychotropic medications to children.

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Illinois group using art, yoga to ween foster kids off psychotropic meds its working, they say - Alton Telegraph

Its nearly as dark outside the yoga classroom overlooking the Deschutes River as it is inside, where Sarah Peterson takes a deep breath, holds it and exhales.

Reach up like youre reaching out to the heavens, the instructor tells Peterson and the yoga class. Like youre bringing in the love and the energy from the person you lost, and bring it into your heart.

Its been three years and five months since Peterson watched her 2-year-old daughter, Marley, die in a horrific wreck outside Sisters, and three years since Petersons father, Jim, died unexpectedly.

No, she hasnt healed. No, she isnt doing OK. Grief is a part of her life that wont go away.

But Peterson has found ways to cope.

Heals not a word in my vocabulary anymore, Peterson said. I dont think Ill ever heal from Marleys death, but I will integrate my grief. Its learning to live with it and enjoy the things that I still have, which are many, but also theres room for my deep and everlasting sadness.

Peterson formed Clear Mourning, a nonprofit with a yoga-focused outreach so others struggling with loss can benefit from what shes learned. Its a small, but sincere effort: the twice-a-month yoga class and a fundraising effort to provide massages to those suffering from grief.

Grief is the human condition, so really, were all dealing with grieving people, she said.

Two years ago in Deschutes County Circuit Court, Peterson screamed in the face of her daughters killer, David Fincher, at his sentencing, her words echoing off the walls of a packed courtroom.

Fincher was found guilty of first-degree manslaughter for the death of Marley, whom he killed in a drunken driving collision on the morning of Sept. 11, 2016.

You killed my baby! Peterson shouted at Fincher, serving a 23-year prison sentence.

These days, Peterson seems calm, and focused.

This is me, the true being, she said last week at a space at the Oregon State University Co-lab in Bend. My grief looked a lot different back in 2016. What you saw those days was a mother facing her daughters killer.

For a long time after her daughters death, Peterson didnt do anything, she said. Some days she would cry so hard, she threw up. One day, though, Peterson decided she wanted everyone to know how she felt, prompted by a feeling that there just wasnt enough black in my closet, she said.

She asked an artist friend to draw her a black, dead heart she could put on a shirt and wear all the time. A longtime hospice nurse, shed seen many families express a similar desire to wear something, like an armband or a veil, that let others know theyre in grief.

The artist created an image of a broken heart, which has since become the logo of Clear Mourning.

In the Clear Mourning yoga class, participants are encouraged to be fully present. In the process, theyll get more in tune with their bodies and, eventually, their emotions, according to instructor Nancy Lumpkin.

As a member of the OSU Co-lab, Clear Mourning has access to the OSU classrooms in the shared workspace, with impressive views of the lush Deschutes below.

Its a free class. The idea is to reach people who wouldnt usually do yoga, like another effort by Namaspa yoga teachers who work with senior citizens and with inmates at the Deschutes County jail.

Getting people into their bodies can also help get them in touch with their emotions, Lumpkin said.

Everyones got trauma and grief in their life. Its about allowing people to feel what they feel and let it all out, Lumpkin said. Its really focusing on creating a relationship with your grief.

Peterson started attending classes at the Namaspa yoga studio in Bend, which she first began going to in 2007. After losing her daughter and her father, she reflexively hid out at the studio, feeling a need to be around something familiar, around people who wouldnt stifle her grief.

Peterson wants to recreate for others that comforting feeling she got in the months after Marleys death, when Namaspa owner Suzie Newcome would let her in the back door.

Being with her friends at Namaspa, whom she called her tribe, was huge for Peterson.

I was really surrounded by a group of people whom I trusted and felt safe with, she said. I knew in those days, I could curl up in the corner and sob, and the teacher would wait for me at the end and walk me out.

Yoga isnt intended as a distraction for people in grief.

Yoga also let me be in the present moment, which also allowed me to feel closer to Marley, she said. I wasnt scared about the future and I didnt have anxiety about the past.

Its not easy to know what to say to someone in Petersons position.

One time, Peterson was in class with an instructor who told his class to breathe deep and reflect on how lucky they are to live in Bend.

Peterson wasnt having it. The comment ruined the class for her. She told the instructor afterward, Im the unluckiest person you know.

Another time, Lumpkin saw Peterson in the studio and asked an innocent-seeming question, just checking in: How ya doing?

Peterson was not well. Her spirit was broken and that day had been particularly hard. She told Lumpkin, Give me some space.

To Peterson, questions like How are you? put grieving people in the position of being brutally honest, or lying about how they really feel.

A much better question is, How is your spirit? she said. That way I dont have to say Im good or Im bad. I can speak to the true nature of my spirit.

Hearing Im sorry for your loss is fine, but what Jason Peterson, Sarahs husband, enjoys more is when someone shares a memory of Marley. Or how something happened the other day, and that person thought of her.

Just hearing her name is nice.

Dont be afraid to approach and talk about the loss its huge, he said. I find that so few people are willing to talk to me and engage about the loss. Even my closest family and friends dont do it as much as Id like. Thats the biggest thing dont let those memories go untold.

Often, the most helpful thing a supporter can say to someone in grief is nothing.

To listen another soul into a state of disclosure is quite possibly the greatest gift, Sarah Peterson said, quoting author Douglas Steele. Its not about having a response or an answer, or about fixing anything, its about listening and saying, Im here with you and Im not going away. Do what you need to do. Youre not by yourself.

Through all her loss , Sarah Peterson has learned it doesnt get easier. There are ups and downs, and an understanding there will more be dark days ahead. But how is her spirit?

My spirit these days is growing and strong, Peterson said. My spirit is being pieced back together into a brand-new shape.

Continued here:
Mother of girl killed by drunk driver uses yoga to help others struggling with loss - Bend Bulletin