In a world thats always on the go, how can one find time to smell the roses? Or, less ambitiously, at least take a break that clears your mindspace? Your smartphone can help, if you stay away from social media and designate those five-to-10 minute breaks to the right mindfulness and meditation app.

Insight Timer, which has been voted the happiest app in the world, stands out for not only its quality sessions but for being able to provide short meditations on the go, and making it a daily habit.

The company claims that across the world more time is spent meditating on Insight Timer than all other meditation apps. According to the website, people spend 63 percent time on Insight Timer, as compared to 17 percent on Calm, 13 percent on Headspace, and seven percent on other mindfulness apps.

Insight Timer has a 4.8 rating on Play Store and has been downloaded more than one million times.

Lets explore the app to find out if it actually scores over others and makes you more mindful.

On Insight Timer, you can start meditating without creating a login. You can log in to see which of your friends in the online world are using the app. It also lets you set language separately for both interface and content. The app is available in two Indian languages as well, Hindi and Punjabi.

The homepage also tells you how many other users are meditating right at that moment. Early mornings and late nights see the highest numbers like we meditated alongside 10,000 people in the morning. When we opened the app, there were 10.9 million meditators on the app; of these, 564,000 used it that day and some 10,000 were meditating across the world in real time.

The UI of the app is impressive, as it shows a graphical representation of users across geographies. If nothing, it helps in motivating you to practise this habit and show you that you are not alone.

The bottom strip of the homepage has five tabs: Today, Meditation, Timer, Courses, and Profile. Timer is the most useful feature if you are using this app during your breaks in a busy day. Just set a time and sit in silence. If you want, you can add interval bells, ambient sound, and an ending bell. This is an impressive feature, especially if you dont want to choose a particular track and are just looking for five minutes of deep breathing or mindfulness.

The app offers around 24,000 free meditations to choose from, under various categories like guided and unguided meditations, calming music, talks, sleep, beginners, stress etc.

The app also offers short meditations for emergencies or the occasional random quiet moment.

What sets this app apart is that you can choose your meditation based on the time you have and your need. One can choose between time spans of zero-five minutes to 30 minutes-plus. You can also opt for a customised meditation track. For example, you can put on music, choose a female or male voice for audio, put in preferences like high spiritual content or religious content, and can filter by benefit, practice, and even origin. We have used a host of meditation apps, but found this this level of customisation only in Insight Timer.

The app has courses such as how to restore sound sleep, a 10-day course that needs you to put in 16 minutes each day, and others like getting over overeating. While the app is absolutely free and comes with some basic courses, premium courses need subscriptions. The Rs 5,000-per-year subscription unlocks a special catalogue of courses and will allow you free offline downloading of the meditations.

The app also shows charts and milestones on the progress of your meditation to ensure that you stick to the activity. The profile shows your activity, friends, groups, and stats. Some countries also have offline Insight Timer groups for mental wellbeing activities and discussions.

The app gives you the experience of taking an in-person class, but one that you can do anywhere. It is sure to get beginners started and help them stay the meditation course. We also like Insight Timers design, which includes a neat interface that has subtle illustrations and a well-organised library of courses.

So, starting today, we recommend that you use this app to calm the mind, manage stress, and enhance happiness. Yours, and that of others!

(Edited by Teja Lele Desai)

Also Read

Originally posted here:

[App Fridays] Hello peace and calm, bye-bye stress and anxiety with mindfulness app Insight Timer - YourStory

A version of this article first appeared at Antwerp Avenue.

If youre anything like us, youre probably exhausted from hearing people talk about the powers of mindfulness and meditation. Over the past few years, its been impossible to listen to a podcast or click on an Instagram page without the benefits of meditation being thrown in your face. Meditation is often associated with hippies sitting at a festival wearing tie-dye or doing 10 day silent retreats in the mountains of India. Sure, a lot of people who meditate fit into those categories. But recent research has shown that meditation has incredible benefits for people using it to boost their professional life. Here, I take a look at some of the ways meditation can help you achieve your business dreams.

The modern lifestyle is exhausting, no doubt about it. From the need to smash our goals at work and the gym, to the pressure of maintaining a social life that looks great on Instagram, it often feels like we need to be in a million places at once.

For entrepreneurs and freelancers, who often carry an extra financial burden, making time to relax can save you from a burnout and from developing stress related health issues. Meditation is a great form of stress relief because it can be performed anywhere, and without any specialist equipment. The basis of meditation is focusing on one thing or on nothing for an extended period of time essentially, being mindful. But if youre really busy, you can work meditation into your daily life. Next time youre walking somewhere, switch off your music and pay attention to your steps, and the way it feels when your feet touch the ground. Even taking a shower or doing the washing up mindfully can help try and stay in the moment and feel the water on your skin, slowing down to focus on the sensations. After all youve got to do the washing up anyway, so you may as well multi-task!

If youre facing a difficult situation at work and cant see a way out, meditation is here to help. We know how it goes youre trying to figure out how to solve a difficult supply problem, or how to break off a relationship with a client. Sometimes, you spend so long going over the problem in your mind that you cant seem to find a way out. Since it involves clearing your mind of outside distractions, meditation can give you a fresh perspective on a sticky situation. Next time youre struggling, take a few minutes to sit quietly and focus on breathing deeply and calmly and then go back and try and figure out your problem. Chances are, youll find it much easier to come to a solution once youve given your mind some distance.

Part of being an entrepreneur is being able to see into the future: things might not work out exactly how you planned, but its good to know the general direction you want your business to take. If youre at a crossroads and not sure what your business goals should be for the upcoming months, you guessed it! Meditation to the rescue again.

This time, try taking some time away from distractions. Maybe go and sit in the park with your phone on flight mode, and just a notebook and a pen for company. Spend a few minutes sitting peacefully and give yourself the freedom to daydream about your business. In this state of semi-consciousness, new ideas can pop into your head, finally able to surface when the chatter in your brain calms down. This is a useful exercise to repeat regularly, even if you know exactly the direction you want your business to take. Who knows what million dollar ideas might be hiding in your mind, waiting for a quiet moment to appear

Originally posted here:

How to use Mindfulness Meditation to Reach your Business Goals - Thrive Global

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Meditation requires sitting in comfortable stillness. In stillness, one is able to detach from the sensory and motor channels of experience and direct the awareness to the deeper levels of consciousness.

Movement provokes unneeded stimulus thus causing the mind to wander and to break concentration. Vrittis or waves are formed in absence of stillness that causes fluctuations in the body-mind complex, making meditation a difficult practice.

To attain the state of stillness, one can train the body and mind through asanas and pranayam. The preparatory practices allow one to slip into the state of deep meditative relaxation. In sage Patanjalis yogsutra that mentions eight limbs or steps of yoga; asanas and pranayam form the third and the fourth component, precursor elements to the meditation which occupies the seventh place.

The body, mind and breath are connected. This is noticeable by witnessing the breath at different emotional and mental states that you go through during your waking hours. How is your breath when you are nervous or anxious? How is it when you are relaxed or in the state of contentment? Move from the breath and witness the bodily changes when you are angry, excited or crying. Also, note how your body and mind respond when you become aware of your emotions and thoughts.

Awareness is the key to the self. It unlocks you. For awareness, self-observation is necessary. Are you aware that while reading this article, you are also breathing?

Asanas are done with awareness and in the rhythm of the breathing cycle. As one can easily notice, any muscular tension in the body changes the rate and rhythm of the breath. You, your body, your mind, your breath are all connected. Doing asanas slowly and comfortably brings the energy flow to the internal organs, glands and muscles to relax the organs and the nerves. Asanas or postural patterns integrate the mind and body. Asanas release mental tensions dealing with them at physical level through body to the mind and vice versa.

Pran is the cosmic life force or the vital energy. It is more than the literal translation of breath, breath control or infusion of oxygen in the body. Pranayam techniques activates and regulates the life force to attain higher state of awareness. Pranayam practices energise the nadi system or the subtle energy channels, purifying, regulating and amplifying the life force. This induces physical and mental stability promoting the state of required stillness for meditation.

Breathing techniques help one to get rid of several mind-body ailments as well. More often than not, there is a tendency to breathe incorrectly and use only a small part of the lung capacity. This is due to lack of awareness of the breathing process. Incorrect breathing causes dis-ease in the body.

In pranayam, with awareness, one engages in rhythmic, deep and slow inhalation-exhalation, thereby stimulating a calm and content state of mind. And a calm mind in turn, stimulates a deep and long respiration. As the natural rhythms of the mind and body are restored, dis-eases are eliminated, when ease returns.

When asanas and pranayam are done with conscious awareness, it establishes a connection between the conscious and subconscious mind. This is when positive affirmations are most effective and this is the state when self-healing is possible.

As articulated earlier, the mind-body complex is one. Every physical, muscular knot has a corresponding mental or emotional knot. Stiffness in the body is due to blocked pran and accumulation of the impurities of thoughts and emotions. When the body is infused with energy or pran, the impurities are removed. Pran is visible on the physical plane as motion and action, and on the mental plane as thought (Swami Sivananda).

So, when the thoughts and actions are purified, tranquillity is attained and this allows meditation to become an easy, effortless and joyous practice.

Disclaimer: Urmila Rao is a chakra balancing meditation coach, Theta Healer and a sound therapist. All the ideas expressed herein are her own and not professional advice or medical prescription. She can be reached at: milarao2018@gmail.com.

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Meditate with Urmila: Find balance of body, mind and breath - Gulf News

What you do in the morning can set the tone for the rest of your day. That is why creating an easily accessible daily ritual can help set you up for success no matter what state you wake up in or what the day ahead holds for you.

In addition, more and more studies are showing how practicing yoga can be the key to optimizing your mind, mood, and health. The best part? A yoga sequence can take less that 15 minutes per day and be done in the comfort of your own home!

Here are my top five poses to help you start your day off on the right path. This should only take five to 15 minutes depending on how long you would like to repeat each movement. Most are designed to follow breath to movement, and it's best take your time with each pose.

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Craving Movement? These Are The Best 5 Yoga Poses To Do Every Morning - mindbodygreen.com

DALLAS There is a space where a group of men gathers every Thursday in Oak Cliff.

The fellas enter the safe space to release stress and burdens of the week shifting their focus on connecting their minds, bodies, and positive energy.

Come on in, says Sherri Doucette as she greets those attending her class at Pan African Connection.

Doucette is the Founder of Litehouse Wellness. She is also an instructor guiding men through a class she's calling "Broga."

"Broga is yoga for brothers, Doucette said. Yoga for black men.

It's a different approach to an ancient practice.

Its just a positive outlet, as opposed to doing something negative," said Daryl Johnson.

Sherri Doucette

WFAA

Doucette says the idea behind Broga is personal. Her husband, Baba Groden, was diagnosed with a preventable cancer when he was 44.

He said to me, 'You know baby, when I get better, I want to talk to brothers about doing better,'" she said.

Doucettes husband died four years ago.

"Better did not come for him," she said.

Now she is teaching men about taking health seriously and making changes before its too late.

Health challenges brought Patrick Brown to yoga.

"A lot of times, weve been taught or have seen examples where we keep everything in," he said. "We keep everything bottled up. But as a result, we end up having health problems, end up on medications.

Broga

WFAA

Some of the men in the class admit the idea of doing yoga was intimidating, at first.

"They mainly see women doing yoga in yoga classes," Brown said.

And some women do attend the Broga class. No one is turned away.

During class, yogis spend an hour stretching and breathing releasing all sorts of stresses they've been carrying.

Its stress from the job," said Malik Doucette. "Stress from their families. Stress from... relationships just the day itself. So, when we come in here, everybody comes in with baggage.

That baggage is compounded by some additional alarming realities.

A recent study from the Parkland Health & Hospital System revealed African Americans who live in southern Dallas are the most likely to be unhealthy.

Heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and cancer are high in that area. Communities across the region have the least access to health care.

Broga

WFAA

With yoga, its something you cannot rush," said Qualon Fort. "You cant cheat. Youve got to really test yourself and do it right."

It's a practice aimed at personal care

"It is the best release of stress, and its positive," Johnson said.

For Johnson, its about brothers encouraging one another, one day a week, on a path to wellness.

"Youll go home sore, and tired, and sweaty," he said. "But youll sleep like a baby.

Doucette and her organization, Litehouse Wellness, offer Broga classes each Thursday at 7:30 p.m. at Pan African Connection, located at 4466 S. Marsalis Avenue, Dallas TX 75216.

The classes are donation-based. To learn more about Broga, you can visit: litehousewellness.org.

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'Broga is yoga for brothers': Yoga class in Oak Cliff focuses on personal care - WFAA.com

The perfect wellness gift for families and friends

By Staff Writer

Add happy and healthy to the holidays with theChiUniverseYogaGame for your favorite kids, families and friends, the perfect program and wellness gift touted by the likes of Michelle Obama and Gwyneth Paltrow.

Offering an upgraded free app andYogamat for purchase,ChiUniverse is a great bonding opportunities for kids and parents. TheChiUniverseYogaApp is available on both iOS and Android, includes a 10 LevelYogaSeries, guided audio tracks, animatics, andchipoints. TheChiYogaMat has a symbol system that coordinates with the app, properly aligns the body, makingYogaa fun game.

How does this all work? Follow the symbols on the mat and easily learnYogaand breathing techniques with local celebrity meditation andYogainstructor Bobbi Hamilton, CYT and Creator ofChiUniverse.

ChiMat turns fitness into a fun game, enhances focused learning, and is a prevention and reversal solutions for childhood obesity, Hamilton said. WithChithe life-force energy that flows through all of uswe aim to create greater physical, mental, and emotional wellness for kids and families.

The mat and program can be used as teaching tools to help kids learn independently and to assist teachers, therapists and parents easily implementYogaand exercise into classroom, PE, after-school, and home.

In April 2018 Hamilton was named Innovator of the Month by American Airlines inflight magazine and the program was first featured by Michelle Obama in herLets Move! LAcampaign and was included in Gwyneth Paltrowsgoopholiday gift guide. In addition,ChiMats were featured in the Top 20 items in Nordstrom stores last holiday and Four Seasons Aviara & Hualalai will be hostingChiUniverseYogaClasses for guests and members this season.

To download the iOS App clickHERE. To download the Android App clickHERE.

To receive 25 percent off forChiUniverseYogaMats & Card Decks visitChiUniverse.com/shop/and use the gift code LA-FRIENDS.

More here:
Add Happy and Healthy to the Holidays with Chi Universe Yoga - Santa Monica Mirror

Yoga, which is all about physical postures and breathing techniques, is found to be helpful in improving depression and anxiety symptoms in individuals with major depressive disorder (MDD).

The researchers from the New York Medical College in Valhalla who sought to investigate the impact of yoga on MDD symptoms studied the impact of Iyengar yoga postures and coherent breathing. They assigned 32 MDD patients randomly to either a high-dose group (HDG) or a low-dose group (LDG) based on the frequency of the yoga classes and homework sessions, over a period of 12 weeks.

They observed that individuals from both groups not only experienced a reduction in anxiety and depression but had also started feeling highly positive.

"Yoga and regulated breathing practices have been used for thousands of years in diverse cultures to manage stress, anxiety, depression, pain, and many other conditions," Medscape Medical News quoted the studys coauthor Patricia L. Gerbarg, MD, an assistant professor in psychiatry."Clinicians should seriously consider including mind-body practices such as yoga and coherent breathing in their treatment recommendations for patients with depressive symptoms."

According to the authors, though researchers have supported the role of yoga as an effective treatment for depression, only very few of them have evaluated its desirable dosing.

Thus, Gerbarg et al conducted this study to not only assess the effects of an intervention combining Iyengar yoga and coherent breathing on psychological function in participants with MDD but also find out the optimal dose of such an intervention.

So they assigned the subjects to either of the following groups:

They were then asked to answer a set of psychological questionnaires and mood scales at weeks 4, 8 and 12.

Although the higher dose group subjects exhibited greater improvement in all scales, there wasnt any statistically significant difference between the two groups.

The study has also found that MDD patients had lower levels of -aminobutyric acid (GABA) compared to healthy individuals. And post this yoga intervention, the study participants had GABA levels similar to those of healthy people. Such a finding paves the way towards future treatments of anxiety disorders, posttraumatic stress disorder, and substance abuse.

Yoga found effective to reduce symptoms of major depression. Photo: OpenClipart-Vectors

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Yoga Helps Improve Depression And Anxiety Symptoms - International Business Times

A lot of people want to get in shape as fast as possible with yoga, whether its to help relieve tension or to get flexible. Yoga helps tremendously with both.

Many people who try yoga tend to get discouraged when they dont notice any results right away. Still, its essential to know that yoga fits everyone no matter what their level of flexibility is! Practice is vital.

This also means that there is no exact timeline to determine when your yoga workouts will pay out. It all depends on your flexibility, age, how many times you practice, and the intensity of each workout. However, many people tend to see significant results within two months of practice. The more you stretch your body, the faster you will gain that flexibility.

Like any workout, yoga takes a lot of practice and dedication. Yoga practice is all about self-awareness between your mind and body; being flexible is simply a result of that dedication. Basically, the more you learn about your body through yoga practices, the more likely you are to achieve faster results.

Some of our favorite yoga positions for flexibility are:

Standing forward fold: this yoga move targets your spine, hamstrings, and calves, giving you a deep stretch for flexible legs.

Downward facing dog: it targets mostly your hamstrings, calves, hand, and feet. The more you practice it, the better results you will have.

Childs pose: while still being an incredibly relaxing and energizing pose, childs pose is, in fact, perfect for stretching your lower back and pelvis, giving you more flexibility in your lower back and thighs.

Remember that yoga takes patience, patience with your body and your mind; remember that change doesnt come in a day and that you deserve to be kinder to yourself, and simply enjoy the journey in which it leads you to better health and even better mindset.

Originally posted here:
How Long Does it Take to Get Flexible With Yoga? - YouBeauty

Spiritual seekers who like to stretch need not travel to India, Costa Rica, or Bali for an enlightening and envigorating yoga getaway. The following destinations are accessible by car from Long Island. Each one promises an escape from the pressures of modern life through yoga, meditation, massage, and more. Healthy, mostly vegetarian cuisine and beautiful outdoor surroundings come at no extra charge.

Monticello, New York

On the grounds of the old Kutsher resort upstate,YO1 (yo1.com)opened in 2018 as a luxury hotel/wellness retreat hybrid. This isnt your grandmas Catskills. The hotel sits on a 1,300-acre property overlooking a lake. Rooms have bathrobes, pillowtop mattresses, wifi, and flat screen tvs (unusual at yoga retreats) On check-in, youll meet with an Ayurvedic and naturopathic practitioner who will help you create a custom program of Indian healing therapies tailored to your goals and needs. Guests can focus on areas including detox and rejuvenation, pain management, weight management, and relaxation. Hydrotherapy, mud baths, reflexology, massage, and acupuncture take place in elaborately tiled pools and sparkling new treatment rooms. Vinyasa and Hatha yoga are taught in light-filled studios overlooking the water. Indoor and outdoor theaters host evening lectures by prominent wellness experts. A dining room offers conscious cuisine in an elegant setting. Cooking classes teach you how to prepare healthy meals after you leave. A salon, boutique, tea caf, and juice bar contribute to the luxury hotel feel. Packages starting at $599/night.

Phoenicia, New York

Menla Retreat and Spa, (Menla.us) which is affiliated with Tibet House, the Dalai Lamas cultural center in New York City, bills itself as Tibet in the Catskills. Situated on a 325-acre private preserve criss-crossed with burbling streams and walking paths, the retreat is a nature-lovers delight. Deluxe hotel rooms in chalet-style buildings are simply decorated with Tibetan accents. More modestly priced cabin rooms have shared bathrooms and kitchens and are good for small groups. Create your own getaway, or join an organized retreat: themes include yoga in tumultuous times, devotional chanting, and Sufi dance. In addition to yoga and meditation classes in light-filled yoga studios with bamboo floors and colorful altars, there is a spa offering Tibetan KuNye massage as well as herbal baths, vibrational sound therapy, and conventional massage and facial services. There is also a Finnish sauna, far infrared sauna, and steam room. Guests can go on guided hikes, relax by several outdoor fire pits, and play tennis on two courts , weather permitting. Organic vegetarian meals made with produce from Menlas garden are served buffet-style. A Native American sweat lodge and astrological consultation are also available with advance booking. Personal getaway weekends (2 nights accomodations plus meals and one yoga class and one meditation class per day) from $398.

Rhinebeck, New York

A short-ish drive from Long Island, Rhinebeck boasts one of the four Omega Institute (eomega.org)locations (the others are in Costa Rica, California, and NYC). The mission of this holistic learning center is the integration of personal growth and social change, and it sees itself as part of the global Omega community. To understand what its all about, you can book a cabin, single dorm room, or a hybrid cabin/tent (you can also bring your own camping equipment and pitch your own tent in the warmer months). A typical day is packed with classes in meditation, yoga, tai chi, and movement. Workshops on subjects ranging from divine light healing to past life therapy to handcrafted herbal body care give focus to your stay. Free time can be spent wandering the labyrinth, gardens, and nature trails on the 250-acre campus or spending time in the meditation sanctuary. A program of evening concerts, films, and community gatherings brings the day to a close. Three mostly vegetarian meals, sourced from Hudson Valley vendors like Ronnybrook Farm Dairy and Little Seed Gardens are included. Weekend program rates (2 nights/meals/classes/workshops) start at $398 for a single dorm room with shared bath. eomega.org

Stockbridge, Massachusetts

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Kripalu (kripalu.org) began as a training center for yoga teachers, and is today the largest yoga-based retreat center in the United States. During an R&R retreat, guests can participate in up to three yoga classes (all levels are taught) a day here as well as attendnightly workshops in topics like yoga and Shamanism, Kung Fu Yoga, and Yoga for Back Care. But this serene lakeside school in the Berkshires offers much more. The daily schedule also includes guided hikes, meditation seminars, and creative expression workshops. A spa features Ayurvedic facials and Kripalu massage. There is an intriguing menu of metaphysical services including tarot, psychic readings, and henna art. Plant-based cuisine is served buffet-style. During breakfast, dining is silent. Rates start at $92/night for dorm housing, $207 for a private room (3 meals included) plus a daily tuition fee of $85 to $95. Guests also have the option of staying at a local hotel or b&b (options include the Briarcliff (briarcliffmotel.com), a hip roadside motel and the elegant Inn at Stockbridge (stockbridgeinn.com)and purchasing day passes to participate in classes and workshops.

Island Falls, Maine

Near Mount Kathadin, where the sun first hits the East Coast as it rises, expert yoga instructor Donna Davidge hosts intimate yoga retreats in an antiques-filled farmhouse built by her great grandfather in 1865. Sewall House(sewallhouse.com) offers a variety of on-site yoga and meditation classes for small groups of guests. The schedule is flexible, but the day usually starts with meditation and then a yoga class before breakfast, free time for exploring, reading, journaling, or massage before lunch, more yoga before dinner, and an evening in the sauna or Jacuzzi. Beginners and experienced practitioners alike are welcomed, and classes are small and personalized. Depending on interest, kundalini, hatha, vinyasa, and ashtanga yoga are taught. Paddle board yoga might be offered on select weekends. Food is vegetarian with plenty of vegan options. No alcohol is served but guests are free to bring their own. Visitors can hike, bike, or canoe nearby. In the winter, snowshoeing and cross-country ski excursions can be arranged. Right now, Davidge will be open two weekends in February for retreats. Groups of four or more can have the house to themselves at other times, yoga and meditation included, by pre-arrangement. Transportation from the Bangor airport available on request. All-inclusive rates start at $260/night per person.

Boone, North Carolina

If your ideal reset takes place on a mountaintop, head to this compound in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains, A bit fartherthan some other destinations (a long road trip will get you there; a quick and cheap plane ride to Charlotte will get you close) The Art of Living Retreat Center (Artoflivingretreatcenter.org)is a choose-your-own-adventure spiritual and wellness resort. Book a simple but comfortable room with a mountain view and then join a group for a weekend of Chakra Yoga Immersion, Gentle Yoga to Reinvigorate the Mind, or Yoga and Meditation for Relaxation. Or tailor your own retreat. The offerings are plentiful and varied, and include meditation instruction, pottery workshops, community singing and chanting, a walking labyrinth, nature trails, and an evening fire circle. The Ayurveda spa offers unusual treatments like Marma lymphatic massage and Shirodhara relaxation therapy with warm oil. Globally influenced vegetarian cuisinea varied menu that might include coconut mango rice, Tuscan bread salad, sweet potato and sage soup, and semolina cakes with apple-mint chutney-- is served in the dining room. If you arrive by car, you can explore King Street, with its book shops, coffee bars, restaurants, and galleries in the charming town of Boone. Rooms from $298/night including meals and yoga classes.

By Lauren Chattman Special to Newsday

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6 wellness and yoga retreats in NY, more - Newsday

Its not too early to start thinking about fitness goals in the new year and a January yoga series is intended to keep the celebration going. Drunk Yoga is designed to take the intimidation out of yoga and introduce a bit of wine-induced levity.

Drinking wine is an incredible way to make yoga fun, said Eli Walker, founder of Drunk Yoga, which stages events in Los Angeles and New York and for special occasions, such as bachelorette parties. Its about cultivating joy and community and letting your hair down.

More beer yoga and wine hikes in and around L.A. >>>

There are several classes in January in Venice, including a Brunch Drunk Yoga event and a Hair of the Down-Dog Yoga class on the rooftop of the Hotel Erwin. The classes are intended for beginners, Walker said, and encompass a 45-minute vinyasa-style session based on gentle moves set to a 1990s hip-hop playlist. Expect some mild drinking games as well. (Nonalcoholic beverages are also available.) There is time before and after to socialize.

Its not at all serious and introspective, said Walker.

Info: Jan. 16 to 19, and Jan. 23 to 26, various times. Hotel Erwin, 1697 Pacific Ave., Venice. Tickets $45 through eventbrite.com or dodrunkyoga.com.

::

Here are three other happenings within L.A.'s wellness scene:

The inaugural Mindfulness Expo is coming to Anaheim, a spinoff of the popular 5-year-old Yoga Expo, where meditation classes typically fill up.

Mindfulness Expo founder Michelle Zarrin said the daylong event Nov. 30 will feature back-to-back workshops teaching various aspects of mindfulness; there will be talks on the long-term benefits of meditation, how the practice ties in with the ancient Hindu healing system of ayurveda, and sessions with kundalini yoga, breath work and sound healing. There will also be a pop-up marketplace for wellness-related products.

Speakers include Cassandra Carlopio, who focuses on using meditation to induce sleep, and Karla Amador, who spearheaded the 52 Hike Challenge, encouraging people to hit the trails every week for a year. Zarrin said the expo is intended for people at all levels of meditation.

Info: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Nov. 30. Anaheim Convention Center, 800 W. Katella Ave., Anaheim. $35 for an all-inclusive ticket, mindfulnessexpo.com

Mindfulness Expo founder Michelle Zarrin said the daylong event Nov. 30 will feature back-to-back workshops teaching various aspects of mindfulness.

(Beatrice de Gea / Los Angeles Times)

::

The new Pure Barre studio in Culver City is in a two-story modern industrial loft with stained-glass windows.

You can look out the windows at the trains going by while you exercise, said Ali Reynolds, owner of the new 1,700-square-foot space, who has been teaching at other studios for several years. Culver City is such an eclectic community with a small-town feel but not that many fitness studios.

The new space will offer various types of barre classes, ranging from Classic which is ballet barre and light weights to Pure Empower, based on cardio and Pure Reform, where exercises are based on the principles of Pilates and incorporate sliders and resistance bands. Does all of this sound like a foreign language? The Foundations class is for first-timers and introduces the basics of the technique. The classes are 45 to 50 minutes.

Info: Pure Barre, 8985 Venice Blvd., Suite E + F. First Foundations class free. Thereafter a single class is $25. Package discounts available. purebarre.com

The new Pure Barre in Culver City.

(Pure Barre)

::

Toned is new a boutique gym in West Hollywood offering classes based around non-electronic treadmills for a gentler workout: Owner Dede Lagree wanted to offer a treadmill-based exercise option that was easier on joints. (If her name looks familiar, its because shes behind the Lagree Fitness Method with her husband, Sebastien Lagree.)

The Curve Treadmill doesnt have any electronics, so you power it yourself using your legs, she said. Its safer on joints and knees, and you burn 30% more calories than a traditional treadmill. It has no incline; weve found that a really high incline can be bad for the hips. This way, youre running at a much more natural angle.

There are 15 treadmills in the 2,000-square-foot space. The 40-minute workouts go back and forth between segments on the treadmill and on the floor, incorporating high-repetition moves designed to keep the intensity and heart rate up to result in a toned, sculpted physique.

We want this to be for everyone, said Lagree, whether they have never run or can run marathons. On this treadmill, you can walk three miles per hour and your heart rate will still be high and your whole body moving.

Info: Toned, 375 N. La Cienega Blvd., Suite 2. First class free when booked online using code WeWorkHarder. Drop-in classes are $29. Packages start at five classes for $140. tonedla.com

Toned, a new West Hollywood gym offers classes exclusively on non-electronic treadmills.

(Noel Daganta / Toned)

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Drunk yoga: Where to try it in L.A. - Los Angeles Times