CORNELIUS, Ore. (AP) - In more than three years, Juan Luis Vasquez has barely missed a yoga class.

During peak summer season, the 40-year-old agriculture worker forces himself awake in time for the 5:45 a.m. session.

But Vasquez has an advantage: He works at Blooming Nursery in Cornelius, where owner Grace Dinsdale converted her first commercial greenhouse into a yoga studio around four years ago. Inside, the ground once covered in hundreds of seedlings is now a hardwood floor.

No other place gives us the chance to do this, said Vasquez, who has worked at the nursery for 18 years. Its really good for the body.

Attendance at the yoga class varies week to week, but Vasquez is one of a few regulars. Hes even learning to lead the class himself.

When Vasquez tells his friends about it, they are jealous, he said.

Yoga Hillsboro owner Brant Rogers is a certified Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction instructor, whose clients include Hillsboro police officers. He started teaching the agriculture workers at Dinsdales nursery about three years ago.

Nine employees showed up on a recent Wednesday, both men and women. Each worked through the poses to their individual ability.

Using a mix of Spanglish and hand signals, Rogers slowly guided his students through a series of poses.

Derecha atraz; right foot back, he said. Guerrero segundo; second warrior pose.

More:
Oregon nursery offers yoga classes for farmworkers

WEST HARTFORD Instead of the usual Saturday morning bustle on LaSalle Road in West Hartford Center, there was peace.

People with their purple, orange and blue yoga mats lined the street instead of parked cars. Instead of horns and squeaky brakes, there were soft drum beats and wind chimes.

About 1,000 people of all age attended to West Hartford Yoga's Om Street event to practice the motions and movements or just to watch.

"This is the fourth year. This is so peaceful and free," said Jennifer Leavitt, manager of West Hartford Yoga.

"The weather was on our side this year," she added, taking off her sweatshirt as the sun began to warm the street. "It's such a peaceful morning."

Leavitt said that she started practicing yoga about five years ago and that her life hasn't been the same since.

"I had no idea this was going to change my whole life," said Leavitt, who has a background in law. "It's amazing, and I'm not alone."

Barbara Ruzansky, owner of West Hartford Yoga, led the participants in various yoga movements.

"Let's just take a moment to really recognize how exciting this is," Ruzansky told participants. "To be on a street on a yoga mat, close together, practicing what we love and come together as a community."

Julia Summers and Mara Kunin, two West Hartford residents and roommates, heard about the event and decided to stop by and do yoga Saturday morning.

See the original post here:
Om Street Yoga Brings Peace To LaSalle Road

Josh Schuster is sitting cross-legged on a yoga mat with his eyes closed and his hands placed gently on his knees.

Ever so slowly, the 30-year-old Greenwich Village resident takes a deep breath, rises and contorts himself into a downward dog position.

But Josh isnt at a chichi yoga studio hes in the Chelsea office of his real estate company, DHA Capital, where he is the president. And hes with three of his employees.

Allow us to explain. Josh is taking a yoga class at his office through Work From Om, a New York City-based corporate-mindfulness business that launched in February.

Work From Om offers individual and group yoga sessions to employees at their location of choice usually their offices.

Although the cost of each session varies, an average group session will set you back $195, while smaller classes cost $95 to $160.

Work From Oms two co-founders, Sarah Vaynerman, 29, and Ashley Mancuso, 25, are both certified yoga instructors.

They also have other jobs Vaynerman is a digital marketing consultant, Mancuso a corporate financial analyst though theyre transitioning toward making Work From Om a full-time gig.

(L-R) Mancuso and Vaynerman.Photo: Tamara Beckwith

Vaynerman and Mancuso met in October 2013 during a yoga teacher training program and quickly bonded over the realization the practice helped them improve their work-life balances and find their professional centers.

See original here:
Why yoga could help you thrive at work