In this public service ad, the most powerful men in Washington D.C. and Hollywood speak up against sexual assault

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MANILA, Philippines It is the 21st century, and women have come far. From the days when they were forced to keep silent and stay in the kitchen, women can now wear trousers, hold public office, excercise the right to suffrage, and enter the military.

But have they come far enough?

The White House releases a minute-long video, with seven of the most powerful men in Washington D.C. and Hollywood condemning the gruesome fact that women continue to deal with: sexual assault.

Called the 1 is 2 Many campaign, US President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden, along with actors Benicio del Toro, Daniel Craig, Steve Carell, Dul Hill, and Seth Meyers speak up against sexual assault and encourage other men to do the same.

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Webhits: Obama, Biden, Hollywood stars speak up in anti-rape campaign

May Day in a changing world

By Nikos Konstandaras

Like glaciers melting after ages of stability, the global political system is undergoing great change. Alliances are loosened or reinforced, old enmities are revived and the whole system of global governance is being tested. It is impossible to predict where this will lead.

On Thursday, there was a major May Day rally by workers in Moscows Red Square the first since 1991 and the collapse of the Soviet Union. Many of the banners did not express the demands and wishes of Russian workers, instead they praised President Vladimir Putin for his dynamic intervention in Ukraines domestic affairs and for the annexation of Crimea. On May 9, a major military parade in Red Square will commemorate the day in which the Allies defeated Nazi Germany. The revival of this Soviet tradition was Putins project. More recently, Russia adopted laws which make it easier to annex parts of countries that were in the Soviet Union; they also allow citizens of such territories to gain Russian citizenship. It is clear that Russia is on an irredentist march.

Putin is unfazed by the economic sanctions announced by the United States and the European Union, and it is clear that he will continue to challenge the US. It cannot be a coincidence that on Thursday Chinas Defense Ministry announced a joint naval excercise with Russia in the East China Sea later this month. On his recent visit to the area, US President Barack Obama made clear his countrys support for Japan in its dispute with China over a group of uninhabited islets which Japan controls. Russia, on its part, is involved in a dispute with Japan over a group of islands that the Soviet Union seized at the end of World War II. This is likely to draw the US even further into the area.

On Russias western front, the United States and NATO have said they will support Ukraine if it is attacked, and that the alliances members will stand together if any of them is threatened. On the eastern front, Russia has taken a clear stand in support of China.

This flurry of action on the international chessboard assumes greater importance because the US and the EU appear to be in a weak position: even as they are obliged to use threats to force Russia to back down, it is clear hey are in no mood for war; at the same time, they are losing ground in the most critical area the economy. On Wednesday, the World Bank published a study measuring the real output of countries. On the basis of 2011 figures, it concluded that Chinas economy may overtake that of the US before the end of 2014. Also, India is in third place, leapfrogging over Japan and Germany. Sooner rather than later, the American and European dominance of the global system of governance will become untenable. How this issue changes the system or destroys it will determine the fate of the world and each country.

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May Day in a changing world

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Sunset - Yoga with Waka Yogi
Make your own Yoga playlists with Waka Yogi To get a Yoga mat go to: http://bit.ly/yoga-mat Get subscribed to Waka Yogi #39;s Channel: http://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=w...

By: Waka Yogi

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Sunset - Yoga with Waka Yogi - Video

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Pumpkin - Yoga with Waka Yogi
Make your own Yoga playlists with Waka Yogi To get a Yoga mat go to: http://bit.ly/yoga-mat Get subscribed to Waka Yogi #39;s Channel: http://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=w...

By: Waka Yogi

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Pumpkin - Yoga with Waka Yogi - Video

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Understanding Music Licensing for your Yoga Studio or Wellness Business
Join our resident legal business expert +Keeley Mitchell with co-host +Carla Wilson when we discuss the importance of understanding music licensing and what you need to know to avoid a...

By: Yoga Biz Studio

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Understanding Music Licensing for your Yoga Studio or Wellness Business - Video

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Maypole Vinyasa yoga flow for May Day
To celebrate May Day, I laid my yoga mat out in the space between out fire pit, vegetable beds and the "field," also known as the empty piece of property that borders ours. To emulate a circular...

By: Debbie Philp

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Maypole Vinyasa yoga flow for May Day - Video

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YOGA OF MEDITATION Day 4 of 5
YOGA OF MEDITATION Day 4 of 5.

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YOGA OF MEDITATION Day 4 of 5 - Video

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My Everyday Yoga
This video is about My Everyday Yoga. I am by no means a Yoga expert or teacher, this video is just to show you how I incorporate Yoga into my life. Enjoy! Yoga Journal: http://www.yogajournal.co...

By: Be Beautiful

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My Everyday Yoga - Video

For the first time, researchers in the UK have studied the effects of yoga on pregnant women, and found that it can reduce the risk of them developing anxiety and depression. Stress during pregnancy has been linked to premature birth, low birth weight and increased developmental and behavioural problems in the child as a toddler and adolescent, as well as later mental health problems in the mother. A high level of anxiety during pregnancy is linked with postnatal depression which in turn is associated with increased risk of developing depression later in life.

While it has long been assumed by medical professionals that yoga can help reduce stress levels in mothers, it had never been tested in a research setting.

But in a paper published today in the journal Depression and Anxiety, academics, from Manchester and Newcastle Universities, show that women who attended a yoga class a week for eight weeks had decreased anxiety scores compared to the control group who received normal antenatal treatment. Dr James Newham, who carried out the research as a PhD student at Tommy's Maternal and Fetal Health Research Centre at the University of Manchester, and is now a research associate at Newcastle University, said: "It is surprising this has never been looked at before, we have long believed that it works but no research had been done to back up the theory.

"We have now gone some way to prove that it can help. It was not a small effect either. This has the potential to really help mothers who are feeling anxious about their pregnancy."

Professor John Aplin, one of the senior investigators in Manchester, and himself a long standing yoga teacher, said: "Yoga incorporates relaxation and breathing techniques with postures that can be adapted for pregnant women. Many women opt to practice yoga during their pregnancy but this is the first worldwide report on the effects of both single and multiple sessions of antenatal yoga on mood."

The study, funded by baby charity Tommy's, was carried out in Greater Manchester and looked at 59 women who were pregnant for the first time and asked them to self-report their emotional state. They were split into several groups, some of which took part in a yoga session a week for eight weeks, while the others just had normal pre-natal treatment. A single session of yoga was found to reduce self-reported anxiety by one third and stress hormone levels by 14%. Encouragingly, similar findings were made at both the first and final session of the 8 week intervention.

Dr Newham added: "There is a growing body of evidence that maternal antenatal anxiety may increase the risk of pre-term delivery and the likelihood of giving birth to a low birth weight child. If we can reduce these risk factors, and perhaps reduce the rate of post-natal mood disorders in mothers and negative health outcomes in their offspring, then that can only be a good thing."

Professor Aplin said: "The results confirm what many who take part in yoga have suspected for a long time. There is also evidence yoga can reduce the need for pain relief during birth and the likelihood for delivery by emergency caesarean section.

"Perhaps we should be looking at providing yoga classes on the NHS. It would be relatively cheap to implement, could help mothers and their children be healthier, as well as reducing the costs of longer term health care."

Jacqui Clinton, Health Campaigns Director at Tommy's said: "At least 1 in 10 women experience mental health problems during pregnancy, yet previous research from Tommy's has shown that the stigma is so great, many women never get help for their feelings. This study shows that pregnant women may be able to use yoga to reduce feelings of stress, anxiety and depression, which in turn may help prevent them developing post-natal depression. We already know that pregnancy yoga can help improve physical health and strength on the run up to having a baby, and this new evidence shows that it may have important benefits for women's emotional health too."

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Yoga can help keep expectant mothers stress free: First evidence found

If you think downward dog is difficult now, imagine doing it six months pregnant.

But while it might seem nigh-on impossible, scientists have proven what yoginis have long known - yoga is good for pregnant women.

Researchers have studied the effects of yoga and found it can reduce the risk of expectant women developing anxiety and depression.

A mother's stress during pregnancy is recognised as being bad for the baby, and has been linked with premature birth, low birth weight and developmental problems in young children and even teenagers. Anxiety has also been linked with post-natal depression.

The results of new research led one expert to suggest yoga should be provided on the NHS for mums-to-be as a cheap way of preventing serious complications later.

Yoga has been espoused by experts and celebrities as a way of de-stressing, and actresses such as Gwyneth Paltrow, Drew Barrymore, Jessica Alba and Sienna Miller are all said to have used the ancient techniques while pregnant.

And while medical professionals have long recommended yoga as a way of tackling stress, scientists have now tested the theory in a research setting.

In a paper published today in the journal Depression and Anxiety, academics from Newcastle and Manchester Universities show that women who attended a yoga class every week for eight weeks experienced less anxiety compared to those who received normal antenatal treatment.

5 Yoga Poses Every Pregnant Woman Should Know

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Yoga During Pregnancy Can Reduce Anxiety And Depression In Expectant Mothers