For Mankato Wests Maddie Maruska and Rachel Conley, gymnastics is all in their head.

The duo has returned to the Scarlets after missing virtually all of last season with torn anterior cruciate ligaments. Both gymnasts suffered their injury on the opening meet of the 2012 season while doing the floor excercise.

Co-head coach Mark Morphew remembers the day well.

After that meet, (coach) Elizabeth (Mullikin) and I were kind of hanging our heads, he said. Not only did we feel bad for Maddie and Rachel because they had worked hard to get where they were at, but we knew what it meant for the team.

We had high hopes going into last season and then we lost our two best gymnasts right out of the gate. We knew that everybody was going to have to temper their expectations.

The junior Maruska and senior Conley, who are best friends both in and out of the gymnastics room, had their surgeries on consecutive days by the same doctor at Immanuel-St. Joes Hospital in Mankato. They did their rehab and were cleared to resume full athletic activity this past August.

But this where the head part kicks in. While both may be at or close to 100 percent physically, there are still some mental hurdles to be conquered.

The West season began last week and both gymnasts admit that they have yet to cut loose during practice or a competition especially when it comes to the floor exercise.

Theres a fear factor there, Conley said. Were trying to deal with it the best we can.

Morphew says being tentative at the start of this season is natural.

More here:
Local gymnastics teams are getting Ready to Tumble

Thai men hold durians at a warehouse in Tien Giang Province, where the fruits are to be soaked in perservatives and smuggled to China and Indonesia. Photo courtesy of Tuoi Tre

Police in theMekong Deltaprovince of Tien Giang have fined a group of Thai and Vietnamese smugglers for soaking local durians in unsafe preservatives before illegally bringing them into China and Indonesia.

The chemicals and fruit have been confiscated.

The police said the eight Thai people and a Vietnamese dealer will be fined VND10-20 million (US$473-947) each for the undocumented export of the fruits to the China and Indonesia.

Thailand Commerce Company in Ho Chi Minh City collected the fruits at its warehouse in Tien Giang, Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper reported.

In one of Tuoi Tres visits, more than 20 Vietnamese were working for two Thai men. The Thaischosewhich fruitswere to be soaked in the strange preservative solution and the Vietnamese did the deed in a roomat the far end of house.

The durians were than tagged with Chinese labels, put in Chinese-language boxes and loaded ontoa truck.

The workers said each bucket (more than 40 liters) ofdark yellow liquidcould bathe 700 durians. The warehouse used around ten buckets a day and the solutions were mixed by the Thai bosses, according to Tuoi Tre.

A Thai man expressed anger and signaled the Tuoi Tre reporter to leave when the latter entered the room where the mixture was being made from unlabeled chemicals including some yellow powder, a yellow liquid, and a green liquid.

A Vietnamese worker said the mixture was said to keep the durians unspoiled for longer than normal, and to make them ripe all over.

Read more here:
Vietnamese durians smuggled, soaked in dodgy preservative

Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=waONxJyHYIw

The 100 Best Yoga Poses from Sean Vigue Fitness
What #39;s in Sean #39;s Vault? Click http://www.SeanVigueFitness.com/Vault and find out! ~ FACEBOOK: http://www.facebook.com/seanvigue ~ TWITTER: http://www.twitter...

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The 100 Best Yoga Poses from Sean Vigue Fitness - Video

Published: Wednesday, 11 Dec 2013 | 3:27 PM ET

By: Harriet Baskas, Special to CNBC

Source: Chicago Dept. of Aviation

Yoga room at Chicago O'Hare International Airport

Chicago O'Hare International, one of the country's busiest and most stressful airports, took a decidedly Zen turn today with the opening of a yoga room in Terminal 3, adjacent to the airport's indoor urban garden.

"The yoga room provides a space for yoga practice as well as a place to relax or meditate," said Rosemarie Andolini, Chicago Department of Aviation commissioner. "This is yet another amenity to help make the travel experience at O'Hare 'best-in-class.' "

(Read more: Middle class priced out of skiing)

O'Hare's yoga room has a sustainable bamboo wood floor, floor-to-ceiling mirrors along one wall, exercise mats and an area to store personal articles and garments. A wall-mounted video monitor plays soothing sounds and displays yoga exercise techniques and images of nature. Frosted windows along one side of the room provide privacy and natural light.

"The importance of exercise and the opportunity in clearing the mind and body during long travel days cannot be overstated as it relates to one's health," said Brad Jersey, CEO and founder of nLIVEn Health, a company that places sponsored interactive health-care campaigns in airports. "We know from our studies that 75 percent of frequent fliers participate in some workout regimen, so this is a perfect complement at ORD."

Wellness tourism is a $438.6 billion global market "and a rapidly growing niche within the $3.2 trillion global tourism economy," according to the a study presented in October at the Global Wellness Tourism Congress in New Delhi, India.

The rest is here:
Yoga lounge opens at Chicago O'Hare

airport

Harriet Baskas Special to CNBC.com

Dec. 11, 2013 at 2:12 PM ET

Chicago Dept. of Aviation

Chicagos OHare International has opened a yoga room.

Chicagos OHare International, one of the countrys busiest and most stressful airports, took a decidedly Zen turn today with the opening of a yoga room in Terminal 3, adjacent to the airports indoor urban garden.

"The yoga room provides a space for yoga practice as well as a place to relax or meditate, said Rosemarie Andolini, Chicago Department of Aviation commissioner. This is yet another amenity to help make the travel experience at O'Hare 'best-in-class.'"

OHares yoga room has a sustainable bamboo wood floor, floor-to-ceiling mirrors along one wall, exercise mats and an area to store personal articles and garments. A wall-mounted video monitor plays soothing sounds and displays yoga exercise techniques and images of nature. And to provide privacy and let in natural light, there are frosted windows along one side of the room.

The importance of exercise and the opportunity in clearing the mind and body during long travels days cannot be overstated as it relates to ones health, said Brad Jersey, CEO and founder of nLIVEn Health, a company that brings sponsored, interactive health care campaigns into airports. We know from our studies that 75 percent of frequent fliers participate in some workout regimen, so this is a perfect complement at ORD.

Wellness tourism is a $438.6 billion global market and a rapidly growing niche within the $3.2 trillion global tourism economy, according to the a study presented in October at the Global Wellness Tourism Congress in New Delhi, India.

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Relax! Yoga room opens in Chicago's O'Hare airport

Amy Annis, one of the founders of 'The Yoga Tree,' teaches yoga to women in the community to help their mind and body.

Eau, Claire WI (WEAU) - Thomas Jefferson once said, "a strong body makes the mind strong."

It's a concept that a new local organization is using to branch out into the community to benefit local charities.

"I've been teaching yoga for about 10 years, but I really dove in about 5 years ago, when I was diagnosed with cancer. Coming out of that, I really wanted to do is passionate about, says Amy Annis of 'The Yoga Tree.'

Its not a sight you would normally see in someone's basement, but for breast cancer survivor Amy Annis, its a passion.

"Yoga is such a great way to live a healthy life and I used that as part of my healing process, says Annis.

For the last year, she's been stretching her branches into the community through an organization called 'The Yoga Tree.'

"I always had the idea in the back of my head that at some point I wanted to do some kind of karma, yoga project and I just have 3 wonderful friends who are also passionate about yoga and teaching it in the community. 'The Yoga Tree' happens once a month. We have kind of gone through the different charities we feel strongly about and that we know serve the Eau Claire Chippewa Valley community, says Annis.

So while Amy donates time, others like Rose Wiechmann donate money to help a specific charity in the area.

I've attended yoga tree a few times. Its nice to see the community coming together for a cause first of all. Then seeing all the other people in town that also do yoga and just a great group activity on a Saturday morning, says Wiechmann.

Read more from the original source:
ONLY ON SUNRISE: 'The Yoga Tree' branches out into community

New York's unclothed yoga scene is no longer just for dudes. Chelsea's Le Male Yoga which, as the name suggests, previously specialized in naked yoga for men is now Bold & Naked Yoga, a studio that also provides all-female nude classes, as well as some for "co-ed groups and seniors." (For now, the 55-and-up offering is all male, though we suppose there's nothing stopping more mature women from attending one of the new mixed courses.) Joschi Schwarz told DNAinfo that the no-guys-allowed sessions will involve "a little more in emotional psychologies, to really help women to feel good about themselves."

As for the coed sessions? Those seem to be just for fun but don't get too excited, straight people: "If you are looking for an orgasm, you are in the wrong place," declares the Bold & Naked website. Schwarz explained, "I know sexuality is always in peoples' minds and I have a feeling that a lot of people don't know that yoga has nothing to do with sex at all." It's actually about "sensuality." "When you get rid of the clothes, you get rid of the labels and that's a beautiful thing," Schwarz said. So this probably means that new students should leave their cheesy "Coed Naked Yoga" T-shirts at home.

Read the original:
Coed Naked Yoga Is Coming to Chelsea

Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UU4pBKyBqYU

Sussex Police Chief Constable announced retirement after 32-year career.
The Chief Constable of Sussex Police has announced he is to step down after more than six years. Martin Richards who served as Wiltshire #39;s chief constable be...

By: Matt Taylor

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Sussex Police Chief Constable announced retirement after 32-year career. - Video

Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_nwIvYrrnMM

NeriumAD YEP Personal Development Video

By: Skin Care With Integrity

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NeriumAD YEP Personal Development Video - Video

Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=65uVInXhkU8

Discourse on Sri Aurobindo #39;s Mahasamadhi anniversary
December 5 is the anniversary of the day Sri Aurobindo left his physical frame to more effectively bring about the evolutionary process of the world. Sifu Ro...

By: Rohit Arya

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Discourse on Sri Aurobindo's Mahasamadhi anniversary - Video