Lima, June 17 (IANS/EFE) As many as 1,180 inmates at Lurigancho prison, Peru's largest, danced and exercised non-stop for three hours to set a new Guinness World Record for the largest group of people taking part in a "full body" aerobics workout routine.

The prisoners trained two hours a day for the past four months as part of a rehabilitation program, Lurigancho's warden, National Police Col. Tomas Garay, told reporters.

"The enthusiasm was such that we wanted to give out a first-place prize, but there were five inmates that did very well. There was a tie," Garay said.

The intense exercise regimen has led to a reduction in drug use and violent incidents inside the prison, the warden said.

Garay defended Friday's record-breaking aerobics routine, which came just days after five detainees jailed at Lurigancho pending their court hearing escaped from the overcrowded facility.

--IANS/EFE

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Peruvian inmates set Guinness record for aerobics routine

Yoga instructor Sunny Keays works with double amputees U.S. Army 1st Sgt. Chris Montera, left, and U.S. Marine Pfc. Isaac Blunt during a yoga class at the Naval Medical Center in San Diego on June 10. Headstands have helped amputees reduce pain. (Don Bartletti / Los Angeles Times)

SAN DIEGO Army 1st Sgt. Chris Montera, who lost both legs above the knee and suffered third-degree burns over 60% of his body in a mortar attack in Afghanistan, is doing a headstand, guided by yoga instructor Sunny Keays.

It takes a lot of pressure off my back and spine, said Montera, 33, who was on his fourth combat tour when he was hurt. It helps with the pain.

Marine Sgt. James Bernard, 25, who returned from combat in Helmand province in Afghanistan with a severe case of post-traumatic stress disorder, is going through a series of stretching, relaxing and breathing exercises nearby, under the gentle guidance of yoga instructor Barbara Lyon.

Bernards wife, Keely, 25, said yoga is helping her husband regain the composure and self-confidence that he had before he went to war. She accompanies him to yoga classes at Naval Medical Center San Diego.

He seems more aware now of who he is, she said.

To help military personnel overcome the physical and emotional wounds from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, hospitals run by the military and the Department of Veterans Affairs are increasingly turning to the ancient Hindu practice of yoga and other alternative therapies, including tai chi, transcendental meditation and Reiki.

Although not a cure-all, such therapies can be helpful when used in conjunction with Western methods of counseling, medication, and physical and occupational therapy, according to military officials.

Preliminary military studies have found that the calming effect of yoga can assist PTSD patients in dealing with the hypervigilance, flashbacks, depression and anxiety common to the condition. For veterans with traumatic amputations, yoga can help strengthen muscles and increase flexibility, the studies suggest.

Theres a natural resonance among our warriors with things with an Eastern ethos, with things that the samurai might have used, said Navy Capt. Robert Koffman, a physician and combat-stress expert at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Md.

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Wounded veterans turn to yoga for strength, solace

By Anya Rath | Published 22 hours ago

Get ready to stretch and sweat. East Lansings first Bikram Yoga studio officially opened its doors on Sunday in Brookfield Plaza.

Bikram Yoga Capital Area, 1355 E. Grand River Ave., is Michigans seventh Bikram Yoga studio, and follows the teachings of Bikram Choudhury, a yoga guru who developed the sequence known as Bikram Yoga and has published several books about the benefits of yoga.

Ann Chrapkiewicz, director and an instructor of Bikram Yoga Capital Area, or BYCA, has been instructing Bikram Yoga since 2004. Bikram Yoga studios can only be owned by instructors who have been trained by Choudhury.

Chrapkiewicz, an MSU alumna, began the planning for BYCA last August. She said the studio only offers a beginners level class, but added she still finds the class challenging despite the fact she has been practicing Bikram Yoga for about 10 years.

The Bikram Yoga sequence consists of 26 postures and two breathing exercises, Chrapkiewicz said. The yoga is always done in 90-minute sessions in a room heated to 105 degrees Fahrenheit with 40 percent humidity. The first 45 minutes are standing warm-ups and the remainder of the class is dedicated to the postures.

The postures are done in a very particular order and the order, for safety reasons, isnt ever changed, Chrapkiewicz said. Each posture prepares you for the next (one).

Chrapkiewicz said Bikram Yoga tends to defy what students would expect from a yoga class. She added the room is very well-lit, quiet and there is much instructor-to-student interaction.

Bikram Yoga is about constant correction by the instructor so that students are in the right posture and are safe at all times.

People perceive it as being very intense, Chrapkiewicz said. But its truly designed for all levels and if people just come do what they can and try it the right way, theyll get all the benefits they can.

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Bikram Yoga studio opens on Grand River Avenue