NORTH ANDOVER Last June, 16-year-old Jennifer Ziel was looking for an exercise to take up her free time in the summer.

School sports had ended and it was too hot for her to run outside. She turned to something she had never tried before yoga.

Little did she know, that decision would lead her to compete against the best the country has to offer.

The North Andover resident is involved in the grueling sport of competitive yoga. After placing at the regional championships in January, she will be traveling to New York City to compete in the National Championships on Saturday.

"I didn't even know there was competitive yoga when I first started," Ziel said

She trains at Bikram Yoga Merrimack Valley in North Andover. When she started, she had little idea she would be able to hang with the beginners, let alone compete.

Ziel watched as a fellow competitor did a pose called the guillotine, where the person bends while moving their hands behind their thighs, until their head emerges through their legs. She initially thought there was no way she would be able to do it.

"I saw a picture of it and I didn't understand how it was possible for someone to do that," she said.

But with flexibility from previous dance and gymnastics experience, it only took Ziel a few weeks before she knew she had what it took to succeed.

She is one of five Bikram Yoga members who have moved on to the competitive level.

Read more:
North Andover teen take yoga to competitive stage

Think yoga is more meditative than fat burning or muscle building? CorePower Yogas Calorie Blast Yoga DVD offers a three-phase workout that incorporates all of the above in a challenging 60-minute routine.

Developed by the popular yoga studio CorePower Yoga, each 20-minute segment has a distinctly different approach, allowing you to break it up into three sessions or one full (and intense) hour-long workout.

The first segment uses a high-energy flow with a refreshingly fast pace for the practice that those who bore easily will appreciate. It burns calories while still focusing on core strengthening and gets you nice and sweaty without making you breathless like comparable cardio-heavy routines.

The second segment switches gears, focusing instead on strengthening and lengthening the body. For regular yoga practitioners, this phase will feel familiar, with clear emphasis on breathing and paying attention to how the body works as a unit.

The last segment emphasizes sculpting the body by toning each major muscle group. Incorporating the option of free weights, it allows users to customize their level of burn. This gives a new spin on yoga, which rarely uses weights as props. Its great for regular yoga lovers who want an extra kick or for individuals new to the practice.

Price is $14.99. Preorder at Amazon.ca. Release date is March 5.

McClatchy-Tribune News Service

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Yoga DVD produces challenging workouts

London, March 2 -- After pop singer Madonna and tennis ace Andy Murray, yoga has another devotee in Manchester United star Ryan Giggs, who says the Indian fitness regime is behind his longevity which has left him one short of a sensational 1,000 appearances. Only flecks of grey mark out the brilliant Welshman as a 39-year-old, who made his Man-U debut as a substitute in 1991. Since then he has made a club record 931 appearances, scoring 168 goals. With his international appearances for Wales and Britain in the Olympics added, his tally is a breathtaking 999.

Giggs says he owes it all to yoga.

"The yoga has definitely helped me. It helps me train every day because it gives me the flexibility and the strength, not only to play the game but to train as well," he said. "I rarely miss a training session, even (if I do) a little less than the younger players I still go out and train."

Man-U legend Dennis Irwin said Giggs began practicing yoga in his 20s when he had hamstring problems, adding: "That sorted it out".

Giggs, the most decorated player in English soccer with 12 Premier League winners' medals, isn't about to hang up his boots. On Friday, Man-U manager Alex Ferguson, who is a big fan of Giggs, said the player had signed a contract to carry on playing next season.

"He still retains that wonderful youthfulness in the way he plays, he still has great balance and a change of pace," Ferguson said. "He still has his fitness and he still gets you a goal.

Published by HT Syndication with permission from Hindustan Times.

Excerpt from:
Yoga is the secret of Giggs's energy and longevity

Betsy Reid, 52, is a professional when it comes to relaxation. As she leads her childrens yoga class to Shavasana, which is a period of relaxation, she is reminded that life is at its best when experienced in the spirit of peace.

I tell my kids they cant control whats going on around them but they can control how they react, said Reid.

A childrens librarian, Reid has been hosting a free Friendship Yoga class on Saturday mornings from 10:30 to 11:30 at Gloucesters Sawyer Free Library for children ages 6 to 10, and will be leading a class for middle schoolers at OMaley Middle School in May. She also leads classes at the Peabody Essex Institute in Peabody.

Incorporating stories, poems and songs, Reids classes contain both traditional yoga exercises and upbeat activities to keep the kids engaged.

According to Carol Bender, a childrens librarian at the Peabody Essex Institute, she encouraged Reid to start a yoga program for children. Its a perfect fit for her, said Bender. She is great at what she does.

Thrilled by the opportunity to share her passion for yoga and health, Reid said she was first certified to teach 3- to 5-year-olds. After recognizing a growing interest in the program, she went back and was recertified as an instructor for older children.

I lead my class in a series of relaxing poses and teach them how to breathe deep, said Reid. I remind them to breathe in school if they get a bad grade on a test or if their friends are making them mad. Breathing helps kids make better decisions when presented with challenges.

At Sawyer Free Library, the four-week sessions have been full today marks the final week of the four.

Were very fortunate we have a special fund, the Constance T. Rhinelander Performance Fund, that we use to fund childrens activities at the library, said Christy Rosso, the childrens librarian. Theres been a lot of interest, and a lot of the kids took part.

The Sawyer Free Library is not the only one with childrens yoga. In fact, the movement began five years at the Peabody Essex Institute and spread to Brown Elementary School in Peabody. The programming may eventually be integrated into other local elementary schools health class curriculums.

More:
Kids' yoga programs gain traction

The Yoga retreat in California offers year-round Yoga vacations in a calm environment, allowing visitors to enjoy the benefits of Yoga, meditation, breathing exercices, and healthy vegetarian food.

San Francisco, CA (PRWEB) March 02, 2013

As the Yoga retreat environment, Swami Sitaramananda said, "The retreat environment is conducive to rapid progress in regaining health, energy, and peace of mind through relaxation, rejuvenation, diet and exercise, breath work, study, and positive thinking. Some of the benefits visitors to the Yoga Farm report include greater mind-body awareness, heightened sensory perception, greater sense of purpose, improved attitude, stronger resistance to stress, improved efficiency at work, and better relationships.

The Yoga Farm also hosts a Yoga Nidra course, courses on Yogic philosophy, Yoga for back pain and ayurvedic retreats california, yoga nidra and a teacher training course in California and Yoga vietnam. The Yoga Teacher's Training Course helps graduates to deepen their spiritual practice and their study of Hatha yoga, Vedanta philosophy, Raja yoga, anatomy and Sanskrit. The advanced class gives students an additional chance to practice under guidance in a supportive atmosphere, which provides many with a boost of energy and clarity.

In the the Yoga vacations, you will learn about five principles that constitute the essence of the teachings of the Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centers. To clarify the science of Yoga and make it accessible to the majority of seekers, Swami Vishnu-devananda extracted its essence and presented it in these universal principles for physical and mental health as well as spiritual growth.

1. Proper Exercise (Asanas)

The physical body is meant to move and exercise. If the lifestyle does not provide natural motion of muscles and joints, then disease and great discomfort will ensue with time. Proper exercise should be pleasant to the practitioner while beneficial to the body, mind and spiritual life.

2. Proper Breathing (Pranayama)

Yoga teaches how to use the lungs to their maximum capacity and how to control the breath. Proper breathing should be deep, slow and rhythmical. This increases vitality and mental clarity.

3. Proper Relaxation (Savasana)

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Yoga Vacations in California offered by Sivananda Ashram Yoga Farm retreat center

NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. (AP) Last June, 16-year-old Jennifer Ziel was looking for an exercise to take up her free time in the summer.

School sports had ended and it was too hot for her to run outside. She turned to something she had never tried before yoga.

Little did she know, that decision would lead her to compete against the best the country has to offer.

The North Andover resident is involved in the grueling sport of competitive yoga. After placing at the regional championships in January, she will be traveling to New York City to compete in the National Championships on Saturday.

I didnt even know there was competitive yoga when I first started, Ziel said

She trains at Bikram Yoga Merrimack Valley in North Andover. When she started, she had little idea she would be able to hang with the beginners, let alone compete.

Ziel watched as a fellow competitor did a pose called the guillotine, where the person bends while moving their hands behind their thighs, until their head emerges through their legs. She initially thought there was no way she would be able to do it.

I saw a picture of it and I didnt understand how it was possible for someone to do that, she said.

But with flexibility from previous dance and gymnastics experience, it only took Ziel a few weeks before she knew she had what it took to succeed.

She is one of five Bikram Yoga members who have moved on to the competitive level.

See original here:
Mass. teen take yoga to competitive stage

Yoga is supposed to be a fairly peaceful, noncompetitive affair.

But now its a big business, too. So off the mat, its not immune from the heated competition of the marketplace.

One such yoga rivalry that is building momentum is now heading to Plaza Frontenac, where an Athleta store is slated to open in May, just a few stores down from the wildly popular Lululemon Athletica.

Lululemon, of course, is one of the hottest retail chains. The Canadian retailer has been rapidly growing across the United States in the last decade, developing a cultlike following among many yogis along the way.

To be sure, the stuff is not cheap. But its allure is so great that many are willing to shell out $98 for its yoga pants, which its fans boast are especially flattering for a womans backside.

The brightly lit stores with upbeat sales staff are said to have the fourth-highest sales per square foot among North American retailers, coming in just behind Apple, Tiffany & Co., and Coach impressive company.

So its not surprising that ever since Lululemon opened its only local outpost at Plaza Frontenac a few years ago, the chains horseshoe-like logo has become a ubiquitous sight in many yoga studios around town. (The brand previously had a smaller showroom in the Central West End.)

Now Gap-owned Athleta, whose motto is Power to the She, is shaking things up by entering the local scene. The brand, which started off as a catalog and website, started opening physical stores in the last couple of years. It now has 35 stores nationwide and is expected to be up to 50 by years end. In addition to yoga apparel, it also sells swimwear and other fitness and hiking clothes.

When Cheri Chod, owner of Blue Moon Activewear in Clayton, learned about the Athleta store coming to Plaza Frontenac, she admits she was not thrilled.

I was like, Oh, youve got to be kidding me, she said, laughing.

See the original post here:
Yoga apparel battle coming to Frontenac with arrival of Athleta

The Encinitas Union School District near San Diego has been hit with a lawsuit that claims the school district violates the students religious freedom. How? It provides yoga classes to elementary school students.

The physical education program is funded by a nonprofit organization that trains students in Ashtanga yoga, which comprises both the physical fitness aspects of yoga along with breathing practices, stress management techniques, and other life skills. Those principles, the plaintiff argues, have roots in Hindu, Buddhist, Taoist, and metaphysical beliefs that are inherently religious and, as a result, violate the public schools duty to maintain a separation between church and state.

Many people are confused. There is no Church of Yoga. How can teaching yoga in school violate the Constitution?

The First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution states in part: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion. Similarly, the California Constitution forbids any public funding of religious instruction and guarantees that free exercise and enjoyment of religion without discrimination or preference.

Link: Petition & Complaint for Sedlock v. Baird

But before determining if the public school is, through its program, establishing religion, it would be helpful to understand the definition of a religion.

While the lawsuit is based on religious freedom under the California state constitution, the U.S. Supreme Court has taken up the matter of what qualifies as a religion on many occasions, and their decisions shed light on the yoga case.

In the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which, among other prohibitions, prevents discrimination on the basis of religion, Congress defined religion as a belief [that] must be sincerely held, and within the believers own scheme of things religious. But the use of the word religious to define religion is not very helpful.

For further clarification, we turn to the Supreme Court, whose definition of a religion has (ironically enough) evolved over time. When the Supreme Court first took up the task of defining religion in 1890 in Davis v. Beason, it stated: The term religion has reference to ones views of his relations to his Creator, and to the obligations they impose of reverence for his being and character and of obedience to his will. In other words, to be a religion, there must be a belief in God and the practice of worship.

But over time, the court recognized a broader definition of religion, stating in 1944 in United States v. Ballard that it is based on the right to maintain theories of life and of death and of the hereafter which are rank heresy to followers of the orthodox faiths. Religious experiences which are as real as life to some may be incomprehensible to others. Yet the fact that they may be beyond the ken of mortals does not mean that they can be made suspect before the law.

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“Ohmmm” my goodness: Yoga and religion in public schools

Amy E. Feldman , CONSTITUTION DAILY Posted: Friday, March 1, 2013, 1:36 PM

A school district near San Diego has been hit with a lawsuit that claims it violates the students religious freedom.

How? It provides yoga classes to elementary school students.

The physical education program at the Encinitas Union School District is funded by a nonprofit organization that trains students in Ashtanga yoga, which comprises both the physical fitness aspects of yoga along with breathing practices, stress management techniques, and other life skills. Those principles, the plaintiff argues, have roots in Hindu, Buddhist, Taoist, and metaphysical beliefs that are inherently religious and, as a result, violate the public schools duty to maintain a separation between church and state.

Many people are confused. There is no Church of Yoga. How can teaching yoga in school violate the Constitution?

The First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution states in part: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion. Similarly, the California Constitution forbids any public funding of religious instruction and guarantees that free exercise and enjoyment of religion without discrimination or preference.

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Stress test: Does teaching yoga violate Constitution?