The 2012 season of Yoga at the Rivers Edge, sponsored by the North and South Rivers Watershed Association, began in June. This program is now in its 16th year.

Weekly classes, taught by certified yoga teachers Kezia Bacon, Claire Manganello, Jerry Mulhall, Mary Norton, Page Railsback, Kate Stone and Mary Whidden, will be held on Saturday mornings from 8:30 to 10 a.m., at various sites along the North and South Rivers. Each class will feature meditation, gentle stretching, breathing technique, hatha yoga postures, and guided relaxation. All classes are outdoors. The sites are not wheelchair accessible.

Classes on Sept. 15, will be held at Couch Beach on the North River, behind Couch Cemetery in North Marshfield.

The Sept. 1 and Sept. 8, classes will be held in the Rexhame Dunes, at Rexhame Beach in Marshfield.

The Aug. 18 and 25, classes will be held at the Indian Head River Conservation Area in Pembroke.

All proceeds benefit NSRWA. There is a suggested donation of $10 per class for NSRWA members, and $15 for the general public.

There is no need to sign up in advance. Bring a yoga mat, blanket or large towel with you. Classes are canceled on rainy days. For more information, including directions to class sites, contact Kezia Bacon at 781-837-7093, email yogariversedge@verizon.net or visit http://www.nsrwa.org or http://www.hellokezia.com.

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Yoga at the River’s Edge heads to Rexhame

By Kate Lundquist on 08/20/2012 05:00 AM

Some of the people in my class are just starting to learn how to live sober, and I see them take a huge, deep, full breath. I can see them at peace, even if just for that moment. There is a glimmer of respite, Del Priore says. When you are drinking or doing drugs it is because you are trying to escape a thought or feeling. Yoga works to control those thoughts by using the breath.

Del Priore also teaches at the Swannanoa Juvenile Detention Center. Suffering from past trauma, addictions and life choices that led to time behind bars, Del Priore says these 12-16-year-olds rarely have moments when someone believes in them.

I have them hold plank pose for a long time to watch the stress rise in the body, Del Priore says. It takes impulse control not to get out of the pose, and they learn that intolerable feelings, like the muscles working intensely in plank, will pass eventually.

And what happens when life is not strenuous or intolerable for a few minutes (like the final resting pose, Savasana)?

They love it! It is 10 minutes when no one is yelling at them or telling them what to do. Most of them fall asleep, she says.

Blending the Western therapeutic model for rehabilitation with yogic philosophy, Del Priore helps her students rediscover the peace that already exists within themselves, beginning with 10 minutes of Savasana, and followed by an hour-long yoga class. However, she also tries to help her students off the mat, telling them that suffering and hardships are a part of life, she says, and mental health is not something to be shoved away.

As Sufi poet Kahlil Gibran says, Out of suffering have emerged the strongest souls; characters are seared with scars.

Del Priore is currently seeking funding and grants to establish her yoga for substance abuse classes at recovery centers. She can be reached at liadelpriore@gmail.com. She also teaches Friday, 9 a.m.-10 a.m. at Asheville Yoga Donation Studio.

Kate Lundquist is a freelance writer and yoga teacher living in Asheville. Her website is http://www.lightonbalance.blogspot.com, and she teaches Saturdays, 2:15 p.m.-3:45 p.m., at Asheville Yoga Center.

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Yoga as healing

OUTGOING Melbourne Vixens coach Julie Hoornweg will "hide out in a vegie garden" in the state's north after announcing her retirement last week.

Hoornweg has not sought reappointment for next year's ANZ Championship campaign, despite coaching the Vixens to a flag and two grand finals during her five-year tenure.

Hoornweg, whose netball career spans almost 40 years, has elected to step away from the elite game to spend more time with her family.

She will move back to a goat farm near Violet Town, which she runs with her husband. "Of course it is (difficult). I've invested a lot of time, effort and emotion, like a lot of people have into this club," she said.

"But you need a lot of energy. I just feel that perhaps I don't have that same energy that I did a couple of years ago.

"It's time to give someone else a chance."

Hoornweg revealed she was "fairly clear" some time ago that this year would be her last.

"In my life at this point I need to spend some time with my family and get a balance," she said.

She did not rule out a return to elite netball in the future, but confirmed she would not be a part of the hunt for a new coach.

Hoornweg nominated assistants, Eloise Southby-Halbish and Simone McKinnis, as worthy successors.

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Hoornweg calls time on coaching career

March 25, 1924 - Aug. 17, 2012

Frank Basilone was such an outstanding football player, he was recruited by the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1945, but he was unable to sign with the team because he had to help support his family in the wake of his father's death.

That didn't stop Mr. Basilone, of Springdale, from devoting much of the rest of his life to playing and coaching sports and mentoring young baseball players and coaching his three sons into attaining sports scholarships to college.

Mr. Basilone, 88, died Friday at Family Hospice Canterbury Center from heart valve problems, said his son, Tim, of Springdale.

Mr. Basilone spent 35 years working for Duquesne Light, retiring as a supervisor.

But his avocation was playing semi-professional sports and then coaching and helping to coach American Legion baseball and high school football and affecting the lives of hundreds of young athletes from the 1960s until about 1995, according to his son.

Mr. Basilone was a fullback on the Duquesne University football team when he was called to serve in the Army during World War II. His military service was cut short because his father died, and as the eldest son, he returned home to help support the family.

But he continued to play sports, largely in semi-professional and community leagues.

Don "Simmy" Simoncic, who played for the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1967 and 1968, was coached in American Legion baseball by Mr. Basilone, who he said taught him the skills that got him onto the Pirates farm team from which he was called up.

Mr. Simoncic said Mr. Basilone was a tough coach and that not all of his players liked to be pushed to limits that Mr. Basilone pushed.

More here:
Obituary: Frank J. Basilone | Coach devoted life to young players

Over the past two years, my wife and I have made a series of life decisions that have prevented us from settling in any one location. The traveling we've done has been great, but it's no substitute for feeling rooted within one's community. We're currently on our third city in as many years.

Since this semi-nomadic lifestyle began, investing has come to occupy more and more of my time -- in fact, it's been one of the few constants. There's nothing inherently wrong with that, but without a physical community to call myself a part of, the life I've been living hasn't yielded what I've hoped for.

So after a decade away from the game, I decided this spring it was time to start coaching high school football, a sport I played through college. Two-a-days started two weeks ago and -- coupled with a wedding and a couple of family reunions -- I figured now was the perfect time to take a mini-sabbatical from all things investing.

Over that time, I've realized a couple lessons that other over-stimulated, investing-focused individuals like myself might benefit from hearing out loud.

Among them:

Invest? Why invest?I would like to believe that, for myself, the chief reason to invest is to allow my family to live the lives we desire without having financial anxiety impinge on our ability to appreciate our varied experiences. And for those who want to accomplish the same thing, I can only hope the Fool's advice helps in that regard.

Notice, though, that you need a "life" which has "varied experiences" to make investing worth it. Making money and investing alone isn't enough to qualify for either of these.

In fact, an Australian nurse who caters to those on their deathbeds made a list of the five greatest regrets she most commonly heard:

Notice that none of these deal with investing or even money. Clearly, if investing is to be a worthwhile pursuit, our lives need to be worthwhile as well.

In the end, I actually think Foolish colleague Jeff Fisher put it best when he said that finances are important, "only because you probably don't want your main focus during your time here to be money. You want your finances to be sensible, sustainable, provide for you and your family, and not worry you much (some worry is hard-wired in all of us). Period."

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What I Learned From an Investing Sabbatical

WESTLAKE, Ohio--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

The entire trucking industry is invited to join TravelCenters of America LLC (TravelCenters) and Trucking Solutions Group for the Health Awareness Walk to be held at the Great American Trucking Show in Dallas, Texas. The walk, sponsored by TA and Petro Stopping Centers branded travel centers, together with Trucking Solutions Group, will be held on Friday, August 24, 2012, at 9 a.m. at the Dallas Convention Center. Interested participants should meet in Room D168 at 8 a.m. the morning of the walk.

The Health Awareness Walk is a fitness event for the trucking industry. There is no cost to participate. Participants will receive free t-shirts and goodie bags, while supplies last, with health information and giveaways. Homer Hogg, host of Maintenance Matters radio program that airs on Dave Nemos show on RoadDog Trucking, Sirius/XM 106; long-time master technician; and senior technical maintenance trainer for TA and Petro, will participate in the walk.

The Health Awareness Walk is a fun, non-competitive 1.5-mile course for anyone in the trucking industry who is thinking about getting fit, wanting to stay healthy or looking for tips to enhance their workouts. Participants can choose to walk part or all of the 1.5-mile distance.

TA and Petro, together with Trucking Solutions Group, are innovators in the trucking industry, working towards making personal health and fitness easier for all truckers. TravelCenters rolled out its StayFit program in 2010, offering better-for-you restaurant menu options and travel store items, in addition to free fitness centers and mapped walking trails nationwide.

About TravelCenters of America LLC

TravelCenters of America LLC (TravelCenters), headquartered in Westlake, Ohio, is a leading travel center business in 41 states and Canada operating under the TA and Petro Stopping Centers brands. With 241 convenient locations off interstate highway exits, TA and Petro offer customers diesel and gasoline fueling services, nearly 500 full- and quick-service restaurants, 24-hour convenience stores, heavy truck maintenance services, RoadSquad Connect (24/7/365 emergency roadside service), electronic communication (WiFi), and many other services all within large, high traffic facilities. For more information on TravelCenters and TA, please visit http://www.tatravelcenters.com. For more information on Petro Stopping Centers, please visit http://www.petrotruckstops.com.

About Trucking Solutions Group

The Trucking Solutions Group began in 2008 for members to share best practices in the trucking industry and assist each other with improving their businesses. The Driver Health Council, a committee within the Group, is dedicated to raising awareness of health issues in the industry. The Council began Health Awareness Walks in 2010, and holds them at various trucking industry conferences and events.

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TravelCenters of America and the Trucking Solutions Group Sponsor Health Awareness Walk at Great American Trucking Show

DORSET, United Kingdom--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Jango Alptekin, founder and owner of Jango Health & Fitness, has established himself as a leading fitness, fat loss, and body transformation expert in the UK and has his sights set on dominating the South Coast with his tested and proven rapid fat loss formula. He is a Registered Exercise Professional and has been instrumental in helping scores of people lose a significant amount of weight in an astonishingly short period of time. His clients attribute their success to the Jango Formula and are very quick to bring others with them to the high energy, fun, and effective boot camps where participants are experiencing amazing results that they previously thought were unachievable. Jangos stated mission is to help people regain their confidence and self-esteem by helping them improve their body shape through correct nutrition and exercise.

Jangos business is built around helping his clients achieve rapid fat loss. He identifies his program as a last resort type program because people often come to him as a last resort after they have tried every fad diet, exercise DVDs, traditional gyms, and advertised trends. On his website he gives people as a free download, what he terms, Jargon Free Fat Loss Formula. He says, My formula gets straight to the point and teaches you how to recharge your body and get the health kick you need to lose the weight.

Jangos reputation is spreading internationally. He has recently been approached by a major resort in Portugal to discuss the possibility of offering weeklong fitness camps for individuals attending the resort. He also has his sights set on taking his brand to Turkey as well as dominating the South Coast of England. He will soon be releasing an at home training program for individuals who cannot make it to the local camp. This program will be available through an online membership site. Additionally, he has been featured on local radio and is often being mentioned by the local press. Because of his contribution to his industry and his outstanding business success, he is being featured as one of the World Fitness Elite in The Independent in the UK and in USA Today in America. Learn more about Jango and his business at http://www.jangohealthandfitness.co.uk.

Read More: http://www.jangohealthandfitness.co.uk/about-jango-health-fitness-personal-trainer-in-bournemouth-poole-dorset/

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Jango Alptekin - Body Transformation and Fitness Expert Achieves Dramatic Results For His Clients

retirement

Highlights

Financial Security Index Charts Retirement Savings Picture Improves A Tad

Americans have made some headway with their retirement savings after the last few disastrous years. Nearly one-fifth of Americans (18 percent) are saving more for retirement this year than last year, according to Bankrate's August Financial Security Index. When we asked this same question in 2011, 15 percent said they were saving more than the previous year -- not a significant difference.

But the same proportion of people, 18 percent, say they are saving less than they did last year. That's actually much better than last year, when 29 percent of Americans said they were contributing a smaller amount to retirement savings than the previous year.

"The fact that people have stopped saving less is good -- but are they saving enough? The data (are) showing, in aggregate, no," says Certified Financial Planner David Littell, co-director of the New York Life Center of Retirement Income and professor of taxation at The American College in Bryn Mawr, Pa.

The combined retirement income deficit for baby boomers and Generation Xers is estimated to be $4.3 trillion, according to a May 2012 report from the Employee Benefit Research Institute, or EBRI.

Ideally, people would increase retirement contributions every year, but they don't because it's very likely that most people have no idea how expensive 30 years of retirement will be.

According to a March 2012 report from EBRI, 56 percent of workers say they haven't calculated how much they need to save for retirement.

Calculating retirement income needs is the first step to establishing an effective retirement savings rate. It may be higher than you think, particularly if you're older than 30.

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Retirement savings picture improves a tad

LONDON -- The last five years have been tough for those in retirement. Portfolio valuations have been hammered, and annuity rates have plunged. There's no sign things will improve anytime soon, either, as the eurozone and the U.K. economy look set to muddle through at best for some years to come.

A great way to protect yourself from the downturn, however, is to build your retirement fund with shares of large, well-run companies that should grow their earnings steadily over the coming decades. Over time, such investments ought to result in rising dividends and inflation-beating capital growth.

In this series, I'm tracking down the U.K. large caps that have the potential to beat the FTSE 100 over the long term and support a lower-risk, income-generating retirement fund (you can see all of the companies I've covered so far on this page).

Over the last week or so, I've looked at Standard Chartered (LSE: STAN.L) , Legal & General Group (LSE: LGEN.L) , Rio Tinto (LSE: RIO.L) , GlaxoSmithKline (LSE: GSK.L) , and SABMiller (LSE: SAB.L) . Let's take a look at how each of them scored against my five key retirement share criteria:

Criterion

Legal & General

Rio Tinto

GlaxoSmithKline

Standard Chartered

SABMiller

Originally posted here:
Are These the Ultimate Retirement Shares?

(MoneyWatch) Welcome back to my third post on retirement calculators, online tools that help you determine how much to save for retirement. My first post showed the wide range of contribution amounts that the different calculators might suggest for you, while my second post provided in-depth results about each calculator and identified two of my favorites.

This third post provides some tips for selecting and using calculators so you can determine just how much you should save for retirement, given your circumstances and just how much information you need to provide.

Retirement calculators can vary widely in the number of questions they'll ask you. In theory, the more questions a calculator asks, the more accurate the results will be. But any estimate is only as good as the assumptions you make, which can often turn out to be much different from your actual experience. For people who are a few decades away from retirement, I doubt if much accuracy is gained when you're asked a lot of questions about factors you can't control or don't know much about.

For example, some calculators ask for your input about future rates of inflation, rates of return on your retirement savings, your marginal income tax rates today and in the future, and so on. Now if you're an economist, financial advisor, or actuary, you might feel comfortable offering an answer to these questions -- you might even feel frustrated by a calculator that doesn't make it easy to input your own assumptions.

But most people's answer to these types of questions is, How the hell should I know? If this sounds like you, you might be more comfortable with a calculator that makes these assumptions for you. So look for a calculator that matches your level of interest in attention to detail.

Regardless of the level of detail in your retirement calculator, be sure to look for a calculator that shows its default assumptions and makes it easy to change these assumptions. With some calculators, that's difficult, and I'd avoid any calculators that make it hard to understand their assumptions.

Can you trust retirement calculators? What are the best retirement calculators?

You'll also see a wide range of sophistication in the results. Some simple calculators will just tell you how much to save, while others will give a range of estimates based on more complicated Monte Carlo analyses. In this latter case, you'll see the odds of success of different strategies. For instance, you might see a contribution strategy that gives you a 50 percent chance of success or a 90 percent chance of success, or some result between.

While a more detailed Monte Carlo analysis gives the appearance of increased sophistication, eventually you'll need to choose a specific amount to save. If you really want to be safe, you should save the amount that gives you a 90 percent chance of success, though it's likely that will require a boatload of savings. If you just want to get in the ballpark -- and you can make adjustments in your life as you age -- you might be comfortable using a 50 percent chance of success, though I wouldn't go any lower.

Because your results can vary based on the various assumptions the program makes, I'd suggest you use two or three different calculators and compare the results. If they produce different answers, it's probably not the case that one is wrong and one is right; each will use its own methodology and assumptions. Understand how each works so you can understand the reasons for the differences in output. Eventually you'll probably settle on a favorite calculator, which is fine, but you should do so only after you've initially made the effort to investigate a few others.

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How to choose and use a retirement calculator