Has anyone tried AntiGravity Yoga available at Crunch in NY, LA and Miami? According to the Crunch website, an "AntiGravity Hammock acts as a soft trapeze, supporting you as you master simple suspension techniques leading to advanced inverted poses. Perform advanced yoga inversions without neck or back compression." The photos are wild: www.anti-gravity.com/yoga/index.html. What do you make of it?
You may bring your own mat to class. You may even wash it regularly with special cleansers. But now EquiFit SpaCare has created a supposedly easier way prevent fungus from making a home on your mat: the whole mat is antimicrobial.
The new AgSilver CleanMat has antimicrobial ionic silver embedded in its fibers to prevent the growth of bacteria and fungus. It's also PVC- latex-free and costs about $65. This might be useful for those of you who can't seem to get rid of foot fungus or for germ-phobes (like me). For more information, visit http://equifitspacare.com/detail/?ProductID=509527.
Anyone interested? How many of you regularly wash your mats? How many of you use studio mats?
When I think of Philadelphia, two unhealthy things come to mind: cheesesteaks and cream cheese. Brio Vim is out to change my perception with donation yoga, sliding-scale massage, Reiki services and more.
"Brio Vim is supporting wellness entrepreneurs by providing professional space for healers and body workers at affordable prices," reports Phillypreneurs.com. "Brio Vim is truly supporting the entrepreneurs who have healing skills but no space to put them to use in. Think of it as a spin on coworking for the healing community. In exchange for low costs, Brio Him hopes that the healers will offer flexible prices to their clients." For more information, visit briovim.com.
Philadelphians, check it out and please report back!
..............
If you like Facebook, you'll LOVE Yoga Journal's new online community, where you can create a profile, meet other YJ members, and even start your own blog! I've already created a profile, so please "friend" me: my username is JeanneRicci.
OneYoga, a 108-minute yoga event that will raise money to help those suffering from extreme poverty, is scheduled for November 16. The main event will take place at the Telus Convention Centre in Calgary, AB, Canada at 1 pm. But individuals and studios are encouraged to participate. Visit www.christmasfuture.org/oneyoga for more information and to find out how your local yoga studio can help. Let us know if you plan on contributing to this worthy cause.
Can't live without your wok? You may be surprised to learn that an Asian diet doesn't prevent heart attacks. But don't worry: your stir fry also won't cause a heart attack. According to a study of dietary patterns in 52 countries reported in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association, if you really want to decrease your chances of having a heart attack, you need to eat more fruits, veggies and legumes. "Researchers said that while some components of the Oriental [diet] may be protective, others such as the higher sodium content of soy sauces, may increase cardiovascular risk, neutralizing any relationship." The message is, just being a vegetarian isn't enough. You need to load up on the green stuff, and watch the sodium. Do you already do this, or do you often fill up on bread, pasta, and rice?
World Vegan Day (Nov. 1) was created in 1994 to, in part, celebrate the founding of The Vegan Society in 1944. For more information, visit www.worldveganday.org. In addition, there is something called World Go Vegan Days (Oct. 26-28). According to the organization In Defense of Animals, "The purpose of these three days of action is to promote the many benefits of a compassionate diet for the planet and its inhabitants -- human and non-human alike." For more information, visit www.idausa.org/vegandays/feature_071003.html. Are you already vegan? If not, will you go vegan for at least a day on Nov. 1? Is this issue important to you as a yogi?
On October 3, I wrote about a Massena, New York, high school that put its classroom yoga program on hold after a group of parents raised concerns about the separation of church and state, saying that the school should not expose their kids to Hindu rituals.
Now, it seems, after the superintendent met with several parents, a compromise was made: the yoga program can stay as long as it's not called yoga. "The program at Massena High School has been renamed 'Raider Relaxation' after the school mascot and includes the same exercises that drew objections last month from some parents who said yoga promotes Hinduism and had no place in school," reports New York Newsday.
Funny thing: all the fuss has generated even more interest in yoga from the students.
What do you think about renaming the program?
If you are going to be near Northampton, MA, this weekend, October 18 & 19, you will want to check out the Whole Health Expo at the Clarion Hotel (1 Atwood Drive). The expo's website, www.wholehealthexpo.com, promotes the event as an "opportunity to sample and experience ways to enhance life, heal the body, expand the mind, and inspire the spirit. Show events cover a wide variety of topics on natural health and living, personal growth, relationships, spirituality, and global consciousness." There will be lectures, workshops, exhibits, and opportunities to do yoga. Let us know if you get a chance to attend.
Here are a few Halloween events. Who knew yoga could be so spooky? Let us know what's going on in your area.
Halloween Flow Yoga Party: Class will be lit exclusively by candles and jack-o-lanterns. October 31, 6:30 - 7:45 pm. Whole Life Yoga in Seattle. www.wholelifeyoga.com
Yoga Halloween Cards: Black cats do yoga too! At Cafe Press.
Halloween Itsy Bitsy Yoga Special Weekend Event. For kids up to age 4. Starts October 18 at Absolute Yoga in Hopkinton, MA. www.absoluteyoga.net
Bikram Halloween Costume Party (Your costume might get a bit sweaty!). October 31 at 6 am, 9 am, and 4pm. Bikram Yoga Studio, Grass Valley, CA. www.bikramyogagvnc.com
A recent study by Emory University neuroscientists suggests that Zen Buddhist meditation may help treat depression, attention deficit disorder, and anxiety, reports The Kansas City Star.
Obsessive-compulsive disorder and depression are characterized in part by “excessive rumination” or runaway thoughts, said Giuseppe Pagnoni, a neuroscientist at Emory in Atlanta.
Zen meditation can help patients avoid distracting or harmful preoccupations, Pagnoni said. His paper, “Thinking About Not-Thinking: Neural Correlates of Conceptual Processing During Zen Meditation,” was published in September by PLoS ONE ( www.plosone.org).
But Mark Epstein, author of Psychotherapy without the Self: A Buddhist Perspective, said “the more entrenched the condition is — like severe OCD or major depression — the less helpful meditation will be. We should not talk about meditation as a panacea for all that stuff because it’s just setting people up for disappointment.”
What do you think? Has meditation alone helped you or a loved one? If not, what else was needed to treat OCD, ADD, or depression?
The Pentagon is spending $5 million to study how acupuncture, meditation, and yoga might help treat military personnel suffering from combat stress or brain damage, reports USA Today.
"This new theme is a big departure for our cautious culture," said Dr. S. Ward Casscells, the Pentagon's assistant secretary for health affairs.
Casscells said he pushed hard for the new research, because "we are struggling with" post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) "as we are with suicide and we are increasingly willing to take a hard look at even soft therapies."
Thoughts?
Pamela Newton wrote an article for the September 30 Huffington Post entitled Do Yoga, Get Rich?: High Rollers Are Hitting The Mat. She explains that "a surprising number of moguls and high rollers" now do yoga. Perhaps this isn't news, but I thought her closing paragraph was interesting: "Perhaps you're a yoga purist and you feel disheartened to learn that some yogis are straying so far from the principles that a yogic life is rooted in: humility, service, selflessness. Since when is it selfless to make millions of dollars on the stock market? Or humble to build a private yoga studio in your own multi-million-dollar home? Who are you serving by charging $50 for a tank top? But don't get too down. What all this really says is that yoga is a powerful practice and that it is able to touch all kinds of lives. In particular, its many positive effects - including reduction of stress and increased focus and energy - are natural draws for those who are under a lot of pressure at work. And, lastly, isn't there a glimmer of hope in the idea that yogic principles might infuse the lives of people in positions of power, and that the trickle-down effect would be that the world might actually become a kinder, gentler place? Now with that in mind, let's all inhale deeply together and say OM." Do you believe in the possibility of a yogic "trickle-down effect?"
A Massena, New York, high school is putting its classroom yoga program on hold after a group of parents raised concerns about the separation of church and state, saying that the school should not expose their kids to Hindu rituals, reports AM New York.
"'We are not opposed to the benefits. We can understand the benefits. We are opposed to the philosophy behind it and that has its ties in Hinduism and the way they were presenting it,' said the Rev. Colin Lucid of Calvary Baptist Church in Massena. Lucid said that even in its most basic form yoga is tied to Hinduism."
According to AM New York, a group of parents in Aspen, Colo., successfully demanded the removal of yoga from the local curriculum in 2002. Do parents really have any reason to be concerned?
Economy getting you down? Need a kickstart to your day? Visit New Yoga Books' AFFIRMATION GENERATOR . With the click of a button, a positive affirmation will appear that can help lift your spirits. There is also a handy mantra generator. I know it seems random, but try it. You might like it! Let me know what you think.
|
|
|
Liability insurance and benefits to support teachers and studios.
Learn More »
|
|
Yoga Journal Presents:
Stay Inspired all year long with the 2008 Yoga Journal Wall Calendar only $13.95
Buy Now »
|
|
Prizes include a spa vacation in Vermont,
a stained-glass window depicting the seven energy centers of the body,
Yoga DVDs, a yoga vacation in San Francisco and more...
Enter Now »
|
|
yogajournal.com
vegetariantimes.com
backpacker.com
optimumwellness.com
wholefoodsmarket.com
betternutrition.com