Malaysia's National Fatwa Council issued a ban on yoga, saying that "elements of Hinduism in the ancient Indian exercise could corrupt them," reports the Associated Press.

The Council's chairman, Abdul Shukor Husin, said "We are of the view that yoga, which originates from Hinduism, combines physical exercise, religious elements, chanting and worshipping for the purpose of achieving inner peace and ultimately to be one with god."

Thoughts? How do you blend yoga with your religious beliefs?

Posted by Jeanne Ricci at 06:56 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Several Phoenix area yoga studios have closed, reports the Arizona Republic. All were in the Ahwatukee Foothills neighborhood. Teachers and students say it's because yoga is free at local churches or included in health club memberships, including the Ahwatukee YMCA, which costs $48 a month. "It makes sense to have a membership at a place where you can get all your wellness needs," says YMCA senior program director Sandra Franks.

Have any yoga studios in your area closed?

Posted by Jeanne Ricci at 06:53 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Free Spirit Spheres, round wooden rooms set among the trees of the west coast rainforest of Vancouver Island, Canada, are sort of like tree houses for adults. "Uses for these spheres are limited only by one's imagination. Healing, meditation, photography, and canopy research" are just some of the things you can do.

Creator Tom Chudleigh, when asked how he came up with the idea, says this: "The trouble I have is that I do not exist in a meditative state often enough or long enough to completely escape my attachment to the physical world. This led me to pose the question, 'What can I do to prolong these whole minded moments?' The idea for the spheres came from that. The spheres are all about unity and oneness."

Rates range from $125-$175 (Canadian) per night. Or you can build or buy your own. For more information, visit http://www.freespiritspheres.com/index.htm.

Anyone ever live or spend the night in a tree house? How did it affect your practice?

Posted by Jeanne Ricci at 04:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Reports the News Observer, "The ancient practice of yoga is finding a new following -- among doctors and medical researchers who work to discover its benefits for a variety of illnesses. 'There's been an explosion of data using yoga as a treatment option,' said Dr. Shelley Wroth, an obstetrician at Duke Integrative Medicine and a yoga teacher. 'It shows so much promise.'"

Do you really think the medical community is embracing yoga? Or do you find when you or friends or family visit a physician, it is still the status quo? Do you feel comfortable talking to your MD about alternative practices?

Posted by Jeanne Ricci at 04:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (8)

According to the Malaysian Star, "Recently, lecturer Prof. Zakaria Stapa of Universiti Kebangsaan advised Muslims who had taken up yoga to stop practicing it for fear that they could deviate from the teachings of Islam." This triggered a national debate, resulting in the announcement by The National Fatwa Council that it would issue an official ruling about yoga. This decision has been temporarily postponed. Reports Brunei News, "The Department of Islamic Development Malaysia Director-General Wan Mohamad Sheikh Abdul Aziz said his department had carried out an in-depth study on the issue over six months and regretted the attitude of Malaysian Muslims who were 'easily influenced by foreign cultures to the point of affecting their faith.'"

This seems to be a prevalent discussion among people of many different faiths. Why do you think religious leaders fear yoga will adversely affect their followers?

Posted by Jeanne Ricci at 07:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)

Yogini Alicia Bay Laurel, who lived on the Wheeler Ranch commune in the early '70s where she wrote Living on the Earth, will be giving two concerts in the Bay Area with Joe Dolce. The first is on 11/14 in Sebastopol, the second is on 11/15 at the Community Music Center in San Francisco. Says KPFA: "Joe Dolce matches amazing cover versions, including 'The Wind Cries Mary,' with heralded originals, including the international hit 'Shaddap You Face' and 'My Home Ain’t in the Hall of Fame' and Alicia Bay Laurel is a poignant and humorous songwriter." For more information, visit www.aliciabaylaurel.com/concertswithjoedolce.
Alicia Bay Laurel also cowrote Being of the Sun: "The book’s central premise is each person can find his or her own to way to a dialogue with the Divine, without middlemen, hierarchy, or externally imposed rules of living, while borrowing practices from many traditions to enhance this dialogue." Check out the chapter on meditation and yoga.

Posted by Jeanne Ricci at 04:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Some Washington State yoga studios might be forced to charge sales tax, reports King 5 News. "The state says yoga is physical fitness and is subject to sales tax under the law." 8 Limbs Yoga Centers in Seattle recently started charging 9 percent sales tax.

According to King 5 News, "The owner of 8 Limbs says she could be forced to pay back taxes totaling tens of thousands of dollars."

What do you think? Should yoga be taxable?

Posted by Jeanne Ricci at 08:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)

According to a new Australian study published in the journal Optometry and Vision Science, headstand (Salamba Sirsasana), among other things, may lead to glaucoma and short-sightedness if you are already at risk for these conditions.

Professor Charles McMonnies, from the University of New South Wales School of Optometry and Vision Science, said, "Yoga head stands, weightlifting, sleeping face down, playing instruments like the trumpet and swimming laps are some of the many ways of causing eye pressure spikes. Pressure spikes are fine if you have healthy eyes. But all the people out there with these conditions, and so many others at risk of them, can be negatively affected, and many don’t know it.”

It seems the trick is knowing if you are at risk. Will you keep on doing headstand or does this study make you a bit wary?

Posted by Jeanne Ricci at 08:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (8)

Fashion designer Donna Karan has donated $850,000 to Beth Israel Medical Center for a year-long experiment of combining Eastern healing methods with traditional cancer treatments. "The Karan-Beth Israel project will have a celebrated donor turn a hospital into a testing ground for a trendy, medically controversial notion: that yoga, meditation and aromatherapy can enhance regimens of chemotherapy and radiation," reported The New York Times. Yoga teachers Rodney Yee and Colleen Saidman Yee will oversee the project, which begins in January. Anyone have success combining yoga with cancer treatments?

Posted by Jeanne Ricci at 07:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

You may have heard how prayer, even if conducted by others, can help you heal. Well, how about eating something that has been blessed? According to Intentional Chocolate, if you eat their sweets, you will experience decreased stress, increased calmness, and less fatigue. "In a double-blind, placebo-controlled study that was published in the scientific peer-reviewed journal, Explore: The Journal of Science and Healing (October 2007) it was found that one ounce of Intentional Chocolate per day for three days increased subjects’ well-being, vigor and energy by an average of 67 percent and, in some cases, up to 1,000 percent, when compared to a control group."
How does chocolate become blessed? Experienced meditators at the Deer Park Buddhist Monastery in Madison, WI, project positive intention into a device that is designed to capture, hold, and then transfer intention into food.
For more information or to order, visit http://intentionalchocolate.com.
After eating the chocolate myself for three days, I did feel pretty good. But was that just the chocolate-released endorphins speaking? Is it really possible to transfer intention to food?

Posted by Jeanne Ricci at 06:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)