5 Yoga Moves to Tone the Arms - FitSugar.com

Just because it's sweater weather doesn't mean you can let those suntanless arms go flabby 'til the bikini season strikes again. Just think of all those holiday parties that will be popping up on your calendar soon enough. Now's the time to dig in and get in shape before all of those Halloween candies, Thanksgiving pies, and Christmas cookies start hitting your desk. Headstand yoga teacher Jackie Ashton told me five simple yoga moves that will keep arms svelte and sexy all year round. Beginners and advanced yogis can do them during commercial breaks, in the midst of cooking dinner, or during your regular workout routine. They're so nice and easy that you may find yourself stepping away from the dumbbells more often.

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Pink (and Purple) Yoga Products Honor Breast Cancer Awareness Month - About.com: Health

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and this year even more yoga and fitness companies are donating portions of sales from special pink products to breast cancer organizations. Here is a run down of some of the ways you can get the yoga gear you want and support a worthy cause.

Jade Yoga, maker of the natural rubber Harmony II yoga mat, is donating $5.00 from every pink mat sold to Living Beyond Breast Cancer. Yogitoes donates a portion of proceeds from the pink version of their popular Skidless mat towel to the Dr. Susan Love Research Foundation. ToeSox has announced that sales of their Brindle Pink ULTRA Sport ToeSox in October will benefit breast cancer charities.Yogawear company Zobha is donating 20% of sales from a limited edition tank top to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. Lucy Activewear is supporting the Young Survival Coalition's Tour de Pink national bike rides and has various pink tees available.

And if you've overdosed on pink, you can still support the cause:

Kleen Kanteen, purveyor of excellent BPA-free, stainless steel water bottles, will donate $2.00 from the sale of special edition purple bottles to the Breast Cancer Fund.

To find out more about Breast Cancer Awareness Month, visit About.com's breast cancer site.

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Is yoga a threat to Christianity? - WFAA

DALLAS — Is yoga a threat to Christianity?

It's a question being raised by Southern Baptist Seminary President Albert Mohler.  He says Christians who practice the ancient art are bending on their beliefs.

Mohler was in Dallas for an event Thursday night. he told News 8 the controversy started with an essay he wrote last month that appeared in an online blog.

He said yoga's stretching and meditative discipline is not a Christian pathway to God. Mohler said people should deny what yoga represents and see that it conflicts with Christianity.

He says he was writing about yoga's roots in Hinduism. Mohler was flooded with e-mails, but walked away learning a few things.

"I'm not against exercise," he said with a laugh. "I learned from a whole lot of Christians who think they're practicing yoga, but what they described to me is not what yoga has historically been.

Proponents of the practice say people come to yoga because they are often in pain, while others think it's a nice workout.

Other religious leaders have had the same debate. Muslim clerics have banned yoga in Egypt, Malaysia and Indonesia.

"It's clear that this struck a nerve," Mohler said. "I hope at least it's a fruitful converstation."

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Yoga for every body: Exploring yoga through classes - Arizona Daily Star

Now that you've decided to explore the benefits of yoga, how do you know what kind of yoga to do?

The first question is, should you join a class or take yoga privately? There are good reasons for each. We'll look at that in two parts. Today's column is about joining a yoga class.

In ancient times, yoga classes were for children usually between 8 and 18. Adults always studied privately. However, we don't live in ancient times and we're not all between 8 and 18, so why go to a class?

A yoga class is a good way to "dip your toes in the water" before you jump in. It's also a good way to find a community of people who share some of your goals.

Another good reason to take a class, or several, is that it gives you an opportunity to try out some of the many styles of yoga. That way you can determine what feels right for you.

Yoga should leave you feeling balanced, alert and calm all at the same time. It is an internal exploration that will leave you with a sense of self-empowerment and well-being.

Yoga should never exhaust you, although it may call upon you to work in a strong way.

According to Patanjali's Yoga Sutra 2.46, asanas (postures) are steady and comfortable.

Another criterion is the teacher. Yoga is an experiential practice, so teachers should have regular personal practices of their own.

Of course you want someone well-qualified and knowledgeable. Often instructors will be registered with the Yoga Alliance, but not always.

When I began teaching, there was no registry and students had to be discerning. Whether a teacher is registered or not, you still must be discerning.

A good teacher guides you with an open heart and has a clear understanding of the science of yoga and an ability to modify and adapt postures appropriately to enhance your practice while keeping you injury-free.

A good instructor will lead you toward a more peaceful and fuller sense of yourself while gently challenging your abilities.

Once you've found a class and teacher that fit, you're ready to embrace your yoga journey … enjoy the ride!

E-mail Vicki Jackson at foothills@azstarnet.com

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Center for Yoga opens 4th location near U-M campus in Ann Arbor - AnnArbor.com

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By: Lizzy Alfs
AnnArbor.com Intern

Center for Yoga opens 4th location near U-M campus in Ann Arbor Topics: Business Review, Downtown Ann Arbor, News Comment NowShare this articlePrintEmailSharePosted: Oct 8, 2010 at 5:59 AM [Today]

Residents looking for new ways to get in exercise around the University of Michigan campus can now add ‘Hot Vinyasa Yoga’ to the list, thanks to a U-M alum.

Jonny Kest, a 1989 U-M graduate, officially opened his fourth Center for Yoga studio on 621 E. William St., located between Jimmy Johns and Pita Kabob Grill, on Sept. 13.

Kest, who studied yoga as a teenager in India with his father, said he has wanted to open a studio location in Ann Arbor ever since he opened his first studio in Metro Detroit in 1993.

“I wanted to bring this practice back to my alumni,” Kest said. “The students have a lot of stress because it’s very competitive there. It’s really amazing how yoga helps students get through stressful times of college.”

Even though Kest opened a Center for Yoga studio on 2450 W. Stadium Blvd. last November, he said that location was not ideal for the student population and started thinking about opening a second Ann Arbor studio, in addition to his other locations in Birmingham and West Bloomfield.

“A lot of the students were having trouble getting to that location and [the students] said the campus needed a studio where they could walk,” he said.

After finding the East William property, Kest said he signed a two-year lease in August and opened the studio a month later. He said he has plans for more renovations that will take place over Christmas break, and he thinks the Center for Yoga will get plenty of business by offering ‘Hot Vinyasa Yoga’ and making prices “really affordable.”

“I think eventually this studio is going to be packed and we’re going to have to move to a bigger space,” Kest said.

Brendan Cavender of Colliers International brokered the deal and said the new studio, which is about 1,300 square feet, was previously used for general offices.

Cavender said the property is a great utilization of the upper level space and shows how dowtown Ann Arbor tenants wanting to be close to campus have to “be creative and go to second floor spaces.”

With the third floor space of the building occupied by lululemon athletica—a yoga-inspired athletic apparel company—Center for Yoga employee Sharron Wodka said she thinks the studio is in the perfect downtown location.

“I can see how this would be a great place for students to be able to squeeze in a yoga class in the middle of the day,” she said. “I can’t think of a better thing to balance out your brain activity in your day.”

Lizzy Alfs is a freelance reporter for AnnArbor.com. Reach the news desk at news@annarbor.com or 734-623-2530.

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From yoga teacher to yoga therapist - West Milford Messenger

Antonette Redl was recently certified as a yoga therapist. She hosts various yoga therapy sessions at Andrea Powers Wellness Studio.
West Milford ? Antonette Redl, a West Milford High School graduate, recently completed her 500-hour yoga therapist certification with Yoga Flow.

She was first introduced to yoga while studying at Montclair State University, and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in commercial arts. After years of drifting in and out of yoga classes she discovered yoga not only opened her physically but opened her heart as well. This led her to deepen her own practice to become a teacher and now a yoga therapist.

What exactly is yoga therapy?

Yoga therapy hovers somewhere between a doctor’s visit and a stretching class, according to Redl. A session consists of therapeutic uses of yoga that work with specific conditions and needs. It is a practice for anyone in the process of healing from Fibromyalgia, depression, stress, cancer, menopause, back and hip injuries to name a few. Unlike a group yoga class it allows each individual to move at their own pace within their own space. A session can consist of yoga massage, restorative yoga, gentle yoga, Vini-style yoga, breath work, yoga nidra and guided meditation.

Many people start yoga because of an injury. But the average yoga teacher doesn’t have a background in advanced anatomy, or the time to address individual problems in a packed power yoga class. That’s where the yoga therapist comes in.

Physical therapy or yoga therapy

What’s the difference between yoga therapy and physical therapy? Physical therapy uses many methods, including targeted stretches, deep tissue massage, exercises and heat and/or ice therapy at home.

A yoga therapist works primarily with yoga moves and clients typically leave with instructions on a custom series of poses that may change each week according to the student’s progress and session.

Yoga therapy is complementary to physical therapy. And it teaches that the mind, body, and spirit are connected.

Redl will be offering a small four-week group hip therapy session beginning on Thursday, Oct. 14 at 10:45 a.m., a four-week yoga nidra beginning on Friday, Oct. 15 at noon, and a four-week restorative yoga class starting Friday, Oct. 15 at 5:30 p.m. For more information on one or all of these sessions go to http://www.andreapowers.com/ or call Andrea Powers Wellness Studio and Spa at 973-728-1486.

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Now, infants turn to yoga! - Times of India

In the new movie "Eat, Pray, Love", actress Julia Roberts practices not only eating and love-making, but also yoga. With the help of celebrities such as Roberts, yoga has become an activity for the masses.

Now practiced by a broad range of people from nudists to babies, yoga has spread from its origin in India into western societies. Some would say the promotion of yoga in the US and Europe has become strident and commercial.

Yoga has spread so far that newborn babies now have an opportunity to get into a course just a short time after arriving in the world.

Some babies are already spirituality connected to yoga when they are born because their mothers attended yoga courses for pregnant women while they were still in the womb.

From yoga for infants still in diapers, the little ones can progress to yoga for babies, yoga for young children and then on to teenage yoga, adult yoga, yoga for women in menopause and yoga for seniors. Yoga is also offered in prisons and nudist camps.

The meditation, stretching and strengthening exercise that just a decade or so ago had an esoteric image, today is mainstream, accompanying many modern-thinking people throughout all phases of their lives. This is true even when in some yoga courses there isn't much left of the original Indian philosophy that promotes the wholeness of the body and soul.

The latest trend from the US and spreading to other countries is yoga for babies that are still nursing. In Germany baby yoga is still "taking baby steps", said Katja Kunipatz, who offers Pitimini yoga for infants at her studio in Berlin. People often don't understand what the course is supposed to achieve.

"It's not about the babies saying 'Ommmmm'," she said. "It's about building a relationship between parents and their child. It's good for both of them." Children get the benefit of movement and massages, while mothers have a chance to relax.

This is what five-month-old Dilay is supposed to experience, but she prefers fidgeting to relaxing. Her mother, Derya Kleinert, tries to make her stop by singing and stroking her, but her restlessness doesn't end. The participants who get to do the course with a silent doll are the happiest.

In adult yoga classes importance is placed on relaxation and serenity. Many participants aim to relieve stress, solve back problems or perhaps simply firm up their bottom by doing positions with names such as downward facing dog, cobra pose and sun salutation.

Health insurers accept yoga in some cases as preventative medicine. However, doctors generally don't think much of new types of yoga courses, such as those for babies. It has not been scientifically proven as having a positive effect on infants, said Stephan Esser, chief executive of Germany's association of paediatricians.

"But it can't hurt anything as long as the infants don't have to attempt the back-bending sun salutation pose."

"Yoga has shaken off its image as an esoteric activity and become a mass movement," said Doris Hafner, chief executive of Germany's professional association for yoga teachers. "The numbers are constantly increasing." One reason for the sustained growth of yoga is the constant development of new ideas. One example is holding yoga classes on the roof of high-rise buildings.

It is an indication of the deep yearning in our consumer society to attain wholeness," said Hafner.

But even this yearning for wholeness has been turned into a consumer product. Celebrities such as Madonna and Jennifer Aniston show off physiques hardened in yoga classes. Even Daniel Craig, who plays James Bond, supposedly does gentle yoga stretches. Clothing makers such as Adidas offer designer yoga mats by Stella McCartney. There also are breathable mats made of merino wool and Hello Kitty mats for children.

An Adidas spokeswoman said the company's yoga clothing and accessories collections are becoming more extensive because there is "constant demand" for the items. She declined, however, to provide revenue amounts.

It is generally difficult to describe the yoga industry in numbers. The German association of yoga instructors says there are more than 20,000 yoga teachers and 5 million yoga participants in Germany. A survey conducted by a major German market research company revealed that 8.5 per cent of German households have at least one person who does yoga.

The actual figure is believed to be higher because anyone who wishes may call himself or herself a yoga instructor in Germany. No certification is required. This is also true in the US and many other countries. Hafner said the reason there are a lot of "black sheep" in yoga is because it encompasses an "open concept".

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