Archives for October 2009

The Parks and Recreation Department will offer a yoga class beginning Tuesday, November 10, or Thursday, November 12, at Quaker Farms School, 30 Great Oak Rd. The six-week Tuesday session takes place at 7 p.m. November 10 through December 15. The Thursday session is five-weeks, with no class on November 26.

The classes will help to relieve stress and increase energy, flexibility, strength and balance with a complete yoga program for body and mind. Those attending will receive instruction in a variety of yoga postures, breathing exercises, relaxation and meditation techniques with modifications offered to meet different needs.  Classes welcome mixed levels of students (including beginners).

The instructor, Sue Wall, MPH, is certified in Kripalu yoga, Structural Yoga Therapy and Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapy. All classes are 90 minutes and students are asked to bring a yoga mat. The cost is $85 for the Tuesday session for Oxford residents and $70 for the Thursday session for residents. Those attending both nights may pay a discounted fee of $135. Non-residents may add $5 to the regular fee. An early bird discount of $10 off is available to all students who register by Thursday, November 5.

Physical exercise is any activity that works the muscles in various ways to keep one fit. This makes the individual strong and flexible. Exercises have numerous benefits to the body, but unfortunately society has managed to misconstrue and limit it as only an act of losing weight or belly fat. However, physical exercise achieves much more than this. My motivation for writing this article emanated from the discouraging and cynical feedback I received from friends and family when they got to know I was going to the gym to get into a regular exercise. Considering me as a slim person, most people were appalled, genuinely surprised, sarcastic and teased when they got to know I was exercising regularly.

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But slowly, to avoid pulling a muscle Publisher JoWood may be best known for adventure games like the Sam & Max Collection and Agatha Christie titles - the latest of which they've just announced for DS - but they're taking a step into the expanding world of fitness gaming with the launch of Yoga for Wii.

Vienna, Austria, October 20th 2009; The world’s first 100% Yoga gaming experience is to be released by the Austrian publisher JoWooD for Wii™ in November. It includes 30 different Yoga poses to support your mental and physical well-being and soul.

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The Survivors group that is part of Houston Healthcare’s cancer treatment program has added a new technique to aid in cancer recovery. Nina Carroll is donating her time to teach an hour-long class on restorative yoga to cancer survivors and their caretakers.

Carroll got the idea from a group called YogaBears, which was started in San Francisco. The group goes into health care facilities to give another type of alternative therapy. Restorative yoga, Carroll said, uses deep relaxation aided by pillows, blankets, foam blocks and soothing music. There is a lot of deep breathing and holding poses for a long time to restore energy and balance the body.

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 Marty Crocker of Beaufort Yoga and Massage will bring Master Yoga Instructor David Williams to Beaufort Thursday through Nov. 1. Williams, known internationally for his Ashtanga style instruction, will offer "Ashtanga Yoga for the Rest of Your Life" through five classes of instruction and philosophy. The classes will be held at the Yoga Chandra Center for the Healing Arts at 73 Sea Island Parkway in the Lady's Island Marina. Cost is $65 a class; discounts are available.

Hope Floats Healing and Wellness Center in Kingston will host an evening of yoga followed by a gong bath and meditation at 7 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 24. The evening will begin with a light Kundalini yoga set, followed by deep relaxation to the sounds of the gong as played by Guruatma Kaur Khalsa. After the rejuvenating experience of the gong, there will be a healing meditation.

The evening will finish off with light refreshments. Guruatma Kaur Khalsa is an experienced gong player who has studied and taught Kundalini yoga for 30 years. The fee for this event is $20. Hope Floats Healing and Wellness Center is a nonprofit organization offering educational, support, and wellness services. The center is located at 4 Elm St. in Kingston.

The hip, groin and lower back regions house several organs that control the water levels in our bodies, our hormones and our reproductive, or creative capabilities. Bound Angle Pose, or Butterfly, increases flexibility in the hips and groin. It stretches the inner thighs, as well as stimulates the reproductive organs and kidneys.

Sit on the floor, or if it is not comfortable sitting on the floor, sit on a folded blanket or a small pillow so that your hips are elevated a little higher. Choose a position that allows your back to stay as straight as possible. Bring the soles of your feet together, then bring your feet as close to your body as you can. Press both of your hands onto your thighs, just above your knees. As you gently press your knees down towards the floor, lift your head a couple of inches, to begin lengthening your spine. Be sure to pull your lower abdomen in towards your spine in order to support your posture.

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Yoga and strength training classes are being held in Paxton at the First Congregational Church in Fellowship Hall. The Yoga class meets Fridays, 9-10 a.m., and is a Hatha-based practice with focus on postures, breathwork, balance and flexibility. The class is appropriate for all levels and beginn...

An Aspen yoga instructor Tuesday pleaded not guilty to six misdemeanor charges of unlawful sexual contact, setting the stage for a trial in March.

Steven Jon Roger, 48, appeared in Pitkin County Court before Judge Erin Fernandez-Ely, who scheduled a trial for March 1. Roger's attorney, Tams Viski-Hanka, requested that the trial be set for two weeks. “There are six charges, and each have their own witnesses,” he told the judge.

Viski-Hanka said he would call up to 20 witnesses, and “these are not advocate witnesses,” he told the judge. Rather, they would be people who are connected to the allegations that Roger had unlawful sexual contact in incidents that occurred between 2005 and 2008 at the O2 Aspen yoga studio.

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It may be 50 degrees and raining outside, but it's always summer inside some local yoga studios. More and more local yoga studios and gyms are offering yoga in heated rooms, where sweat flows freely and poses are easier to achieve. As the winter approaches, studios are gearing up for an influx of people seeking a warm environment to practice yoga.

“When it is colder out, people like to come in and sweat,” said Adi Westerman, co-owner of Bikram Yoga Asheville. “It's also a good way to lose pounds after the holidays.”

Bikram Yoga, founded by Bikram Choudhury, takes students through the same sequence of poses every class and is performed in a room heated to 105 degrees with 50 percent humidity.

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