Thursday, January 9, 2014
Synergy in Avon starts new 'Yoga for Healing' classes - Vail Daily News
If you go ...
What: Yoga For Healing, a new yoga program for healing the body and the mind.
Where: Synergy Center for Wellness in Avon.
Date: Begins Jan. 20. Takes place Mondays at 4 p.m., Tuesdays at 9 a.m., Wednesdays at 4 p.m., Thursdays at noon and Friday at 9 a.m.
Cost: $15 to drop in, discounted punch cards and membership available. Free community class on Fridays.
More information: This is a yoga class for everyone, including those with physical limitations. Visit www.synergyvail.com.
Wednesday, January 8, 2014
New Yoga Studio Focuses on Alignment, Instructor Attention and Small Classes - eCoronado.com (blog)
Coronado, CA, January 8, 2014 -- Not all yoga studios are overcrowded and intimidating. Bungalow Yoga, which opens January 13th at 1107 8th, offers a small, cozy atmosphere for yoga students to focus on pose alignment and a safe practice.
"I've been practicing yoga since 2003,” says Andrea Kane, Navy veteran and owner of Bungalow Yoga, “and a consistent complaint is not knowing whether poses are being done correctly.”
After being diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis in 2010, Kane began attending private and semi-private sessions and discovered the many benefits of a personalized group practice.
“It was just amazing to be able to get those necessary adjustments and modifications; it changed my whole outlook,” Kane said.
Bungalow Yoga is housed in a historic bungalow off Orange Avenue and shares a wall with Kane's massage and skincare practice. The space was previously used to offer massage, but when her massage contractor decided to move to Hawaii last fall, Kane saw it as an opportunity to bring a niche service to Coronado. With three to five classes a day, four instructors and a variety of styles, including Power Yoga, Flow, Prenatal and Restorative, the slightly heated studio limits each class to just five students, giving more personal attention to students without the normal price tag associated with semi-private classes.
Due to the small class size, each student much pre-register and pre-pay online to ensure their spot. Water, towels, props and a mat are included, although students with a regular practice are encouraged to have their own mat.
“It's a neighborhood studio,” says Kane. “I've been getting calls from people who have wanted to try yoga but say they're slightly intimated by the large size of most classes, are injured, have chronic neck and back pain or just feel inflexible. These are the type of students who will benefit from this unique setup and I'm looking forward to seeing their progress.”
Bungalow Yoga offers daily classes and the schedule can be found online at http://BungalowYogaCoronado.com[1] . The first class is free and for the month of January, military, fire/police and teachers receive a 14% discount by using the code BYD at checkout. For more information, call 619.522.0026.
Diamond Dallas Page discusses fat-burning yoga workout and healing power of ... - Examiner.com
Diamond Dallas Page may be the most unique yogi you'll ever encounter. The former pro wrestling champ credits his hybrid yoga workout, DDP Yoga[1] , for his rippling 6-foot-5 physique.
In an exclusive interview Jan. 8, Page explained how DDP Yoga can help you lose weight, achieve impressive muscle tone, and get you emotionally centered.
Dallas, a three-time WCW World Heavyweight Champion, began doing yoga 15 years ago after suffering a devastating back injury while wrestling.
"I'm from the generation where I wouldn't be caught dead doing yoga for the first 42 years of my life," he said.
Page, 57, began doing yoga as a way to rehabilitate his back while putting zero impact on his joints. He was stunned by how dramatically yoga healed him.
"I was blown away by how much yoga helped me in the first few weeks," Page recalled. "In less than a month, I was back in the ring."
While Dallas continued to lift weights and do his wrestling workouts, he credits yoga for making him limber and flexible, and for extending his pro wrestling career.
Page retired in 2006 at the age of 49 and has since become a fitness and health expert who has inspired millions of people to embrace yoga. He released his first workout book, Yoga for Regular Guys[2] in 2011, and recently released his follow-up DVD series, DDP Yoga[3] .
Dallas said DDP Yoga is different from other yoga videos because it's a potent fat-burning cardio workout that helps you develop incredible flexibility.
In 2012, DDP Yoga helped Arthur Boorman, a disabled Gulf War veteran, lose 140 pounds in 10 months. More importantly, DDP Yoga helped Boorman — who was told he would never walk again — walk on his own for the first time in years.
The 5-foot-6 Boorman, who once tipped the scales at 297 pounds, slimmed down to 157 pounds in less than a year, and has since maintained his weight loss. He was featured in a YouTube video that has garnered over 10 million views.
In March 2013, Boorman and Page both appeared on "The Doctors" to discuss Arthur's inspiring turnaround (see video).
Page is proud of weight-loss success stories like Boorman's, but isn't surprised because DDP Yoga incorporates yoga positions with calisthenics and dynamic-resistance exercises to strengthen your body.
Dallas, who does DDP Yoga four to six days a week, hopes everyone will embrace the healing power of yoga. "You pay the price one way or the other if you don't take care of your health," he said. "Yoga is medicine."
References
Fallen yoga guru John Friend goes to the mat with a new technique - Westword
"As you breathe, expand the radiance of your heart."
As roughly twenty yoga students contort themselves into various poses in the spacious, purple-walled "Sky Room" at the Vital Yoga studio in Highland, their teacher for this session, John Friend, pads about the wooden floor, adjusting spandexed hips and poking at protruding butts while talking about opening the belly and raising the solar plexus. He speaks with the warm yet energetic confidence of a TED speaker or a feel-good evangelist rather than the serene tones of a stereotypical wizened yogi. And as the students breathe deeply, working through the strain of the poses, Friend lightens the mood by cracking jokes and shifting into funny voices. "Yeah, that's it — cool!" he exclaims in a slightly California-like drawl as he guides them through a particularly grueling sequence.
"We have to generate a positive optimism for ourselves. It is not going to just happen for us," Friend instructs his students before leading them through the three "oms," the mantra symbolizing the sound of the universe that's chanted at the end of the session.
Anthony Camera
John Friend teaching Sridaiva at Vital Yoga.
Anthony Camera
Desi (left) and Micah Springer invited John Friend to Denver.
"OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM"
Friend knows all about generating positive optimism. In 1997, he created his own feel-good form of yoga called Anusara and subsequently built it into a global brand with nearly 1,500 licensed teachers and more than 600,000 students in dozens of countries. At its center was Friend, considered one of the five most popular yoga teachers in the country and named the "yoga mogul" by the New York Times Magazine. From his home base outside of Houston, Friend presided over a yoga empire. There were "Dancing With the Divine" and "Igniting the Center" world tours; a "John Friend Collection" line of yoga mats; Anusara "grand gatherings" in places like Estes Park, where Friend taught 800-student classes; and a planned multimillion-dollar expansion that included an 8,000-square-foot headquarters in Encinitas, California. In the white-hot world of American yoga, Friend's flame seemed to burn the brightest of all.
"OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM"
But then it all came crumbling down. In early 2012, Friend was accused of financial mismanagement, having affairs with married students, receiving pot in the mail at his office and engaging in Wiccan rituals. In what Friend now calls "a 21st-century Internet witch trial," the Anusara community devolved into mud-slinging and public resignations, generating headlines nationwide. With startling speed, Anusara imploded — and Friend was left with nothing.
"OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM"
But here in this Denver yoga studio, the now-54-year-old Friend doesn't look like a fallen guru. His aqua-blue eyes flash with enthusiasm, his short gray hair is gelled upward in a jaunty fashion, and when he takes off his shirt near the end of the session, he reveals a well-toned midsection that's dropped forty pounds of fat since his 2012 fall from grace.
Maybe that's because here in his new home of Denver, "I get to start over with something better than I had before," Friend says. Collaborating with sisters Desi and Micah Springer, co-owners of Vital Yoga, Friend is developing a new yoga postural system called Sridaiva, one that he says he expects "to be more impactful than Anusara ever was" — a system not just for yoga practitioners, but for everyone around the world. Sridaiva is going to be big, Friend predicts; it will eclipse everything he did with Anusara — the good and the bad. "It's an epic comeback story," he declares.
As he says to his students at the end of the class: "2014 — it's gonna be a good one!"
********************
After the maelstrom of negative press he weathered in early 2012 — including lengthy, unflattering profiles in the Washington Post, New York and Texas Monthly, plus a lurid exposé on the Daily Beast website — Friend is guarded about the personal life he's cultivated since he moved to Denver that summer. "One of the central issues for me over the last couple of years is the increasing lack of respect for privacy and confidentiality in society," he writes in an e-mail. "I really want my sex life and my other personal sacred and spiritual practices held privately, and not made public by others who don't respect such boundaries."
The way he describes it, his life in Denver is considerably simpler than the one he enjoyed at the height of his success. He lives in an 800-square-foot rental in Sunnyside, a place that could fit in the living room of the modest two-story home he inherited from his mother in Woodlands, Texas, which he still owns but is planning to sell. In his apartment, there's just enough room for a few hundred of the books in the 5,000-volume library he's amassed on topics such as Buddhism, astrology and scripture, and just a few samples of the myriad paintings, sculptures and crystals he's collected on his world travels. He used to always be on his cell phone, juggling the responsibilities of running a twenty-employee company with international reach. Now, when he's not teaching private sessions or running one of the four weekly classes he teaches at Vital Yoga's locations in Highland and Golden, Friend spends his time writing detailed notes in a leather-bound journal, the beginnings of a book on Sridaiva.
VOTE: Which of These 15 Local Yoga Studios Is Your Favorite? - Racked NY
Welcome to Fitness Week: five days of workout coverage, so that you can start your New Year's resolutions off right.
Image via Back Bay Yoga Studio[1] /Facebook
Yoga is reputable for welcoming participants of all fitness levels, and Boston has no shortage of environments for rookie through professional yogis—from classes focusing on basics to trendy styles like AcroYoga and sweatier than you could ever imagine Bikram, there is pretty much something for everyone. Here we've assembled 15 top studios on both sides of the Charles River for you to vote one of them as our reader-favorite.
Poll closes in 24 hours (2pm, January 9). Did we miss your favorite studio? Vouch for them in the comments.
· All Fitness Week 2014 posts[3] [Racked Boston]
References
- ^ Back Bay Yoga Studio (www.facebook.com)
- ^ Which will it be? Vote after the jump! >> (boston.racked.com)
- ^ All Fitness Week 2014 posts (boston.racked.com)
John Friend and Sridaiva: A primer on his new yoga program - Westword (blog)
 |
| Lew Wendle |
This week's cover story profiles John Friend[1] , who built his Texas-based Anusara yoga program into one of the country's largest yoga empires before losing it all in a 2012 scandal. Now living in Denver, Friend is collaborating with Desi and Micah Springer, co-owners of Denver-based Vital Yoga, on a new yoga postural system called Sridaiva, one that he expects "to be more impactful than Anusara ever was." What is Sridaiva, and can it really eclipse everything Friend did with Anusara -- the good and the bad? Read on.
According to Friend and Desi, seen above, who together are developing the program, Sridaiva grew out of "the Roots," a demanding posture sequence Desi created years ago with Micah's help that emphasizes the accentuated lower back curves the two sisters have naturally -- the sort of posture that's usually a no-no among the long, straight lines of most yoga poses.
When Friend first tried these postures in 2012, he says he was blown away. The way he saw it, the arched back allowed the body to function like a loaded spring, with the taut muscles holding everything in place. He says the bow-spring posture allows people to hold difficult yoga poses far longer, increases positive attitude and reduces muscle and joint pain. In his case, he says it also helped him lose forty pounds.
 |
| Anthony Camera |
| John Friend. |
In early 2013, Friend and Desi named their new program Sridaiva, Sanskrit for "divine destiny." Desi took the lead, conveying her experience using Sridaiva's alignments, while Friend, the pattern guy, worked on verifying, organizing and simplifying the methodology so it could reach a wider audience than just those capable of Desi's demanding "roots" sequence. The two have upcoming events booked in Hong Kong, Singapore, Germany, Ireland, Switzerland, the Caribbean and elsewhere, and Friend and Desi are co-authoring a book, Optimal Posture, detailing Sridaiva. The two believe the spring-loaded posture isn't just for yoga; they think people the world over can adopt it as they go about their daily lives to improve their physical and mental health. As Friend puts it, "I really feel like you can do this at your job and leave work feeling like you've worked out."
Want to try for yourself Sridaiva's key bow-spring posture? Here's a how-to, written by Friend:
- Generate a positive attitude of self-accountability and optimism for self-improvement and health of the body-mind, expressed through a spacious, radiant heart, which widens and symmetrically expands the ribcage.
- Open the pelvic floor and the solar plexus by tipping the pelvis forward and arching the lower back from the base of the sacrum to the T-12 band. Open the throat and uniformly arch the neck. Fully establish the bow-shaped template.
- Engage the posterior chain of myofascia in the bow-spring template from the big toes/little toes and the thumbs/fingers to the top rim of the ilio-sacral area. After establishing the engaged bow-spring template, expand and spring open the central axis of the body-mind.
Got it? If not, here's the basic idea, in non-yoga speak: Tip your hips forward, arch your lower back, expand your rib cage, and open your throat, all while thinking happy thoughts. Your body should feel stretched and taut, brimming with spring-like energy.
The way Friend sees it, Sridaiva is akin to Anusara 7.0. Yes, he knows his discarding of Anusara in favor of Sridaiva will seem like one more slight against the thousands of disciples who were already burned by his 2012 scandal. "I realize that some former students feel offended and even hoaxed if I state that Sridaiva now describes the optimal template more precisely and simply than any other alignment model I have ever used," he writes in an e-mail.
But once people try Sridaiva, he promises, everyone will understand where he's coming from.
More from our Follow That Story[2] archive circa July 2012: "John McAfee: Anti-virus king turned relational yoga inventor talks latest endeavor (or prank?)[3] "
References
- ^ cover story profiles John Friend (www.westword.com)
- ^ Follow That Story (blogs.westword.com)
- ^ John McAfee: Anti-virus king turned relational yoga inventor talks latest endeavor (or prank?) (blogs.westword.com)
12 Best Stores to Shop for Yoga Apparel and Gear in LA - Racked
Image via YogaWorks/Facebook[1]
Now that you know the best spot to get your "Om" on (congrats[2] , One Down Dog!), it's time to get serious about perfecting your sun salutations and warrior poses. Whether you're an experienced yogi or a beginning practitioner, it's vital to have all the necessary supplies to kickstart your sweat session resolutions—and a little retail therapy never fails to get you pumped for a new workout routine.
From stylish activewear chain Lululemon to discount retailer Marshalls to a host of indie boutiques, we've rounded up 12 ace options for all of your yoga apparel and gear needs. As always, sound off in the comments if we missed any of your fitness faves.
References
- ^ Facebook (www.facebook.com)
- ^ congrats (la.racked.com)
- ^ All Fitness Week 2014 Posts (la.racked.com)
Google Nexus 10 vs. Lenovo Yoga Tablet Specs and Price Comparison in ... - International Business Times AU
For readers who are considering buying the Google Nexus 10 or the Lenovo Yoga tablet, here is a specs and price comparison between the two devices in Australia[1] . The comparison could help readers make an informed decision.
Display and Design
The Google Nexus 10 comes with a 10.1 inch Super PLS TFT capacitive touch screen, rendering 2560 x 1600 pixels resolution. The Lenovo Yoga tablet comes with a 10.1 inch IPS LCD capacitive touch screen, rendering 1280 x 800 pixels resolution.
The Google Nexus 10 comes with 263.9 x 177.6 x 8.9 mm dimensions and weighs 603 grams. The Lenovo Yoga tablet comes with 261 x 180 x 8.1 mm dimensions and weighs 605 grams.
Hardware and Operating System
The Google Nexus 10 is equipped with a 1.7 GHz dual core cortex A15 processor and Exynos 5250 chipset. It comes in 16 GB and 32 GB internal memory variants and no Micro SD slot for additional memory.
The Lenovo Yoga tablet is equipped with a 1.2 GHz quad core cortex A7 processor and Mediatek MT8125 chipset. It comes in 16 GB and 32 GB internal memory variants, which can be expanded by up to 64 GB using a Micro SD card.
Both the devices run on the Android[2] platform and come loaded with the Jelly Bean operating system. The Google Nexus 10 has 2 GB of RAM whereas the Lenovo Yoga tablet has 1 GB of RAM.
Camera
The Google Nexus 10 sports a 5 MP primary camera with autofocus and LED flash. The secondary camera on the device is 1.9 MP. The Lenovo Yoga tablet also sports a 5 Mp primary camera and the secondary camera on the device is 1.6 MP.
Battery
The Google Nexus 10 comes with a non-removable Li-Po 9000 mAh battery whereas the Lenovo Yoga tablet comes with a non-removable Li-Ion 9000 mAh battery.
The Google Nexus 10 16 GB is priced at around AU $449.95 and the 32 GB variant is priced at around AU $519.95. The Lenovo Yoga tablet 16 GB version is priced at around AU $379.95 in Australia.
To contact the editor, e-mail:
Seymour recreation department to offer Zumba, yoga classes - New Haven Register
SEYMOUR >> The Seymour Recreation Department will be sponsoring yoga and Zumba classes beginning this month.
Zumba classes will be held from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Mondays and Wednesdays at the Bungay School gym, 35 Bungay Road. The first class begins Jan. 13. Classes run through March 5 and are open to those ages 14 and older.
Drop-ins are welcome, and residents from surrounding towns may attend.
The first class is free, and the rate for one night per week is $40 or both nights $65. Both figures represent the total cost for the two-month program.
The instructor is Amanda Hynes.
Registration can be done by calling the Recreation Department at (203)888-0406 or go directly to gym on first night.
Yoga classes for adults will begin Jan. 15. Classes will be held at 6:30 p.m. at the Seymour Recreation Department, 20 Pine St. The session is 6 weeks long and costs $75.
Registration can be done by calling the Recreation Department at (203)888-0406 or call Miss Jeanne, instructor at (203)868-1911.
All Valley area adults are welcome to participate.
Tuesday, January 7, 2014
Everyday benefits of practicing yoga - The Tennessean
Reset your password
Enter your email and we will send you a link to reset your password.
You must have browser cookies enabled to view our site.
Account issue
We're sorry, your shared access privileges have been removed by the subscriber. You can still look at a limited number of articles per month.
Account issue
We're sorry, this account no longer has full access. You can still look at a limited number of articles per month.
Berkeley Yoga Burglar Finally Brought To Downward-Facing Justice - SFist
Berkeley's thriving yoga community can ujjayi a little easier today: a man who cops say was responsible for a string of burglaries at four yoga studios, a capoeira gym, and a restaurant in the East Bay has been charged with six felonies for swiping wallets and using stolen credit cards to make purchases while his neighbors flowed through their vinyasas and relaxed into their shavasanas.
According to the Alameda County District Attorney's office[1] , 20-year-old Christopher D. Newton is the man who shattered the fragile sense of community and tested those "we are not responsible for lost or stolen belongings" signs at 7th Heaven Yoga[2] , Corepower Yoga[3] , Yoga Tree[4] and Namaste Yoga in Berkeley, as well as the Capoeira Arts Foundation and Sweet Basil Thai. The burglaries began last February and Newton's grift was simple: he would enter each studio posing as a new student and offer a fake name to slip into class. Once he was inside, he would steal unattended wallets and use the stolen cards to make purchases before his fellow students even knew they were gone.
But Newton's technique was sloppy: he was brought down by Berkeley Police because he once used his real phone number while signing in. Witnesses recalled seeing him at one of the studios and he was finally arrested last month on December 15th while leaving yet another yoga studio in Berkeley. Newton admitted to multiple burglaries and is currently being held on $120,000 bail until his court date later this week. Until then, we imagine he'll be working on his yoga practice from the comfort of his cell in Santa Rita Jail.
Previously: Meanwhile, In Dolores Park: Naked Yoga [NSFW][5]
[Berkeleyside[6] ]
References
- ^ According to the Alameda County District Attorney's office (www.berkeleyside.com)
- ^ 7th Heaven Yoga (www.7thheavenyoga.com)
- ^ Corepower Yoga (www.corepoweryoga.com)
- ^ Yoga Tree (www.yogatreesf.com)
- ^ Meanwhile, In Dolores Park: Naked Yoga [NSFW] (sfist.com)
- ^ Berkeleyside (www.berkeleyside.com)
Too cold to get out to a class? Do 'Yoga with Me' - SILive.com
The scenery is as heavenly as the free instructions on the Do Yoga With Me website. Yoga’s health benefits are widely extolled. But it can be awkward for a beginner to get started, especially someone wary of appearing in public in a yoga tank and leggings. Even experienced practitioners sometimes have problems making it to a scheduled class.
One option: DoYogaWithMe.com. This Canadian Web site, founded by yoga instructor David Procyshyn, offers hundreds of streaming videos, each about an hour long.
It also has yoga information and multi-week programs for specific audiences: beginners who want to progress to intermediate level, for example, workouts for office workers, etc.
If you’re just starting, take a look at “Melt Into Gratitude,” a gentle introduction to hatha yoga, in which instructor Nicky Jones — doing slow, graceful poses in a spectacular British Columbia coastal setting — repeatedly urges you not to overstress, to do only what’s comfortable. Very peaceful and non-threatening.
Also non-threatening is the pricing policy: Pay only if you want to. “Videos and programs aren’t free to create,” the site says. “If you can, please make a contribution.”
Bent Mountain Center to offer yoga, pickup basketball this month - Roanoke Times
The Bent Mountain Center is beginning signup for Yoga classes starting on Jan. 14. Participants will be guided by Bent Mountain resident, Sheri Bamber, a certified yoga instructor who received her training in yoga and massage therapy at the Blue Ridge School of Massage and Yoga.
Beginning Yoga involves stretching and bending at a slow pace, with very little increase in heart rate. Intermediate Yoga includes more asanas (poses) and a moderate increase in heart rate. Yoga is beneficial to health because it increases flexibility and balance, as well as aiding in digestion.
Class schedule depends on sign-up. Classes meet for five consecutive weeks for 1-hour sessions. Dates & times under consideration are:
1. Tuesdays, 7:30pm, January 14th to February 11th 2. Thursdays, 7:30pm, January 16th to February 13th 3. Saturdays, 9:00am, January 18th to February 15th
Register online: www.bentmountaincenter.com/contact-us[1]
Fee: $45—mail to: Bent Mtn. Center, P.O. Box 22, Bent Mt., VA 24059.
The Bent Mountain Center gymnasium will also be open for pick-up basketball during the month of January from 1:30 to 3:30pm on Sundays and Mondays and Wednesday evenings from 7:00 to 9:00 pm. Children under 10 must have a parent or guardian with them in order to use the gym.urJanuary - the gym will be open for all comers at the following days and times......
(In the event Roanoke Co. Schools are closed, Bent Mtn. Center is closed and classes are re-scheduled.)
Submitted by Bent Mountain Center
Young yogis stretch, get silly during Auburn YMCA's new family yoga class - Auburn Citizen
AUBURN | On Sunday mornings, the YMCA becomes more than just a place to work out.
For about 45 minutes, the Auburn center transforms into a place where yoga mats turn into cars — where children morph into hopping kangaroos and parents pretend to finger-paint with their feet.
This weekly session of imaginative fun occurs during the YMCA's family yoga class — a class that makes exercise enjoyable for children.
Instructor Mandy Learo said the two-month-old class was created in part to provide members with a wholesome activity that would get families out of their homes on gloomy winter days. But Learo, who has dedicated much of her time as a yoga instructor to teaching children, has another hope for her young yogis.
"The main thing is they leave this class knowing that yoga is fun," she said. "Yoga will be there for them for life."
And from start to finish, it's clear that there's no shortage of fun in the YMCA's family yoga class.
Minutes before the class started, smiling children — tailed by a parent or grandparent — rushed into the group fitness studio. After the colorful mats were laid out, the group circled up and waited.
Learo started the class off with the traditional "namaste" greeting before leading the children through their weekly adventure.
Using traditional yoga stretches, Learo introduced her students to Parsnip, a butterfly-chasing cat. The children juggled at an imaginary circus, and even created their own yoga poses.
The interactive story made children and their adult relatives giggle and grin while they stretched their muscles and raised their heart rates.
Learo said she cooks up a new story for each class, tailoring her tale to correlate to the yoga moves she plans to use.
"The story keeps their attention, and helps them have fun," she said.
Learo said she also hopes the story-based class helps her students form lifelong connections that associate yoga with family, exercise and enjoyment.
Katie Lynn, of Auburn, said she and her daughter decided to try out the class as part of their search to find "something to do."
"She has a blast," Lynn said.
When asked what her favorite yoga pose is, Gracie Lynn, 6, stood shyly next to her mother and quickly replied, "tree."
"It's fun," she said.
Devon Roblee, of Auburn, said she and Alex, her 5-year-old son, used to practice yoga together in the past. So when Alex told her he wanted to try yoga with her again, Roblee was thrilled to attend the YMCA's family yoga class.
"We enjoy it," she said. "It's a good way to get us out and moving."
Roblee added that Learo's storytelling is especially enjoyable for Alex, whom she said has a healthy imagination.
"I think it's a great way to engage," she said. "He's always making up stories."
Looking around at her class full of students — many of whom have become regular attendees — Learo encouraged YMCA members to give the new class a try.
"It's an opportunity for the kinds to get up and move," she said. "It's an opportunity for them to gain confidence."
Stratham's Emily Avery to compete for national yoga title - Seacoastonline.com
Yoga champion Emily Avery lifts herself up and readies to straighten her legs into the firefly pose during her training for the 2014 USA Yoga National Championship at Bikram Yoga in Portsmouth on Saturday.Ioanna Raptis/iraptis@seacoastonline.com
STRATHAM — Crow. Peacock. Cat. Fish. Crocodile. Downward facing dog.
These are all members of Stratham resident Emily Avery's yoga menagerie. Each time she steps onto her mat, she employs all of them into an ancient spiritual practice.
But come March, Avery's animal ark will be working double duty as she represents New Hampshire in the 2014 USA Yoga National Championship.
"My favorite part about doing yoga is the fact that you can never be perfect at it," Avery said. "There's always something you can keep working on and that just means there's always a reason for me to come back to class."
Avery, a 2013 Exeter High School graduate, began practicing yoga in 2010 after her father recommended she try it.
"He came back and he said, 'Emily, this is so hard,' and he told me about the class, and it just sounded like a cool thing to try," Avery said. "So I just wanted to try it on a whim, and I went and it was really hard and I didn't expect yoga to ever be that difficult. So I kept going back and practicing, and now I go all the time."
Avery practices Bikram yoga, which is typically known as "hot yoga." The practice involves a set series of 26 postures, all performed in 90 minutes and in a heated room. The idea is the heat helps the person practicing be more flexible. When she started yoga, Avery was 16 and attended classes at a Bikram yoga studio in Portsmouth.
After six months of attending class regularly, Avery's yoga teacher approached her about possibly getting involved in regional — and possibly national — yoga competitions.
"I was like, 'that sounds crazy, a yoga competition,' so I watched the yoga (competition videos) online and then (my teacher and I) talked about it and (my teacher) suggested I should give the competition a try, and at that point I was in the youth division, and I didn't really know what to expect," Avery said. "So I just said, 'Yes, sure, I'll try it,' and it ended up being really fun and really cool."
Sanctioned yoga competitions involve contestants performing a series of five poses. The poses are determined by the competition and are known as "compulsory" poses. Each contestant, therefore, completes the same series of motions. However, each contestant also has the opportunity to complete two optional poses after the five mandatory ones. The extra poses are what allow each yogi to strut their stuff and separate themselves from their competition.
In her time competing in the youth division, Avery placed first in the New Hampshire Yoga Asana Championship, first in the U.S. Yoga Asana Championship and third in the International Yoga Asana Championship.
Starting last year, Avery began competing in the adult division. In the fall, she won first place in the adult division of the New Hampshire Yoga Asana Championship. This means she will represent New Hampshire this year at the U.S. Yoga Asana Championship in San Antonio, Texas.
"I'm just really, really excited for this competition," Avery said.
To prepare, Avery has been running through her routine a couple times each day. In the fall, she began attending Princeton University, where she is a member of the school's ballet team. Avery is a lifelong ballet dancer, something that has helped build her yoga skills.
"I'm a ballet dancer and I still am, I've been doing ballet much longer than yoga," she said. "It's funny, I think of myself as better at ballet than I am at yoga. It really helps me keep up with my flexibility. And then when it comes to yoga competitions, the grace aspect is definitely improved by my doing ballet."
Being in New Jersey for school makes her yoga practice a little more tricky, Avery said, because she can't practice in the studio where she is most comfortable. However, while home on break from school, Avery has begun kicking her training into high gear.
"I really start practicing when I'm about two months out, so right now, I'm really getting into it," she said. "That's when you really have to start kicking into the training. I try not to worry about things too far in advance, more than four months or so. I just want to give myself a break."
While athletic ability, flexibility and diligence in practice are all important in yoga competitions, Avery said it comes down more to who can keep it cool in the spotlight.
"Yoga competitions are more about who can keep it together under pressure rather than who can do certain postures because everyone who is there is super amazing," Avery said. "The pressure affects people differently."
While her mind is focused on March, Avery said her eventual goal is to compete at the international yoga championships in Los Angeles in the adult division.
"That's an ultimate goal, to go there as an adult," Avery said. "That would be amazing and that may be years away."
But through the competitions, the training, and whether she's winning or losing, Avery always remembers why she started her yoga journey to begin with.
"I guess no matter how I do, it won't change how much I love to practice yoga," she said.
References
- ^ Buy This Photo (www.seacoastonline.com)
- ^ Community Rules (www.seacoastonline.com)
- ^ fill out this form (www.seacoastonline.com)
Monday, January 6, 2014
Stratham yoga champ to compete in national event - Seacoastonline.com
Yoga champion Emily Avery lifts herself up and readies to straighten her legs into the firefly pose during her training for Nationals at Bikram Yoga in Portsmouth on Saturday.Ioanna Raptis/iraptis@seacoastonline.com
STRATHAM — Crow. Peacock. Cat. Fish. Crocodile. Downward facing dog.
These are all members of Stratham resident Emily Avery's yoga menagerie. Each time she steps onto her mat, she employs all of them into an ancient spiritual practice.
But come March, Avery's animal ark will be working double duty as she represents New Hampshire in the 2014 National Yoga Championship.
"I think my favorite part about doing yoga is the fact that you can never be perfect at it," said Avery. "There's always something you can keep working on and that just means there's always a reason for me to come back to class."
Avery, a 2013 Exeter High School graduate, began practicing yoga in 2010 after her dad recommended she try it.
"He came back and he said 'Emily, this is so hard' and he told me about the class, and it just sounded like a cool thing to try," Avery said. "So I just wanted to try it on a whim, and I went and it was really hard and I didn't expect yoga to ever be that difficult. So I kept going back and practicing and now I go all the time."
Avery practices Bikram yoga, which is typically known as "hot yoga." The practice involves a set series of 26 postures, all performed in 90 minutes and in a heated room. The idea is the heat helps the person practicing be more flexible. Avery was 16 at the time and attending classes at a Bikram yoga studio in Portsmouth.
After six months of attending class regularly, Avery's yoga teacher approached her about possibly getting involved in regional — and possibly national — yoga competitions.
"I was like, 'that sounds crazy, a yoga competition' so I watched the yoga (competition videos) online and then we (my teacher and I) talked about it and (they) suggested I should give the competition a try, and at that point I was in the youth division, and I didn't really know what to expect," said Avery. "So I just said 'yes sure, I'll try it,' and it ended up being really fun and really cool."
Sanctioned yoga competitions involve contestants performing a series of five poses. The poses are determined by the competition and are known as "compulsory" poses. Each contestant, therefore, completes the same series of motions. However, each contestant also has the opportunity to complete two optional poses after the five mandatory ones. These poses are what allow each yogi to strut their stuff and separate themselves from their competition.
In her time competing in the youth division, Avery placed first in the New Hampshire Yoga Asana Championship, first in the U.S. Yoga Asana Championship and third in the International Yoga Asana Championship.
Starting last year, Avery began competing in the adult division. In the fall, she won first place in the adult division of the New Hampshire Yoga Asana Championships. This means she'll be representing New Hampshire this year at the U.S. Yoga Asana Championships in San Antonio, Texas.
"I'm just really, really excited for this competition," Avery said.
To prepare, Avery has been running through her routine a couple times each day. Starting last fall, she began attending Princeton University where she is a member of their ballet team. Avery is a lifelong ballet dancer, something that has definitely helped her in her yoga skills.
"I'm a ballet dancer and I still am, I've been doing ballet much longer than yoga," she said. "Its funny, I think of myself as better at ballet than I am at yoga. It really helps me keep up with my flexibility. And then when it comes to yoga competitions, the grace aspect is definitely improve by my doing ballet."
Being in New Jersey for school makes her yoga practice a little more tricky, says Avery, just because she can't practice in the studio where she is the most comfortable. However, while home on break from school, Avery has begun kicking her training into high gear.
"I really start practicing when I'm about two months out, so right now, I'm really getting into it," she said. "That's when you really have to start kicking into the training. I try not to worry about things too far in advance, more than four months or so. I just want to give myself a break."
Avery says while athletic ability, flexibility and diligence in practice are all important in yoga competitions, it comes down more to who can keep it cool in the spotlight.
"Yoga competitions are more about who can keep it together under pressure rather than who can do certain postures because everyone who is there is super amazing," Avery said. "The pressure affects people differently."
While her mind is focused on March, Avery said her eventual goal would be to compete at the international yoga championships in Los Angeles in the adult division.
"That's an ultimate goal, to go there as an adult," said Avery. "That would be amazing and that may be years away."
But through the competitions, the training and whether she's winning or losing, Avery always remembers why she started her yoga journey to begin with.
"I guess no matter how I do, it won't change how much I love to practice yoga," she said.
References
- ^ Buy This Photo (www.seacoastonline.com)
- ^ Community Rules (www.seacoastonline.com)
- ^ fill out this form (www.seacoastonline.com)