Tens of thousands of people across India, Europe, Africa, and the United States joined Ramdev in a strike that began on Saturday in protest of alleged Indian government corruption. On Sunday, the police responded with tear gas into the crowd of more than 40,000 Ramdev supporters.

Police detained Ramdev, guru to millions of followers in India, then later deported him back to his ashram in Haridwar and banned him from entering Delhi. Now on his fifth day of not eating, the spiritual leader said he wouldn’t eat until the government returned millions of dollars illegally stashed abroad and imposed tough penalties on those who continue to put their money in safe havens, and, in a seemingly un-yogic twist, has threatened to arm his supporters.

Read the whole story on:http://blogs.yogajournal.com/yogabuzz/

Yoga is part and parcel of the of the five-month journey that contestants undertake on their path from obesity to health. Biggest Loser trainer Bob Harper, who studied with Bryan Kest, is a huge yoga advocate, and has made a couple of yoga DVDs. Outgoing trainer Jillian Michaels released her own high-octane yoga DVD this spring.

Ward told Us Weekly that she plans to keep the weight off with five to six spinning workouts a week. We hope someone gives her a yoga mat!

The website features videos that both pull your heartstrings and make you want to jump out of your seat and do something: Recent ones showed how some creative kids in Thailand started their own football team; a project that provides handmade hats to orphans in South Africa; and how one woman found art to help heal after the loss of a child. After each video, KarmaTube suggests ways you can create change based on what you just saw, whether this means thinking about tackling a problem in a new way, or volunteering in your community.

Visit here to watch a video, suggest a video, create a video, or spread the word.

We want to know: What do you do that inspires Karma Yoga (the yoga of action) in others?

Read the whole story on:http://blogs.yogajournal.com/yogabuzz/

That’s the idea behind My Peace Vow, a site that encourages all beings to work towards ahimsa (nonharming). “We must take back the control to
take back inner harmony,” says Mother Maya Tiwari, the
spiritual leader and founder of the Wise Earth School of Ayurveda. “To transform violence into
awareness by cultivating ahimsa within. To heal poverty, to stop crimes,
to protect nature and humanity.”

Integrating ancient wisdom with modern technology, Mother Maya has set
up a virtual way to work for inner peace. “Ahimsa must first be cultivated in the mind,” she says.

They are:

Shannon McGee
Paducah, Kentucky

Casey Van Zandt
New Orleans

Marcelo Tessari
New York

Vanessa Pattison
Sacramento, California

Mark Gonzales
San Francisco

Read more about them here.

From these five, Yoga Journal’s editors will choose a winner who will be flown to our San Francisco office and participate in a photoshoot to be featured in the pages of the September issue. Make sure to pick up your copy to find out who it is!

Thanks to everyone who participated. We had almost 3,000 talented, passionate yogis submit their photos and share their stories with us, and with all of you. We are awed by the amazing yoga talent out there. Congratulations to everyone. Namaste!

Read the whole story on:http://blogs.yogajournal.com/yogabuzz/

This Earth Day, take your love of the planet one step further–and take action. Many studios are offering up free and donation-based classes, live drumming, and community events. Here are a few other ways you can thank the Earth:

1. Become a Yoga Energy Activist. Shiva Rea invites you to respond to the ongoing energy crisis by commit yourself to becoming an Energy Activist Watch the video here.

2. Practice Yoga Outside. Feel your feet connect with the ground, the wind in your hair, and give gratitude to Mother Nature.

3. Unplug. Forsake television, turn off the lights, cell phone and computers, and spend time with your friends or family instead.

4. Reduce Water Consumption. Think before you flush and cut five minutes from your shower.

5. Dedicate Your Practice. Set an intention for your practice, and send lovingkindness to the Earth.

To read these ideas and more, visit Shiva Rea’s Yoga Energy Activism, Green Yoga, and Global Green

We want to know: How will you celebrate Earth Day?

Read the whole story on:http://blogs.yogajournal.com/yogabuzz/

A new study out of The University of Kansas shows that yoga decreases episodes of cardiac arrhythmia, an irregular heartbeat whose symptoms can include chest pains, dizziness, heart palpitations, and shortness of breath.

The research was conducted by Jeannie Drisko, MD and Dhanunjaya Lakkireddy, MD. (The latter grew up in India with a yoga-teacher father.) Here’s what they did: Participants with arrhythmia spent three months doing their normal exercise routines. Over the next three months, they attended three yoga classes a week, which included pranayama, asanas, meditation, and relaxation.

At the end of the study, not only did the frequency of irregular heartbeat episodes decrease, but the participants also reported less anxiety and depression. Lakkireddy says:

“These
findings are important because many of the current conventional
treatment strategies for atrial fibrillation include invasive procedures
or medications with undesirable side effects.

]]> http://www.bikramaddict.com/yoga-may-help-with-irregular-heartbeat/feed/ 0 http://www.bikramaddict.com/yogawoman-hear-me-roar/ http://www.bikramaddict.com/yogawoman-hear-me-roar/#comments Wed, 06 Apr 2011 19:27:25 +0000 wynona http://www.bikramaddict.com/yogawoman-hear-me-roar/ "You go into any yoga class in the West, and it's filled with women. And it's so ironic, women were never part of the yoga tradition at all," says author Linda Sparrowe in YogaWoman , a new documentary film by sisters Kate and Saraswati Clere. Yoga traditionally was indeed a male practice. But that has dramatically changed, and YogaWoman documents these stunning changes. With interviews from an all-star cast of female yoga teachers from around the world, such as Shiva Rea, Angela Farmer, Sharon Gannon, Seane Corn, and Cyndi Lee, the film shows how these pioneering women are leading the way to empower a new generation of yoginis. It seems that yoga and women is a topic that is close to many a yogini's heart: "The trailer is going viral with 9,000 views in the last two weeks!" says Kate Clere. The film isn't out in wide release yet, but you can visit the site to watch the trailer, pre-order a DVD, get resources about yoga, or join the YogaWoman forums. You can also sign up to host a viewing at your studio or elsewhere in your community.]]> “You go into any yoga class in the West, and it’s filled with women. And it’s so ironic, women were never part of the yoga tradition at all,” says author Linda Sparrowe in YogaWoman, a new documentary film by sisters Kate and Saraswati Clere.

Yoga traditionally was indeed a male practice. But that has dramatically changed, and YogaWoman documents these stunning changes. With interviews from an all-star cast of female yoga teachers from around the world, such as Shiva Rea, Angela Farmer, Sharon Gannon, Seane Corn, and Cyndi Lee, the film shows how these pioneering women are leading the way to empower a new generation of yoginis.

It seems that yoga and women is a topic that is close to many a yogini’s heart: “The trailer is going viral with 9,000 views in the last two weeks!” says Kate Clere.

The film isn’t out in wide release yet, but you can visit the site to watch the trailer, pre-order a DVD, get resources about yoga, or join the YogaWoman forums. You can also sign up to host a viewing at your studio or elsewhere in your community.

]]> http://www.bikramaddict.com/yogawoman-hear-me-roar/feed/ 0 http://www.bikramaddict.com/authentic-yoga-at-your-fingertips/ http://www.bikramaddict.com/authentic-yoga-at-your-fingertips/#comments Mon, 04 Apr 2011 18:59:31 +0000 wynona http://www.bikramaddict.com/authentic-yoga-at-your-fingertips/ “Yoga is the union of mind, body, and spirit, resulting in expanded awareness,” Deepak Chopra told me yesterday. Well, not exactly directly to me. I was watching a new app on my iPhone called Authentic Yoga.

In bite size pieces, the app delivers yoga’s philosophical side by Chopra, who explains everything from higher states of consciousness to raja yoga. Then with Chopra narrating, superstar Yogini Tara Stiles models the asana sections, with routines for back pain, tight hamstrings, tight shoulders, and less stress. It also offers different routines for beginner, intermediate, and advanced practitioners.

]]> http://www.bikramaddict.com/authentic-yoga-at-your-fingertips/feed/ 0