Archive for the ‘Personal Stories’ Category

You Picked ‘Em! Talent Search Finalists Announced

YJ_TalentSearch_Ne#123C5541.jpg
You voted, we listened. The yogis with the most votes have been named the top five finalists in Yoga Journal’s Talent Search.

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/

Yogis: Take Action On Earth Day

full-20earth2.jpgYogis around the globe will be celebrating Earth Day on Friday. After all, yoga and caring for the Earth go hand-in hand. As Green Yoga Association founder Laura Cornell tells Yoga Buzz, “Yoga starts with the Earth. Period. Our bodies are made from the elements of the planet, our blood from its waters, the air we breathe from its atmosphere. We are not separate. When we recognize this deeply, we are on our way towards the first step of yoga–ahimsa.”

.

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/

Yoga May Help with Irregular Heartbeat

D20a.jpgoes yoga steady your heartrate?

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.

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.

pro-yogawoman-dvd.pngIt 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.

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.