It could go a little like this, we're guessing.Om, chanti, om, in your face! Namaste, om, chanti.Traditionally as in for thousands of years  yoga has been used for finding harmony and peace within one's self. That you streamlined your legs, abs and arms in the process was seen as a joyful perk along the way to enlightenment. But now, one of yoga's bold-faced names, Bikram Choudhury he of the Bikram style of yoga which employs 26 asanas (poses) in a heated room and his wife, Rajashree, are setting into momentum the world of competitive yoga, reports the New York Times.With yoga gaining in popularity so rapidly, maybe creating a space for it competition-wise, was just a matter a time, though one has to wonder how the news will be received by the thousands upon thousands of yogis and yoginis who are attracted to yoga for its non-competitive (i.e. zen-like) nature. The Choudhurys have high hopes for this direction: they hope yoga will one day be at the Olympics.The yoga community will have to think about this one. Is this what we mean by pretzal logic? 

I hadn't even arrived at my first hot yoga class before I started sweating. All day at work my fearful anticipation had been building. How hot was "hot"? Would the room smell? Would we have to get naked? As it was, clothing was minimal. Men went topless; women stuck with stretch shorts and sports bras. There's a good reason: the studio is heated to 37 degrees Celsius. There was no stench though - the polished wooden floors prevented it from lingering. The 75-minute session began with breathing exercises and some standing postures, which are based on Bikram yoga poses.

Harvard - When Jen Sundeen opened her yoga studio at Fruitlands Museums recently, something clicked. Practicing what she describes as transcendental yoga, Sundeen feels the connection to all the people who fell under the spell of Fruitlands’ natural beauty and she is excited to teach in such beautiful surroundings. Bringing yoga to the grounds where Bronson Alcott and his now-famous family attempted a Utopian community in the mid-1800s and where the great thinkers of the day visited, said Sundeen, just feels right.

At the same time as Sundeen was seeking a class space other than her in-home studio, Fruitlands’ CEO Tim Firment was thinking about including yoga at Fruitlands in his far-reaching plans for the organization. When Firment and Sundeen finally connected, the fit seemed ideal. “I think all along Fruitlands is about inspiration,” said Firment. “It is about inspiration, imagination, heritage, nature, and art. I have always thought about yoga and Fruitlands and the fact that people can come and enjoy this space. What a great place to meditate.

Everyone's doing it, and we're not just talking about twin tips and après-ski Hefeweizen. Olympic athletes and neophytes alike are taking to the mat to unwind, get loose and build balance with yoga. But the limbering moves don't just boost your body, they can energize your mind, too. Here are three poses guaranteed to get you going on cold, grey mornings, so you can hit the slopes with gusto.

>>Boost Mojo Tree Pose (U.S. Ski Team athletes Jeremy Transue and Kevin Francis (former USST) strike the pose at left, at a camp one summer in Chile.) Build core stability and abdominal strength-stuff you need to ski snowboard-all while honing your balance. Building a 'strong foundation' will help give you confidence, both in your body and in yourself. How: Stand on the mat and focus your eyes on a point in the distance. Bring your right foot up and place it against your left inner thigh. Press against your thigh with your foot to help create more stability. Next, slowly raise your arms straight overhead, and hold for a few deep breaths. Repeat on the other side. >>Boost Energy Supported Bridge Pose This 'backbend' pose stimulates the adrenal glands which helps release energy in your body. It's also good to do if you've been desk-bound, to literally straighten you out.

In just over a year, the owners of North Shore Yoga have doubled the size of their studio. Jessica Jollie and Sara Mingus, co-owners of the studio at Two North Shore on Manufacturers Road, added about 2,600 square feet of space during an expansion that includes a new 1,100-square-foot yoga studio to accommodate four new practitioners, changing rooms and a larger boutique. The success of the 14-month-old studio is the result of a lot of hard work, Ms. Jollie said. “I think we are amazed and really grateful,” she said. “I think there is a great sense of community here, and people have fun.” The new studio is specially equipped for hot yoga, where students do yoga poses in temperatures of 100 degrees and up. The floor is antimicrobial and softer than a wood floor so it is easier on students’ knees, Ms. Jollie said.

According to the researchers at IIT-Roorkee in Uttarakhand, heart rate variability, a sign of a healthy heart, has been shown to be higher in yoga practitioners than in non-practitioners. Ramesh Kumar Sunkaria, Vinod Kumar and Suresh Chandra Saxena of the Electrical Engineering Department evaluated two small groups of men in order to see whether yoga can improve heart health.

The team said that in their preliminary study of 84 volunteers, there was strengthening of parasympathetic (vagal) control in subjects who regularly practice yoga, which is indicative of better autonomic control over heart rate and so a healthier heart. They analysed the "HRV spectra" of the electrocardiograms (ECG) of 42 healthy male volunteers who were non-yogic practitioners, and 42 who are experienced practitioners, all volunteers were aged between 18 and 48 years. The spectral analysis of HRV is an important tool in exploring heart health and the mechanisms of heart rate regulation, according to the team. 

New York, November 11  A new study finds that regularly practicing yoga, the traditional art involving physical and mental exercises, may help in keeping the heart healthy by regulating its beat. Findings of the study suggest that yogic exercises like breathing exercises, stretching, postures, relaxation, and meditation may boost heart’s health which is very essential for the proper functioning of the body.

Yoga practitioners found to have higher HRV To determine whether yoga helps in promoting heart’s health, researchers from the Indian Institute of Technology in Roorkee, in Uttrakhand, India, studied 42 healthy males who were non-yogic practitioners, and 42 healthy males who were experienced practitioners aged between 18 and 48.

Yoga and Pilates classes are the latest victims of a state’s dwindling revenue according to this story in the Kansas City Star. Missouri has slapped a 4% sales tax on yoga classes, according to the story, which notes that Missourians could previously take yoga classes tax free because studios argued the stretching and breathing discipline is as spiritual as it is physical. Missouri argues yoga is merely exercise, and therefore subject to taxation.

With states facing the worst revenue declines on record it’s unlikely that a yoga tax is going to bridge the gaping budget holes most states are facing.

Researchers took yoga to racially diverse neighborhoods in Boston to see whether three months of steady practice would have any consequence on chronic low back pain. Although the condition is common, minorities may not always have adequate access to treatments such as pain relievers, physical therapy and surgery. For this pilot study, 30 people, average age 44, were recruited from community health centers in Boston in low-income areas that were racially diverse.
They were randomly split into two groups one did hatha yoga for 12 weeks, taking classes that included poses and breathing techniques.

Glancing through the large windows of Island Co-Housing's common room on any Monday evening reveals what I believe is a magical scene: candlelight, and spread across the floor, mats, pillows and blankets and a dozen or so pregnant women stretching and chatting together. The free weekly prenatal yoga classes - sponsored by the YMCA of Martha's Vineyard and an anonymous donor - are held Mondays at 5:30 pm, and they are led by Sherry Sidoti and myself.

Elissa Lash, Martha's VineyardInstructor Elissa Lash, expecting her second child, offers her yoga students the chance to discuss the various issues of pregnancy. Photos by Lynn Christoffers. From my experience as a mother, a yoga teacher, and a labor doula [a trained assistant to other women during labor], I know how profoundly helpful prenatal yoga can be in stress reduction, alleviating common pregnancy discomforts, and preparing women for labor and delivery. Abril Chapman says, "This is my first pregnancy and my first yoga experience. I have to admit I was a little intimidated going into the class, having never done yoga. I was surprised how quickly I connected with all of the mothers in the class.