ABC of Yoga News Feed

Move to the Groove with Tamara's Yoga Fusion

Yoga is an eclectic mix of styles designed to accommodate all levels of fitness and ability. Rather than using the same fixed or static postures, Tamara Schreyer uses continuous movements that flow and prevent the body from locking off the muscles or disrupting the blood flow and increase flexibility.

The ancient texts of yoga say the idea is to reach a state of harmony or bliss. The true practice of yoga is not about doing the perfect backbend or the perfect balance posture. Yoga is about getting your entire being, your mind, body, and spirit in a state of oneness with all life forces. In fact, when Tamara teaches Yoga with Rock n Roll music, she has found that practicing to great music is inspirational. In fact, it's right in alliance with classical yoga even though it has a slightly different twist!

The music you hear in Tamara's classes don't necessarily have to be the slow motion yoga trance music that we've become so accustomed to, but it will help you feel good. Artists such as Beck, Moby, U2, Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd, Brett Dennan, Death Cab for Cutie, Ben Harper, to name a few, really work well for yoga. Who knows, sometimes there's even some Black Eyed Peas, Beastie Boys, or The Cure. Whatever the music is, it's bound to inspire you and help you move to the groove of yoga.

In our society, we've become so focused on competition and because of this, some practitioners have become very rigid and they begin to miss the entire concept of yoga in the first place. Yoga is about strength of mind and feeling a part of something bigger than self. When a class is more lighthearted, you actually benefit MORE and maybe even work harder.

Tamara's fusion yoga combines classic movable yoga postures with the latest rhythmic and ambient world music, rock n roll music, alternative music, etc. This involves a warm-up segment of Sun Salutations followed by a more intense second segment of standing and balancing postures that flow to the music and your breath.

Tamara's classes are a new and eclectic form of modern yoga with a fusion of Ashtanga yoga, Vinyasa Flow yoga, power yoga, Iyengar yoga, and Hatha yoga, all accompanied by an exciting and entrancing mix of contemporary music. Tamara's classes are physically challenging; however, there is a lighthearted, easy going, and fun attitude that makes her classes so unique.

Tamara's Yoga Fusion is a powerful practice that everyone can enjoy. The business professional, the athlete, and the stay home mom can all benefit from this program. The focal point is exclusively on flow, movement with breath, balance, and purpose. Tamara's Yoga Fusion is a Vinyasa-style yoga practiced in comfortably heated rooms that focus on core strength, balance, and flow. Tamara's Yoga respects and acknowledges the spiritual lineage of yoga with no commanding or rigid spiritual practices that some of the more traditional forms of yoga may teach. The concept of Tamara's Yoga Fusion is to help students create their own individual practice, meaning, and spiritual experience.

For more information, visit www.tamarasyoga.com.

Celebrities Design Yoga Bags for Cancer Awareness

Celebrities including Hayden Panettiere, Miley Cyrus, Leah Remini, and Susan Sarandon help to raise money for breast cancer patients in time for Mother's Day by selling yoga gym bags on eBay. The celebrity-designed yoga mat bags are uniquely designed to help raise funds for breast cancer awareness.

Each celebrity had the chance to design their own crystal-encrusted gym tote bags with the help of Swarovski company. The bidding will start at eBay on May 15 to benefit the Libby Ross Breast Cancer Foundation.

The foundation will host a sunrise yoga class at the Top of the Rock Observation Deck at Rockerfeller Center on Thursday for 40 mothers and daughters who have lived and survived the disease. It also offers free yoga classes for breast cancer survivors every Tuesday at the Om Yoga Center in Union Square.

For more details on this news, please visit www.nydailynews.com.

Laughter: The Best Medicine with Laraaji Nadana

Ananda Ashram will host a special event on Saturday, June 28 - LAUGHTER: THE BEST MEDICINE with Laraaji Nadana.

Laraaji Nadananda is an internationally recognized artist who is best known for his electric zither and vocal performances and his new music improvisation. He has been recording for over 25 years and is also a master of the art of healing laughter. A regular and much appreciated contributor to Ananda Ashram programs since 1980, he received special initiation from Shri Brahmananda Sarasvati.

Go to anandaashram.org for more information.

Laraaji will host a sincere laughter cultivation class for harnessing the therapeutic energy of your Acu-laughter. This includes deep laughter exploration, post laughter relaxation, meditative gong tone journey, and grounding dance movement, closing with an Om circle. Everyone is invited to attend. A $20 donation is gladly appreciated.

Yoga Classes, Retreats Offered at Yoga Jeewaprabha

Yoga Jeewaprabha offers yoga classes from beginners to advanced students. Special classes or retreats can be arranged on request in Kandy, Sri Lanka with a very well-qualified, trained, and well-experienced teacher, Mr. Mahesha Kodikara. He is recommended and introduced as one of the best yoga teachers in Sri Lanka on LUFTHANSA in flight magazine and has 12 years of yoga teaching experience, practices Buddhist meditation, and the first teacher for Chan style Thai-ji awarded by the World Chan Thai Ji Association - Germany.

Special weekend retreats, individual classes, and 10-day retreats are the ongoing activities at Yoga Jeewaprabha. Courses or classes can be arranged on your convenience. Most of the courses are conducted in English.

For more details, visit www.lewellameditation.org, send an e-mail at yoga@lewellameditation.org or call +94-77-3211-225.

Music Album Sets Mood for Yoga, Meditation

Setting the mood for yoga and meditation, RagaChitra Records released a new music album entitled "Veena Vibrations". It is the first album which is included in the Transcendental Music Series.

Nivedita ShivRaj, an accomplished Carnatic music professional and a Veena artiste, created and rendered the music on the Veena for the album. She said the music has been specifically composed to accompany the transcendental state of mind while practicing meditation. The Veena, which is an ancient multi-string instrument that produces melodic curves, makes the music a perfect accompaniment for yoga and meditation.

The album presents music tracks of the Veena entitled the Introspection, the Inner Faith, and the Illumination, with occasional accompaniment of resounding Mridangam (a percussion instrument) for special musical effects and the mild reverberations of the vibraphone to add on to the mood of the music. Nivedita ShivRaj has chosen the carnatic raga Bowli for the theme "The Introspection" and the raga Revathy for the theme "The Inner Faith". The third theme "The Illumination" is based on the raga "Hamsanadham".

The music publisher also announces its plan of adding more albums in the series for yoga and meditation practitioners.

For more details on this news, please visit www.chennaionline.com.