The full list includes:

• Generic pharmaceuticals
• Solar panels
• For-profit universities
• Pilates and yoga studios
• Self-tanning products
• 3D printers
• Social networking games
• Hot sauce
• Green and sustainable construction
• Online eyeglasses and contact lens sales [source]

Photo Courtesy of youryogaguide.com

Some of the industries on the list might surprise you, but the fact that Yoga has made the list is definitely exciting. What does that mean for us? More studios close to our homes and competitive pricing. While I will willingly pay full price for a yoga class, I do enjoy using coupons and trying new studios in my area on a regular basis. So, the good news about Yoga being on this list is: More Yoga for everyone!

Photo Courtesy of elephantjournal.com

As an avid paddleboarder, I love a good challenge. However I have never seen anything quite like this. Paddleboarding yoga! Yes, that’s right, it’s not a typo. Paddleboarding yoga is becoming a new fitness craze. Beginners are welcome to practice yoga on land and paddleboard after while anyone up for more of a challenge can have an entire yoga class out on the water on top of a paddleboard. Check out this video:

New craze: Yoga paddle boarding: kxan.com

“Experts say it may feel like walking on water because paddle boarding works on the flat water of a lake or pond and doesn’t involve waves.

“Paddle boarding is a form of surfing. A paddle board is basically a surfboard that’s thicker, more buoyant, so it can hold you standing up in flat water,” said Scott Bumbalough, founder of Maui B’s Stand Up Paddle Boarding, which is based in Florida.

“For fitness classes we take a one-hour lap around the lake,” he said, which in this case is Lake Ivanhoe in Orlando, Florida. “Buoys are placed at intervals and at each buoy we do an exercise such as squats, push-ups, squat thrusts on the board.”

Bumbalough encountered paddle boarding, which probably dates back to ancient Polynesia, while living in Hawaii, where it was a popular way for surfers to train when the surf was down.

“It’s a high-intensity, low-impact workout,” said Bumbalough. “The class probably works about 85 percent of the muscles in body.”

Bumbalough said he brought paddle boarding to Florida in 2007. Since then it’s spread throughout the nation as a hugely popular sport that can be done anywhere there’s safe water.

Peace, serenity, and six-pack abs are among the many benefits that have accrued to Nani Sadowski, a healthcare consultant, since she started exercising on the paddle board two years ago.

“I have a very stressful job, so it’s very relaxing to be on the water,” said Sadowski.

She also does paddleboard yoga, which she explained is a complete practice from sun salutations to the final resting pose done on the water.

“I prefer yoga on paddle board because you have to focus that much more on your balance,” said Sadowski. “You look down and see the water below you. Any fear is more a question of mind over matter.”

Shirley Archer, a Florida-based fitness expert and spokesperson for the American Council on Exercise, has tried paddle boarding and finds it is a very effective core workout that requires balance.

“You can’t fake it in the water … It provides you with immediate feedback,” Archer, who is a certified yoga and Pilates instructor, explained. “Yoga on the paddle board simply expands on this concept because many yoga postures require good balance.”

She said that paddle boarding, while ideal for those seeking a new challenge, would likely work out only for people who enjoy the outdoors and who don’t mind getting wet.

Sadowski said she has only fallen off once, perhaps because there is one instructor for each five students in her class.

“They watch us like hawks the whole time,” she added.

Her devotion to paddle boarding has transformed her body.

“People always comment on how toned my arms are, how great my posture has become,” she explained. “When I was off work for a couple of weeks I went out every day for two hours,” she said.

The result? I’m 38 years old and I actually got a six-pack.” [source]

The next time you see or hear someone complain about how difficult paddleboarding is, mention yoga and see if their tone changes. In fact, I would go as far as practicing yoga everytime I paddleboard so the next ‘that friend’ comes paddleboarding and complains, I can perform a perfect headstand and ask them to restate why paddleboarding is so difficult again .

Photo Courtesy of Michael Kovac/WireImage

Celebrities doing yoga is nothing new. We’ve seen headline after headline of celebrities getting a yoga session in between celebrating their stardom and work. However, there is a new outrage stirring that could prove to be an interesting debate. Believe it or not, there are some Hindu’s outraged by the adoption and adaptation of yoga in America. I say adaptation because there has been a new surge of Christian yoga classes springing up in America. According to the Hindu group, its bad enough that a lot of the Yoga classes don’t place any significance on the roots of Yoga, but to have a different religion adopting it seems outrageous.

A Hindu organization is fighting to take back yoga, saying that America’s version of the practice has lost its meaningful roots.

The Hindu American Foundation launched the “Take Back Yoga” campaign not to convert Westerners to Hinduism or urge them to cease practicing it altogether, but to remind people that yoga is rooted in Hindu philosophy.

Sheetal Shah, senior director at the foundation, says the group started the campaign after noticing the words “Hindu” and “Hinduism” were rarely mentioned in yoga magazines.

“We noticed our sacred texts, philosophical ideas, and deities were consistently being referred to as ‘yogic,’ ‘tantric,’ ‘Indian,’ etc.,” Shah told the Daily News.

“We wondered, ‘How many different ways can a magazine avoid using the word Hindu?’”

The foundation called Yoga Journal, one of the country’s most popular yoga magazines, to ask about the peculiar avoidance.

“We were told that the magazine does avoid using the word ‘Hindu’ because ‘Hinduism carries too much baggage,’” Shah said.

Shah’s claim that Americans are not comfortable with Hinduism is even harder to ignore as a new crop of “Christian yoga” classes emerge.

Last month, msnbc.com reported about the “Christ-centered” practices, which cater to Christians who are eager to jump into tree pose but “uncomfortable with yoga’s Eastern roots, and its association with Hinduism.”

“We can absolutely service the people who are afraid of yoga because they thought yoga was incompatible with Christ,” Brooke Boon, founder of Holy Yoga in Phoenix, told the website.

The classes begin with a Bible scripture, and while the poses are no different than they are in any other yoga class, the instructors don’t use their traditional Sanskrit names. Chaturanga, for example, becomes “high-to-low push-up.”

Shah is wary of these adaptations, noting that yoga teaches pluralism, “the idea that there are multiple paths to the Divine (or God.)”

“I believe that at some point a person with an exclusivist mindset (i.e. the idea that my God is the only God, my way is the only way, those who don’t believe in my God cannot be ‘saved’, etc.), who is deepening his/her yoga practice will eventually realize there is an inherent contradiction between his/her belief and the path of yoga,” Shah said.

“I have yet to understand how ‘Christian yoga’ reconciles that.” [source]

The debate continues, but it looks like some of the major players in the Yoga game are coming under fire in this debate. It will be interesting to see if anything is done on either side about this recent outcry. We’ll keep our eyes and ears open.

Photo Courtesy of notquiteamerican.wordpress.com

Lets face it, some of us can barely reach out toes, let alone perform some of the amazing feats we see on youtube or in pictures. For a lot of us, its more about the practice and how far we can push our own limits, but for some, it almost skyrockets them to celebrity status. In fact, when was the last time you saw something funny related to yoga online? Probably recently right? They were probably doing some crazy yoga pose too.

The colliding of Yoga and today’s culture of launching everyday people into instant celebrities is a fascinating thing. Nevermind the almighty guru debate, however relevant these days. We’re talking about the rise to yoga fame, rather than the road to reverence. When someone known as the Winnebago Man can become a national phenomenon via tirades on youtube for bringing us joy and comic relief, it’s not overly surprising that we raise our yoga teachers, the people who bring us joy and sometimes spiritual relief, to pedestals of celebrity status.

And as yoga grows in pop culture, the popular powers that be in the yoga world are taking it all to the next level. Yes, in yoga there is still The Man. Perhaps, The Yogi Man? And beyond the man is the machine. And what lies beyond the machine? The sparkle and shine of the Yoga Teacher Celebrity. If you need an agent, we know a guy. [source]

In all honesty, we all secretly hate the expert in the front of the class who can perform every move and do special tricks while warming up or cooling down after class. Ok, we get it, you’re awesome and we’re not. However, if you are the performer of such awesome feets, then kudos to you for becoming the human stretch armstrong. I’m jealous and I will envy you from a distance.

Photo Courtesy of mindbodygreen.com

“This is the best ride here!” said one enthusiastic young yoga student after his class in the Yoga Garden at the White House Easter Egg Roll. This was my third year coordinating and teaching yoga at this very special event. Yoga at the White House is a big step for our country and our culture.

Yesterday we had the opportunity to share yoga with over 30,000 children and families who visited “America’s backyard” for the annual tradition. The theme of the event was Get up and Go!, and focus of the day was to encourage “America’s youth lead healthy and active lives”.

I’m incredibly honored and grateful for the opportunity to once again share the practice of Yoga and an empowering message to our country’s youth in the nation’s capitol. And boy, was it a fun ride! [source]

Who knew that the Easter Bunny also enjoyed yoga? Now we know how he channels his inner zen in order to hide all those Easter eggs every year for the children.

Photo Courtesy of blogs.houstonpress.com

Yoga in the olympics? Really? Some people might agree or disagree, but members of the yoga community are embracing it. It certainly is an interesting concept especially since it would be a sport unlike any of the others showcase in the Olympics.

“Lately there has been a push among members of the yoga community to have yoga listed as an Olympic sport, most notably from Rajashree Choudhury, wife of Bikram and founder of USA Yoga.

According to USA Yoga’s website, the organization “believes that the sport of Yoga Asana will inspire many of these practitioners to improve their practices and encourage many newcomers to take up the practice of yoga and the sport of Yoga Asana.” USA Yoga, a nonprofit organization that promotes yoga asana, sponsors nationwide yoga competitions and has petitioned the Olympic committee to be included in the 2012 Olympics.

But not everyone is happy with the idea. Some believe that, if yoga is included in the Olympics, it will lose its spiritual side.Yoga activist and Blue Tree Yoga founder Jennifer Buergermeister says: “I am not sure how one would use competition to measure spiritual pursuits. Yoga isn’t a circus act. Yoga is not just about the physical exercise. Yoga is about finding bliss and an aware, focused mind using breathing exercises and other limbs on the path. How can that be competed? Bad idea.”[source]

Some non-yogis or those outside of the community might be focused on the spiritual aspect of yoga and disagree with it’s addition to the worldwide recognized games. However, it is starting to become clear that yoga is being adopted as more of a physical form of exercise and sport rather than a spiritual enlightenment.

Yoga in the West has become more focused on the physical aspects rather than its spiritual parts. While there are definitive physical aspects, such as the poses and learning to breath right; there are also unequivocal spiritual facets – such as a yogi’s lifestyle and ability to focus on tasks.

Cahal Keane, general manager of Blue Tree Yoga says “the spiritual aspects of yoga will never be lost. They will evolve, change, and grow as humanity does. Yoga is like a user’s manual for the human body, mind, and spirit, but it is not static. It is dynamic. The spiritual aspect of yoga can be both deeply personal and communal.”

Some consider yoga’s spiritual and physical aspects united. “You cannot separate the spiritual from the physical in real yoga. They are one body and everything is connected.” says Buergermeister.

“I am concerned about what yoga as a competitive sport will convey to the rest of the world regarding its value. There are different types of yoga best suited for different kinds of mind-bodies. Contortionism isn’t exactly the way, nor healthy. Will there be a meditation competition? That could take years!” [source]

Yoga in the olympics, I can just see it now. Well, we’ll see if it actually becomes a reality, but it is pretty exciting for the yoga community. The buzz continues…How would you feel about it?

Photo Courtesy of David Shankbone

Alec Baldwin into Yoga? Maybe it’s because he needs a little zen in his life or maybe it is because he just got engaged to a yoga instructor. Either way, Alec Baldwin is now doing yoga. From temper tantrums to zen yoga, he is turning over a new leaf as he shows a passion for his soon to be wife’s profession. He’s not the most likely of celebrities that you might picture doing yoga, but he’s certainly an interesting one (I’m just sorry we don’t have any pictures).

30 Rock star Alec Baldwin has joined the list of hot male celebrities who do yoga. Being engaged to a much younger woman and planning for their wedding night might have something to do with his need to increase stamina and flexibility; but regardless of his reasons for starting, the long-term health benefits of the fitness practice will certainly be worth it. That is, of course, if the aging actor can stick with it.

Yahoo Sports reports, “The newest male celebrity to participate in yoga… Baldwin recently became engaged to Hilaria Thomas, a yoga instructor.”

Other big name stars who also do yoga as part of their celebrity health and fitness routines are Robert Downey, Jr., Prince Harry, and Sting.

According to a Hollywood insider, even though Baldwin seems committed to improving his health for the benefit of his fiancée, he is having a harder time committing to the daily rituals of doing yoga.

“Even though his friends say that both yoga and Thomas are responsible for helping him with his weight and his temper. Hopefully Baldwin will stick to yoga, and I have a feeling that if he sticks with Thomas he will be motivated to continue in the practice…” says the sports authority.

Considering Baldwin’s proclivity to escalate his blood pressure and throw temper tantrums on a regular basis when he’s angry at or about someone or something, it seems like making a conscious decision to embrace some form of meditative and calming ritual would do the celebrity good.

Had he been able to find his zen space a few months ago simply by focusing, maybe he would not have been kicked off that plane. Alec Baldwin was forcibly removed from an airplane when he refused to turn off his cell phone so the plane full of passengers could take off in a timely manner. [source]

Who would’ve thought that a hot head like Alec Baldwin would not only become engaged to a young hot yoga instructor but he would also take up a practice of his own. Yoga could really help him stave off those sudden outbursts and perhaps stop his name from being used in the news as a negative paparazzi style headline. However, that wouldn’t be any fun for us newsies if he completely dropped off the face of the earth. We are

Photo Courtesy of www.barefootwellnessstudio.com

Have you ever been a part of a yoga class where you instructor actually reprimanded you or another student in the class? It takes you right back to grade school where you teacher reprimanded you for giggling or talking to your desk mate. While not all yoga instructors will give you the third degree in front of everyone in the class, here are some activities you should avoid mid-session to save yourself the embarrassment.

1. Drinking water: Practicing yoga is about building your energy or prana, otherwise known as your fire. Some by-the-book instructors believe gulping water puts out the fire you’re working so hard to create and may say something if you reach for your Klean Kanteen. It’s important to hydrate before coming to class, but while you’re practicing, you can’t always prevent a dry throat or feelings of being overheated. Only you know if you need to drink some water, so if your teacher says something, politely smile, take your sips, and get back to your practice.
2. Doing another variation: Yoga instructors take great pride in designing their classes, so when a student strays from a teacher’s sequence by doing a different pose, the teacher might not be pleased. Due to injuries and different ability levels, it’s imperative to listen to your own body and do the practice that’s right for you. Of course, what you do on your mat shouldn’t disrupt other people in the class. But if you’re quietly doing the more advanced Full Wheel rather than Half Wheel and your instructor gets peeved, chat with them afterward, or try out a class with a more lenient teacher.
3. Coming out of a pose too soon: Yoga instructors are there to inspire your practice, which means designing challenging sequences of poses. Sometimes it’s too much, and if your quad is burning after the sixth variation of Warrior 1, I can understand needing to straighten your leg to come out of the pose. It’s great for an instructor to encourage deeper stretches in poses, but only you know your body and what it needs. If an instructor makes you feel bad for taking a break, then they may not be the nurturing teacher you need.

Keep reading for more reasons your yoga instructor might yell at you.

4. Wiping sweat: You can’t help but drip with perspiration when taking hot yoga classes like Bikram. Wiping off the sweat that’s pouring down your face seems like an innocent thing to do, but some instructors see it as a distraction, taking focus off your breath. Personally, I find it hard to concentrate when my vision is blurred by sweat, so it’s difficult not to reach for a towel. If your instructor doesn’t agree, just grab the towel when they’re not looking.
5. Adjusting your clothes: All those Up Dogs and Down Dogs can shift your shirt, exposing your lower back or your girls. If your instructor makes a comment about futzing with your outfit, it’s only because they feel it’s another distraction taking focus off your practice. It really is annoying to have to deal with a wardrobe that won’t cooperate, so avoid the issue altogether and wear something that’s so comfortable and well-fitting that you won’t have to give one thought to your clothes.
6. Talking to your neighbor: This is understandable, because you’re not only taking attention away from your own practice, but it’s also a distraction to the person you’re talking to and the other students who can hear you. Be respectful of the instructor and your fellow yogis and save the conversations for after class.
7. Leaving before Savasana: While some yogis go to class just for this last pose, others feel it is a waste of time and sneak out of class to avoid it. Resting at the end of your practice gives your muscles a break, allows for some quiet time with your breath, and enables you to soak up all the amazing physical and emotional feelings brought about by your yoga practice. Since this pose is so important, instructors might get upset if you skip it. My advice: it’s only about five or 10 minutes, so enjoy it. If you have to leave early for other reasons, let your instructor know before class, and tiptoe out before everyone lies down. [source]

You may have heard your friends tell stories about committing one of the yoga class no-nos above. Perhaps it has even happened to you where you flush bright red because you are called out on a mistake you’ve made in the class. There is nothing more embarrassing then being the new student in a yoga class AND getting yelled at in the same class. This might actually be a deterrent for some would-be yogis. However, like some students, their stories are amusing but also seem to teach them something:

“The other day in yoga, I was being kind of a spaz. I was lost in my head and positioned oddly on my mat.  When the teacher called for Ardha Chandrasana, a pose you do with one foot and one arm on the ground and one foot and one arm in the air, I had to hop backward a few steps so as not to fall into the person in front of me. But ended up hopping so far back that I accidentally kicked the hand of the woman behind me. I turned around, apologized and hopped forward, but not far enough. When I went back up, I grazed her fingers with my foot. “Eep! So sorry,” I whispered, knowing how incredibly jarring it is to get kicked around in yoga–a not-uncommon occurence in packed New York City yoga classes.

A minute later, our teacher, whom I’ll call Lila, came over to me and hissed, “Stay at the front of your mat!” I weakly protested that it was an accident. ”And look, your foot!” she added unpleasantly, pointing to my angled toes as if they were rotting meat at a veggie feast.

I silently fumed as we moved through the next poses, feeling ashamed and blamed and hurt and angry, a not-unfamilar stew of feelings. I poutily imagined rolling up my mat and leaving. Tears started to stream down my sweaty face while thoughts sucked me into a pissed self-pity–”Why am I so sensitive? Why is she such a bitch? Why do I keep coming back? What is wrong with me? What is wrong with the world?” Then a clear, calm, all-caps voice came into my head: “USE THIS.” So I took a breath and noticed my thought swirl. And breathed again. And decided to finish this practice. For me. Ok, and to show her I could hack it. But mostly for me. It felt good to keep moving through intense emotions, chaturanga-ing through judgement of myself and of her. If I could keep my center and my breath in something as not-high-stakes as this, it would be good training for the real stuff.

But I still rippled with annoyance in savasana when Lila said ”Sometimes this heart-opening practice brings up feelings, anxieties, just let them go.” Arg, she had to mean me, right?  Another opportunity to breathe. As soon as we rose, I apologized wildly to my kickee, who seemed to have almost forgotten, waving my sorries away with a sweaty hand.”[source]

If you’ve ever been yelled at during a class then it was probably for one of the 7 reasons listed above. Whether you were chit chatting or wetting your whistle, you have to remember that you not only affect your own practice but also those around you. Be cautious of your surroundings and if you feel abused by a yogi, find another class. Not all instructors are as harsh but is is important to remember that mistakes happen but intentional disruptions are frowned upon no matter where you go. Follow the rules and avoid being yelled at by your instructor.

Photo Courtesy of http://www.abc-of-yoga.com

A retreat in absolute paradise can mean many different things to different people but when it comes to paradise, many people would consider the place to be Hawaii. This retreat in particular will be taking place in Maui, Hawaii (like we need an excuse to go to hawaii) and is sure to produce the zen you’ve been looking for while working on your personal practice. For beginning to expert yogis, this retreat should be added to your must-go list:

“When students spend time with renowned Ashtanga Yoga master David Swenson they come away awe-inspired and not just because he’s teaching them one of the more authentic forms of yoga.

For Swenson, who began his practice with the great Ashtanga master K. Pattabhi Jois in 1973, what excites him most—and what he loves to impart to his students–is the fluid, dynamic nature of the practice. “The flowing rhythm linked to the breath, it just bit me. It was like coming home,” says Swenson about discovering this form of yoga. “It gave me the energy and strength I hadn’t felt from other forms of yoga. It’s not just about how we put our bodies into shape, it’s how we interact with each other as human beings and how we interact with the environment around us.”

Swenson and his wife, Shelley Washington, who also studied with K. Pattabhi Jois in Mysore, India, return to Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea June 13-18 to teach their second retreat. This event is part of the resort’s one-of-a-kind “Unforgettable Event series which gives guests the opportunity to participate in such diverse programs as viticulture and culinary events, film festival screenings and fantasy tennis and cycling camps.

The Ashtanga Yoga Retreat is open to beginners and yoga enthusiasts alike. The duo is widely-known for presenting Ashtanga Yoga (http://www.ashtanga.net) with great insight, depth and integrity, teaching students in a fun, down-to-earth and user-friendly manner with classes adaptable to people at all levels of practice. They offer practical applications and safe adjusting techniques to evolve each student’s practice.

“At Four Seasons, every class we will teach will be a mixed-level class. We will offer alternatives and options and multiple approaches so everyone can participate,” adds Swenson who is considered one of the world’s foremost practitioners and instructors. He is the author of the bestselling book, Ashtanga Yoga; The Practice Manual as well as five DVDs.

For Entourage actress Perrey Reeves, who attended last year’s program, the impact of the retreat was in how all the elements came together. “The beautiful space, the location, Maui, Four Seasons, David Swenson…this was one of the most unforgettable yoga experiences I have ever had.” [source]

From top names in the industry to celebrity sightings, you won’t want to miss this yoga retreat in paradise. Any retreat that can claim the title ‘unforgettable’ is a retreat that deserves a second look if not your full attendance.

“Do you ever wonder how you can help your kids learn to calm down and focus? Are you rushing around in the morning before school, yelling at everyone to hurry up, eat breakfast, brush teeth, put on shoes, and use the bathroom? It sounds a little like my house each morning as I attempt to get my three boys off to school. It’s a wonder they can learn anything at all with that kind of morning!

Photo Courtesy of http://www.sheknows.com/parenting

Alice Redding, founder of STRIPES Yoga in Richardson, TX has come up with a 3-minute program for teaching your children to slow down and prepare their minds and bodies for learning. Alice has helped hundreds of children and adolescents regain self-confidence and the skills needed to succeed in school and at at home, and serves as a consultant to schools. Watch the free yoga for kids video below where Alice and her students demonstrate the three easy steps to helping your children get “learning ready.”

We hope that we can serve as a resource for you as you attempt to provide your children with tools they can use from an early age to help them calm their minds and bodies in this increasingly fast-paced world. Please check out Alice Redding’s other free yoga videos designed for kids, as well as her full-length kids yoga class on YogaVibes! We’d love to hear what you and your kids think!” [source]

Not only can yoga help calm children, but it may also be a very effective way to keep children focused and in shape by bringing children back to their very early beginnings as a baby.

“Yoga is a great exercise for kids because it is a natural extension of what we intrinsically do as babies. “Babies are yogis. They do it naturally when they’re born. Babies are always connecting their life energy through their core.” And unlike worrisome adults, they don’t obsess about the past or create anxiety about the future.

Querisima recommends encouraging your kids to go to a yoga class and focus on being in the moment through breathing and relaxing exercises. “Parents need to be the models. It’s really hard for kids to make it part of their lifestyle if parents don’t make it part of theirs.”

For instance, in addition to setting a positive example to her son, Dawn watches his behavior and encourages him to release his feelings. When her son gets angry, she tells him to tap on his chest to shout and get it out. “The physical release lets him experience it and go through it without keeping his emotions bottled in,” she explains.” [source]

Yoga could be the answer that you have been looking for to help calm your children and prepare them for life in the face-paced real world. From teaching them to control their minds to keeping them physcially fit, Yoga may be an all inclusive solution to add into your child’s routine.