editor's blog

Human Trafficking is a serious global issue - and one that is all-too prevalent in India, where the country's record of prevention is shockingly poor.

As many as three million women in India fall prey to human trafficking every year, according to the July 2009 Trafficking in Persons report released in the USA. An alarming 40 per cent of these are children.

To highlight the problem, human trafficking charity Odanandi is organising a one-day Yoga Stops Traffick event this Saturday, March 13.

As well as co-ordinated sun salutation events around the world, an estimated 200 yoga practitioners, along with parliamentarians, social activists, international supporters and the press, will gather in the Indian city of Mysore.

London's Triyoga centre in Primrose Hill is among the yoga studios around the world taking part in the event: beginning at 7.30am and costing £10, all money will go directly to Odanadi.  Please call 0207 483 3344 to book a place.

Other yoga centres signed up are located in Oxford, New York LA, Barcelona, Montreal and Thailand. For anyone interested in holding an event, please note that church halls, living rooms, and even the beach, can also be used!

Read more about the charity at: www.odanadi-uk.org

Lucia Cockcroft, editor

According to 2009 figures, up uto 200,000te/yr of collectable post-use PVC waste is produced in the UK. The majority of this ends up in landfill.

Although the construction sector is the greatest contributor to this situation, the yoga industry - like any other sector - has an important role to play.

The European Yoga Network and organisation Recycle Your Mat have joined forces to promote the cause of recycling in the yoga industry.

Although the finer details have not been announced, the aim is to collaborate to find a 'flexible structure' to promote recycling amounts yogis, equipment manufacturers, studios and teachers worldwide.

Initially, a pilot scheme will operate in the UK, although Germany and Scandinaia have been earmarked as the most likely regions to be proactive at first.

A yoga mat collection system has been operating in the US since 2008 - the main purpose being to recycle mats at recycling plants, and also to donate mats for re-use.

Collection is via set locations, or individual yoga studios, and is facilitiated via websites that allow people to make contact.

To keep an eye on the progress of the initiative, check out: www.recycleyourmat.com and  http://www.yoga-eu.net/opensource/view/YogaMe/OpenSourceYoga

Lucia Cockcroft, editor

Perhaps the time when most hotels include a yoga mat in the bedrooms is some way off. Yet providing yoga for guests is certainly a growing trend.

I am lucky enough to be staying in Thailand at the moment on retreat. Given its all-pervasive emphasis on wellbeing, it's hardly surprising that Kamalaya Holistic Spa, where I am staying, offers every guest a yoga mat.

But I was surprised to see that the the management team of Bangkok's fabulous Metropolitan hotel, which was my first stop in Thailand, also provided a yoga mat for each guest, plus a dedicated on-site studio.

It is not the only hotel doing so, by any means. The US chains Fairmont Hotels and Resorts and Kimpton offer yoga classes as a popular add-on for guests.

In the UK, self-catering guests can also share the yoga fun. Cornwall's fabulous Cove offers private yoga classes to interested guests, while in Northumberland, the eco-aware A Space To Be, also has yoga on the menu.

As more and more travel companies embrace the eco-friendly mantra, adding yoga to the guest menu will seem increasingly like an obvious next step.

Lucia Cockcroft, editor

To many long-time yoga practitioners, the results of a Yoga Journal survey will come as little surprise. The survey found that misconceptions about yoga are abundant in the general population. 

Almost 60% (57%) of those questioned who do not currently practice yoga believe it involves mantras or chanting, akin to a religious act of worship.

Almost two-thirds (60%) think flexibility is a prerequisite to start practising. And half the men questioned believe yoga 'isn't a workout' - compared to 73% of people who do practise believing it is as effective as running, weight lifting or swimming.

The research was carried out by US-based The Yoga Alliance, in aid of Yoga Day USA on January 23, and a week before World Yoga Day on January 31.

In response to the 'common misconceptions' survey, Yoga Abode has put together six definitive facts about yoga:

1) Yoga builds strength and muscle tone. Because yoga is weight-bearing, it helps build muscle tone, while strengthening the bones - essential to prevent osteoporosis. Incorporating weight-bearing exercise into a fitness routine is vital for long-term health.

2) You do not have to be flexible to begin. In fact, the less flexible you are initially, the more you have to gain. Although flexibility is not the main aim of yoga, it is one of the benefits of practising.

3) Age is no barrier: you are never to old. The older you are, the more you can benefit - do not believe our modern mantra that ageing equals deterioration. If we work at it, we can remain healthy and ache-free. Remember: biological age is more important than chronological age.

4) Yoga is not a religion; it is suitable for those of every faith, or for those with none. Although styles such as Kundalini and Sivananda yoga include some chanting, most yoga classes in the west do not.

5) Yoga for stress, anxiety and depression: yoga practice activates the parasympathetic nervous system, lowering cortisol levels and blood pressure, and promoting relaxation through the breath. Yoga and meditation (including mindfulness techniques) are increasingly recommended for those suffering from mild to moderate depression, anxiety and stress.

6) Yoga as therapy: yoga is increasingly recognised as a powerful way to treat a wide range of physical conditions - including back pain, headaches, arthritis, asthma and obesity. If it also taught therapeutically to those with serious illnesses such as cancer, MS and Parksinsons.

Perhaps you have some more to add?  If so, please log in and leave a comment.

Lucia Cockcroft, editor

For most of us, finding time for ourselves is a constant challenge; yet the increasing popularity of yoga and meditation retreats in part reflects a real need for finding quiet-time in the midst of non-stop lives.

A recent piece in The Guardian will strike a chord with anyone who longs for solitude. Yet the writer points our that, for many others, the concept of spending time alone is wacky, weird, or plain scary.

From a yoga perspective, finding time - even a couple of minutes a day - to become still and centred is a necessity, rather than a luxury.  Without taking conscious time out, we risk sky-high stress levels, and losing our natural connection to who we are.

A yoga or meditation retreat is a wonderful way to do this. One step further: going on silent retreat may mean we are with other people constantly, but being in human company without constant (at times, needless) chatter is another thing altogether -  and an experience everyone should try just once.

But if heading off on retreat is not an option, try weaving a little time into your everyday life.

Prioritise this time - a few minutes, perhaps; it's all too easy to make excuses to keep busy. When you have this time, sit still, switch off the phone, and close the door. Sit with the spine tall, and breath a little deeper.

Slow down, take your awareness to your breath, and become present to the here and now. Relish this short time of silence.

Lucia Cockcroft, editor

Check out our round-up of Easter and Spring retreats here.