editor's blog

Hundreds of farms across the UK will be opening their gates to the public as part of the Soil Association's Organic Fortnight in September. Farmers' markets, competitions, and free tastings will also be on offer during the event, which runs from September 2-17.

The organic food event in Bristol is a key part of the occasion. Last year, the harbourside show attracted 150,000 visitors, making it the largest celebration of organic food and farming in Europe.

This year, over 300 stalls in the city will showcase the best organic products from the UK and abroad. As well as food stalls, organic skincare, clothing, beauty and health products will all be on show.

The Soil Association is the UK's foremost campaigning and certification organisation for organic food and farming. Organic Fortnight is sponsored by Yeo Valley Organic.

www.soilassociation.org

Picture the scene: a lithe yoga teacher in his twenties is demonstrating asanas to a class full of attentive, scantily clad  female students. Some are new to yoga; some are experienced – all are eager to learn and not unreceptive to the teacher’s charms. A few might even request extra attention from him in the name of a sore back or creaky knee.

Over the next few weeks, the flirtatious exchanges between the teacher and one of these female students grows in intensity. The relationship develops and it’s not long before teacher and student have embarked on a full-blown affair.

It’s not difficult to imagine a similar scene being played out in yoga classes up and down the country.

By its nature, the teaching of yoga involves a physical contact between teacher and student – the asanas are precise, and adjusting students and encouraging them into better alignment is the mark of a good yoga teacher.

But despite anecdotal evidence to suggest that sexual relationships between teachers of yoga and their students are less than rare, the subject is very much still taboo.

Janice Gates, author of the forthcoming book Yogini, interviewed a dozen well-known female teachers for her book and repeatedly heard accounts of abuse of the teacher-student role.

In a recent article on www.wholelifetimes.com, Gates says: “A male teacher in a room full of mostly women, dressed in tight clothing, moving, breathing and sweating—all looking to him for direction. Most teacher training programs simply don’t prepare them to handle that skillfully.”

This is a sensitive subject area and one that throws up a raft of questions: are student/teacher relationships necessarily wrong? Should teacher training programmes cover this scenario – and how to handle it – in depth? Should teachers encourage students to who them are attracted to teach with someone else instead?

In the wholelifetimes article yoga teacher Ana Forrest has a few, rather direct pointers on the subject: “This is what I tell my teacher trainees. Number one, if you fuck your student, you lose a paying student.

"Two, when your roving eye goes elsewhere, you lose a student period. Three, when you do this, it is very evident to everybody else and you create havoc, so it’s really lousy business.”

Judith Hanson Lasater, author of 30 Essential Yoga Poses: For Students and Their Teachers, has even more to say.

"This situation interferes with the teacher’s ability to teach the student,” she says, “and it confuses things for the other people in the class. At any given moment, is this about the sexual relationship or about the student/teacher relationship?

"The person who stands to lose is the student. Because when the break-up occurs—which it almost always does—the student has lost not only her romantic interest, she has lost her teacher.”

This is a serious issue, and there is a strong argument for bringing it out in the open by establishing a set of student/teacher guidelines that the yoga world can work to.

There is also a powerful case for covering the issue in teacher training courses so that prospective teachers are at least prepared to handle the situation when and if it arises.

This may not be a comfortable topic for the yoga community to get its head around. But it's an issue that's not about to go away.

Lucia Cockcroft

Image source: © ximagination - FOTOLIA 

A former software developer has launched a website dedicated to highlighting yoga's ability to ease back pain. The site, www.yogabackhelp.com has been produced by Irishman David Meade after his personal experiences with back pain.

According to a report by www.prweb.com, Meade says: “As someone who spends too much time at the computer, I have found that yoga has been great for releasing tension and pain in my back – and for correcting my posture. I am, by no means, a guru. I am, however, a convert.”

The site will feature articles, tips, audio and video materials related to yoga and its capacity to help back pain.

Corena Golliver, a graphic artist who has used yoga to fight pain associated with a broken back, has provided one of the site's first audio interviews.

She says: “Yoga is a wonderful way to deal with back pain. I have found great relief through yoga and really appreciate David’s vision of getting that message out to others who may be suffering.”

In a US survey, 96% of respondents who practised yoga reported relief from persistent back pain, compared to 23% who were seeing neurosurgeons. Helpful asanas for the back include: the camel pose; the cow; the locust; the forward bend; and a gentle version of the fish pose."

Further information:

www.yogacards.com/back_pain_problems.html

www.spine-health.com/topics/conserv/yogaheal/yogaheal02.html

http://holisticonline.com/Remedies/Backpain/back_yoga.htm

Organic box company Abel & Cole has renewed its sponsorship of a series of yoga classes for sufferers of cancer and other chronic illness. The agreement will allow the classes – which are held at London wellbeing centre Harmony House – to continue for a further two months.

Leesa Muirhead, of Harmony House, says the classes, which focus on breathing and relaxation, aim to provide support, connection and inspiration to sufferers, as well as a support network.

She explains: “These are gentle, nurturing and supportive yoga classes, specifically for people with conditions such as cancer, MS, ME and arthritis. With a strong emphasis on the breath, the classes aim to create a relaxing yet energising space – a place to encourage healing.”

“While yoga is not a cure for cancer, it enhances physical and emotional wellness and brings a peace many patients thought they had lost forever.”

A spokesperson from Abel & Cole adds: “Harmony House is very local to us and we like to actively support worthwhile causes within our local community”.  Keith Abel, one of Abel & Cole's founders, also had personal reasons for supporting the classes, the spokesperson adds.  

A solid body of studies has found that stress has a negative affect on the immune system and can contribute towards the onset and progress of immune-based disease such as cancer. Yoga has been found to reduce stress levels and promote relaxation and wellbeing.

The classes will run every Friday afternoon until August 11.

www.harmonyhouse.co.uk

www.abel-cole.co.uk

Environmental groups WWF and BioRegional have teamed up to produce a practical guide to easier ethical living. Published by Alistair Sawday the 130 page book, One Planet Living, covers issues such as fair trade, sustainable transport, zero carbon, culture and heritage.

Introduced by Kevin McCloud, the reader is guided through each of the main ethical living principles with suggestions as to how to apply them to eveyday life

There are also case studies on people and companies already on the road to a more sustainable lifestyle.

Alistair Sawday publishing - better known for its guides to characterful accommodation - has also published Green Places to Stay.

One Planet Living retails at £4.99.

www.oneplanetliving.org

www.specialplacestostay.com