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Yoga Retreats |
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Come take a magical adventure to a sacred place with the experienced and knowledgeable teachers of YogaBasics.com. We will guide both your inner and outer journeys with compassion, insight and joy. Let yourself be nourished in a safe, supported sanctuary and be challenged to attain your highest potential.
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| From the Editor |
The new year brings in a great collective energy for transformation and positive change. Resolutions to change some part of one’s life for the better are taken up by almost everyone. In yoga, the process of transformation and purification is called rasayana (alchemy). The mind is considered the best tool to use in efforts of rasayana, as it effects the physical body, the energetic body, and the emotional body. Keeping the mind sharp, clear, and focused through a regular meditation and yoga practice is the best way to use this tool to achieve the rasayana of your New Year’s resolutions.
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Namaste,

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Timothy Burgin
Founder & Executive Director
YogaBasics.com |
| Research on Yoga for Back Pain Continues |
| Robert Saper and colleagues at Boston Medical Center are conducting research to assess the likelihood that yoga may be as effective as physical therapy in reducing low back pain. If shown effective, yoga classes are more likely to be reimbursed by insurance as an alternative to more costly physical therapy. |
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| Mindfulness May Reduce Smoking Cravings |
| Interesting new research suggests that practicing mindfulness may be helpful in smoking cessation efforts. A recent study indicates that mindfulness alone (absent explicit instructions to stop or information about the dangers of smoking) has the potential to significantly reduce neurological cravings after being exposed to visual smoking cues. Although this research is highly preliminary, this information could prove to be helpful for those with a history of failed attempts at changing behaviors using conventional methods. |
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| Death by Neti Pot? |
| Two recent Louisiana deaths from the ‘brain-eating amoeba’ Naegleria fowleri have been attributed to the usage of tap water for nasal irrigation employing neti pots. These follow on the 2010 death of a Pakistani who practiced wudu, a form of deep nasal irrigation, using tap water. |
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| Yoga May Ease Menopause Symptoms |
| Several recently-published studies suggest yoga may improve quality of life and ease symptoms among menopausal and postmenopausal women. These studies follow on preliminary research and suggestions by yoga experts that suggest restorative yoga may be especially helpful. |
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| Bikram Loses Yoga Copyright |
| In a small victory won by yoga studios which offer classes resembling Bikram Choudhury’s trademarked 90-minute, 26-pose heated yoga flow, the US Copyright Office has determined that yoga poses and sequences cannot be copyrighted. The decision was reached in response to litigation filed by Bikram against several yoga studios alleged to infringe on copyright laws. Bikram’s lawsuits also claim violation of teacher-certification agreements and trademark infringement, signifying the Copyright Office’s decision will not end the litigation any time soon. |
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| Yoga Skeptic Shows Little to Support Claims |
| As research studies continue to validate claims of the many benefits of yoga, there are still skeptics out there who try to dispute them. A recent article in the online journal Independent Woman, Chrissie Russell posed the question “Is Yoga Actually Bad for You?” citing two studies which she states didn’t show yoga as effective relief for back pain. Closer examination shows that both studies actually showed that yoga is an effective way to treat lower back pain. While one study’s results showed that that yoga wasn’t more effective than a simple stretching class, the primary researcher stated that she may have confounded her own results by making the stretching class too much like a yoga class, rather than like the typical stretch classes found at most gyms. |
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| Winter Yoga & Meditation Retreat |
| Come join YogaBasics.com on a 8-day yoga retreat at the Finca Luna Nueva Eco-Lodge and Rainforest Spa in San Ramon, Costa Rica. Enjoy morning and afternoon yoga practices led by Timothy Burgin, while having plenty of free time to relax and explore the beautiful Rainforest, get a relaxing spa treatment (massage, facial, reflexology), or go on an amazing adventure excursion (kayaking, rafting, waterfall and volcano treks, canyoneering, horseback riding, canopy zip line tours). |
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