Interview with Yoga Journal
Conference Director Elana Maggal

	Yoga is now so mainstream that it's common to find people practicing at work during coffee-breaks and lunch hours. Yoga can help you lose weight, fight stress, and function at peak levels!

As of November 2004, there are 16.5 million, an increase of 5.6% from the prior year and 43% from 2002. Of the 16.5 million people now practicing yoga, the fastest growing segment is the 18-24 age group, which increased by a remarkable 46% in one year.

Yoga is a powerful stress reduction technique. Studies have shown that regular hatha yoga practice also increases strength and flexibility, improves cardiovascular efficiency, decreases systolic blood pressure, improves peripheral blood flow, strengthens the endocrine system, helps with weight control, breast health, and asthma, and heightens overall fitness. Yoga is also a central component in Dr. Dean Ornish's groundbreaking program for reversing coronary heart disease. Researchers from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center also recently found that overweight people in their 50s who regularly practiced yoga lost about five pounds over 10 years, while a group in the same age range gained about 13 1/2 pounds over the same period. Middle-aged people of normal weight generally put on pounds over 10 years, but those who did yoga gained less weight than those who didn't practice yoga.

Exactly that! Take yoga at lunch, buy a tape, do it before work, but work it into your day somehow!

There are more strict and traditional forms of yoga that does believe that westerners dilute the practice. But yoga is a big tent and can accommodate the serious, the dabbler, the beginner, the long-time practioner.

At the upcoming conference, we have two Beginners' Conferences, specifically designed for those new to yoga as a foundation to set you on your yogic path. These classes will include poses, meditation and anatomy taught by the world's leading yoga teachers.

For established practitioners (especially teachers) we have a Continuing Education for Teachers 3-day Program taught by teachers such as Rodney Yee, Gary Kraftsow and Judith Lasater. We also have a wonderful lineup of first class teachers during the main conference, as well as All-Day Intensives on both Friday and Monday. In addition, we are offering an 8 Limbs of Yoga Intensive on Monday led by Shiva Rea, Rodney Yee and Gurmukh Kaur Khalsa.

We are offering a Trance Dance event on Saturday evening led by Shiva Rea, which is free for conference participants, or $20 for non-attendees, as well as a Community Connection Gathering on Friday evening where you can meet and mingle with fellow yogis (open to the public). And at our Yoga Marketplace you can shop for the latest in yoga gear, books,dvds, meditation accessories!