Energy healing modalities, such as Reiki, which typically involve the direction of energy through the hands to the body of the recipient, can be particularly cost-effective methods of achieving wellness, especially when a person learns to practice for him- or herself. A Canadian blogger and energy healing convert enthuses, “(Energy healing) empowered me — because it taught me to empower myself!”

For more information, visit anandabooks.com

To effectively turn a mindset that supports gaining and retaining weight into one that supports shedding pounds and keeping them off, Lee points to Dahn Yoga’s powerful workshop called “Finding Your True Self” (also known by its Korean name, “Shim Sung”).

Lee founded Dahn Yoga to provide people with the tools to regain and maintain their body-mind fitness, combining ancient Korean health practices and modern brain education. While most participants in the Finding Your True Self workshop also attend classes at the Dahn Yoga Centers, it is also appropriate for those who have no prior experience with Dahn Yoga.

During Finding Your True Self, people begin to discover who they really are inside, which can empower them to stay on the weight-loss path. Beyond the ego’s weight games is a person’s “true self.”

For more information, visit dahnyoga.com

“Awakening To Your Life’s Purpose” is the intention and inspiration for the next retreat being presented by Jana Fleming. Jana is a Master Certified Integrative Life Coach and the creator of the acclaimed International ‘A Woman’s Journey to Wholeness Retreats™. Jana’s mission is to inspire and enlighten hundred’s of thousands of people worldwide, through seminars, private and group coaching, conferences and retreats. Bringing together enlightened individuals who have made “known the unknown” in the world.

The next in her retreat series is to be held May 23-25, 2008 in Joshua Tree, California. Jana explains the beauty and uniqueness of this location.

Highlights of the retreats include the following events:

• Group Meditation
• Guided Visualization
• Creative Writing Prompts/Journaling
• Yoga
• Labyrinth Walk
• Beautiful Sound Healing Drums & Flute
• Native American Fire Ceremony

For more information, visit awomansjourneytowholeness.com

Mr. Gopinathan Nair, Chairman & Managing Director of the Group, explained the hurdles he has undergone in bringing Authentic Ayurveda to United States and introduced his team members for whom the US Government was kind enough to grant the work permits as Ayurvedic Specialists for the first time in the history. He has announced that the next Santhigram Ayurvedic Center will be launched in Chicago by the end of February 2008.

Ayurveda and Yoga are the time tested ancient system of medicine which is now popular in most western cultures. It is a science that not only addresses to bodily infirmity but encourages social, spiritual, emotional and psychological well being. The Kerala specific Ayurvedic rejuvenation and “Panchakarma” Therapies have a unique history of evolution and offer many exceptional methods for total body rejuvenation. Panchakarma is a complete therapeutic regime that identifies “doshas” or the imbalances in the body that arises due to pathological conditions and detoxifies the body with therapeutic massage using specific herbal oils, strict dietary and life style changes.

For more information, visit santhigramus.com

Lee recommends the following seven strategies for a diet that can deliver greater health, happiness and peace:

1. Eat mostly natural and organic food, especially raw and whole foods grown locally, such as seasonal fruit and vegetables.

2. Drink five to eight glasses of water a day, but not for 2 hours before or after a meal.

3. Eat smaller amounts of food at each meal — less than 10.6-14 ounces (300-400 grams).

4. Take small bites and chew each one at least 30 times.

5. Eat only when your body tells you it needs food.

6. Cook your own food.

7. Make eating into meditation — with a peaceful and grateful mind — in order to derive greater energy from your food.

For more information, visit dahnyoga.com

A sought-after class leader and personal trainer for over a decade, St. John developed her signature techniques by mastering a slate of different training techniques, including Pilates, Tai Chi, Kick Boxing, Yoga, Power Flex, Resist A Ball, and of course, stalwarts such as Aerobics, Step and Personal Training. But it is the way she pulls the most effective aspects of each discipline and combines them into a focused fitness strategy that is so unique.

Three DVD’s inspired by specific needs: Eve St. John, who has been asked for years by her clients to make a DVD, resisted for quite a while. Then she decided to make a group of DVDs, and the result is a trio of stand-alone discs that are fun, challenging, and most importantly, that get results:

A mother of two, St. John got the fitness bug when she was shedding her pregnancy weight. Although she had a business degree and a background in human resources, the demands of two small children made a typical office job impractical, so she got certified to teach an occasional aerobics class. As her kids grew, St. John increased her knowledge of cutting-edge training techniques, took on private clients and began teaching a roster of diverse classes at renowned area gyms. Now a single mother, fitness is her full-time job and her passion.

For more information, visit evestjohn.com

Among Honolulu-area seniors, the retired Yashimas — Sue, 59, and Wallace, 74 — are contributing to a “yoga boom.” The Yashimas are recognized volunteers of the Dahn Foundation, which shares Dahn Yoga body-brain fitness expertise with the community.

Each week, this couple jointly teaches 270 elderly, ages 55 to 92, at five senior centers throughout the Honolulu area. The classes consist of 95% women. (Men say that they are too shy to take a class with so many women.) With most facilities provided by the Honolulu City and County’s Board of Parks and Recreation, the Yashimas teach two one-hour classes, four mornings a week.

Here is what the seniors get from Sue and Wallace’s yoga classes:

1. Feeling good about themselves.

2. A comprehensive physical workout.

For more information, visit dahnfoundation.org

“A job is just a job unless you are doing what you love, what you are passionate about,” says Kimberly Fowler, YAS founder. “I’m looking for entrepreneurial spirits who want to make a difference in people’s lives.”

Based in Venice, California, the fitness capital of the world, what makes YAS unique is it’s “New Spin on Yoga.” The YAS class mixes indoor cycling with Fowler’s signature Yoga for Athletes® class, which was called “Zen on Wheels” by Self magazine. YAS Fitness Centers have been featured in numerous fitness and women’s magazines.

Yoga itself is a $4-billion dollar industry and yoga hybrids are the fastest growing aspect of the yoga industry. As a trend-setter, Fowler and YAS Fitness Centers are at the forefront. But it’s not only about making money.

For more information, visit go2yas.com

Though yoga is practiced in many formats and styles, the central goal is always balance of the mind, body and spirit. For the body, the physical aspects of yoga help increase balance and flexibilty, stamina, strength and muscle tone, and assist in weight loss and sucessful weight management.

Yoga has also shown positive results in the management and improvement of chronic conditions and symptoms ranging from asthma to back pain, from arthritis to cancer, and from heart disease to multiple sclerosis.

For the mind and overall spirit, the practice of yoga can help to reduce anxiety, stress and depression while increasing self-awareness and feelings of wellness. Yoga is a process as well as a practice, encouraging attention to one’s own day-to-day progress and condition as the mind-body-spirit connection is strengthened.

Like pilates or walking, yoga can be a great anytime, anywhere exercise. Once you’re comfortable with a sequence of poses and stretches learned through a class (or have a DVD containing instruction and guidance), you can practice them anywhere for relaxation and rejuvenation.

Yoga can be worked into even the busiest of schedules, and some people even take a ” yoga break” during the workday to relieve stress and get the blood flowing.

For more information, visit healthcentral.com

Dahn Yoga combines stretching, breathing and meditation exercises to improve how the brain and body generate the vibrant energy needed by people to live well. Here are five Dahn Yoga exercises to revitalize their lives.

1. Take a Bow. When you sit for long periods, this posture is effective for stimulating the spine and nervous system. It stretches the inner thighs, chest, abdomen and waist. Lock your fingers behind your neck. Inhale. With feet together and stationary, turn your body to the left. Bend from the waist and bring your head toward your left knee. Hold this position for 5 seconds. Move your head and trunk toward your right knee. Hold for 5 seconds. Exhale as you slowly return to a standing position. Repeat the exercise twice, alternating both sides.

2. Let’s Swing. Invigorate your body and increase your circulation with this graceful swinging posture. Place your feet parallel, shoulder-width apart. Relax your knees. Extend one arm forward, slightly raised with relaxed elbows, and the other behind you. Imagine that you are gracefully dancing. Slowly bounce while moving your head toward the arm behind you. Repeat this motion in the opposite direction.

3. Happy Giraffe. Reward yourself with a massage to get rid of neck tension. Rapidly rub your hands together to warm them. Massage the back of your neck with your fingertip pads. Slowly rotate your neck in a circular motion to the right (clockwise) and then to the left (counterclockwise). Massage your trapezius muscles (below the neck and along the spine) and then the length of your arms. Do for up to 5 minutes

4. Pedal Pusher. This exercise relieves lower extremity fatigue and enhances your stamina. Lie on your back and raise your legs straight up, keeping the knees relaxed. Support the back of your waist with both hands. As if you are riding a bicycle, move your legs, making a big motion. Be sure that your neck and shoulders are relaxed. Do for up to 5 minutes.

5. Awakened Brain. This simple outdoor practice will awaken your brain, stimulate your body’s energy, and give you precious time alone with your self. Season permitting, go outdoors to get more in touch with your senses. Without shoes, walk slowly on grass or soak your feet in warm water. This activates your feet’s many acupressure points. Next, stand still. Close your eyes and focus on the air and smells around you, on the sounds and the sensation of grass or water on your bare feet. Do this exercise for up to 5 minutes each day.

For more information, visit ilchi.com