Issue date: 11/6/08 Section: Showcase

Media Credit: Kim Acheson (Left to Right) Robin Shih and owner Sheri Baemmert. "I started a yoga studio because I wanted to have smaller classes to give my students more personal attention …" said Baemmert, who has been teaching at her home at 4913 River Glen Court for four years, but teaching for 13 years.

Yoga. One word and the images of contorted bodies and Hollywood celebrities come to mind. But is the growing presence of the meditation-based activity really more than a passing fad for its enthusiasts? Yoga professionals and practitioners around Eau Claire seem to think so. Yoga's lasting power may not be in the physical workout so much as in the mind and body relaxation.

Yoga is not simply bending and stretching, but is an umbrella term for several different categories of practice, said Sandra Helpsmeet, registered yoga instructor at the Yoga Center of Eau Claire, 412 ½ Water St. The most popular form of yoga in this country is Hatha yoga, a type of yoga that involves poses, breathing and meditation; but other forms of yoga, such as service or study, are more prevalent in other countries.

Helpsmeet said she thinks our culture is more active and not as contemplative, both of which contribute to the popularity of
Hatha yoga.

"It's an easier doorway to come in through a physical practice," she said, adding that our culture is so focused on cognitive activity many people find the physical movement of Hatha yoga satisfying.

Yoga, Helpsmeet asserted, is not just about making and holding poses. Celebrity popularity has drawn attention to the practice, but does not focus solely on moving for the sake of working out.

"If you do (the poses) as a workout, you're not doing yoga,"
Helpsmeet said.

Paula Ramminger, recreation specialist with Recreation and Sports Facilities, agreed and said that although the stretching and lengthening involved with yoga are very beneficial, yoga is more than movement.

"It's a great mental activity as well as physical activity," she said.

Continued...

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