All About Kids

Wakestock town’s tourism concerns

Capricorn — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 12:12:44 +0000

Residents of a popular Gwynedd holiday spot have called for a "better balance" in tourism amid fears their town is in danger of losing its identity.

While many in Abersoch back festivals like Wakestock, they say they want attention on local history and culture.

Wakestock – which will attract up to 10,000 a night this year to see big names like Duffy – said everything was done to make sure it ran smoothly.

But some locals say they want a bigger spread of size and type of event.

This year's Wakestock is on 4-6 July, and on the Sunday the headlining act will be this year's chart sensation Duffy, who grew up just down the road at Nefyn.

"I think it's great for young people to have a chance to enjoy themselves," one local, Wendy Lloyd Jones, told BBC Radio Cymru's Taro'r Post programme.

"However I think it's important that these young people do not take the place over so much that it fails to attract the people who used to come here," she added.

Anna Jones, former headmistress at the village school Anna Jones added: "I'd like to see more Welsh groups there, but maybe we are too ready to stand back and not put our case forward."

Robert "Bobs" Pierce, who is well known in the village as the man who takes the money at the village hall-run car park, said the problem was more than just tourism.

"What is needed in this area is proper year-round jobs to keep people here," he said.

Yvonne Jones' family, who have owned a boat business for over 50 years, laying down moorings for boats, said: "I think it's a pity more events aren't put on which are based on the Welsh language".

'Lack of marketing'

Gwyn Jones, director of Oriel Plas Glyn y Weddw gallery, a few miles away in Llanbedrog, said however that it was time people were realistic about what was possible.

"We should be concentrating on being positive and making the most of what we have.

"There has been a lack of marketing in the past, but we should get together and do it ourselves."

He said a noson lawen (entertainment evening) had been put on last year, aimed at tourists, and had been very well received.

The tourism would always be the main trade on the Lleyn peninsula, he added.

"There is no way heavy industry would be allowed to come here as it's a conservation area," he said.

Guest-house owner Emma Hiorns Morgan said she was losing some trade because the experience of visiting the area was not what people had expected.

"I get comments from people saying things like 'I could be anywhere' and 'I haven't heard any Welsh being spoken'.

"There is an opportunity here to trade on our uniqueness like the Lakes do on tradition," she added.

US air deal protest’s jobs threat

Capricorn — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 12:48:01 +0000

A valuable contract which was on its way to Airbus and would have guaranteed jobs at its plant in Broughton, Flintshire, may be staying in America.

A US watchdog has upheld rival American company Boeing's protest against the the decision on the US Air Force deal.

The contract for 179 refuelling aircraft was the first of three deals worth up to $100bn for EADS, which owns Airbus, and Northrop Grumman.

The Flintshire plant, which employs 7,400, was expected to build the wings.

Earlier this year, Airbus said it expected to create more jobs at the plant and that the future of its staff had been secured because of the deal.

The 179 KC-45A planes were part of a fleet of 500 aircraft which the US Air Force was expected to want to replace in the near future.

The US Air Force order would have been due in 2010 and 2011.

But the Government Accountability Office (GAO), which is a US government agency, upheld Boeing's protest against the awarding of the air tanker deal to EADS and Northrop Grumman saying the Air Force had made a "number of errors" that could have swung the outcome of the competition.

The GAO's ruling is not binding but it puts pressure on the Air Force to put the process out to tender again.

But Howard Wheeldon, an aerospace and defence analyst, said the decision would see a difficult period for EADS and Airbus.

"My guess is that we will have a totally new competition so it is going to put everything back by at least a year if not longer," he said.

Church bans toddlers’ yoga group

Capricorn — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 10:10:16 +0000

A children's group has been banned from a church hall after their yoga lessons were denounced as "unchristian".

Teacher Louise Woodcock from Taunton, Somerset, was told the Yum Yum Yoga classes for pre-school children did not share the church's Christian ethos.

The Silver Street Baptist Church in Taunton said its hall was not suitable since yoga promoted other spiritualities.

Mrs Woodcock said: "There's nothing religious about yoga for babies."

Christian spirituality

"We're talking about kids pretending to be animals and doing exercise routines to rhymes – there is nothing that could damage their minds," said 41-year-old Mrs Woodcock.

"I thought the church hall would be ideal and I told them I wanted to use it for a children's activity.

"But when I came to book it I told the woman from the church office, it was for baby yoga, and she went all strange.

"I got a letter from the minister a few days later saying I couldn't have the hall, with no reasons given.

"I rang the church office and the woman said it was because yoga was related to a spirituality, unrelated to Christian spirituality, which is ridiculous."

Minister Revd Simon Farrar admitted toddler groups did use the church hall, but said they did had to meet certain criteria.

"We're a Christian organisation and when we let rooms out to people we want them to understand that they must be fully in line with our Christian ethos."

Guru attacks modern yoga teachers

Capricorn — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 05:46:51 +0000

A yoga guru from East Sussex has criticised celebrities and fitness enthusiasts who he says only promote the physical side of the art form.

Swami Ji, 82, who runs classes in Bexhill, is also worried many are pursuing yoga for financial gain.

"They are not concerned with the mind – they are only going to shown you the jumping up and down," he said.

The British Wheel of Yoga said "it wasn't such a bad thing" if the art form was taken up for physical reasons.

'Holistic view'

Pierre Bibby, chief executive officer of the charity which is the governing body for yoga in the UK, and who has been practicing the ancient art form for a year, said people could take what they wanted from yoga.

"With the greatest respect to Swami I've taken something from it because it's improved my posture."

But he said yoga gurus taught the complete holistic view, which included the philosophical and spiritual sides as well as the physical.

Swami Ji, who began studying yoga 40 years ago, added: "Yoga is for those people who can live away from the world."

Yoga is a system of philosophy which originated in India 5,000 years ago.

BBC – Newsbeat – Health – ‘Hardcore’ yoga spurs Murray to victory

Capricorn — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 06:00:05 +0000

Andy Murray has admitted that yoga gave him the strength to beat world number one Roger Federer at the Barclays Dubai Open.

Not just any yoga though, the 20-year-old tennis star has been practicing Bikram or "hot" yoga.

He said: "It's a little bit ugly. I started in December to try and improve my flexibility in preparation for the Australian Open."

The tennis star admitted that Bikram Yoga has helped him beat players like Roger Federer because it made him mentally stronger.

He added: "It has helped me a lot with my fitness and my mental strength because it's tough being in that kind of heat for that length of time."

Bit further

Sophie Callis from Bikram Yoga West in London told Newsbeat that it comprises of a series of stretches, performed in a room heated to around 45C.

She said: "In the heat your body is able to go that little bit further because the muscles get so warm."

But she said it is not for the faint hearted and that the 90 minute work-outs are "hardcore".

The heat also helps to prevent injury, aid the healing of existing injuries and it works as a detox because it makes you sweat.

Footballers and martial arts specialists are among those who go to Bikram Yoga West and Sophie said it is because "flexibility is so important in all sport".

Model Elle Mcpherson and Bond star Daniel Craig are also thought to be fans.

Emmerdale star to take yoga break

Capricorn — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 08:05:17 +0000

Emmerdale actress Leah Bracknell is to take a break from the ITV1 soap to qualify as a yoga teacher.

Bracknell, 40, who plays vet Zoe Tate, will leave in the autumn in a dramatic storyline to take nine months off.

"I am looking forward to spending some time with my family and having the opportunity to pursue other projects," the mother-of-two said.

"I will also be finishing my teaching diploma in yoga which is something I am passionate about," she added.

Bracknell released an exercise video last year.

She has played Zoe for 15 years, and has been at the centre of some of the soap's most dramatic storylines, including an affair with Charity Dingle in 2001 and a schizophrenic breakdown the following year.

The lesbian vet fell pregnant following her breakdown, and was shocked to discover the father of her baby was womaniser Scott Windsor.

Series producer Kath Beedles said: "Leah is an exceptional actress and has made a huge contribution to Emmerdale's ongoing success. We wish her all the best for her well-earned break and look forward to welcoming her back in the future."

Yoga tested as back pain therapy

Capricorn — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 12:13:40 +0000

The potential for yoga to be used to treat low back pain is being investigated by researchers.

Millions of UK people suffer from chronic low back pain, and existing treatments have only a limited effect.

A team of academics, yoga teachers and practitioners have joined forces to find out if a 12-week course of yoga can make a difference.

The Arthritis Research Campaign-backed project will assess moves from the two most popular types of yoga.

These are lyengar yoga and hatha yoga, favoured by the British Wheel of Yoga.

More than 260 people between the ages of 18 and 65 who have had back pain in the past 18 months will be recruited for the trial.

Recent, small studies in the US have shown that yoga can be helpful for back pain sufferers.

But David Torgerson, director of the University of York Clinical trials Unit, and Jennifer Klaber Moffett, deputy director of the Institute of Rehabilitation at the University of Hull, believe a bigger study is needed to unequivocally establish the benefits.

'Considerable impact'

Professor Torgerson said: "Yoga offers a combination of physical exercise with mental focus that may make it a suitable therapy for the treatment of low back pain.

"If the trial shows yoga to be effective then this low-cost treatment will have a considerable impact in the quality of life of patients with back pain."

Yoga develops flexibility and muscular endurance by allowing the muscles to be stretched and strengthened.

Patients will be recruited from GP surgeries from September and the 12-week classes, to be held in north and central London, York, Manchester and Cornwall, will begin in November.

The classes will be run by 10 experienced yoga teachers who have all received specialist training.

No difficult poses

Half the participants will take part in yoga classes, and the other half will receive the usual care.

They will be assessed at the end of the classes, then six months and a year later to see if there are any longer-term benefits.

The yoga classes will be carefully structured for people who are complete novices and will not involve any difficult poses.

They will be graduated over the 12-week period, starting off gently and becoming more demanding, with a combination of stretches, bends, lying sitting, standing and relaxing poses.

Patients will also be encouraged to practise daily at home.

Anna Semlyen, a yoga teacher who is helping to run the classes, said: "Regular yoga increases the benefits, and we would hope that at the end of the 12 weeks people would carry on."

Yoga classes could cut sickness

Capricorn — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 15:30:30 +0000

Staff at Leicester City Council could be offered yoga classes and counselling in an attempt to cut sick days.

Employees took an average of 12 days in sickness absence in 2006/07 which cost the council £11.5m.

Deputy leader, councillor Mary Draycott, said the authority wanted to improve the health of its staff to reduce the amount of days lost.

Other ideas being considered to reduce sickness include health checks and Pilates classes.

'Quite traumatic'

Ms Draycott said every effort will be made to reduce the amount of days and improve the health of council staff.

"Compared to the rest of the country in the national league tables Leicester is in the bottom quartile.

"We have to bring this level down because of the cost, the effect it's having on those staff who are working hard, and to improve the services for the citizens of Leicester."

She added: "The last few years have been quite traumatic within the council with so many reviews, so many changes and savings that have been made on frontline services it's not surprising that the morale and the stress levels are high."

The authority wants to reduce absence levels to an annual average of 10 days in 2009/10.

Welsh dragon joins yoga culture

Capricorn — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 12:49:37 +0000

The traditional eastern practice of yoga might not have obvious links with the dragon of the Welsh flag – but a Pembrokeshire teacher has united them.

Frances Taylor devised a 'dragon salutation' for the first Welsh festival of yoga in Monmouthshire.

Students acted out 'dragon behaviour' through yoga poses – eating coal, breathing fire, and defending Wales against an English ogre.

Ms Taylor, from Pembroke Dock, said she had been thrilled with the response.

A tutor at the Mandala Yoga Ashram in Llansadwrn, Carmarthenshire, Ms Taylor said she had aimed to combine traditional yoga techniques and exercises with Welsh storytelling.

"Many of the Welsh people I have taught have told me that although yoga is important to them, so is their own language and culture," said Ms Taylor, who is known in yoga circles as Black Feather Moon.

Talons

"I've always felt very close to dragons and the dragon mythology so I used a story in the Abergavenny festival about a dragon in a routine similar to the Salutation to the Sun (a traditional yoga sequence), which one of my pupils translated for me.

"I asked the class to imagine being asleep in a cave, then becoming aware of talons, nostrils and scales.

"Warming up we got our wings stretched and flapping, then we went on a flight.

"I was over the moon with the reaction. One woman who has been doing yoga for 30 years and has recently returned to Wales said she felt reconnected with her Welshness.

"I've been a tutor for 20 years and am entrenched in eastern culture – Hindu and Buddhist thought – but it's not my culture."

She said she was now thinking about developing more Welsh folklore, like Arthurian legends, into yoga sequences.

Yoga classes ‘provoke’ prisoners

Capricorn — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 22:39:04 +0000

A prison in Norway has stopped holding yoga classes after it found that instead of calming inmates, they were actually making some more aggressive.

High-security Ringerike jail near Oslo offered the classes to eight inmates on a trial basis earlier this year.

Prison warden Sigbjoern Hagen said some of the inmates became more irritable and agitated and had trouble sleeping.

He said the prison did not have the resources to treat emotions unleashed by the deep breathing exercises.

The yoga group expressed surprise at the prison's findings.

It said the project had been tested successfully on some 100,000 prisoners in around 15 countries, the AFP news agency reported.

"The reactions we received from the prisoners who participated in the classes were very varied, ranging from completely positive to completely negative," Mr Hagen reportedly wrote in a letter to the group.

On the negative side, the yoga had provoked "strong reactions: agitation, aggression, irritability, trouble sleeping and mental confusion", he said.

The deep breathing exercises are an essential element of Yoga, which originated in India more than 5,000 years ago and aims to harmonise mind, body and spirit.

But such exercises could make inmates more dangerous by unblocking their psychological barriers, Mr Hagen was quoted as saying.