Hand Painted Yoga Mats

Yoga For Men Why You Should Be Practicing

"Men shouldn't have to work against their strengths," says Nikki Costello, the New York City instructor who teaches Arbona and other men in her pioneering Yoga for Dudes class at Kula Yoga Project in Manhattan. "It shouldn't be a struggle for men to embrace yoga. Not if they're seen, really seen, for who they are."But in recent years, a handful of studio owners and teachers like Costello have seen an opportunity to reintroduce men to the gifts of the practice by tailoring classes to them.

The Future of Yoga Is In Spanish

People of Hispanic origin comprise the second-largest ethnic group in the United States, making up 17.1 percent of the total population in 2013. Which explains the next big trend in the yoga world. Rina Jakubowicz, who teaches a Spanish-language Vive Vinyasa Yoga class at one of her three Rina Yoga studios in Miami and will lead a Spanish yoga class at Yoga Journal Live! San Diego, says offering classes in Spanish is the first step in attracting more Latinos to the mat.

Yoga for Surfers Get Up and Stay Up

Cristi Christensen, co-founder of Yoga Surf Camp, a 180-minute workshop that combines beachfront yoga with surf lessons at Exhale Center for Sacred Movement in Venice, Calif., says yoga gives surfers the focus they need to charge a wave full force and the strength and flexibility they need to stay up. Plus: Must-do poses for building a strong core.

Yoga Benefits Your Mental Health

Yoga teacher and licensed psychotherapist Ashley Turner, who is launching a groundbreaking new Yoga Psychology 300-hour advanced yoga teacher training next month, says yoga is the key to psychological and emotional healing as well as resolving issues with self-confidence, relationships, family of origin issues, and more.