When its popularity in America first began to soar — along with the celebrity endorsements — you wouldn’t hear yoga mentioned without the word “trend.” For sure, commercial interests continue to fuel this misnomer (you can actually purchase Diet Coke yoga pants). But yoga has long since proven its staying power, in part because of its success as both a physical and emotional therapy. “Trends come and go, but yoga is popular because it works,” says Richard Faulds, former president of Kripalu and author of “Kripalu Yoga: A Guide to Practice On and Off the Mat.” “Science is studying it,” he adds, “and frankly? It’s kicking butt.”

From relieving carpal tunnel to helping cancer survivors with recovery, yoga’s benefits have made news in various medical publications, including the Journal of the American Medical Association. Nearly half of the hospitals surveyed for the American Hospital Association provide an Eastern method of exercise or therapy, including yoga. Even some insurance companies have gotten on board, helping their clients pay for classes.

As rosy as the yoga scene looks, the future holds even more promise. “As younger people see the difference in mobility between older people who have practiced yoga and those who haven’t, yoga will continue to grow in popularity,” predicts Sandy Blaine, a 14-year veteran teacher, cofounder of the Alameda Yoga Station in Alameda, California, and author of “Yoga for Healthy Knees.” “We’ve started to see yoga crop up in schools and PE classes; perhaps we’ll someday witness a widespread acceptance of its philosophical foundation.”

With millions of Americans practicing yoga — these days, it’s not so much a question of who does yoga, but who doesn’t — it may just be a matter of time. From preschoolers to senior citizens, new moms to Navy SEALs, everyone seems to find something to like in this ancient Eastern discipline. Some expect (and get) a deeply spiritual experience, enriched by chanting, prayer, and meditation; others are in it for the ripped abs and glutes of steel. Regardless of what draws a person in initially, yoga has a way of delivering rewards that go well beyond the expected. “The key,” says Faulds, “is learning how to enter the practice in a way that works for you.”

Use our unique “Zen Clock” which functions as a Yoga Timer.  It features a long-resonating acoustic chime that brings your meditation or yoga session to a gradual close, preserving the environment of stillness while also acting as an effective time signal. Our Yoga Timer & Clock can be programmed to chime at the end of the meditation or yoga session or periodically throughout the session as a kind of sonic yantra. The beauty and functionality of the Zen Clock/Timer makes it a meditation tool that can actually help you “make time” for meditation in your life. Bring yourself back to balance.

adapted from Body + Soul, October 2007

Now & Zen – The Yoga Timer Store

1638 Pearl Street

Boulder, CO  80302

(800) 779-6383

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