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Home My WebLink AboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 1987-12-30, Page 3Yoga rel es both the mind d routinely d body if practised correctly Relaxing both the mina and the body is possible through an exercise known as yoga. Yoga, a series of .held poses with varia- tions, creates a better sense of harmony, both in the body and the mind, according to yoga enthusiast and instructor Rita Loft- sgard of Clinton. Loftsgard will be instructing a 10 week yoga program offered through the Goderich Recreation Department. Classes will be held at the Goderich Public Library on Thursday evenings from 6:45 to 8 p.m. The first class is scheduled for Thursday, January 7. Only 12 people will be accepted into the program so contact the Recreation Department if you are interested in joining. Although this is Loftsgard's first class of- fered in Goderich through the Recreation Department, she was been practicing yoga for the past 15 years. She is a registered massage therapist (R.M.T.) with a practice in Goderich, and a certified yoga instructor who has studied in Vancouver and Toronto. She received her yoga training at the Hatha Raja Yoga Teacher Training centre in Toronto and her massage therapy from the Canadian College of Massage , and Hydrotherapy. The Goderich course is a beginner's course which will focus on Hatha Yoga which deals with body movements. "Although most of the poses have varia- tions, the class will begin with the simplest form of the posture and then as they are ready will move in the variations," Loft- sgard explained. In an effort to dispel the general public's knowledge of yoga, Loftsgard said, "There's no wrapping ankles around your neck. There's no lying on a bed of nails and there's no walking across..a bed of hot coals in your bare feet." Instead, she noted, yoga is a form of exer- Rita Loftsgard cise which helps, when executed properly, both the mind and the body to relax. Each session will consist of six intervals: relaxation, warm ups, full body stretches, poses (standing, kneeling, sitting, lying and inverted), breathing and relaxation. Yoga is a suitable exercise for everyone although Loftsgard does recommend that persons with heart or spinal problems con- sult with a doctor before entering the pro• - gram. She noted yoga can help arthritic problems, insomnia, poor muscle tome, breathing problems, headaches, bad posture, constipation, sluggish digestion, mild depression and anxiety. Yoga also has advantages over calisthenetics and aerobics since yoga is suitable for everyone while only certain body types benefit from either calisthenetics or aerobics. "Not only does yoga work on the muscles and spine, it also works on the internal organs," Loftsgard said, explaining, "When you have a slow stretch that is held for a short period of time, you actually do stretch the tension out of the body." Loftsgard also noted participants will be highly informed during the program of the poses and what they do. "If poses are not good for certain physical conditions, they will be told." The program also teaches participants how to breathe and how to breathe to relax the muscles, relieve pain and increase the oxygen supply to the body. "There is no competitive atmosphere in the class. Everyone has their own capacity and when you go as far as you can then you are getting the maximum benefit from the yoga position," she explained. There is no forcing the body into any position, you only take the pose to the point of discomfort and then you stop, Loftsgard explained. "When you finish the routine, you should feel that your entire body has been exercis- ed, stretched, relaxed and refreshed," Loft- sgard said. For the program, participants should wear loose fitting Yarm clothing and be able to make their feet bare. If you are interested in joining the yoga program, contact the Goderich Recreation Department. Lakes seasonal decline reversed High precipitation in the last week of November reversed Lake Ontario's seasonal decline and made it four cen- timetres higher at the beginning of December than it was a month earlier, says Environment Canada in its monthly news release on water levels. "For the first three weeks in November, the Lake Ontario drainage basin had received only 55 per cent of its average precipitation for the month," explained Ralph Moulton, Manager of Environment Canada's Great Lakes Water Level Com- munications Centre. "But, in the last few days of the month, almost five centimetres of precipitation made up the remaining 45 `per cent." However, Lake Ontario's level was still five centimetres below its long-term average at the beginning of the month. Meanwhile, Lakes Superior, Huron, St. Clair and Erie ended November at 35, 67, 52 and 49 centimetres respectively below their levels of year earlier. But the mid- dle lakes remained between 25 and 43 cm above their long-term averages. Lake Superjor was still slightly below its average level. With average supplies for the next six months, levels of Lakes Huron, St. Clair and Erie are expected to remain above average. Lake Superior is forecast to con- tinue at slightly below average levels. Lake Ontario is expected to continue its rise and be slightly above average bet- ween February and May of 19 t . Even under extremely wet conditions for the next six months, none of the Great Lakes would reach record high levels. Despite declines in lake levels over the past 12 months, the risk of flooding and erosion remains on the middle lakes, where wind storms can raise water levels dramatically in a matter of hours. 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