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Bhakti Yoga Class Yoga Workout live at Bhakti Yoga Shala by Veronica Schafer

Bhakti Yoga Class Yoga Workout live at Bhakti Yoga Shala youtu.be/OGxw0wyqp-g youtu.be/V5i5Qz2IGJE A heart opening Bhakti Yoga class taught by Los Angeles yoga teacher Noah Christensen for building strength, endurance, flexibility & relaxation. This Bhakti Yoga workout is a simple yet powerful yoga class that is strong in inspiring fitness and awareness. Noah Christensen teaches a strong vinyasa flow which includes hips, hamstrings, upper back, meditation and pranayama breathing work. Filmed live at world renowned yoga studio Bhakti Yoga Shala in Santa Monica, California. About Noah Christiensen Noah Christensen survived his first yoga class in 2003 with Bryan Kest in Santa Monica, but it was not until 2009 that he discovered the sweet nectar of Bhakti Yoga. As he explored the path, he experiencing a profound opening within the practice and himself. Inspired by the endless wealth of the Bhakti tradition, Noah has studied yoga with Rudy Mettia, Travis Eliot, and Govindas, completing their teacher trainings with the goal of deepening his own practice. Teaching yoga grew naturally out of his inquiry into what yoga means. Because the practice is so sacred to each of us, Noah’s fundamental philosophy is to allow the practice to reveal itself: each yogi is invited to explore their own physical, emotional, and spiritual boundaries at their own pace and in a manner which is empowering and respectful of their divine nature. He is honored to share what he has learned and experienced along the path as an act of seva to the community. Check out all of our great Heart Alchemy Yoga flow videos below: Meditative Bhakti Yoga Flow youtu.be/mQnAvEbDNPg Bhakti Yoga Workout youtu.be/AHMO0Ja0XC4 Five Tibetan Rites with John Golterman youtu.be/nnNJoRLJG9E Power Yoga for Weight Loss youtu.be/yUtK7v3dsr0 Strong Yoga For Beginners Workout youtu.be/xglmLhDppmo Cardio Yoga Workout youtu.be/hy-qss2Takg Yoga Workout 1 hour Yoga For Weight Loss youtu.be/yUtK7v3dsr0 Power Yoga Flow youtu.be/XpGnuK_u4gQ Bhakti Yoga Class youtu.be/K9scEzgir-8 Yoga for Beginners youtu.be/EaKZ3Xtxf5A Mindfulness Meditation youtu.be/2K-ZcAgka2g Gentle Yin Yoga Full Class youtu.be/Z3AlyD1CIJw Bhakti Yoga flow heart opening yoga workout with Kumi Yogini youtu.be/onS6uq94NHw Bhakti yoga class yoga flow with Kumi Yogini ॐ youtu.be/K9scEzgir-8 bhakti yoga class with Kumi Yogini youtu.be/ch4CEW-vEoc Advanced Yoga Workout - Inversions, Hand Stand, Core Work youtu.be/KbLVYpQ74Zo Bhakti Yoga Flow youtu.be/KvhIvZyemtI Inspired Yoga Workout with Breathwork youtu.be/_wG5hEBrMJQ Strong beginners Yoga Workout with JQ Williams youtu.be/vQdOhTKfEt8 Bhakti Yoga flow yoga workout youtu.be/VPmOF99bBHg Beginners Yoga Flow 2015 youtu.be/Dva-ThUN6Ww Bhakti Yoga Flow with Kumi Yogini 2015 youtu.be/onS6uq94NHw Yoga for Beginners Level 1 yoga workout youtu.be/f2sIjOHFZuU Yoga Flow youtu.be/YKVhB4TxuwU 40 Minute Yin Yoga Class youtu.be/O_Vg-j5lkuA Strong Power Yoga Flow youtu.be/UwJFpTRXI-g Yoga flow daily recharge total body workout youtu.be/LiTlpC0RU6Q Strong Power Yoga Flow youtu.be/Ua10v6kw27c 30 Minute Power Yoga Flow with Twists for detox youtu.be/Sy25cbDGqBM 30 Minute Daily Yoga Flow for weight loss youtu.be/Vc4u04a5A4o Yoga for Beginners youtu.be/3gWJBgAIXwg Sun Salutations (Surya A Surya B) youtu.be/GHGU18zg4rs Click below to subscribe to our channel: youtube.com/heartalchemyyoga Our Sites www.heartalchemyyoga.com plus.google.com/+HeartAlchemyYoga facebook.com/heartalchemyyoga instagram.com/travlinyogini twitter.com/travlinyogini www.pinterest.com/travlinyogini www.michellegoldsteinyoga.com

Sweet Om Chicago by Dean Golemis

7 17

Yoga at Belmont Harbor, Chicago >>> ommmmmmm

Morning Power Yoga Flow - Short and Sweet by Lisa Carney

Morning Power Yoga Flow - Short and Sweet youtu.be/yMYUjzC5IGk Morning Power Yoga Flow - Short and Sweet A classic yoga flow class with emphasis on stretching the hamstrings and back of the legs. In this yoga flow video, LA yoga teacher Michelle Goldstein brings bits of wisdom and insight regarding philosophy, as well as bringing plenty of alignment tips for a yoga flow that will will build upper body, core and cardiovascular strength, in addition to focus on opening the hamstrings and the back of the legs. About Michelle Goldstein: Michelle has maintained a daily yoga practice for 15 years. A protégée of renowned Yoga teacher, Bryan Kest of Santa Monica Power Yoga, Michelle has been teaching yoga flow and meditation for 8 years. Michelle leads workshops, immersions & retreats worldwide as well as teaching at Santa Monica Power Yoga, Yogaraj & Equinox Fitness Clubs. Known for her creative vinyasas (sequences of yoga asana) and pranayama, Michelle Goldsteins teaching integrates influences from various forms of movement and meditation set to powerfully inspiring backdrops of music. Approaching instruction with a deep spiritual reverence for the sacredness of yoga coupled with a joyous playful sense of humor, Michelles classes offer a safe, nurturing and challenging environment for students to come and explore their mental and physical boundaries. Check out some of our other Yoga videos here: Power Yoga Workout ~ Perfection is a Myth www.youtube.com/watch?v=rt2-8X2BNcQ Yoga Detox with Gloria Baraquio www.youtube.com/watch?v=N0YtO... Prayer of Surrender Meditaion with Gloria Baraquio www.youtube.com/watch?v=vAh31... 30 Minute Cardio Flow Yoga Workout youtu.be/cRJlOKb_chs Slow Strong Yoga Flow with Raquel Jordan www.youtube.com/watch?v=mHUVU... Astavakrasana pose breakdown with Michelle Goldstein Alternate Nostril Breathing with Michelle Goldstein www.youtube.com/watch?v=Khj84... Yin Yoga Workshop with Laila Garsys www.youtube.com/watch?v=h5iXe... Click below to subscribe to our channel: youtube.com/heartalchemyyoga Our Sites www.heartalchemyyoga.com facebook.com/heartalchemyyoga instagram.com/travlinyogini twitter.com/travlinyogini

here somes the sun by aia*c (here when i can be)

13 14

oh boy i am stoked! my doctor just gave me the go-ahead to start exercising my legs. no running as of yet, however. while the hamstring is still tight, there is no scar tissue or tearing. good news! so today i am going to try out horseback riding. yay! on top of it all, my daughter is back to her regualar self today...the stomach flu really took her down yesterday. i have never seen her sleep so much in my life!

i hope you find some good news within your week!

SOOC :)

Elephant by the Salamat, Zakouma National Park, Chad by inyathi

4 1

Zakouma is an unusual park when compared to the better-known national parks of East or Southern Africa, because on normal game drives through the park, you simply don’t see elephants, except for the handful of bulls, that hang around the airstrip and the park HQ in the area of the park that is actually called Zakouma, elsewhere you just don’t see them, not unless you are actively looking for them and know in advance where they are. You won’t drive around a corner and find a small herd feeding beside the road as you might in a park like say Ruaha in Tanzania, to understand why this is the case, you need to know the tragic history of Zakouma’s elephants.

For roughly 6 months of the year between June and November Zakouma National Park is almost entirely inundated with floodwaters at this time elephants would often disperse into the surrounding area of what is now the Salamat Faunal Reserve. During this time Arab horsemen from the Darfur region of neighbouring Sudan would come to hunt the elephants, as they had done for perhaps several hundred years. Traditionally a group of up to 20 horsemen armed with lances would charge a herd aiming to separate out one of the elephants, picking one with good tusks. A single horseman would then ride in front of this elephant to draw its attention and get it to pursue him, allowing the other men to ride in and spear it from behind with their lances. They would aim for the elephant’s hamstrings in its hind legs which if severed would bring the animal down and ensure it could not get up again. Huge numbers of elephants were killed this way and in response the surviving herds in the region, have learned that at the first sign of horsemen, their best defence is bunch up into tight groups to ensure that no individual can be separated out.

Today this is no defence, the horsemen are Janjaweed militiamen and members of the Sudanese armed forces and they come not with the lances used by their ancestors, but with AK47s, belt-fed machine guns and rocket propelled grenades. This habit of bunching up into a single large herd, has meant that the poachers can easily kill 50-60 elephants in a single attack by simply machine gunning the terrified animals as they try to escape. In 2005 an aerial count found 3,885 elephants in Zakouma and the surrounding area, in under a decade the population was reduced to just 430 and had stopped breeding due to the constant stress. Since African Parks took over Zakouma the poaching has been almost entirely stopped and the elephants are breeding again, they have not lost an elephant to poaching in 6 years at the last count in 2021, the population had reached 636.

Zakouma had become famous for what was often described as the largest elephant herd in Africa, simply because the majority of the park’s elephants were congregating together in a huge unnatural mega-herd, that would include bulls that would normally have been pushed out. Besides sticking together for protection, the elephants also like to remain in the thick bush and woodlands, avoiding open areas of the park, this is why you just don’t see them when driving around. Just in the last couple of years the elephant herd has started to split into several big herds instead of just one, but they still stay deep in the bush, doing their best to avoid people entirely.

Driving down to a crossing point on the Salamat, we unexpectedly came across this bull walking along the bank towards us, he was clearly intending to cross the river as well, whilst we had to follow the road and bounce over the rocks, he just waded through the not very deep water and wandered off up the other bank. This was a lucky sighting, as we were nowhere near the HQ area, and by the time we were driving along the other side of the Salamat he had melted back into the bush, had we reached the river somewhat earlier or later we might not have seen him at all.

lateral raise by noshirt4me

Bhakti Yoga Class Yoga Workout live at Bhakti Yoga Shala by Lisa Carney

Supported Legs Up the Wall by Charles Wills

Supported Legs Up the Wall, called Viparita Karani, although instead of using a wall, simply engage & use your core muscles (abdominal and gluteal muscles ) while holding your legs up in the air; use the foam roller under the low back/sacrum; roll slowly forward and backward, or simply stay onto the foam roller for several long and mindful breaths; visualize yourself pushing the ceiling upwards with flexed feet; you will lengthen your tight hamstrings; you'll strengthen the lower back muscles: and most definitely you will calm that continuous chatter of your mind, and lastly this practice will leave you completely restored.

Yoga Workout Yoga Flow w/ Gloria Baraquio at The Springs LA ॐ by Lisa Carney

Yoga Workout Yoga Flow w/ Gloria Baraquio at The Springs LA ॐ youtu.be/4_mOELQh9m8 Yoga Workout Yoga Flow w/ Gloria Baraquio at The Springs LA. A fantastic 30 minute yoga workout yoga flow video taught by Gloria Baraquio at downtown LA's premier yoga studio, The Springs. thespringsla.com This sweet yet strong yoga flow class is an all over body workout taught with clear, warm-hearted instruction. Suitable for all levels, with breath work, balance, strength building, hips, upper body, twists, low back, hamstrings and meditation. Gloria Baraquio is a yogini from Hawaii who began her practice in 2003 when she began suffering from anxiety attacks. After experiencing her ujjayi breath for the first time in a yoga class, she finally understood the importance of breathing and how it could calm, center, and ground her life. She began teaching in 2006 and embarked on a journey through vinyasa, ashtanga, Iyengar, hatha, bhakti, kundalini, somatics, ecstatic dance, Nia, Rolfing, acupuncture, physical theater, and natural foods, gaining a comprehensive understanding of the body, mind, voice, movement, and nutrition. As a teacher and Yoga Director of The Springs, Gloria’s desire is to help others cultivate an intimate relationship with themselves and their surroundings so that they can live more fully, with love, peace, gratitude, and well-being. Gloria's background is in education, performing arts, film production, and community building. While working as a TV host, writer, and actor in Hawaii, she taught K-12 students in public charter schools (Language Arts, Math, Digital Media, and Yoga). Living both on and off the grid of the Big Island for 7 years was her greatest training in spiritual practice, yoga, natural healing, and community building. She is certified to teach vinyasa and aerial yoga. Check out Gloria's website at Check out Gloria's website at gloriabaraquio.com for the latest and greatest! for the latest and greatest! Check out some of our other Yoga Videos here: 30 Minute Cardio Flow Yoga Workout youtu.be/cRJlOKb_chs Prenatal Yoga 30 Minute Class www.youtube.com/watch?v=HTDocfhdA1Y Bikram Yoga inpsired Class with Maggie Grove youtu.be/V5i5Qz2IGJE Power Yoga for Weight Loss youtu.be/yUtK7v3dsr0 Strong Yoga For Beginners Workout youtu.be/xglmLhDppmo Meditative Bhakti Yoga Flow youtu.be/mQnAvEbDNPg Cardio Yoga Workout youtu.be/hy-qss2Takg Yoga Workout 1 hour Yoga For Weight Loss youtu.be/yUtK7v3dsr0 Power Yoga Flow youtu.be/XpGnuK_u4gQ Bhakti Yoga Class youtu.be/K9scEzgir-8 Yoga for Beginners youtu.be/EaKZ3Xtxf5A Mindfulness Meditation youtu.be/2K-ZcAgka2g Gentle Yin Yoga Full Class youtu.be/Z3AlyD1CIJw Click below to subscribe to our channel: youtube.com/heartalchemyyoga Our Sites www.heartalchemyyoga.com plus.google.com/+HeartAlchemyYoga facebook.com/heartalchemyyoga instagram.com/travlinyogini twitter.com/travlinyogini www.pinterest.com/travlinyogini

Knees are Nice by Chelsea3883

5 26

Taken for Our Daily Challenge (Topic: Knees) Best on Black Texture from SkeletalMess.

I didn't read what the challenge was until this afternoon, but laughed heartily when I did. I won't give you the background story, but today one of my friends made a sarcastic comment something along the lines of, "Don't get too excited, I know my knees are attractive and all...." hahaha! What a coincidence!

I danced around a bit while taking these photos and it was quite fun, although I got a little excited and I think I may have pulled a hamstring! =P whoops. I have a feeling I am not the only one who might have sustained an injury doing the challenge today! ;)

PS- I have purple on the mind because this past week, my school has been doing a bunch of fundraising to support pancreatic cancer research and we wore purple each day. Our fundraising efforts culminate tomorrow in a basketball game where everyone will be clad in purple. It is going to be fun and hopefully we can raise tons of money for such an important cause!

Ship spotting. by Papa Razzi1

14 5

Took yet another shot of our neighbors house and captured one of the old steam ships at the same time.

Spring is here, for real.

Power Yoga Workout ~ Let Grace Flow by Lisa Carney

Power Yoga Workout ~ Let Grace Flow youtu.be/DQ00C12psuw A strong, cardiovascular, all-over body power yoga workout that will open and strengthen arms, shoulders, upper body, core muscles, lower back, hips, hamstrings and quadriceps. This power yoga workout taught by Michelle Goldstein at The Springs in Downtown LA includes breathing, stretching, strength building, cardio, philosophy and meditation. About Michelle Goldstein: Michelle has maintained a daily yoga practice for 15 years. A protégée of renowned Yoga teacher, Bryan Kest of Santa Monica Power Yoga, Michelle has been teaching yoga flow and meditation for 8 years. Michelle leads workshops, immersions & retreats worldwide as well as teaching at Santa Monica Power Yoga & Equinox Fitness Clubs. Known for her creative vinyasas (sequences of yoga asana) and pranayama, Michelle Goldstein's teaching integrates influences from various forms of movement and meditation set to powerfully inspiring backdrops of music. Approaching instruction with a deep spiritual reverence for the sacredness of yoga coupled with a joyous playful sense of humor, Michelle's classes offer a safe, nurturing and challenging environment for students to come and explore their mental and physical boundaries. Yoga Workout for Hamstrings, with Hanumanasa ~ Ditch the Agenda www.youtube.com/watch?v=AgoU5Ph94a8 Power Yoga Workout ~ Full Body (30 minutes) www.youtube.com/watch?v=pDCBxObqn24&t=1320s Advanced Yoga Workout for Level 2,3 www.youtube.com/watch?v=WkFFAhbu9WE&t=1s

Slow Strong Yoga Flow - Slower is Stronger! by Lisa Carney

Slow Strong Yoga Flow - Slower is Stronger! youtu.be/mHUVUhJlyIk Slower is stronger! Join LA based yoga teacher Raquel Jordan for a strong, slow, yoga flow class. Strengthen and open your arms, upper back, shoulders, core, legs, hips and hamstrings. Filmed at The Springs in Downtown Los Angeles, Raquel teaches an easy to understand, 30 minute strong yoga flow class. About Raquel: Yoga taught Raquel how to love and honor herself. It brings her back to her true essence; keeps her open, clear, strong, centered and relaxed so that she's functioning at her optimal level. Connection to the body and breath are key components to her teaching style. She loves incorporating props and walls when implementing the concept 'power of opposition'. Raquel holds a 200 hr certification through YogaWorks under the tutelage of Joan Hyman and Carmen Fitzgibbon. She is also trained in restorative/ therapeutic yoga led by Jillian Pransky. Raquel continues to take workshops and intensives which inform her practice and instruction. She teaches classical Raja yoga, including; Alignment based yoga, Vinyasa Flow, Yoga Nidra, Restorative and Guided Meditation. Website: RaquelJordanYoga.com Instagram: RaquelJordanYoga Check out some of our other Yoga videos here: Yin Yoga Deep Stretching with Michelle Goldstein www.youtube.com/watch?v=VQt6Ij9kAAcYoga Workout Yoga Flow w/ Gloria Boraquio youtu.be/4_mOELQh9m8 Power Yoga Flow 30 Minute Cardio Flow Yoga Workout youtu.be/cRJlOKb_chs Bikram Yoga inpsired Class with Maggie Grove youtu.be/V5i5Qz2IGJE Astavakrasana pose breakdown with Michelle Goldstein Alternate Nostril Breathing with Michelle Goldstein www.youtube.com/watch?v=Khj843WDYGo Click below to subscribe to our channel: youtube.com/heartalchemyyoga Our Sites www.heartalchemyyoga.com facebook.com/heartalchemyyoga instagram.com/travlinyogini twitter.com/travlinyogini

The main elephant herd, Zakouma National Park, Chad by inyathi

For roughly 6 months of the year between June and November Zakouma National Park is almost entirely inundated with floodwaters at this time elephants would often disperse into the surrounding area of what is now the Salamat Faunal Reserve. During this time Arab horsemen from the Darfur region of neighbouring Sudan would come to hunt the elephants as they had done for perhaps several hundred years. Traditionally a group of up to 20 horsemen armed with lances would charge a herd aiming to separate out one of the elephants. A single horseman would then ride in front of this elephant to draw its attention and get it to pursue him allowing the other men to ride in and spear it from behind with their lances. They would aim for the elephant’s hamstrings in its hind legs which if severed would bring the animal down and ensure it could not get up again. Huge numbers of elephants were killed this way and in response the surviving herds in the region have learned that at the first sign of horsemen their best defence is bunch up into tight groups to ensure that no individual can be separated out.

Today this is no defence the horsemen are Janjaweed militiamen and members of the Sudanese armed forces and they come not with the lances used by their ancestors but with AK47s, belt-fed machine guns and rocket propelled grenades. This habit of bunching up into a single large herd has meant that the poachers can easily kill 50-60 elephants in a single attack by simply machine gunning the terrified animals as they try to escape. In 2005 an aerial count found 3,885 elephants in Zakouma and the surrounding area in under a decade the population was reduced to just 430 and had stopped breeding due to the constant stress. Since African Parks took over Zakouma the poaching has been almost entirely stopped, there hasn’t been a single poaching incident in 5 years, as soon as the elephants started to feel secure, they began to breed again, at the last count in 2021 the population has reached 636.

All of this poaching led to Zakouma’s elephants forming a single large dysfunctional herd that included adult bulls, that would ordinarily have been pushed out of the herd, perhaps because of how much the population has grown, the big herd does seem to have started to split into several large herds rather than one single one. Although they are now safe, elephants have long memories, they remain extremely nervous and are difficult to find and approach. Your best chance of seeing them is to wait for them to come to the Salamat River to drink, having established from park HQ where they are first, so that you know where best to wait. This is not fool proof, we tried this and missed them, finally chancing upon this big herd in the south of the park, they didn’t remain in the open for long and quickly ran back into the bush, even though we were a long distance away.

Adventure Riding New Zealand Style by Michael J Breen

11 1

Thompson Track, Te Aroha

It started as a couple of hour ride up from Te Aroha and turned into a 2 day bush bash in mud and rain.

The bikes were a Gas Gas 700SM, Honda CRF300 Adventure and my Montesa 4Ride.

The rough road up to the summit was pretty easy for all of us. Big rocks and potholes on a clay bed but no real problem. That took about 25 minutes.

Then I found a track going down the other side and we decided to follow it.

Within 500 metres was the first slip; that should have warned us off but no, we soldiered on...........and on and on a on! For hours we battled bogs, bush slips and trees.

Finally, we decided we were not going to make Katikati on the other side. The bogs were too big and the GasGas and Honda too heavy.

We turned around and started back up but the rain set in and made it harder.

We decided to leave the two heavy bikes behind and come back the next day for them. Between the three of us, we rode and hauled the little Montesa 4Ride 260cc trials based bike to the top and I rode on down to get help. On the way down, I lost the front wheel on a slippery rock, fell and tore my hamstring. It was a lot of pain but I got up and rode on.

I found a couple in town with a double cab ute who agreed to come with me to the base of the trail so we could drive the other two back to town; they finally walked out around midnight!

The next day we went back to get the bikes left behind.

I waited at the bottom with my torn hammy and acted as the emergency system just in case. The other two took my Montesa back up to cut 2-3 hours off their walk then walked into the bush to rescue the other bikes with a winch, folding spade and tree saw.

2 expert hard enduro racers had contacted me offering help so I said yes please!

They turned up abpout 2.30pm and rode in to help. Then half an hour later, 2 more riders turned up to help.

The 2nd two riders didn't go far enough to find the others and came back. They'd seen my Montesa just over the top but that was all.

By 6pm I was getting worried and ready to call emergency services (the boys had a satelite rescue device so I knew they may have set that off).

They hadn't and, just before I called emergency; they all came back down some 5 hours after entering. Our 2-3 hour adventure ride had turned into a 2 day balls out test of skill, endurance and planning. On the way up, we didn't just ride, we stopped and planned our way through every obstacle.

Nobody was hurt at all until I fell off on the way down in the rain and we all had wet weather gear and plenty of spring water.

Staying in the bush for the night would have been cold but not a life or death issue.

What a ride! What an experience a what a great bunch of people Kiwis are to drop everything, drive hundreds of km with bikes on the back to help us!

Stairs to Infinity by houndstooth4

6 11

For the Daily Dog Challenge -- 9/29 "Take the High Road"

For Our Daily Challenge -- 9/29 "Stairs"

For 365: The 2013 Edition -- 272/365

We went out hiking today to enjoy the beautiful Fall weather. I swear that these stairs did go on forever, but Bunny didn't seem to mind!. I wish I could say my hamstrings felt the same way.

You can read more about Bunny at TalesAndTails.com.

Phil Heath’s Hamstring/Leg Workout – All Seasons Training by Laska Fitness

Check out our Fitness website - bit.ly/29Bs9H2

stranger #223 by stretch1000 London Faces and Voices

26 3

Tania favourite all time record

Are You Ready For a Miracle?

Patti Labelle

Ealing Common London.

Tania is a yoga teacher. She feels yoga has a healing quality. It gives her a connection to a different consciousness that allows her to feel extraordinary things.

Tania had been going to yoga classes for a few years and one day her flat mate perswaded her to go to a new class basically because she fancied the teacher (they are now married) and bang Tania loved the class and found something totally new and different from any other class she had been to before. It was through his teaching and encouragement that Tania found the path to becoming a teacher herself. She feels she would have eventually have found this way but it's interesting how a small step can lead to such important decisions. You don't have to be looking for something to find it.

That influence is now thriving and flowing through her work with the students at her classes. Physically the positives are immense and Tania's running improved massively while she trained as a yoga teacher, even if her 'runners hamstrings' complained. The calmness of mind is another huge benefit and it allows her to release it's natural instincts without social conditioning and outside normalities from getting in the way. She believes yoga shouldn't be competitive everything should be kept simple and above all else it should be enjoyed.

Tania feels the spirituality of yoga is with her as she is learning from it and absorbing the process and this influences every part of her life. But strangely that doesn't mean doing it 'perfectly' she says, because it's not really about that, it's about trying getting better and learning to understand your body and mind a bit more. Which will in turn will have a very positive impact on your life.

www.flickr.com/groups/100strangers/

Elephant crossing the Bahr Salamat, Zakouma National Park, Chad by inyathi

For roughly 6 months of the year between June and November Zakouma National Park is almost entirely inundated with floodwaters, at this time elephants would often disperse into the surrounding area of what is now the Salamat Faunal Reserve. During this time Arab horsemen from the Darfur region of neighbouring Sudan would come to hunt the elephants, as they had done for perhaps several hundred years. Traditionally a group of up to 20 horsemen armed with lances would charge a herd aiming to separate out one of the elephants, picking one with good tusks. A single horseman would then ride in front of this elephant to draw its attention and get it to pursue him, allowing the other men to ride in and spear it from behind with their lances. They would aim for the elephant’s hamstrings in its hind legs, these if severed would bring the animal down and ensure it could not get up again. Huge numbers of elephants were killed this way and in response the surviving herds in the region, have learned that at the first sign of horsemen, their best defence is to bunch up into tight groups, to ensure that no individual can be separated out.

The best chance of seeing them is at the Bahr Salamat, where they have to come every day to drink, if you can anticipate which part of the river they will come to, and position yourself so that they won’t be aware of your presence, you can have an amazing elephant experience. When we tried to find them, despite receiving tracking information from the park HQ, (some of the elephants are wearing tracking collars) and having a ranger to assist us, we were not lucky, instead of seeing the whole herd come to drink where we had chosen to wait, we just saw two single bulls. The herd did come to drink but at a different stretch of the Salamat, not too far away, unfortunately we missed them.

Adventure Riding New Zealand Style by Michael J Breen

9 1