The best way to survive the Democratic National Convention? Just breathe.

With bloggers galore at the Democratic National Convention this week, there’s no shortage of news and commentary about the political happenings in Denver.

But one blog has a slightly different take on the events — it’s written by a yoga instructor who’s teaching poses and breathing exercises to delegates, media people and sundry conventioneers hanging out in and around the Pepsi Center.

Sara Avant Stover, a Boulder, Colo.-based yoga instructor and Yoga Journal magazine contributor, is blogging from her perch at the Huffington Post Oasis, an area that the Post has set up for DNCers to get away from the hustle and bustle and take advantage of yoga, massages and natural food snacks. Yoga is offered to anyone willing, even — or especially — if they’re dressed in coats and ties or skirts and heels.

"We’re trying to help serve people however they’re coming in, however they’re dressed," says Stover, who spoke to us from the Oasis. Even simple activities such as moving the arms upward and inhaling, then back down and exhaling, can go a long way to ease frayed nerves. "It increases circulation and puts more oxygen in the body," she adds. "When you do that, your body will start to relax and your mind will become more clear — anything to remind people of what’s important in the midst of all the frenzy here."

And there’s a lot of frenzy, according to Stover, who has a growing following among those who are seeking some yin to balance out the convention’s yang.

While her first post was heavy on product shilling (guess you’ve gotta give props to those sponsors), her second was more thoughtful. She writes, "As a yogi, the question is no longer, ‘What advanced pose can I do?’, but ‘Can I walk my talk?’ In other words, can you live your yoga? This is the challenge — and the opportunity. Especially here at the DNC, where wheeling and dealing is the name of the game and the decisions of a few affect many."

Her blog also mentions some celeb spottings at the Oasis, including newswoman Katie Couric, (described by Stover as personable and fun), who stopped by to chat and show off her mad headstand skills. Who knew?

Stover has loftier hopes for yoga’s influence than merely giving some R and R to harried conventioneers: "You start with yoga and take it one breath at a time, one person at a time," she says. "That’s really how change happens. We’re just offering yoga, and we already know the magic of it, and we don’t know how it will turn out, but we know it will make an impact in bringing more peace to people’s lives, and reminding them to live from their hearts. When that happens, it’s for the benefit of all."

Everybody say, "Om."

-- Jeannine Stein

Photo credit: Verena von Pfetten / Huffington Post

Comments

[yati]

Do the "delegates, media people and sundry conventioneers" know they are participating in the misuse, exploitation, commercialization of Hindus/ Hinduism by doing any of the yoga presented in this article (certain faiths even prohibit their adherents from partaking in another religion at any level)? All the yogas are Hinduism. The several yogas (Karma Y., Bhakti Y., Raja Y., Kundilini Y., Mantra Y. etc.) are the progressive religious/spiritual disciplines in Hinduism and its sects. The physical postures, often mislabeled just 'yoga', is Hatha Yoga...worshipful postures within Hinduism. As in any religion, the teacher, in this case, would be a qualified Hindu, and not misrepresenting sacred practices.
Also, in article we see instructor calling herself a "yogini"...insulting to the true yogi/yogini and all Hindus. The author uses "Om"...confusion and delusion. Below, please see scholarly definitions of these terms often spewed through New Age spurious "yoga."
Yati
FACTS:
~Sanskrit: The ancient language of the Hindus [Webster's] Note: all subsequent terms are Sanskrit (Skr.) and thus Hindu
~Aum/Om: The most sacred syllable in Hinduism [Oxford World Religions]
~yoga: Skr. "Hinduism" [Webster's]
~yoga: Oneness of Atmana and Brahman [Dict. of Skr. Names]
~yogi/yogini: (male/female) Hindu Ascetic [Oxford World Rel.]
~Atmana: Skr. Self/Spirit; Hinduism [Webster's]
~Brahman: Skr. Hindu Religion [Webster's]
~yoga: Skr. A Hindu discipline [Oxford Am. Dict.]
~ yoga: Skr. A system of Hindu religious philosophy [Thorndike Barnhardt]
~yoga: Skr. general term for spiritual disciplines in Hinduism [Columbia Encyclopedia]
~Swami: Skr. Title of respect of a (Hindu) Holy man or teacher. [Oxford World Religions]
~Guru: Skr. A teacher of worldly skills...more often of religious knowledge...liberation (Moksa). [Oxford World religions]
~Moksa: Release/liberation - the fourth and ultimate goal of Hinduism. [Oxf. World Religion]
~The first recorded evidence of the Skr. word "yoga" is found in the Vedas.
~Veda Skr. The most ancient sacred literature of the Hindus. [Webster's]
~Upanishads: Text in Hinduism which ends or completes the Vedic corpus (body of [Hindu] laws)