For fitness, the practice of yoga promotes balance, flexibility and strength. America loves yoga, according to a survey conducted by the Yoga Journal. The top four reasons given for the interest in yoga were: flexibility, stress reduction, strength, fitness and conditioning. As yoga grows in popularity, it is also becoming Americanized, and there are a number of hybrid yoga practices springing up like: Acu-yoga, Yogilates, Disco Yoga, Hip-Hop Yoga, Punk Rock Yoga, Aqua Yoga, Doga (with your dog), Yoganetics, Soul FlowYoga, Freestyle Vinyasa Flow, Sonic Yoga, Yogic Arts (yoga combined with martial arts) and Nude Yoga -- which is a good thing, or a bad thing, depending on who you are asking.

Of the survey participants who were asked , these were the top four good/bad statements made to the increasing popularity of yoga in this country:

• "Americans need to recognize that practicing yoga doesn't conflict with mainstream religious values."
• "The commercialization of yoga is a good thing. It attracts many more people to the practice who otherwise wouldn't know about it."
• "Innovation is good for yoga. The many different styles that are evolving make the practice accessible to everyone."
• "Yoga in America is becoming too commercialized."
  

Is yoga the current fitness fad? Maybe. Will it fade in popularity? I suspect it will for those who flitter from one new trend to the next new trend. But, for example, there have been years of research into the potential benefit of yoga in improving the quality of life for cancer patients and survivors, and the National Cancer Institute has recently awarded M. D. Anderson a $2.4 million dollar grant to study the benefits of Tibetan yoga for cancer patients and survivors.

According to M. D. Anderson researchers, cancer and its treatment are associated with considerable distress, impaired quality of life, poor mental health and reduced physical function. For thousands of years, Tibetans have been practicing a form of yoga that might help reduce treatment-related side effects that accumulate over time for cancer patients. As research continues, yoga may become an accepted alternative and complementary therapy incorporated into mainstream medical practice for the treatment of disease and improving health.

Realistically, I am not certain that some of the trendy hybrid forms of yoga will endure over time, but the yoga that has been around for thousands of years is here to stay.

Why don't more people stick with an exercise routine? Perhaps in part because it gets repetitious and boring. Exercise can be a lonely activity and it is more difficult to keep yourself motivated. Personal trainers have always been a remedy for both of the aforementioned problems, but realistically, how many of us can afford a personal trainer?

According to iTrain, with an MP3 player you can now download customized workouts with a personal trainer. The downloads are set to music and combines modern technology, entertainment, and health in a portable format. It doesn't matter what kind of workout you enjoy, iTrain seems to offer a program. There is iTread, iCycle, iClimb, iStrength, iSculpt Traditional and iSculpt Ballet, iStretch, iTeenTrain Hip Hop, iTeenTrain Kick Boxing.

Grace Lazenby, a fitness expert with 15 years in the Hollywood training industry, realized that MP3 players might be an excellent means of offering her fitness and training to the masses.

In addition to Lazenby, other fitness experts who keep you going through your workout include yoga instructor Heath House, boxing expert and member of the US Air Force boxing team Nick Narvaez, boxing expert and Group Exercise Instructor of the Year Keith Irace, and member of the Brazilian National Team of Gymnastics.

Anything that adds to the enjoyment of a workout is a bonus, and I can see the benefits of iTrain for all ages, but one of my first thoughts when I read about iTrain is that it makes an excellent gift for a teen or young adult.

via Adam at Netscape

Each year, for the last five years, Nelly, Grammy Award-winning platinum recording American Hip Hop artist, has been hosting a week of festivities across the country to help raise funds for his foundation 4Sho4Kids. Founded in 2001, 4Sho4Kids is dedicated to improving the quality of life for children with developmental disabilities, children born with Down Syndrome and children born addicted to drugs. This year, 4Sho4Kids has partnered with the Richmond Braves to host a celebrity baseball game and 75 children from the VCU Pediatric Oncology Center have been invited to attend as special VIP guests where, as the foundation states -- they can have a day of no worries on them. The 4Sho4Kids has a marrow registry campaign called Jes Us 4 Jackie, to educate African-Americans and Blacks about the need for bone marrow and stem cell transplant. Bone marrow and stem cell transplants often make all the difference in surviving blood cancers like leukemia.

In 2001, Nelly's sister Jacqueline Donahue was diagnosed with leukemia. In 2003, Nelly and Jackie started the Jes Us 4 Jackie campaign, a search for a bone marrow donor. They were unable to find a matching donor in time for Jackie, who died last year from complications of leukemia. However, in the search, the foundation was able to find matches for others, including two children from Jackie's hometown of St. Louis. Nelly has continued charity work related to cancer in her memory.

Kanye West, who was scheduled to support U2 on their Vertigo ’06 Tour, will continue his Touch the Sky Tour, after it was announced that U2's Vertigo Tour will be postponed. West will start in Auckland, NZ on March 16 then head to Brisbane, Melbourne, Sydney and Adelaide in Australia.

U2 has postponed the final ten dates of the Vertigo '06 tour due to family illness. Dave Evans, The Edge, may have been called home to be at the bedside of Sian, his daughter, who was diagnosed with leukemia.

"Of course my prayers are with U2 and their families at this time, and I'm sure their fans share that sentiment with me,” said West, who performed two nights ago in Paris, France. "It's been an incredible experience touring with U2. They are a truly special band, a great organization, and their fans are the best in the world."