Happy Tails Yoga Puts You In “Position” To Stop Cruelty To Animals

2nd Annual Yoga Event Benefits NJSPCA

Yoga lovers, instructors and studios throughout New Jersey are being called upon to stretch, reach and bend into their best cow, dolphin, eagle and downward facing dog pose to benefit New Jersey’s abused animals.

During the month of May, 2010 Happy Tails Yoga is hosting statewide yoga classes to benefit the New Jersey Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (NJSPCA). The premise of Happy Tails Yoga is simple: during the month of May yoga teachers donate their time by teaching classes, attendees donate their money to take these classes. Happy Tails Yoga turns over 100% of the proceeds to the NJSPCA to benefit mistreated and neglected animals.

Happy Tails Yoga was established in 2008 by Energy in Motion and Rockaway, NJ resident Tiffiny Twardowsky, and co-founders Dina Smodlaka of Colonia, NJ and Carly Porrello of South Plainfield, NJ as a way to combine their two passions: yoga and animals. "Yoga is the country's fastest growing exercise. There's so much good energy and so many good people in this community. Nobody was combining the good of yoga for the good of animals as a way to raise funds," stated Twardowsky. "So I thought of leveraging the yoga community to help do something good for animals in need."

Last year, over 180 animals lovers came together to raise $3,900 for the NJSPCA. This year, Happy Tails Yoga seeks to, in one month, stretch its donation to $5,000.

Participants interested in taking a class can visit the “schedule” section on the Happy Tails Yoga website and are encouraged to check back often as classes are constantly added. For those who cannot attend a class but would like to make a monetary donation, NJSPCA has a donation link on their website specifically for Happy Tails Yoga. You can also mail checks made payable to NJSPCA to:

Happy Tails Yoga
c/o Tiffiny Twardowsky
PO Box 53
Rockaway, NJ 07866

Yoga teachers who would like to donate their time, or facilities that would like to donate their location, can register on the Happy Tails Yoga website as well. The deadline to register is April 15, 2010.

The Difference Between Yoga and Pilates

Pilates and yoga have become popular additions to many people's exercise programs. While both use similar movements and focus on breathing, they are quite different. The goal of pilates is to increase the core strength and core stability of the body. The abdominal muscles, lower back and buttocks, called the "powerhouse," serve as the center of all movement, allowing the rest of the body to move freely. Pilates also incorporates extensive work on a mat and machines emphasizing control, precision and concentration of movement; the focus is on quality not quantity.

The system of yoga is built on three main concepts: exercise, breathing, and meditation. The exercises are a series of poses called asanas. These can range from gentle fluid stretches to vigorous flowing movements that invigorate, strengthen and balance the body and mind. Yoga offers many breathing techniques that can help bring out a specific mind/body effect. One of the most useful breathing techniques, called Ujjayi, helps to calm and center the mind, maintain the body's flow of energy and prepare the body for meditation. The goal of meditation is to focus and quiet the mind, to free the mind from the constant stream of thoughts so that it becomes still and silent.

Whether you chose yoga, pilates, or a combination, both techniques and beneficial and with the help of an experienced instructor, you will surely reach the goals you set up for yourself!