The Power of Eleven Downward Dogs

Posted on March 24, 2025 by Joanne Guidoccio

I’m happy to welcome award-winning author and journalist, donalee Moulton. Today, donalee shares an entertaining quiz about yoga and her new release, Bind.

Here’s donalee!

In my new book, Bind, three women discover everything that happens in a yoga studio is not Zen. Sometimes it’s grand larceny. Hand in hand with two cops, and one damn cute dog, they discover who’s stolen a Patek Philippe watch from what was supposed to be a secure locker. Time is ticking.

Throughout the book, the first in the Lotus Detective Agency series, the women (and even the cops) find themselves in a yoga studio doing everything from child’s pose to bird of paradise – or trying to. In their honor, here’s a fun little quiz on the ups and downs of yoga.

Should yoga be done in front of a mirror?

Ahh, no. The last thing you want to see is the rearview of your downward dog. It’s said mirrors can breed judgement and self criticism – and create unnecessary competition.

North Americans love their yoga. How much you ask?

Americans spend around $16 billion on yoga classes, clothing, equipment, and accessories each year. The number of yoga and Pilates studios in the US increased to 38,000 in 2020. Here’s another figure for you: 300 million. That’s the approximate number of yoga practitioners worldwide. And a final number: $66.2 billion – the projected value of the global yoga market by 2027.

The world’s largest yoga lesson had how many attendees?

The largest yoga lesson was attended by 100,984 participants, with hats off to the Government of Rajasthan, Patanjali Yogapeeth, and the District Administration of Kota in India, on June 21, 2018. That’s nearly double the participants of the previous largest yoga lesson. Even Wembley stadium can’t hold that many people. This record-breaking community event was organised to celebrate International Day of Yoga 2018. The enormous assembly practised yoga together for two hours in the early morning.

What is the most dangerous yoga pose?

Probably not a good idea to try headstands. It’s contraindicated for much of the population for a slew of reasons — high blood pressure, glaucoma, and pregnancy, to name a few. It’s absolutely contraindicated for anyone with neck injuries. Interestingly, savasana – where you lie down with your eyes closed and relax – is one of the most difficult yoga poses to master.

The world’s oldest yoga teacher taught until she was how old?

The oldest yoga instructor recognized by the Guinness World Records was Tao Porchon-Lynch, who was teaching yoga up until her passing at the age of 101 in February 2020. Bless her heart.

Yoga should be practiced while wearing what type of clothes?

Loose clothes are best because you’ll be stretching, bending, and binding in all sorts of directions. You’ll want clothing that allows for a full range of motion. Recommended: garments with stretchy fabrics and a relaxed fit to ensure you can move freely.

The most ancient yoga text, Goraksha’s Century, describes how many poses?

The Gorakṣaśataka is one of the first texts that teaches Haṭha yoga’s physical methods. The first verse states that the text is for those who have renounced ordinary life to attain liberation. The text was written by an Indian sage said to have lived in the 9th or 10th century and who is believed to have been a student of Matsyendra – the first person to learn the teachings of yoga.

Here’s a multiple-choice question for you. Yoga can do what for your body according to scientific evidence and not just yoga practitioners?
(1) Improve blood flow
(2) Boost your immune system
(3) Enhance sexual function

They’re all right, but we want it to be (3). Yoga can work every muscle in your body. Research has shown that practicing yoga can delay aging and it boosts your immune system.

Yoga classes were originally intended exclusively for whom?

Yoga classes used to be just for men; women were not invited until 1937. And today 72% of yoga practitioners are women. Women were not allowed to practice yoga because it was believed to make them infertile or subject to evil spirits.

Prisoners in what country can reduce their sentence by getting top marks in a yoga test?

In 2010, prison officials in Madhya Pradesh, a state in India, launched a program to reduce inmates’ sentences if they completed a three-month yoga course. The prison authorities found that yoga not only improved the prisoners’ fitness but made them calmer, less violent, and more positive towards life.

What kind of yoga is growing in popularity?

Laughter yoga. You laugh for no reason to help reduce stress and depression. Laughter yoga releases endorphins and the “feel good” hormones, dopamine and serotonin. It also suppresses that pesky stress-hormone cortisol. These effects are linked to a better mood, reduced pain, lower blood pressure, a stronger immune system, and lower stress levels and rates of depression.

Author Bio and Links

donalee Moulton’s first mystery book Hung out to Die was published in 2023. A historical mystery, Conflagration!, was published in 2024. It won the 2024 Daphne du Maurier Award for Excellence in Mystery/Suspense (Historical Fiction). donalee has two new books in 2025, Bind and Melt, the first in a new series, the Lotus Detective Agency.

A short story “Swan Song” was one of 21 selected for publication in Cold Canadian Crime. It was shortlisted for an Award of Excellence. Other short stories have been published in numerous anthologies and magazines. donalee’s short story “Troubled Water” was shortlisted for a 2024 Derringer Award and a 2024 Award of Excellence from the Crime Writers of Canada.

donalee is an award-winning freelance journalist. She has written articles for print and online publications across North America including The Globe and Mail, Chatelaine, Lawyer’s Daily, National Post, and Canadian Business.

As well, donalee is the author of The Thong Principle: Saying What You Mean and Meaning What You Say and co-authored the book, Celebrity Court Cases: Trials of the Rich and Famous.

10 Yoga Tips from a Seasoned Yogini

Posted on July 8, 2022 by Joanne Guidoccio

I’m happy to welcome Wild Rose Press Anastasia Abboud. Today, Anastasia shares yoga tips and her new release, Tremors Through Time.

Here’s Anastasia!

I know – I absolutely know – that everyone would expect me to talk about gardening. But I’ve had a yoga practice for at least as long as I’ve gardened and done it more regularly – since I was around eight years old, in fact. Over the years, my practiced has ebbed and flowed, but I have continued it. I feel more than comfortable sharing a few tips and will begin with the most obvious.

1. Practice daily. Yoga is meant to be an intrinsic part of one’s daily life. It’s good for mind, body, and soul.

2. By the same token, even if you have a yoga class later in the day or evening, try to begin each day with a morning flow and end with at least a few calming poses at bedtime.

3. Yoga will make you stronger inside and out.

4. You do not have to be “in shape” to practice yoga.

5. Most yoga is Hatha yoga. It is a balanced approach consisting of postures (asanas) and breathing exercises (pranayama).

6. Pranayama techniques can and will come to your rescue in various life situations.

7. I have to say, I can’t think of Power Yoga as yoga. But I do think it’s a great workout based on yoga poses and practices. Just be careful. Like other forms of exercise, it is easy to hurt yourself if you don’t do it correctly.

8. Hot yoga can actually be very relaxing.

9. You can keep your religion and practice yoga. Yoga is all about intention. It does not require you to worship a God other than your own.

10. Last but not least, fold your yoga mat in half before you roll it. Seriously, people!

Tagline

In the infinite vastness of time—past, present, future, past—love prevails.

Blurb

She’s made mistakes and paid the price, but Deidre Chisolm is no quitter. She’ll never again be a fool for a man, not even her gorgeous new neighbor with his haunted eyes and strange accent. She’ll be friendly, but nothing more.

Lachlann has to go back to fourteenth-century Scotland. He can’t forsake his family, his son. But when a beautiful, kind, funny lady buys the house next door, he’s never been so drawn to anyone in his life. Would she believe his story? After years of struggling through nightmares and flashbacks, headaches and illiteracy, dare he ask her to help him return?

Book Links

Amazon | Goodreads | Website | BookBub

Author Bio and Links

For me, playing is the best — playing outdoors in nature or in my garden, experimenting in the kitchen, spending time with those I love. I also enjoy disappearing into a good book, attempting crafts, learning, writing, exploring, discovering. I especially like to mix it up and have yet to perfect any of it; and I’ve come to realize that perfection’s not the point. It’s all wonderfully fun. That’s the point!

I prefer authentic and natural, be it food, lifestyle, people. I passionately enjoy both history and science, and certainly sociology to a degree, and I am most truly a romantic.

My husband and I have been married for over forty years. We reside near Houston, Texas, surrounded by loved ones. We have a blast with our little grandchildren.

I thank God for this wonderful life.

My Yoga Practice…Then and Now

Posted on April 5, 2020 by Joanne Guidoccio

In late June of 2009, the following newspaper advertisement caught my attention:

Unlimited yoga during the months of July and August for $160

I planned to attend three classes a week and see how I felt by the end of the summer.

I was hooked after the first week.

The classes were small, and the instructors were able to work with me on an individual basis. I test-drove all the instructors and then zeroed in on my favorites: Amy, the social worker from Newfoundland who had completed her training in India; Claudia, the young mother who offered a structured class that appealed to my left-brain tendencies; and Lisa, the quintessential willow.

Continue reading on the Soul Mate Authors blog.

Stepping Out of Time

Posted on June 3, 2019 by Joanne Guidoccio

A non-athlete, it took me a while to find a preferred physical activity, but once I discovered yoga, I was hooked.

That was ten years ago.

Since then, I’ve gone off the “yoga wagon” several times—interestingly enough right before prolonged writer’s blocks—but have now settled into a practice that both center and challenges me.

Continue reading on Brenda Whiteside’s post.

Living Well and Opting for Joy – A Centenarian’s Secrets

Posted on December 12, 2018 by Joanne Guidoccio

On Wednesdays, I share posts, fables, songs, poems, quotations, TEDx Talks, cartoons, and books that have inspired and motivated me on my writing journey. I hope these posts will give writers, artists, and other creatives a mid-week boost.

Yoga teacher and competitive ballroom dancer Tao Porchon-Lynch turned 100 on August 13, 2018. Just before her birthday, she shared the following seven secrets for aging gracefully:

Secret No. 1: Wake up before the sun. “I wake up before the sun rises because I like to watch it rise,” says Tao Porchon-Lynch.“ By observing nature, I can feel a life force. I look outside my window to the sky and tell myself that this is going to be the best day of my life. Then I’ll often pick up my journal and write something that comes to my mind that’s in my heart.”

Secret No. 2: Be grateful—and optimistic. Tao Porchon-Lynchsays she learned the importance of embodying both of these traits from the time she was a child. “I was raised by my aunt and uncle, and my uncle started every day with, ‘It’s a beautiful day, isn’t it?’ Now I do the same, and I do it with a smile. I believe the key to a long life is positive thinking.”

Secret No. 3: Don’t put off until tomorrow what you can do today. When Tao Porchon-Lynch has something to do, she says she does it right away—she never procrastinates. “I don’t want to sit there hoping, wishing, and wasting time,” she says. “I always practice my yoga in the morning and my dancing in the afternoon. This commitment is likely why I’ve received the Guinness World Records for being the oldest yoga teacher and the oldest competitive ballroom dancer.”

Secret No. 4: Remember the true meaning of yoga. “Yoga can be the joy of life, and it’s not just about putting our bodies into specific postures,” she says. “It’s about expressing what comes from inside of you and showing up when you meet other people to create a oneness.”

Secret No. 5: If you see a barrier, try to push past it. Yoga has almost always been a part of Tao Porchon-Lynch’s life. “I was introduced to it when I was seven years old; I wandered to the beach near my childhood home in French India and saw some boys practicing yoga on the sand,” she says. “I followed their movements and I thought that I was learning a new game. That evening I told my aunt about the game, and she explained that it was called yoga and that it was only for boys. This was 1925. I told her that girls can do what boys can do, and by the time I was eight years old, I was on that beach joining the boys during my playtime.”

Secret No. 6: Do what you love. “I became a yoga teacher after friends saw me incorporating yoga into my everyday life and asked to join my practice. What I love most about teaching is seeing a smile come onto someone’s face when they realize that they can do things that they thought were impossible, physically and mentally.”

Secret No. 7: Don’t be afraid to age. “I don’t feel any different now that I’ve turned 100. I’m not even scared. And I’ll never stop practicing yoga—it’s the dance of life! The breath is the breath eternal, which makes all things possible.”

Source: Yoga Journal September 2018

A Love Affair with Yoga

Posted on October 31, 2018 by Joanne Guidoccio

A yoga enthusiast, protagonist Gilda Greco loves to share her experiences and extol the many benefits of the practice.

Here’s her story:

During the first forty-nine years of my life, I was content to be the non-athlete in my circle. Well, one of the non-athletes. Several ladies did play golf and one adventurous soul went white water rafting for a week each summer. For the most part, we were content to participate in book clubs, see movies and theater, and attend gallery openings and other cultural events.

All that changed after I won $19 million in Lotto 649 and embarked on a series of travel adventures.

Continue reading on A Holland Reads blog.

Yoga Humor for the Holidays

Posted on December 22, 2017 by Joanne Guidoccio

Yoga Humor

Posted on September 29, 2017 by Joanne Guidoccio

Yoga Humor

Posted on September 15, 2017 by Joanne Guidoccio

A Yoga Oxymoron

Posted on October 17, 2015 by Joanne Guidoccio

I collect oxymorons—or to be more technically correct, oxymora—and like to pepper my conversations with same difference, random order, and open secret. When I use less common oxymora such as planned spontaneity, controlled chaos, clean dirt, and pontificatory salvos, I enjoy watching the puzzled expressions on the faces of listeners who wonder whether they should laugh or not.