Pasta power Victoria road bike team inspired by courage Page A5
NEWS: Voters can expect boundary changes /A3 ARTS: Watch or take part, it’s all about dance /A10 SPORTS: Teen judo star has choice of sports /A12
VICTORIANEWS VICTORIA Friday, February 1, 2013
Proudly serving Esquimalt & Victoria
Offer Expires Feb. 14, 2013
VN2 www.vicnews.com
The changing face of yoga Business and lifestyle merging, as instructors realize industry’s ever-increasing potential Daniel Palmer News staff
Take a deep breath, relax and let it slowly sink in. The yoga business is booming. This weekend, the modern yoga industry descends on Victoria as hundreds of yogis, fitness gurus and health experts roll out their mats for the first annual Victoria Yoga Conference. While physical and mental wellness remain at its core, yoga has blossomed into a lifestyle brand that sells everything from clothing to condos, said Chris Brandt, a marketing expert and yoga instructor. “Particularly in the yoga world, there’s a demonization of making money,” said Brandt, who will Among the highlights present a business workshop for from the Victoria Yoga studio owners and instructors on Conference, Feb. 1 Saturday. to 3 at the Victoria “When you’re talking to a band Conference Centre: or a coffee shop, you talk about 60-plus classes and your brand. When you talk to a workshops available yoga person, they say they’re Keynote speeches not a brand. It’s the resistance to Feb. 1 by authors those approaches and conversaGabrielle Bernstein tions that needs to change. Teach and Danielle Laporte whatever you want to teach on the Concert Feb. 2 by mat, but outside of that class, it’s a world music artist Will business.” Blunderfield Success stories like Chip Wilson, the founder of the $8.3-billion apparel company Lululemon Athletica, as well as Terry McBride, the Nettwerk Music CEO-turned-yoga franchise owner, show the potential for marketing yoga, Brandt said. McBride opened the Vancouver-based YYoga in 2007, and now operates eight studios that run more than 700 weekly yoga classes.
This weekend
PLEASE SEE: Yoga classes, Page A4
Sharon Tiffin/News staff
Hoping for the best Peggy Chamberlain, 84, reflected in the glass, reacts to her shot during a competitive game of shuffleboard recently at the Esquimalt Legion. A group of players meet every Thursday for matches.
Kiss contest used to make political statement Daniel Palmer News staff
A Valentine’s Day kissing contest meant to promote the downtown core isn’t getting any love from one activist group. Members of The Disruption Collective, who oppose gentrification of the core, submitted several photos to the Downtown Victoria Business Association’s annual Kiss in the City Facebook page this week. The photos showed people kiss-
ing near private property signs, and aimed to draw attention to what the collective calls “the ongoing criminalization of poverty in the city.” “The kissing contest is a vehicle for the DVBA to promote an exclusive, consumer-oriented image of the downtown area,” Collective member Julie Anne Blackpen said. DVBA general manager Ken Kelly said the photos were removed because one contained offensive content, and they didn’t suit a contest meant to “bring out the fun and
excitement on Valentine’s Day.” “We took our prerogative as the sponsors of this contest to remove all three of the submitted photos,” he said. The DVBA has several programs that aim to include the street population, including its Clean Team, which has employed about 50 people since 2005, Kelly added. The Disruption Collective plans to continue submitting photos until the Kiss in the City deadline Feb. 3. dpalmer@vicnews.com
Expect the Unexpected Other drivers make mistakes. Knowing how to drive safely means having the skills to react to the unexpected. We teach these life-saving skills everyday. Trust Young Drivers of Canada to prepare you for the road ahead. Courses are filling up quickly! Two locations - Downtown and Langford. Now enrolling for courses starting February 12 & 23, March 4 & 19. Enroll online at www.yd.com or call 250.920.9976. Email us at victoria@yd.com.
DRIVER EDUCATION COURSE APPROVED BY ICBC
www.yd.com
ISO 9001:2008 Registered