| September 21, 2026 |
NatNews |
ISSUE 236 |
YOGA CAN CREATE BALANCE IN MORE THAN ONE WAY
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It might be time to get your tree pose or warrior one ready—or at least gear up for the beloved child’s pose or savasana. According to Harvard Medical School, more than 300 million people throughout the world take part in yoga, a practice that originated in India more than 5,000 years ago. Dallas resident Virginia Altick started her yoga journey in 2012, when she spent much of her free time running and rock climbing. The rock climbing gym had a small room for yoga classes, and a fellow climber advised her that yoga would be a helpful activity, so she signed up for a beginners’ workshop. Since then, she has become an experienced registered yoga teacher (E-RYT 500) with more than 1,000 hours of training and more than 10 years of teaching and studio and program management. Though it is not her full-time career now, she is grateful that she continues to take part in the practice on a regular basis. “During a yoga class, one of the most enjoyable aspects is not being in charge and following the teacher’s cues,” she said. “This allows the student to let go of control, be present, and move without having to use intellect. Said another way, you can get into a flow state when you’re completely absorbed in the practice, and the constant narrative about yourself disappears.” Dallas resident Craig Borkenhagen said he initially began practicing yoga when he lived in New Haven, Connecticut, and had a friend from church who gave a few classes. “I liked it because it was a good supplement to the running I had started back up, and that’s why I keep at it now,” he said. “I probably (OK, definitely) don’t stretch enough during the weekly runs, so doing yoga once or twice on the weekends helps keep me loose and flexible and prevents running-related injuries.” Borkenhagen added that he also enjoys knowing that he has improved his body after each yoga class. “I’m in it purely for the physical aspect,” he said. “The practice has spiritual roots that might bother some, but those are really easy to set aside. I’ve always just looked at it as a workout or ‘fancy stretching.’” For Altick, however, yoga is about much more than exercise. “It is a framework for developing the whole person,” she said. “I think we can all agree that your life gets better when you work on your behavior, your habits, your body, your energy, your attention, and your relationship with your own mind. Yoga provides tools for all of that.” |
Various research initiatives have shown that yoga can allow a person to experience improvement in multiple areas of physical health, but it also offers significant benefits to one’s overall inner and emotional well-being. “If someone is interested to learn about the deeper aspects of yoga beyond physical exercise, a student will find that the tools of yoga can be used as a blueprint for living a great life,” Altick said. Johns Hopkins Medicine cited several advantages yoga can provide, two of which are improvements in strength and balance and the ability to foster a sense of relaxation and aid in better sleep. Borkenhagen said in terms of balance, yoga forces an individual to concentrate on the exercises and poses of each specific moment. “Like any physical activity, it takes your mind off of whatever you might have been focusing too much on,” he said. “You have to put away your cares, worries, stresses, and just focus on the pose. Then you add in the breathing, and it’s almost impossible to think of anything else. This necessarily rebalances your emotional state.” Borkenhagen also noted that yoga allows him to experience peace by offering a space to clear his mind and sometimes even pray while he’s practicing. “I’m able to let everything else from the day fall away and focus on gratitude and be in the moment,” he said. “On the physical side, like any exercise, it releases endorphins. Dopamine? Midichlorians? And those take the place of any stress I had been feeling.” One does not need to be overly flexible, know anything about Star Wars, or have pristine balance to unroll a mat and take part in a vinyasa flow. Borkenhagen said he believes that practicing yoga can be beneficial for anyone who chooses to do so. “There are movements and poses for all abilities or skill levels, and any movement is almost always better than no movement at all,” he said. Similarly, Altick said yoga is an activity that can be a potentially positive experience for any individual with an open mind to give it a try. “Yoga has many benefits, so one facet can work for one person, and another facet can work for another person,” she said. “For example, someone looking for the physical benefits only can enjoy asana (physical poses) practice, while someone looking for stress relief can enjoy the pranayama (breath) and dhyana (meditation) practices.” |
DID YOU KNOW?
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In a room of 23 people, there is slightly more than a 50-percent chance that two people share a birthday. |
MONEY SPENT ON EXPERIENCES, NOT "STUFF"
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It will likely come as news to no one that life can be quite expensive. In 2025, Amazon generated nearly $717 billion in revenue, while individuals spent $416 billion on Apple products and services. Some people, however, opt to put their money toward experiences (events, trips, adventures, etc.) instead of purchases that can eventually be given away, resold, forgotten, or used often but potentially not seen as important as they once were. Dallas-area resident Steve Bergsman said he initially created an “experience fund”—money he saves for events and experiences rather than tangible items—for himself approximately 20 years ago. “I realized I wanted to be able to go places and do things without feeling like it was going to set back my savings or investing,” he said. “I wanted a way to say ‘yes’ to experiences without any guilt attached to it.” Bergsman noted that he does not keep such money in a separate checking or savings account or anything formal but, rather, simply makes sure that he has it available when he needs and wants it. “I just set myself a monthly budget and add to it every month—almost like a bill I pay myself,” he said. What works for one person isn’t always the sought-after path for another, though. Dallas-area resident Megan England, the official fashion correspondent of NatNews, prefers to take a different approach when it comes to how money is allocated in various areas of her lifestyle. “Life’s too short,” she said. “Save for retirement and such, but also book the trip.” England noted that it’s often a balance between saving and figuring out expense logistics as she goes. She said she has all of her proper savings and bills on auto deposit, so whatever is in her account is what she can go off of. This was also her way of operating when she decided to prioritize travel years ago. “I knew I was only going to be young and child-free once,” she said. “I figured if all of my friends were getting married and having kids, then my big accomplishment would be touching all seven continents. (I didn’t make it to Antarctica proper, but I did touch a glacier and saw it with my own eyes. The sea was too rough for the excursion—my most expensive trip fail).” One of England’s memorable experiences as a result of taking a trip or going on an adventure without stressing too much about costs was the first time she traveled to Iceland in December 2016. “I had spent all of my money putting together Christmas before I left because I knew I wouldn’t have time (or funds) when I came back,” she said. “Payday was going to be on the second day of the trip, so I would be liquid then. However, in the meantime, it was sparse.”
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England said she packed a Costco-sized box of granola bars in her suitcase and in her carry-on bag so that she could have some snacks, but a slight dilemma occurred when hydration became necessary while on the plane. Thankfully, England knows how to be resourceful when balling on a budget. “I didn’t plan ahead for the now defunct budget airline WOW Air to be so Spirit-ish that they charged for every single form of liquid,” she said. “So I did what any frugal person would do at 30,000 feet above the Atlantic: I drank from the bathroom faucet.” For Bergsman, the trip that stands out to him most prominently is one he took to Chicago. “We packed in a ton while we were there, including dinner at a Michelin three-star restaurant, which was incredible,” he said. Because as Bergsman has found, such adventures in a person’s life are truly the greatest benefits of saving money not to be spent on anything that can be purchased in a store or online. “It comes down to shared experiences and memories, 1,000 percent,” he said. “Stuff fades—it gets lost, breaks, becomes outdated, ends up in a closet somewhere. But memories stick with you forever, and usually the best ones involve other people, which makes them even harder to put a price on.” Bergsman said he thinks that more people should consider saving for experiences rather than tangible items, though as an obligatory disclaimer, he did note that he is not a financial advisor. “Common sense says to get your emergency fund and retirement savings squared away first,” he said. “After that, though, throw some cash at an experience fund. Future you will thank present you when you’re eating some incredible meal in another city instead of staring at a slightly nicer TV you already forgot you bought.” And though England might not have or feel the need to create a designated experience fund, she acknowledged that she absolutely believes that it is important to have financial goals and to meet with a financial advisor about how to achieve them. “I wish I would have been more honest with mine about my goals to travel when I was in my 20s because I think it would have saved me some humbling moments,” she said. “If it’s a priority to you, it’s worth it—even if it’s traveling. There’s no right or wrong reason to save if it’s for your enjoyment.” WEEKLY PHOTO OP     .jpg)  Give us the mics, please—we have thoughts |
| Upcoming Events |
Monday, September 21: Stars vs. Blues (preseason) at the American Airlines Center; Free Cult Classic Movie Monday — La La Land at Sundown at Sundown at Granada |