"Can you stand in love and trust and still win a million dollars? One yogi and Survivor contestant finds out" by Aras Baskauskas

To get the inside scoop on Aras's journey before and after winning CBS's "Survivor" and how he's grown and changed as a yogi and a human being pick up the June 2008 FIT YOGA.

OT for Children with Autism, Special Needs and Typical. color. 45 min. TRP Yoga, 5737 Kanan Rd., #354, Agoura Hills, CA 91301; 818-874-1403; www.trpyoga.com. DVD $35. Closed-captioned.

HEALTH Occupational Therapy (OT) may help children with autism and other disabilities improve their environmental awareness, body control, acceptance of new sensations, and organization of behavior. OT for Children with Autism, Special Needs and Typical carefully illustrates some activities designed to help children achieve these goals. Trained therapist Britt Collins demonstrates techniques that can be offered to supplement or as part of an overall OT program. The methods are designed to benefit children with sensory/body awareness issues, regardless of cause. Sessions with two autistic children aged 5½ are used as examples; joint sessions with a normally developing child help provide a baseline. OT for Children presents a clear introduction to how OT may help with specific behaviors; at this modest price, it is highly recommended for both health education and public libraries.—Courtney Deines-Jones, Grimalkin Group, LLC, Silver Spring, MD

Sunday, April 27th, 2008 News-Medical.net "Sensory Integration Therapy Helps Children with Autism"

"Parents of children with autism are increasingly turning to sensory integration treatments to help their children deal with the disorder, and they’re seeing good results. In 2007, 71 percent of parents who pursued alternatives to traditional treatments used sensory integration methods, and 91 percent found these methods helpful."

For entire article please visit http://www.news-medical.net/print_article.asp?id=37804

"Happiness is Waiting for You" by Aras Baskauskas"

"Just two weeks after finishing the yoga teacher’s training at Mount Madonna, I was asked to participate on the TV show Survivor. Aware of the morally questionable behavior typically rewarded on that show, I set out to play the game in a manner that meshed with my own moral code. Knowing full well that happiness dwells not in money but rather in ways of Being, I reframed the game and challenged myself to stand in trust and love—with $1 million dangling in my face. Should I stray from that challenge, I asked myself, how quickly would I be able to get back into balance and harmony? The entire game became an opportunity to practice Being."

For entire article please visit: http://www.visionmagazine.com/archives/0802/viewpoint.html

"SLP native uses film skills for Autism DVD" written by Seth Rowe

"After he learned that his son, Odin, had autism, Olson and his wife, Jackie, decided to put together an occupational therapy DVD to help other parents…"I think as a family, we felt very alone at first, very scared about what the future held for us and what it all meant…"

For entire article please visit: The Minnesota Sun website, article in their archives.

"Sensing how to help those with Special Needs" by Kelli Lackett

"When Britt Collins first met Odin Olson, he wouldn’t eat anything that wasn’t white. French fries, pasta without sauce, potato chips and pizza without toppings were ok, but feeding the almost 3-year-old anything else was a struggle.
Odin, who is autistic, was suffering from a problem with sensory integration in which the brain does not process information from the senses in a typical way. Sensory experiences include touch, movement, awareness of the body in space, sight sound, smell, taste and the pull of gravity."

For entire article, please visit The Coloradoan website in their archives.

"The inhale and the exhale are not only vital for our survival but also very much a reflection of the ebb and flow of life. In a sense they are a constant reminder of our interconnectedness with the universe and so offer a window into something much grander, albeit subtler. Breath control practices, know in Yogic systems as pranayamas, teach us how to still the mind and attain higher states of awareness."

For entire article, please pick up a copy of LA Health magazine.