"Vinyasa is a style of yoga where we link breath with movement. In fact I think of it as a meditation in action. With purposeful movement, paying attention to safe and healthy bio-mechanical alignment we move through a series of poses [asanas] meant to activate every muscle group in the body. During any particular pose we tone and strengthen one muscle group while we lengthen, extend and safely stretch the opposing muscles," Fronczak says. Yoga uses all the muscle groups in the body. The body's metabolism speeds up when participants use their body weight as resistance, which results in burning fat. Fronczak, who also provides counseling for members of the GLBT community in his own practice, began teaching yoga two years ago.

"Why I love this practice especially with gay and lesbian people is that in our pre-coming out process and to an extent for some in their coming out process we have been taught to 'act' as the world around would dictate to us. To be who others needed us to be or told us we should be. The poses are 'invitations' to explore a certain way of being in your body and in the world. Each person adapts the pose to make it work for themselves. So the power comes from self awareness and moving in a way that is correct and healthy for the individual versus how they are 'supposed to be.' This then becomes a yoga that is transformative. For what we do on our mats can then be the metaphor for how we live our lives. Moving in a way that is genuine, authentic and in alignment with who we truly are as gay and lesbian men and women." Katherine Conte, from East Greenwich, has been practicing yoga for 15 years. "It's life-changing," Conte said, adding: "it gets you to be very real." For Jay Alves of Providence, the yoga classes provide him and his friends an opportunity for social interaction. "We just wanted to do something outside of the club," Alves noted, adding the exercises helped him gain flexibility after undergoing knee surgery last year.

A mix of dance and rhythm and blues songs play as the participants stretch, bend, and lay on their yoga mats. Fronczak offers encouragement and direction as the class goes through each routine. "Release yourself from any judgments about yourself and your body," Fronczak tells the class. The "Hot Yoga Butt" sequence of exercises commences, as participants extend one arm forward at a 90-degree angle, and hold their right leg up. This move is known as the "Helicopter." Fronczak explains that there are no "perfect yoga poses." "We have to take into consideration that each participant has their own unique genetic makeup, body shape and size, bone structure, personal injury history and level of flexibility which will influence not only their personal expression of a pose, but how they experience that pose. So the class is very individualized. People move at a rate that works for them and individualize each pose to work for their body. "Yoga's for everybody," Fronczak added. "You can make it work for you one way or the other." ·

By Joe Siegel, Innewsweekly, November 16, 2005

Tom Fronczak is presenting a special yoga class on Sunday, Dec. 3, at Raffa Yoga from 3 to 5 p.m. for a worthy cause. All money collected for attending the class will be donated to the Keep A Child Alive organization, which provides HIV/AIDS medications to children in Africa. For each donation, Fronczak will present raffle tickets for items including 60-minute stress relieving massages and yoga gift certificates.

The minimum donation is $20. The encouraged donation is $30.

Raffa Yoga is located at Cranston Studio, 1145 Reservoir Avenue, Suite 200 in Cranston, R.I.

For more information about Keep a Child Alive, connect to www.keepachildalive.org. For more information about the yoga benefit, e-mail Tom Fronzcak at TJFronczak@aol.com.