First, breathe. Then move: Yoga really can help with menopause symptoms according to researchers in India. And the difference it makes isn’t insignificant:

Women in the yoga group also listened to lectures on using yoga to manage stress and other yoga-related topics, while those in the control group heard lectures on diet, exercise, the physiology of menopause, and stress.

After eight weeks, women in the yoga group showed a significant reduction in hot flashes, night sweats, and sleep disturbances, while the women in the control group did not, Dr. R. Chattha, of the Swami Vivekananda Yoga Anusandhana Samsthana in Bangalore, India, and colleagues found.

Both groups showed improvements in a test of attention and concentration, although improvement in the yoga group was significantly greater. In a test of memory and intelligence with 10 components, the yoga group improved on eight, while the control group improved on six. Improvements were significantly greater in the yoga group than in the control group on seven of the subtests.

“The present study shows the superiority of yoga over physical activity in improving the cognitive functions that could be attributed to emphasis on correctness in breathing, synchronizing breathing with body movements, relaxation and mindful rest,” the researchers suggest.

Those a little skittish about yoga can also get this briefing on the jargon, from namaste to vinyasa. And yoga has already been one of the methods recommended for strengthening the pelvic floor, preventing the weakness in that area that some are calling an epidemic.

Now she’s really got  control: Four years after she became famous mostly for the “wardrobe malfunction” that exposed her over-40 breast to a Super Bowl audience, Janet Jackson is now releasing her own lingerie line. And true to her age, the designer Bruno Schiavi told newspapers that she’s hard to please: “Janet’s very picky about the fit and it’s got to feel like it fits.”

The range, dubbed Pleasure Principle after Jackson’s 1987 global hit song, is her first fashion venture and will hit stores across the world from November…. “I love lingerie,” Jackson told AAP from Los Angeles. She said working with Schiavi was a perfect fit.

“It was actually my manager that introduced us to begin with and he thought we would be very compatible together and that’s how it all started,” Jackson said. “People have offered other things my way. It just wasn’t the thing for me, but when this came about I felt a great passion for it and that’s where it really stems from.”

Jackson had an instrumental role in the design process and wanted to create a brand that was detail-focused and would make every woman feel empowered. The range is aimed at women of all shapes and sizes from 10A to 18DD in a sexy rockstar colour palette of black, reds, silver and burgundy.

“It’s very bright and fun and then you have your classic blacks and reds,” Jackson said.
“It’s about the comfort, the pleasure of wearing this bra, the comfort the fit. There are things that I love and things that I don’t love about certain pieces that I even had at home.”

“It’s in my blood”: That’s what Montana banker Eloise Cobell told HDNet this week, as she talked about Cobell v. Kempthorne, her landmark 1996 lawsuit against the Department of the Interior, in which her case suffered a grievous setback last week in federal court. The HDNet segment interviews Cobell and other Native Americans who
claim they’ve never been decently compensated for the oil and gas wells
on their lands, which for 150 years have been managed by the federal
government.

In March, Montana Magazine described Cobell as “Our Woman Warrior”:

The 62-year-old grandmother has spent a lifetime finding ways to
improve lives among her fellow Blackfeet Nation citizens. She has since
made it possible for a half million Native people around the United
States to join her.
“We grew up always aware of our community because my mother and
father were always inclusive,” says Cobell. “They would gather up the
kids in the community and they’d come with us. My mother taught them
how to sew and make jellies and bread. My father taught young ones how
to handle livestock and transferred that knowledge.”
……

Cobell can be defined as one of those illuminating stars, a woman
whose light shines within her community and has spilled upon a national
arena. “The fact that she’s a ‘MacArthur genius’ doesn’t even tell the
whole story,” says Dennis Gingold, a prominent banking attorney in
Washington, D.C. “It’s a remarkable story that I haven’t seen anyone
come close to.”

As of this week, Cobell has not yet decided whether to appeal the August 9 decision.