Elephant Pharmacy and Yoga Journal Magazine Team up with Yogi Rodney Yee to Prescribe Yoga for the Holidays.

Business Editors

BERKELEY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 16, 2003

Berkeley Pharmacy Hosts a "Yoga Holiday Festival", Demonstrates Poses

for Holiday Health, Previews Hot Yoga Fashions

Elephant Pharmacy and Yoga Journal Magazine today announced that the acclaimed yoga teacher Rodney Yee will be the master of ceremonies at their upcoming "Yoga Holiday Festival" on Wednesday, November 19th, 2003 at 6:30 - 9:30 PM at Elephant Pharmacy (1607 Shattuck Avenue at Cedar Street in Berkeley). Rodney Yee will introduce teachers from many of the Bay Area's best-known yoga studios who will demonstrate different poses and styles of yoga, and also educate participants on how they can keep spirits high and feet grounded through the holiday season. The holiday-oriented evening will feature a yoga fashion show, and introduce many yoga holiday gift ideas.

The event and following reception are free to the public and 10 percent of all sales at Elephant Pharmacy and raffle proceeds from that night will be donated to Yoga on the Inside -- a non-profit charity organization bringing Hatha yoga and meditation to prisons, shelters, mental institutions, alternative schools, and inner-city communities. Raffle giveaways will include two, one-day tickets to all-day intensives at Yoga Journal's San Francisco conference in January, "Yoga," the acclaimed coffee table book full of stunning black and white photography, subscriptions to Yoga Journal Magazine, and clothing from many of the participating yoga wear designers. This special one-evening event will be held in a large tent pavilion at Elephant Pharmacy.

"We are proud that at our Berkeley pharmacy we advise some of our customers to take fewer drugs and supplements and instead turn to other techniques, such as yoga -- the ancient, proven solution for health and vitality," said Elephant Pharmacy's Founder and Chairman Stuart Skorman. "Our mission here at Elephant Pharmacy is to keep our customers healthy by selling products like organic food, bubble baths, natural cosmetics, and meditation items."

"Yoga has become an integral part of the wellness trend in this country," said John Abbott, president and CEO of Yoga Journal. "We're delighted to join forces with Elephant Pharmacy to produce this first-ever pharmacy-based yoga event."

The teachers at the event will demonstrate a variety of yoga styles, and will educate participants about how various poses can boost the immune system and relieve such common holiday issues as indigestion, stress, and exhaustion. MC Rodney Yee will offer insightful commentary on the poses and how they are effective. Poses will be demonstrated by instructors from Piedmont Yoga Studio (Ashtanga Yoga, Oakland), Funky Door Yoga (Bikram Yoga, Berkeley), YogaKula (Anusara Yoga, Berkeley), Yoga Mandala (A variety of yoga styles, Berkeley), and other Bay Area studios. The demonstration will include fashions by Gaiam, Prana, Stonewear, Marika's lines of Shiva Shakti and Balance, Danskin, Hugger Mugger, and Be Present. Following the event, the audience will have an opportunity to mingle with presenters at a reception featuring festive snacks and beverages.

ABOUT RODNEY YEE

Rodney Yee is one of today's best-known yogis. With 17 highly popular videos to his credit, Yee has inspired untold numbers of yoga recruits to unroll their mats and meet themselves. Yee's classes reflect his precise, yet easy-going style, and he is a popular teacher worldwide, leading dozens of workshops and retreats each year. He is co-director with his wife, Donna Fone, of Piedmont Yoga Studio in Oakland, California. He has also appeared on Oprah, and has recently published a book, "Yoga: The Poetry of the Body."

ABOUT ELEPHANT PHARMACY

Elephant Pharmacy, which opened in November 2002, is a prescription pharmacy and wellness center with a full-service herbal remedies department, a staff of health experts, and free wellness seminars. The store offers the largest selection of vitamins in the East Bay and a variety of health and wellness products, from yoga products and books to candles, meditation tapes, and health snacks. The store also specializes in natural cosmetics, organic food, toys, stationery, and an unrivaled selection of greeting cards. Elephant Pharmacy's website is located at www.elephantpharmacy.com.

ABOUT YOGA JOURNAL

Yoga Journal (www.yogajournal.com), which was has been named the Best Health and Fitness Magazine in the United States by Folio: magazine for two consecutive years, is the largest-circulation yoga magazine in the country. Founded in 1975, the bimonthly has a paid circulation of 300,000 and more than 950,000 readers. It has been featured in The New York Times, Newsweek, and Time; on Oprah; and in other major media. Yoga Journal holds several conferences a year, including its annual convention in Estes Park, Colorado, the most prestigious yoga event in the world, with more than 1,200 national and international participants. Yoga Journal also produces many best-selling yoga books, videos, and DVDs, including a new series, "Yoga Journal's Yoga Step-by-Step: The Total Guide to Beginning Your Home Practice." The magazine is published by Yoga Journal, LLC, based in Berkeley, California.