Reality TV dad Jon Gosselin seems to finally be getting some help. The embattled father of 8 was recently spotted by Us magazine giving yoga a spin, trying out different poses and stretching as well as meditative and breathing exercises.

The 33-year-old has made tabloid headlines in the last few months since him and his wife of 10 years, Kate, started divorce proceedings. But it seems the partying and bad behavior has led him to try to find holistic help as he faces a large legal battle with his estranged wife.

Us magazine went so far as to get their yoga expert to comment on Jon’s seemingly new found lifestyle change.

“I’m sure with all that has been going on in Jon’s life, things are out of whack. He’s got to let go of external distractions and tap into his spirituality,” Michelle Demus, the programming director at Pure Yoga in Manhattan, told the tabloid. “A big tenant of yoga is to let go, to be present in the moment. So when he’s with his children, he could actually be present and be a father.”

Aside from the spiritual benefits, yoga has obvious fitness benefits as well. So it’s good news that Jon isn’t only getting his mind into shape, he’s also working on his body.

Celeb Diet Doc…
What a train wreck… I don’t think there is much more to add

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British actress Thandie Newton has starred in films such as Mission Impossible II, Crash and W. She’s simply gorgeous and always looks picture-perfect on the red carpet. In this month’s issue of the UK InStyle Magazine the 37-year-old mother-of-two explains that her fit figure all boils down to good genes workouts at the gym and plenty of yoga. She said,

“I’m a Jivamukti yoga freak – it’s food for my soul. When I’m not working, I’ll drop Rip off at school and Nico at nursery, then I go to yoga.”

Jivamukti yoga isn’t one of the more common forms of yoga but it’s a stimulating exercise that incorporates Sanskrit chanting, meditation and deep relaxation. Newton mentioned that she also does a lot of work with her trainer, Liston Wingate-Denys. As for the genes she says she inherited, her father is British and her mother is Zimbabwean. What a knock-out!

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Emmy Rossum keeps her 23-year-old body tight and taught by heating it up; she practices Bikram Yoga (also known as Hot Yoga). The actress and star of Phantom of the Opera tweeted recently that she was taking Bikram classes.

“Continuing with my new workout kick,” Emmy said from her Twitter account. “105 degrees, 90 minutes of Bikram hell = a really clear mind and a really toned behind. Oh it even rhymes!”

Created by Bikram Choudhury, Bikram takes you through 26 postures or asanas and 2 breathing exercises. As Emmy tweeted, the 90-minute classes are practiced in a room heated to 105 degrees Fahrenheit with a humidity of 40%. Because the rooms are so hot, you will sweat quite a bit, getting rid of toxins in the body. Your muscles are warm, which allows you greater flexibility for deeper stretching, and the heat also helps prevents injuries as well as relieve stress and tension.

Watch this video that explains the practice more.

Cute as Emmy’s personality may be, the Golden Globe Award nominee’s body is scorching hot!

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It seems more and more Bollywood actresses are becoming hooked on yoga, not only for its physical benefits but also because of its healing effects on the mind. Actresses like Shilpa Shetty, Kareena Kapoor and Kangana Ranaut simply can’t get enough of the eastern practice.

“I think yoga has changed my life,” says Kareena. “My morning yoga practice is something that keeps me going.”

Shilpa released her own yoga DVD, Shilpa’s Yoga, this summer. The Bollywood beauty says the Indian discipline really helps keep her mind, body and soul fit.

“I had a neck problem and suffered from chronic spondylitis. So I started practicing yoga. I took professional training and it really benefited,” Shilpa says. “I don’t believe in starving myself to remain thin. I eat well, work out and practise yoga to remain healthy. If you want to get peace for the mind, body and soul, yoga is the only answer.”

In the introduction to her DVD, Shilpa says yoga is the most holistic approach to health she’s ever come across, and the muscle tone and flexibility that comes with it is a bonus.

Watch the DVD’s introduction here.

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Chris Noth, the infamous Mr. Big on Sex and the City (SATC) revealed to US Magazine that he shaped up for the latest SATC movie that is currently filming in NYC.  The 54-year-old said he went to Ilha Grande, Brazil where there is a resort that gets you into shape.  I’m guessing it’s like fat camp for rich people.  He said,

“Usually it’s about going to a trainer and all that but [the resort has] a very holistic approach. But I needed to bring my body into fitness — so I went for nine days.  It was a total vegetarian diet. Basically, you spend all day doing yoga, hiking, kayaking, eating vegetarian food, no coffee, no alcohol, no meat.”

Noth went on to say that the idea at the resort is to get cleansed but not to starve.  In addition, he said he’s never been one for yoga so it was a lot of hard work.  At the resort they practiced basic Hatha yoga.  Clients also do painting while there, so it’s obviously a very holistic approach to cleansing and weight loss where the mind, body and spirt are all nurtured.

Now that Noth is in shape he has to keep it off and for him, hanging out at restaurants can be difficult.  He said,

“The only problem is the upkeep of it. Restaurant portions are way too big. And you realize everything around you is basically bad for you,” he says. “It’s a process.”

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If you’ve been suffering from chronic back pain, take up yoga. New research shows that over time the Eastern practice eases pain in your lower back and even lifts bad moods and bouts of depression.

Reported in the online journal Spine, the researched studied two groups over three years. The participants who did yoga were taught by Iyengar certified instructors for 90 minutes twice a week for 24 weeks.

According to Dr Kimberly Williams, research assistant professor in the Department of Community Medicine at West Virginia University, the yoga group had less pain, were more mobile and less depressed.

“Yoga improves functional disability, pain intensity, and depression in adults with CLBP [chronic low-back pain],” says Williams. “There was also a clinically important trend for the yoga group to reduce their pain medication usage compared to the control group.”

Williams and her colleagues began their study of the two groups in an attempt to scientifically prove what many yogis have been claiming for years – that yoga helps ease back pain.

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As a fire-fighter’s ex-wife, Andrea Roth has been burning up the small screen. Starring alongside Dennis Leary in the hit FX Network TV show Rescue Me, there are not many 41-year-old actresses who look that good in those many underwear scenes.

The blonde beauty certainly doesn’t have to worry about the camera adding 10 pounds with her very simple workout routine and effortless diet. Speaking to Examiner.com, Roth admitted to hiking in the Hollywood hills for an hour every morning with her dogs, working out with 10 pound weights at home every other day and then fitting in a little yoga as well.

“I do hatha yoga. I tried to do Bikram with a friend of mine for a while, but we were just too inconsistent with it,” Roth told Examiner.com. “We’d go three times a week for two weeks, and then not make it back for a long time. It’s a really tough workout though; maybe a little too militant for me.”

When she knows she’s got a big underwear scene coming up, Roth increases the intensity of her hikes and straps on a pair of FitFlops too.

Because of her daily hikes, the Canadian actress says she doesn’t really watch her diet that closely, but has never been “a big sugar person” anyway. Although she loves sushi, fish and occasionally a big steak, she tries to stick to a well balanced diet.

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Exercise TV has created a new workout that’ll keep both yoga and fitness fanatics happy. Created by trainer Angie Stewart, the workout combines elements of traditional yoga poses and stretches with a bit of cardio, and is being touted as the perfect cool down after an hour of hardcore strength training.

“You’ll stretch, loosen and sweat while developing important breath control,” Exercise TV says. “Angie’s power yoga series will have your heart pumping as she teaches you stretches to lengthen the muscles you use every day.”

Stewart, a resident trainer on Exercise TV, has more than 20 years experience in the fitness industry and is known for effortlessly combining cardio, strength and stretch workouts. Check out the free video here: Yoga Fitness Fusion!

Camilla Belle is an up and coming actress who has most recently starred in 10,000 BC, Push and A Deriva.  She has elegant features and nice long and tone muscles thanks to her devotion to Hatha yoga.  According to People Magazine Camilla said that doing yoga isn’t just about the exercise but also the meditative benefits as well.  She said,

“[It's] a mix between the physical and meditating.  It keeps me on track.”

She also mentioned that yoga helps her relax when work gets stressful.  She explained,

“Work can get really hectic sometimes,” says the actress. “It’s nice to be able to tune out and get relaxed.”

Hatha yoga is one of the more vigorous forms of yoga as it is meant to purify the body before entering a long session of meditation.  Likewise, this ‘purification’ consists of sweating and getting out all of those toxins.  Jennifer Aniston also does Hatha yoga but there are many other forms of this holistic practice.  For example, Giselle Bundchen practices Anusara yoga and Ryan Kwantan practices Vinyasa yoga.

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