LOTUS 4 Lupus is a month-long event during April, 2010, in which local yoga studios and wellness centers participate by hosting beginner and/or advanced yoga classes during the month at locations throughout Missouri, eastern Kansas and southern Illinois, for which the fees will be donated to the LFA-Heartland Chapter.

Local yoga instructor and motivational speaker, Rebeccah Bennett has joined LOTUS as its Honorary Chairperson. Bennett is Senior Consultant for Public Policy, Planning and Organizational Development at Vector Communications Corporation, where she has spent nearly eleven years bringing citizens and stakeholders together to discuss and resolve public policy issues. She is also an Ashtanga Yoga Instructor, and participates in a broad variety of community organizations, including LFA.

LOTUS 4 Lupus hosted its kick-off event on Thursday, March 25 at the “Healthy Happy Hour” sponsored by the St. Louis American, where more than 50 attendees learned about lupus and participated in a FREE yoga class!

Reporter Bonita Cornute and KTVI-FOX2 and KPLR-11 are joining the Heartland Chapter to help spread the word about the many benefits of yoga for people of all abilities. 

WATCH THE APRIL 1 NEWSCASTS AT 5:30 P.M. ON KTVI-FOX2 AND 7 P.M. ON KPLR-CW11 TO SEE A GREAT STORY ABOUT LUPUS, YOGA AND THE LOTUS 4 LUPUS EVENT!

LOTUS 4 Lupus: How It Works and How it Works for YOU!

PARTICIPATE IN LOTUS 4 LUPUS AND WIN TWO FULL-CONFERENCE PASSES TO THE MIDWEST YOGA CONFERENCE IN JUNE, 2010! (www.midwestyoga.com)

1) Yoga Studios and Teachers sign up with LFA to be a participating location, by hosting yoga classes during the month of April, 2010, for which the proceeds will be donated to LFA. Classes may be hosted at ANY location, whether in a studio, at a local park, or at a local community center.

*If you are an independent instructor, or do not have space to use, but would like to participate, Emerging Wisdom is offering its studio space to any participating teacher or studio by advance request. Please email Vicki Marks at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it if you are interested in arranging alternative studio time.

2) LFA provides promotional materials, including posters and postcards to help promote the event, as well as a LOTUS 4 Lupus website, where you can sign up as a hosting studio/teacher and students sign up IN ADVANCE to come to you. Fees are collected by LFA online, so there is no confusion about donation collection! NOTE: The class fee is $10 per person.

3) Each week during April, studio totals will be calculated for a weekly total, and the top studio each week will be featured on the LFAheartland.org homepage!

4) At the end of the month, totals will be added up and the highest fundraising studio/teacher will win TWO full-conference passes to the Midwest Yoga Conference at the Hilton Indian Lakes Resort & Spa in Bloomington, Illinois on June 3 – 6, 2010!

This event is meant not only to support people living with lupus in our Chapter area, but also to promote yoga as a low-impact form of exercise which can be adapted to accommodate every level of ability.

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ABOUT LUPUS:

Lupus is a chronic, autoimmune disease that can damage any part of the body (skin, joints and/or organs inside the body). Normally our immune system produces proteins called antibodies that protect the body from foreign substances, like bacteria and viruses. With lupus, your immune system cannot tell the difference between these foreign invaders and your body's healthy tissues and creates autoantibodies ("auto" means "self") to attack and destroy healthy tissue. These autoantibodies cause inflammation, pain, and damage in various parts of the body.

IMAGINE...

~~Not being able to enjoy the summer sunshine and play with your children outside, because sun exposure could lead to a lupus flare...

~~Being turned away from your favorite nail salon, because the techs are uncomfortable with the lupus rash that has appeared on your hands...

~~At 16, being too embarrassed to go swimming with your friends because of the effects that lupus has had on your skin...

~~Having to apply for food stamps, because the effects of your illness cost more than $12,000 each year in medical treatments and lost wages...

~~Not being able to go sightseeing with your family on vacation, because even walking at a slow pace is too painful and exhausting...

~~Having a kidney transplant, because lupus has taken its toll on your body and has begun to attack vital organs...

These are all stories from the members of our LFA community. Your participation in events like LOTUS 4 Lupus helps to provide support to families, promotes awareness and understanding of the disease and provides valuable research funding into the cause and cure for lupus.

DID YOU KNOW?

--> In the United States alone it is believed that at least 1.5 million people -- women, men, teens, and children -- have lupus, and more than 16,000 new cases are reported across the country each year.

--> It takes an average of 4 years and 3 doctors to obtain a correct diagnosis of lupus.

--> Lupus strikes mostly women of childbearing age (15-44). However, men, children and teenagers develop lupus, too.

--> Women of color are 2-3 times more likely to develop lupus, but people of all races and ethnic groups can develop the disease.

To learn more about lupus and its effects, please visit our website at www.lfaheartland.org. 

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IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN PARTICIPATING, PLEASE CONTACT ME AT This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , or by calling (314) 644-2222. 

THANK YOU FOR BEING A RAY OF HOPE IN THE SEARCH FOR A CURE!