8th Thessaloniki International Book Fair

The publishing house Garuda Hellas participated in the 8th Thessaloniki International Book Fair from 5
to 8 May 2011.

On Sunday, May 8, 2011 at 17:00 at the Literary Café (booth 13), Garuda gave a presentation on "Yoga
and Education" as the theme of this year’s book fair was "Books and Education".
Yoga teachers and members of the association of “Friends for Research in Yoga Education» (RYE)
showed what happens in the body and mind of the student during a typical class. Specifically, they discussed: state the body and the mind of the student, how the situation affects his own contribution and participation in the learning process and how it promotes or hinders the effectiveness of the teaching process.

In addition, reference was made to techniques which effectively balance of the nervous and endocrine
systems. Practices which change the brain waves from Beta to Alpha and remove tensions, are also
important as this facilitates concentration, memory and sound judgment, which are all basic requirements
for an effective education.

There was also a presentation of the research that has been done on the relaxation technique 'yoga nidra'
and brain activity during meditation.

Finally, there was a demonstration of techniques that can be adapted and used in the classroom as part of
the educational process. These techniques provide new information on the methodology of teaching and
help the teacher to manage the challenges presented in the classroom. They also help the student to cope
with the increased demands of today's educational system.

The speakers of the event were:

Ms Athena Gini – Educator, Graduate English Literature from Aristotle University, Greece, and MA
in Counselling and Guidance from the Ohio State University, USA. Trained in the Satyananda Yoga
tradition. She is a member of the association of “Friends for Research in Yoga Education” (RYE) with
experience in implementing RYE techniques in the classroom.

Ms Asimina Lazaridou - Health Psychologist - Ph.D. Candidate, University of Macedonia, Greece.
Graduate of Bihar Yoga Bharati, India - Yoga Studies, 2006-7. Member of the British and European
Psychology Society. Member of the Mindfulness Center, Dr Ellen Langer, University of Harvard, USA.

Mr. Harris Ganatsios - Forester - Department of Forestry at Aristotelian University. He works at the
Forestry Department of the Aristotelian University of Thessaloniki. He has also taught Satyananda
Yoga for many years. He was a founding member of the association of “Friends for Research in Yoga
Education” (RYE) and has participated in numerous RYE seminars on the applications of yoga in
education. He deals professionally with the science of ecology and is interested in promoting the mutual
effects of ecology and the science of Yoga.