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All submitted articles should be the original work of the author. Submitted articles must not appear in print or any other publication medium prior to publication in the Yoga Bridge.

Please send ads in PDF format with fonts embedded only. Additional charge for typesetting. The YAA reserves the right to request that ads be reformatted.  

Deadlines are mid-August, mid-November and mid-March of each year. Call the office for confirmed dates.

I  COMPOSITIONAL FORMAT

A. Content - All material submitted for publication should be related to yoga practice or  study, or to disciplines complementary to yoga (e.g. meditation, reiki, Ayurvedic  medicine). Articles should be informative and not self-promotional.

B.  Audience - Keep in mind the beginner as well as the experienced practitioner:  How familiar is the reader likely to be with your material?  Give background information using common terms; explain uncommon terms.

C.  Tone - Informative, open and relaxed, but formal.  We want to hear your voice expressing your understanding of the topic and its practical application to the reader.

D. Style - May be expository, discursive, journalistic, conversational; avoid being colloquial.

E. Compositional Detail - suggestions:

1. include colourful analogies, quotations, anecdotes (different than writing anecdotally), descriptions, examples, definitions, but be concise
2. relate cause and effect
3. logically sequence the information

F.  Photos and Other Illustrations - are welcome and will be returned to you. Please write your name and address on the back. Copyright Policy: If your article contains illustrations, diagrams, graphics or anything else that you have copied from other publications, please ensure that you have obtained written permission from the publisher to copy and publish its property in the Yoga Bridge and that you send a copy of the written permission to the YAA office along with your submitted article.

G.  Quotations - Make sure you are crediting all sources of your quotations and check for exact wording.

H. Your Biography - With the exception of short News Briefs, include a short description of yourself at the bottom of your article (do not include phone numbers).

I.  Proof-Reading - Please proofread your final draft before submission.  Check for typing or punctuation errors, etc.  Make sure all titles (of books, etc.), names and locations are spelled correctly.  Have someone else proof-read your work, as well.  Remember: two pairs of eyes catch more than one.

J.  Submission Format -  Submit by e-mail to yogaab@telusplanet.net

K.  Before publication of your article in the Yoga Bridge, it will be edited/proofread by the following people:

1. An editorial board member will review your article for its length and depth. At this stage, major revisions may be asked for such as elaboration of ideas, deletion of other ideas.  The writer will be given guidance as to what is needed to make the presentation of the ideas interesting to the readership.
2. The Chief Editor will review the article for appropriate content, for clear and coherent development of the main idea, and for the correct use of elements of language (imagery, analogies, clarity) and of conventions (spelling, punctuation, grammar).
3. The Copy Editor will review the article’s organization, elements of language and conventions.
4. The Editorial Board will proofread the whole newsletter just before it goes to print.

The writer will consulted about any major editorial changes, but not about minor ones.

II. TYPES OF ARTICLES

A.  Feature Articles - 1000 words suggested, unless otherwise specified. This can be any topic related to yoga practice or study, or to disciplines complementary to yoga. Please inform editorial staff before the submission deadline if your article is longer.  Lengthy submissions may be condensed at the editor’s discretion.

B. Workshop Previews – 1,000 words or less, unless otherwise specified.  Preface with the following information:  Title, date, location, name(s)of teacher(s) or facilitators and sponsoring organization.  If possible, include in the body of your article details of the teacher's skills, experience and background.  Provide information about the approach the teacher takes to yoga and/or about the method or tradition from which the teaching is derived.  This is not a review of your impressions or subjective opinion about how the workshop was for you.  It should provide information for the reader about that particular approach to yoga so that the reader can learn about that particular method.

C. Yoga Practised at a Workshop/Retreat

1. Include in the body of your article details of the teacher’s skills, experience and background.
2. Provide information about what approach the teacher takes to yoga and/or about the method or tradition from which the teaching is derived.  This is not a review of your impressions or subjective opinion about how the workshop was for you.
3. It should provide information for the reader about that particular approach to yoga so that the reader can learn about that particular method.  DO NOT WRITE about what the workshop/retreat was like.  For example, do not write statements such as:  The food was delicious.  The setting was serene.  The teaching was excellent.  WRITE about what you learned about yoga.  For example, you might write the statement, “Yoga is concentration.”  and then go on to explain some of the yoga concentration techniques practised during the workshop/retreat.
4. In reviews of workshops:  ask yourself, “What is ______?” (ex. What is Kundalini Yoga?  or What is Bhakti Yoga?).  This helps make the article informative.

D.  Book, CD, Video, DVD Reviews -  Include some or all of the following information:

1. 500 words or less, unless otherwise specified.  Include author’s name, as well as title, publishing information and, if possible, price of the book in cloth and/or paper.
2. Summarize the book’s main purpose and/or main idea.
3. Summarize how the author presents or organizes the material.
4. Who is its target audience; who might be interested or benefit from reading  it/attending future workshops by this teacher or in this method?
5. What made you interested in the book/workshop; what makes it worth reviewing?
6. Information about the author - qualifications, background, etc.

E.  Personal Benefits of Yoga -  250-500 words absolute MAXIMUM.  Description of your problem and how yoga - asanas, meditation or pranayama - helped you.  What happened?  Time frame - how long it took, when?  Please be specific - how can your experience help others. Personal experiences of workshops and retreats of workshops and retreats.  Need to also include information outlined in B. (One article will be published per newsletter.)

III CALENDAR OF EVENTS NORTH AND SOUTH AND ADVERTISING GUIDELINES

1. Listing preference will be given to events taking place in Alberta.
2. Due to space considerations and as per our mandate to promote the practice of yoga specifically, listings for events in the calendar will be accepted only if they are TRADITIONAL FORMS OF YOGA PRACTICE.
3. Each entry may have one line of description of the event (the number of characters [letters, spaces, punctuation (approximately 90)] that fill  one line) plus time, place, cost and contact information.
4. All entries will be screened and edited at the editor's discretion.
5. Submitters of events must be current YAA members.
6. Lower case text only please, not upper case.
7. Formatting and layout of paid advertisements by the YAA must be requested at least two weeks prior to the issue deadline and is available only when time permits.
8. The newsletter staff is not responsible for confirming or checking the accuracy of the information provided in Calendar entries.
9. Please double-check dates, times, location, contact person, etc., before submission. Due to the large volume of submissions we now receive, event lists which do not follow these guidelines will be returned to the sender to be edited and resubmitted before the newsletter deadline.
10. Re: paid advertising.  We have received feedback that strong graphic images, less text and more white space create an eye catching visual effect. Please send your advertisements as PDF files with embedded fonts if at all possible.  For any other format please leave at least two weeks of lead time to make sure the ads can be imported. The YAA will accept advertising that is directly related to yoga practice or study, or to disciplines complementary to yoga (e.g. Vipassana meditation, Reiki, Ayurvedic medicine), and is subject to the editor's discretion.
11. Check the newsletter for how to sequence your information.  Please send submissions in the following format only.  Please keep descriptions as short as possible. Submissions may be edited in the interest of space limitations.
12. Please submit in the following order and layout:
    Date. Workshop Title. Instructor. Description. Time. Cost. Address. Contact person and phone number.
    

    example:
    Feb 2-3  Hatha Yoga Workshop with Janice Belamy.  Yoga for Beginners - a gentle approach.  Fri 4-6pm / Sat 2-4pm. $80. 441 Sunview Way.  Gillian Brown 222-2222.

IV CONDITIONS OF PUBLICATION

Please note the following conditions of publication found on page two of Yoga Bridge.  Submission of your article to the YAA Yoga Bridge will be accepted as your intended agreement with these conditions. The YAA editorial board reserves the right to copy-edit and condense all articles being published. Any substantive changes will be made in consultation with the author and in view of publication deadlines.  Anyone wishing to submit an article should call the YAA office and request the YAA Newsletter Submission Guidelines for Contributors.