Asbury Park Press from Asbury Park, New Jersey • Page 31

HOMEGROWN PLUS Movies 2 Puzzles 9 Comics 0 Television TORROW Inside the borne of an opera legend. Imagination's "kSlf' CN A limit with (f mm pi-, mm Jersey Life online at www.app.com A A I A 1 3 2 0 0 4 1 Yoga classes teach area kids mental and physical balance while they have fun. Big-headed dogs latest U.S. craze i fe mi Ml 1 1 nh if Q. htt i mm -Ly TJh A x-ti f1 kUiM By NICOLE GARTON THE TENNESSEAN From McDonald's to Monopoly, these dogs are fetching a few fans.

They've got soulful eyes, teeny-tiny bodies and hum-ongous wet noses that look ready to reach out and nudge you. You might have spotted them peering from T-shirts or the stuffed animal shelves of toy stores. In April, they came caged in McDonald's Happy Meals. A collection of unusual puppy photographs that took Japan by storm four years ago has been creeping into American mainstream culture. Known as "Artlist Collection: The Dog," the franchise features more than 70 canine breeds shot with a wide-angle lens, making their heads look huge and their bodies small.

ferring to the studio's Prenatal Yoga class. "There's really a class for every one." Among the studio's offerings: Baby Me Yoga, Toddlers' Yoga, Kids' Yoga (for 4- to 6-year-olds and 7- to 12-year-olds) and Teens' Yoga. For adults, the studio offers classes including Gentle Yoga, Basic Yoga, Kunda-lini Yoga and Yoga for Men. At The Joy of Yoga, youngsters of all ages are introduced to the ancient discipline that relieves stress while helping to develop coordination and balance. "Kids today are so involved with sports, school, after-school activities," says Maghan, 37, of Wall.

They're in competition in the classroom and on the soccer field, and they're getting stressed out." In yoga class, that's not the case, says Ulsh, 36, of Neptune. "Yoga isn't a competition," she says. "It's a way to relax, a union of mind, body and spirit." And it seems to work. "Yoga really relaxes me," says Angie Bradley, 11, of Avon. "If I'm having a stressful day, the class really helps me calm down, and by the time I leave, I ready to do my homework." See Sweat, Page D7 By PATTI MARTIN STAFF WRITER When yoga instructors Dawn Maghan and Isabelle Ulsh urge their students to stretch like trees, Luke Henry gets up on his toes and stretches tall.

"I like being a tree," the 4-year-old says. "And I like doing yoga." The young Point Pleasant resident isn't alone. Throughout the country, infants, toddlers, young children, tweens and teens are discovering the virtues of yoga. Although no statistics are kept about yoga's popularity among the younger set, anecdotal evidence suggests an upswing in the both the number of classes offered and the number of children taking classes, according to the Yoga Journal. "Luke gets to bend and stretch during yoga class," says his mom, Annette.

"He's an active child and yoga class is a place when he can slow down and get that extra energy out." For nearly two years, Maghan and Ulsh have been offering a variety of classes for children at the studio they co-own, The Joy of Yoga, in Wall. "We like to say we offer classes from the womb on," says Maghan, re- "Who doesn't like a cute little puppy? And when you put it in a perspective where the head is so big and the body gets smaller, it's even cuter," says Al Kahn, chairman and CEO of 4Kids Entertainment, the company that licenses the puppy pictures outside of Asia. The Dog hit the streets of Japan in the spring of 2000 as a collection of eclectic postcards. The library quickly became a fran-chise, appearing on calendars, T-shirts and other accessories, and pulling in more than $300 million in sales. The puppy products migrated to the United States more than a year ago in the form of clothes and stuffed animals, sold first in department stores.

Word of mouth and minimal advertising have propelled the phenomenon so far. That started changing this spring when McDonald's put miniature versions of 12 breeds of The Dog in its Happy Meals. With 42 companies planning puppy products everything from bedding to Christmas ornaments to candy The Dog is getting more exposure than ever. Instructor Isabelle Ulsh (above) leads children In a yoga class at The Joy of Yoga studio In Wall. Tyler Wenglel, 6, (at top) crawls through a "rainbow bridge" during a class, (staff photos: daryl stone) Drowning dangers always around when children are present (Sj) do other things while supervising swimming children: 11 percent talk on the phone, 18 percent read, and 38 percent talk to other people.

Angela Mickalide, program director of the National Safe Kids Campaign, says the campaign advocates active supervision continuous visual and auditory contact with children when they are in or near water. See Drown, Page D7 among children a study out last week finds that many parents are complacent when it comes to supervising their children. The study, sponsored by the National Safe Kids Campaign, examined 496 accidental drownings in 2000 and 2001 and found that 88 percent of the children were under adult supervision when they drowned. But a survey of parents done in tandem with the study found that many think Harley's in the pool. I see a Owens says.

She jumped into the pool and pulled Harley out, but it was too late. Doctors at a nearby hospital couldn't revive him. It's a story that plays out every summer across the United States: As the weather gets warmer, families head to the water's edge. And despite the known dangers of water drowning is the second-leading cause of injury-related death By CHARLOTTE E. TUCKER USA TODAY Lea Owens took her eyes off her 6-year-old son, Har-ley, only briefly.

But in the three minutes that she was in the bathroom of her North Augusta, S.C., home, Harley slipped out the back door and into the swimming pool, where he drowned. "I came out of the bathroom, and my other son said, 'Mom. I Visit our Web site, www.app.com and click on the Web Extras button for a link to The Dog. 1 i -1 'ft INTRODUCING THE NEwTREX J.CCENTS LI Modrttt SmUk WlnttmmCirf wun ine nin wurmm vj wuuugruin. ft tWoodhffivsn Open up a new world of inspiration for your deck projects.

New Trex Accents brings you the traditional look and warm feel of natural wood grain. You now have more ways than ever to build with the enduring beauty of TREX. To learn more about the 200 James Street Route 35 South, 725 E. Bay Avenue benefits of Trex decking and railing, ask Woodhaven for more information or contact us a www.trex.com or 1-800-BUY-TREX, ext. 921 Trex Tht DECK Llfttimt.

Lakewood Pt. Pleasant Beach Manahawkln 732901-5518 732 295-8800 609 597-1118 www.woodhav6nlumb9r.eom A.