If downward dog, “activating the heart chakra” and Surya Namaskar are common phrases in your lexicon, you’re not alone.

According to a recent study by the Yoga Journal, 20.4 million Americans practice some form of yoga, a surge of interest that has given rise to a $27 billion industry, including an 87 percent increase in spending on classes, clothing, videos and retreats over the past five years.

Here in the Fourth Corner, the yoga scene is likewise thriving, with more than a dozen

Once again, it’s time to take the drive to the magical Matzke Gallery on Camano Island for a cornucopia of wonderful art. 

Traveling is the hallmark of Hiroshi Yamano, a Japan-born glass artist who trained in Tokyo, in California, and at the Pilchuck School. He says, “I am a fish who is always looking for something…maybe I will swim forever, like the universe.” It’s been suggested that his ever-present symbol of the fish represents Japanese ambivalence between being open to novelty

Aslan Brewing Company began making a splash in the local beer drinking community even before their Forest Street brewpub opened to the public.

I had tried several of their beers at the Local, including the extremely fragrant Ginger Rye, and when their IPA appeared on tap at my neighborhood pub it was highly popular. They were obviously off to a good start. They finally opened their doors in May, and seem to be settling into the downtown Bellingham food-and-drink scene very comfortably.

The

The first thing I noticed as I settled into my seat at the Mount Baker Theatre’s intimate Walton Theatre to view Becky’s New Car—one of the three Summer Repertory Theatre plays showing through Aug. 10—was an oversized yellow traffic sign depicting a vehicle that was in danger of being crushed by a cascade of falling rocks.

Among the other highway ornamentations that captured my attention were shout-outs for Interstate 5, a “Speed Limit 65” reminder and a sizable fork-in-the-road sign.

A few years ago, the big thinkers at National Public Radio (NPR) asked their book-loving listeners to take part in a “Best Beach Books Ever” poll. More than 16,000 people responded, casting approximately 136,000 votes for the 100 titles that were chosen. The following trio of tomes were included on the lengthy list, and deserve a second—or first, or third—read. Do you have to devour the words on a hot day while reclining on a towel near a refreshing body of water? Of course not, but it’s

Odds are, if you are a music fan, you can find a festival out there to suit your fancy. Whether your tastes are specific—you’re a bluegrass or EDM lover, say—or you’re into an experience that embraces a wide swath of styles and genres—in which case events like Sasquatch and Coachella probably flip your entertainment pancakes—there’s a music festival out there for you. Big or small, grassroots or corporate, rural or urban, family-friendly or adults-only—the options are many and growing