Bikram Yoga Basics

Shirvahna Gobin serves New York City as the Deputy Commissioner for Strategic Planning and Management in its Department of Corrections. In this role, she develops short- and long-term strategic goals, and oversees the division’s cultural transformation effort. In her free time, Shirvahna Gobin stays physically active, and regularly practices Bikram yoga.

Created by Bikram Choudhury, Bikram yoga pioneered the broader field known as hot yoga. All hot yoga practices, including CorePower yoga and Modo yoga as well as traditional Bikram yoga, use a room kept at about 100 degrees Fahrenheit in order to loosen the muscles, induce sweating, and cleanse the body. Bikram yoga, however, sticks to a set series of 26 postures, each of which is performed two times over the course of a standard class.

Those interested in Bikram yoga will need to invest in proper gear before participating. Participants should have their own yoga mat and, ideally, a mat towel to absorb sweat and improve traction.

Good yoga wear, usually including tight tops and long pants, can also help. Practitioners perform at their best when not worrying about clothes slipping or losing their footing on the mat. Any smart practitioner will also bring a large bottle of water, to prevent dehydration and keep the body from getting too hot.

American Cancer Society’s Campaign to Eradicate Cervical Cancer

Serving the New York City Department of Correction since 2013, Shirvahna Gobin was promoted to deputy commissioner for planning and management in 2017. Previously, Shirvahna Gobin was the director of the cancer services program of the American Cancer Society (ACS), where she led a borough-wide cervical, colorectal, and breast cancer research and screening initiative for the New York State Department of Health.

Dedicated to a world free of cancer, ACS engages in funding and conducting research, supporting patients, prevention awareness, and the sharing of scientific information. In its commitment to work toward the eradication of cervical cancer in the United states, in June 2018 ACS launched Mission: HPV Cancer Free. Starting with cervical cancer, the campaign aims to eliminate vaccine-preventable cancers caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV).

The campaign’s goal is that by 2026, 80 percent of the country’s 13-year-old boys and girls will have been HPV vaccinated. Around 80 percent of individuals will acquire HPV, and although the majority of infections are naturally eradicated by the body's immune system, it is not currently known if a previous infection can cause cancer.

HPV infection can lead to six kinds of cancer, specifically: cervical, vulvar, vaginal, penile, throat, and anal. If sustained HPV vaccination in 80 percent of pre-teen boys and girls can be achieved, coupled with sustained cervical pre-cancer treatment and screening, doctors believe cervical cancer can be eliminated in the US within 40 years.

ACA’s Leadership Development for the Corrections Professional Program

Shirvahna Gobin, the deputy commissioner of the New York City Department of Corrections’ strategic planning division, has been working in the research, economic development, and management industries for more than a decade. Active in the professional community, Shirvahna Gobin belongs to the American Correctional Association (ACA).

Since 1870, the ACA has improved the justice system by accrediting professionals, setting industry standards, and maintaining professional development courses. One of the organization’s many programs is its Leadership Development for the Corrections Professional program. This program is designed to help corrections professionals develop leadership skills and covers topics, such as situational leadership, ethics, team building, and human resources challenges. The program also provides participants with feedback assessment regarding their ability to lead.

Leadership Development for the Corrections Professional consists of two phases that are split up by a four-month break. This break gives participants the chance to work on an organizational project that will be processed during the second phase of the program. 

Not including the break, the program lasts for 10 days and each participant walks away with study materials to help them become a certified corrections executive or manager, or a certified corrections manager/executive certificate. Additionally, participants get eight continuing education units and receive all the training materials they used during the program.

The Difference Between Rock Climbing and Bouldering

A multi-talented professional, Shirvahna Gobin serves as the deputy commissioner of the strategic planning division of the New York City Department of Corrections. In her free time, Shirvahna Gobin stays active by rock climbing.

Many people do not fully understand the difference between rock climbing and bouldering because the two activities are so similar. In many cases, the term "rock climbing" is used as a general term for anyone who climbs on rocks. This may include lead climbing, which involves using a rope as protection when climbing from the bottom of a rock wall to the top; free soloing, which involves climbing without any protection or rope more than 50 feet off the ground; and top roping, which is when you use a rope that is hooked through fixed anchors at the top of a route. These different approaches to rock climbing help to develop muscular endurance and stamina.

Bouldering is also a type of rock climbing. More specifically, it is a form of solo climbing that has climbers fall on a crash pad after completing a climb. Compared to most other forms of rock climbing, bouldering excursions are shorter since they only involve climbing on rocks that are about 10 to 20 feet high. They also have a higher risk of injury depending on how high a person climbs.