Yoga for the People!

The Infinite Yoga and Sacred Movement Studio will open in downtown Long Beach at 517 Pine Avenue on August 26. At 9:30 am, participants will begin chanting the Adi Shakti Mantra and continue for two and a half hours in honor of Yogi Bhajan, who brought Kundalini yoga practices to the West. One of the goals of this studio is to offer yoga to communities that have disparities in the number of people practicing yoga due to low-income or lack of accessibility. Other studios are being planned in the L.A. area.

Plays a Poppin'

The Alive Theatre will present 11 different plays in 12 days in its Poppin' Play Festival beginning today, August 19 through September 11. The festival will take place at the Lafayette, 528 E. Broadway. Plays will be presented at 8 pm on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays. Tickets cost $18

Adding Art to Redevelopment

Long Beach Senior Artist Colony -- would a housing development by any other name smell as sweet? The multi-million dollar affordable senior rental housing project at 1235 Long Beach Boulevard will not require its over-55 residents to wax artistic, but it will include studios, a gallery, and a library as well as a fitness center and performance theater. Phase 2 of the project will include mixed general affordable occupancy. The first units should be open by fall of 2012.

Downtown transit center closed again

It hasn't been open very long, but the streamlined Long Beach Transit center downtown is now closed by renovations. New lighting and passenger benches will be installed as well as a public art installation. The transit center is expected to reopen in Spring 2011, and in the meantime, buses that usually stop there will be reassigned to other stops on First Street.

Downtown gets a spruce up

Promenade Square is opening tomorrow. Long time Long Beacher's might know this little corner of the Promenade near First Street as the Amphitheater. a public art installation titled “Aerial Plaza” by artist Carl Cheng, plus a varieThe area has been spruced up with new trees, landscaping, new lighting, and a copper water wall flanking the stage. A new public art installation called "Aerial Plaza" will be dedicated at the ribbon cutting ceremony on July 24 at 10 am. Later that day, there will be a free yoga session at 6 pm and a showing of the movie "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" at 8:30 pm.

Downtown's Got Taste

Next Wednesday, June 30, Taste of Downtown comes to the East Village. On First Street between Elm and Linden from 6 pm to 9 pm, samples from such popular restaurants as Parker's Lighthouse and Utopia will be available for only a dollar a ticket. Musicians will also be on hand to make the place even more festive.