Excerpts from a Mindful Conversation with Salimah Kassim-Lakha, founder and director of YogaVision, by writer Saima S. Hussain

What do you get when you combine Islam, Hinduism, and Christianity? How about Yoga for Muslims at a church!

Since February of this year, a group of Muslim women have been attending a specially designed -- and halal (Islamically permissible) -- version of Yoga classes intended to promote basic physical health and release stress inside the hall of a local church.

Afreen Shaikh, a mother of three, and an active community member organizes the weekly classes and spoke with The Muslim Link.

Over 100 men and women joined a yoga class at Ottawa's Richellieu Vanier Community Centre, held simultaneously with similarly massive classes taking place in 20 other cities across Canada on Mar. 4.

The 1-hour yoga class, lead by yoga instructor Jessica Keats of YogaFit was part of the Power of Movement national initiative to raise funds for arthritis and autoimmune conditions research.

The Power of Movement initiative started in 2005, and has raised over $1 million to date.