- Title: Voting without stress in California
- Date: 9th November 2016
- Summary: (SOUNDBITE) (English) VOTERS, ALEX AND KRISTIN (YOUTUBE STARS MR & MRS VEGAN), SAYING: Alex: "We voted here four years ago when we first moved to Brentwood and we were blown away. We had no idea what was going on. We'd voted in gymnasiums before so this is special and we knew this time to bring our camera and capture it ourselves because we wanted to share it with the world how amazing it was but we did not expect..." Kristin: "Yoga. Who expected yoga?" VARIOUS OF VOTERS VOTING CLOSE UP OF ELECTORAL BOOKLETS (SOUNDBITE) (English) LUXE SUNSET BOULEVARD HOTEL OWNER, EFREM HARKHAM, SAYING: "The idea is to welcome our guests and as they walk in they have an option of doing a yoga stretch and there's a meditation teacher as well. Then there's a couple of bites, wonderful drinks, coffee and teas and salads and cookies and then they go and vote. The idea is to relax and to feel that we're part of a community, we're in this together."
- Embargoed: 24th November 2016 04:21
- Keywords: Yoga relaxation voting US elections California Luxe Sunset Boulevard Hotel
- Location: LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES;
- City: LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES;
- Country: USA
- Topics: Government/Politics,Elections/Voting
- Reuters ID: LVA00257Q18P3
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: A luxury hotel in West Los Angeles has aimed to take the stress out of voting by laying on yoga.
Luxe Sunset Boulevard Hotel in the Brentwood neighborhood was the official polling site for two precincts. To give attendees calmer minds before heading into the booth they were treated to 10-minute yoga sequences and meditation sessions, accompanied by live sitar players, followed by a selection of hors d'oeuvres and refreshments.
Hotel owner, Efrem Harkham, told Reuters: "The idea is to welcome our guests and as they walk in they have an option of doing a yoga stretch then there's a couple of bites, wonderful drinks, coffee and teas and salads and cookies and then they go and vote. The idea is to relax and to feel that we're part of a community, we're in this together."
Alex and Kirstin, who are also known as YouTube stars Mr and Mrs Vegan, were among those taking advantage of the spread and activities.
"We voted here four years ago when we first moved to Brentwood," he explained. "We were blown away. We had no idea what was going on. We'd voted in gymnasiums before so this is special." - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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