Yoga For Weight Loss

Anyone with weight loss goals has to consider that there are many variables. Diet, genetics, activity levels, stress levels, and personal mindset, all play a role in weight control. Yoga can help you lose weight by improving all, or several, of these factors.

If you consider the physical aspect of yoga only, it is true that many forms of Hatha yoga are low impact in nature. Low impact exercise, alone, does not burn as many calories per hour as high impact aerobic activity.

Yet, weight loss does not depend solely on burning off as many calories as possible. Pushing the body's limits, by working out aerobically, in a high impact mode, puts stress on the body, and can cause premature wear in the joints. In order to truly make strides in weight loss, one must look at his, or her, lifestyle through a holistic viewpoint.

Yoga is more than just exercising. Yoga is an intentional union of the body, mind, and breath, to reach a better level of existence. Key points of focus are body balance, core strength, and flexibility.

By centering yourself with yoga postures, and yogic breathing (Pranayama), you will begin to pay more attention to the body. Weight loss should not be simply about looking slimmer. Permanent weight loss is a result of a lifestyle change.

Short term weight loss goals lead to short-lived success. To really reach, and maintain, a weight that is optimal for your body, you must focus on optimal functioning of your body.

Weight loss, resulting from yoga, will never be as extreme as that caused by a crash diet, weight loss drugs, or hardcore aerobic workouts. The reality is, that at least two of these methods, will throw the body's balance off, and can lead to poor health conditions. If you abuse your body, there is a price to be paid.

Traditional yoga practice incorporates a change in diet, along with the health benefits of yoga practice. To lose weight, you have to eat wisely. Starving yourself actually lowers your metabolism and prevents the body from properly absorbing and using nutrition.

Yoga nutrition focuses on whole, fresh foods, with little processing, and high nutritional density. When the body gets what it needs, there is less need for the hunger impulse to trigger.

© Copyright 2008 - Paul Jerard / Aura Publications

Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500, has written many books on the subject of Yoga. He is a co-owner and the Director of Yoga Teacher Training at: Aura Wellness Center, in Attleboro, MA.

aurawellnesscenter.com aurawellnesscenter.com

He has been a certified Master Yoga Teacher since 1995. To receive a Free Yoga e-Book: "Yoga in Practice," and a Free Yoga Newsletter, please visit: yoga-teacher-training.org/index.html yoga-teacher-training.org/index.html

Help I've Hit a Plateau

It's been six weeks and the work outs are going well. There is muscle definition in all the right places and those jeans are starting to look great. The scale has been moving in the right direction for once and all of a sudden it stops. If there have been no changes in healthy eating habits and no slacking off in the gym, this is what is called a plateau. A fitness rut, the fat is in a holding pattern.

Our bodies become accustomed to the work out and as our bodies and metabolism changes, eating habits may need to be adjusted. Here are seven key tips tips for breaking through the plateau.

1) Decrease your calorie intake by 50 calories each day. This works out to be 350 calories a week and can make a big difference in helping your body burn extra fat

2) If you have been concentrating on cardio, add in strength training three times a week

3) If you have been doing a lot of strength training, kick up the cardio extend each cardio work out by 10 minutes

4) Change the kind of work out you have been doing. If you have been to every yoga and pilates class in your city, get out and hit some nature trails or swim laps for a couple of weeks.

5) Go vegetarian for two weeks. This is a great way to clean out your body and get kick up that metabolism. Consult a doctor or nutritionist before taking this step, you want to make sure you are getting plenty of protein from nuts and legumes and that you are not missing any essential nutrients from our diet.

6) Some experts even suggest taking a break, take three days off of working out. Increase your calorie intake a bit with healthy options and then hit it hard in the gym when you return to your regular routine. It's possible that you have been working too hard and haven't given your body a chance to rest and recover.

7) Most importantly don't psyche yourself out. This can be a frustrating time but don't give up. Keep thinking positive and know that if you're diligent you will continue to see changes in your body

Jenn Aguirre is a = 'eastbaytrainer.com/el-sobrante-personal-trainer El Sobrante Trainer.' She also has helped men and women achieve their fitness goals at her = 'eastbaytrainer.com/weight-loss-programs/pinole-weight-loss Pinole Weight Loss' clinic.

How to Improve Your Cycling Performance With Yoga

To achieve you maximum performance you need to develop more than just cardiovascular fitness and strong legs. If your core is weak you will be limited in how much power makes it to the pedals. Add to this tight muscles and you have a recipe for mediocre results.

You've been putting the time on the bike but your progress has slowed down. You might feel tight in the hamstrings and hips. Your long, hard efforts start to fade as your back gives out. When you stand on hill climbs you fade muscularly before the cardio and legs give out.

So what is the answer?

You could do a core training program and work on your flexibility after every ride. The problem is that will cut down on your riding time. The easy way to improve these areas is to take up Yoga. The combination of poses will stretch and strengthen the muscles with particular emphasis on the hip, legs and core.

Three sessions a week of around 20 minutes will make a huge difference to your riding and how you feel. Not to get all "new age" on you, but yoga unleash inner energy and gets the body aligned. The increased blood flow from Yoga also helps speed up recovery. Scar tissue is broken up and the joints move more freely.

While it is best to sign up for a Yoga class, you can make good progress on your own with Yoga DVDs or online yoga courses. This is the way I started many years ago. I bought Power Yoga by Rodney Yee and started doing it a few times per week. After a couple of weeks I stopped going to the chiropractor as all of my back pain disappeared. After a couple of months I noticed it really improved my riding as tight hamstrings and back pain didn't flare up on long rides and races.

I have since incorporated Yoga into the training programs of the athletes I coach. Training beats up your body. Yoga keeps it limber and strong and speeds up recovery allowing you to get in more quality training. Yoga will also decrease the chance of injury. To improve your cycling performance you need to make sure you don't have any weak links. With very little time spent each week, Yoga takes care of two very important pieces of the puzzle and it makes you feel great.

If you are feeling adventurous, sign up for a Bikram hot yoga session each week. This is a long, intense yoga in a hot environment. The heat really loosens up your muscles and you sweat out a lot of toxins.

If you are a cyclist and you aren't doing Yoga yet, you are missing a great opportunity to increase your performance. Buy a DVD or sign up for a local class and start seeing the difference from the first session.

My name is Winston Endall. I'm a bike shop owner and cycling coach. Over the last 12 years I've worked developing my Speed Factory Training System to allow real people like you to maximize their fitness. My system lets people with jobs and families build a high level of cycling performance with the minimum time spent each week. Speed Factory combines bike workouts, crosstraining and flexibility work to make you a stronger overall athlete in as little as 4 hours per week. For more information go to my site cyclecambridge.com cyclecambridge.com

Exercise: Stretching Isn't Just For Yoga

What Is Flexibility?

Flexibility is commonly defined as the range of motion about a joint or joints; in other words, how far you can pull your foot toward your head before you begin screaming. That range of motion is largely determined by the elasticity and resting length of the muscles and tendons that cross the joints. If you move a joint beyond the stretch length of a muscle and/or tendon, you have pain and limp away with an injury. Consequently, maintaining maximal muscle and tendon length minimizes the potential for muscle and tendon tears.

Most of us are aware that stretching is the means for improving and maintaining flexibility or range of motion. And, although most of us don't include stretching in our exercise routines as we should, we are at least aware that stretching does improve flexibility and that it is recommended as an important aspect in preventing injury. What most don't realize is that because of the length-tension relationship of muscles, stretching is equally important for developing maximal strength. Whether you are a power lifter or just seeking to improve strength for activities of daily living, you can improve your performance by including stretching as an integral part of your exercise routine.

Stretching Improves Strength

The length-tension relationship of a muscle refers to the length of a particular muscle when it is at rest and the amount of tension a muscle can produce at that resting length. Muscles are composed of actin and myosin filaments. Tension is produced when myosin filaments form cross-bridges with the actin filaments controlling the pull of one across the other thus shortening or lengthening the muscle. There is an optimal length at which myosin filaments are able to make the most connections with the actin filaments thereby producing optimal tension. If the optimal muscle length is altered as a result of tightness, maximal tension or strength is lost. Stretching to keep your muscles at optimal length exposes the maximal number of cross-bridge sites allowing the production of maximal strength.

Stretching Improves Sports Performance

Besides the obvious benefits derived from producing maximal strength or tension when involved in any physical activity, optimal muscle length-tension relationship and consequent optimal range of motion about a joint or joints is equally important in most sports activities. Force is equal to mass times acceleration. Regardless of how strong you may be, if lack of flexibility allows you to move your golf club or ball bat less than optimal distance, your acceleration will be compromised and the amount of force you can deliver to the ball will suffer. Consequently, having a level of flexibility to produce a joint range of motion that will allow maximal acceleration is paramount in almost all sports.

In short, if you are not including regular stretching as an essential part of your exercise program, you are not only increasing risk of injury but you are robbing yourself of maximal performance as well.

Safe Stretching for Maximal Performance

There are two factors to consider in safe stretching for maximal performance; they are 1. the mechanics of stretching or the way in which the stretch is done and 2. the timing of stretching.

1. The mechanics of stretching: There an a number of hubestore.com proper stretching techniques. These include active stretching, passive stretching, static stretching, assisted stretching and PNF stretching. In addition to these proper techniques there is the formula-for-injury-technique often referred to as ballistic stretching. Ballistic stretching should always be avoided. If you are not sure you know how to stretch properly, schedule a session with a trainer. It is less expensive than a visit with your doctor, a whole lot less painful and will only take an hour from your normal training schedule. A muscle tear can take you away from your normal training schedule for a week or more.

2. The timing of your stretching exercises: Timing has to do with when you stretch in relation to the beginning of your planned performance. Studies have established that stretching immediately prior to a workout, whether an aerobic workout or a resistance workout, can have a negative effect on performance. Just as optimal muscle length-tension relationships will be compromised by a tight or shortened muscle, likewise the available cross-bridges are lessened by muscles that are stretched beyond their optimal resting length. Assuming you know how to do them correctly, a few active stretches properly done before a workout may be advisable. Serious stretching is best left until afterward. Remember active stretches are done slowly, deliberately and without assistance. Unless you have a perverse desire for muscle or tendon tears, avoid at all times swinging limbs about wildly and doing the bouncing stretches that everyone else seems to be doing.

Hubert Maloy
ACE: PT, LWMC, AHFS; NASM: CES, ShareCare

Correcting Poor Posture Through Yoga

Once you have begun yoga classes to strengthen your posture, you will find many different clues into your own body. Yoga trains a person to think of their posture as a physical manifestation of your innermost state of mind. It is thought that one's mental, emotional, or emotional state can be reflected directly in one's posture. Thus making it important to balance not only your body, but your mind as well.

As stated in the previous chapter in how to utilize yoga to strengthen your posture. This view is often times begun at the early ages of childhood. Where the lack of awareness of one's body becomes habit and self-sustaining throughout your life. However this pattern of self-destructive behavior is reinforced through our daily stressors. Often times made worse by the tension that we carry in our bodies due to the daily grind of every-day life.

This is exactly what yoga can help to change. Not only the symptoms of bad posture, but the cause from the inside out. With conscious stretching and the use of various postures; you can help to aid your body in this battle against poor posture and pain. At first you will want to begin by utilizing the gentle stretches and movements in classical yoga. Rather than power-yoga or more demanding yoga types. However, once you have mastered classic yoga, you will soon begin to move toward a higher difficulty. Thus increasing your work-out and stretching capability.

To gain the benefits of each pose, it is important to understand and preform each pose correctly. A yoga teacher will be able to help you achieve this goal, and allow you to practice proper posture in safety. It is also shown that yoga not only helps posture, but it will help to relieve any tension that is hidden in the body from every-day life. Allowing you to relax each muscle through the controlled movements of yoga.

Lastly it is important to practice proper breathing techniques. As many people will tell you, proper posture begins with good breathing. Breathing well throughout the day, along with sitting or walking tall can help you to achieve a healthier lifestyle. Remember, as with any new exercise it is important to think of both the pro's and con's that come with the exercise. If you have any known health problems, it is suggested to speak with your doctor before taking on yoga. However, it is highly suggested for every walk of life. Simply due to it's low-impact nature, and the ability to make you healthier in your daily life.

The three popular types of yoga you may have heard of are hatha yoga, power yoga and bikram yoga. Hatha yoga is the style of yoga most practiced today. It is what you will think of when you think of yoga in general. Power yoga is a more aerobic-style yoga, with an emphasis on cardio. Bikram yoga is a style of yoga performed in a heated room to accelerate detoxification. Universal Yoga sells everything you need to practice these and other forms of yoga, pilates and meditation including yoga pants, yoga mats, universalyoga.com/yogaclothes.html workout clothing, yoga blankets, yoga music, meditation accessories, uplifting apparel and universalyoga.com yoga poses.

The Top 10 Reasons Why Body Weight Exercises Are the Best Way to Get in Shape

From my experience a program of bodyweight exercises is the absolute best way to get in incredible shape in the shortest period of time. I am not saying this because I have read it somewhere. I am speaking from my own experience. I used to lift weights and use all of those fancy machine in the gym but no more. For me I know used a combination of bodyweight training, isometric exercises and yoga (along with hill sprints occasionally). I am now in the best shape of my life. Why are bodyweight workouts so effective? Let me count the ways:

1. All bodyweight exercises work your entire body as a unit. Exercises like Hindu Squats and Hindu Pushps, or variations of them, all work major muscle groups simultaneously. People who work out in the gym typically do isolation exercises of one kind or another. This can lead to the body becoming "out of balance" and more injury prone. What I mean by this is it's possible to work a muscle with an isolation exercise till it is proportionally stronger than another muscle group. When the muscles have to work together, whether this involves playing sports or anything else, the chance of injury is MUCH higher. When I was taking Judo I was also weight lifting. I was getting injured all the time. Years later when I tried Jiu Jitsu it wasn't a problem.

2. Bodyweight workouts are vastly superior to more conventional gym workouts when it comes to fat burning. With bodyweight exercises you are constantly using major muscle groups. The more muscle you use, the more fat you burn. It's that simple.

3. Bodyweight training forces you to really think about what you are doing as you perform the exercise. You are using the old mind muscle when you do this, and focusing your mind is as important as performing the physical exercise itself. This self-concentration promotes neurological connections allowing for a deeper mind body connection. You will get much faster results this way.

4. Bodyweight exercises will not only build tremendous strength, but stamina as well. When Karl Gotch ( a real professional wrestler who was in amazing shape) took up weight lifting, he found he COULD lift heavier weights. However, the amazing stamina he once had that would allow him to wrestle for an hour or more completely left him. He was gassed after 10 minutes. The strength gained from exercises like Hindu pushups and squats is functional, and that makes all the difference.

5. Bodyweight Workouts promote flexibility. Many of the routines you can do stretch your muscles at the same time as they are strengthening them. You just don't get this with weights.

6. Bodyweight training allows you to work your body from all angles and directions. The same cannot be said of weights and all of those ridiculous machines.

7. Bodyweight exercises increase your strength, endurance and flexibility at the same time. Again, Hindu pushups and squats are a perfect example of this.

8. Bodyweight training attacks the muscle at a much deeper level than weights, thereby giving you a greater 'functional strength" The person who does a set of pull-ups, for example, works the back and arms far more than a person who uses the lat pulldown machine. What's more, the person doing the pull-ups will be able to use the lat machine no problem. The reverse is not true.

9. As they don't require any equipment, bodyweight workouts can be done anywhere at anytime. No excuses about not being able to make it to the gym!

10. Bodyweight exercises also save you a lot of time so that you have more time to do the things you want.

David Nordmark is a Vancouver based fitness consultant as well as the owner and operator of animal-kingdom-workouts.com/index.html Animal-Kingdom-Workouts.com, a fitness site with a unique twist. Check out his website for more information on yoga, bodyweight exercises, isometric exercises and other aspects of animal-kingdom-workouts.com/body-weight-training.html bodyweight training.

Yoga Exercise for a Longer Life

Yoga Exercise can help you live longer. As an incredible number of Americans go to the gym with New Year's resolutions to get healthy, medical experts are giving an extra motive in order to workout: Usual workouts might help protect against common colds and flu, decrease the chance of certain cancers and chronic illnesses and slow the process of aging. Physical exercise has been shown to overcome the continuing damage done to cells, tissues and organs that underlies several chronic disorders. Indeed, numerous studies have discovered that exercise can lower blood pressure, decrease bad cholesterol, and cut the incidence of Type 2 diabetes.

Exercise improves your mood. Need to blow off some vapor after having a stressful day? A workout at the gym or perhaps a brisk 30-minute stroll can help you relax. Physical activity stimulates various brain chemical substances that may leave you feeling more comfortable and much more calm compared to how you were before you worked out. You'll also look better and feel better once you start exercising regularly, which could improve your confidence as well as enhance your self-esteem. Frequent physical activity can also assist in preventing depressive disorders. When life's irritations or disheartening conditions develop, you can really feel stressed or encounter low-grade tempers. More high-energy kinds of physical exercise like boxing, martial arts or weight training can also provide an effective release of these negative emotions, turning these otherwise possibly harmful emotions into motivation for greater health and well-being.

Physical activity is certainly proven to bestow such rewards as helping to sustain a healthy weight and reduce stress, not to mention tightening up that abs. Now, a growing body of research is demonstrating that regular exercise-as simple as a brisk 30- to 45-minute walk five times a week-can increase the body's immune system, increasing the circulation of natural killer cells that fight off viruses and bacteria. And exercise has been shown to enhance the body's reaction to the influenza vaccine, making it more effective at keeping the virus away.

Exercise combats chronic conditions. Worried about heart disease? Hoping to avoid osteoporosis? Physical exercise could possibly be the ticket. Frequent physical activity can help you avoid or control high blood pressure. Your cholesterol may benefit, too. Frequent physical activity increases high-density lipoprotein (HDL), or "good," cholesterol while minimizing triglycerides. This one-two punch maintains your blood flowing smoothly by lowering the buildup of plaques in your arteries. Then there is more. Regular physical activity will help you stay away from diabetes, osteoporosis and certain types of cancer.

Yoga Exercise truly is beneficial for life. As our society becomes more health-conscious, there is an increased focus on the importance of exercise. Most people exercise to regulate weight and get in much better physical condition for being much healthier or physically appealing, but exercise and tension management are also closely linked. Physical activity itself usually takes your mind off of your issues and only redirects it about the activity at hand or enable you to get into a Zen-like state. Exercise usually involves a change of scenery as well, either taking you to a gym, a dojo, a boxing ring, a park, a scenic mountain, a biking trail or a neighborhood sidewalk, which could be enjoyable, low-stress destinations.

Yogafit has a lot of very informative advice in all aspects of yogafit.com yoga poses, training, and everything else. She also has a number of yogafit.com/CTGY/MBF.shtml yoga conference meetups several times a year and is known yoga guru and mogul around the world.

What Are the Key Benefits of Kettlebell Training?

Kettlebell training is a fast spreading phenomenon and it's not just throughout the fitness industry.

In recent years, the kettle bell has become a popular exercise tool in the United States among athletes, especially mixed martial artists as well as those in entertainment.

Everyone from the military, Force Recon Marines, the FBI Hostage Rescue Team, and the Secret Service Counter Assault Team right through to celebrity trainers and Hollywood A-listers are now using them.

So what's all the fuss about?

Let's take a look at the top 7 benefits of kettlebell training and discover why the best kept Russian secret in fitness is becoming so popular.

Exercise in just half the time! A complete Fitness Program typically includes three key elements. Core, Cardio and Resistance. With a normal workout programs, you might get your Cardio on one machine, your Core on another, and then do an active class like Boxercise for Resistance. The result is a lot of time needs invested in order to achieve an overall performance level and body shape. Also, machines tend to isolate muscles, moving them in two-dimensions. This is fine if the intention is to bulk up, but most people don't want to bulk up - they want to shape up and achieve the long, lean muscular look that is so popular with celebrities. The secret behind the KETTLE BELL is that it can turn your body into the ultimate fitness machine by moving it in 3-dimensions during your workout rather than in just 2-dimensions like you do on most fitness machines. By working all your muscles at once you are getting a complete body workout incorporating Cardio, Core and Resistance Training and all in half the time of a complete traditional workout.

General health benefits Modern life can take its toll on us all. The hectic lifestyles we invariably lead are directly linked to stress and anxiety and our bodies can suffer by the way of blood pressure, headaches and migraines, ulcers and so on. Exercise, and in particular, resistance training acts like a release valve and is the key to balancing a stress free lifestyle. This type of workout is at the very core of kettle bell training and helps relieve tension in the mind and body. In addition to this there have been numerous studies which demonstrated that as many as 97% of women experience a significant improvement to their self esteem as the result of engaging in regular resistance training.

Fix your figure regardless of its current shape. Kettle bells can burn fat particularly well and give increased muscle tone. If you are overweight you will find that you thin out and if you are thin then you will build up. Both body types will achieve an amazingly well proportioned and toned physique. For men, Kettle bell training will create figures along the lines of the antique statues with broad shoulders with just a hint of pectorals, back muscles standing out in bold relief, wiry arms, rugged forearms, a cut-up midsection, and strong legs.

They are suitable for everyone Kettle bells can be used by the young and the old. Events at competition level have seen entrants as young as 16 and as old as 53 competing proving that age is not a limitation. They can also be used in both a rehabilitative and pre-habilitative capacity. They are suitable for both men and women alike regardless of the type of fitness levels and body shape you are looking to achieve.

A powerful tool for building strength Anyone who is involved with building usable strength will soon discover the Kettle bell to be a powerful assistance tool in their pursuit of greater strength. They also provide a dramatic increase in stability and control allowing you to lift even heavier weights when returning to free weights. The versatile Kettlebell can also develop tremendous speed and power in a far safer manner than some conventional training methods employed by competitive athletes.

The perfect fitness equipment to use at home The Kettle Bell delivers extreme all-round fitness and there is no single other conditioning tool that can do it better. Here's a short list of equipment that the Russian kettle bell replaces: barbells, dumbbells, weighted belts, thick bars, lever bars, medicine balls, grip devices, and cardio equipment. Because of their size and the exercises involved they can be used in a relatively small space making the kettle bell workout accessible to people who do not have much space at home to use more common exercise equipment. They are also ideal for storage when they are not in use being smaller than the average bowling ball.

Increases stamina and strength-endurance like no other form of exercise Strength training is essential to any health and fitness regime but few people know that strength training is THE only scientifically proven activity that positively influences such things as muscle strength and mass, body fat, bone density, basal metabolic rate, blood sugar tolerance, blood pressure and aerobic capacity all things which decline with age. However, Kettle bell training offers the benefits of strength training, but combined with those of yoga, Pilates and aerobics all at the same time to develop a body that is as robust and strong as it is proportionate and graceful. Kettlebell training primarily increases stamina or strength-endurance like no other form of exercise and it dramatically improves flexibility and speed which is why it has become so popular with mixed martial artists who need this combination of skills more than anyone. It can also provide results that are simply not attainable with conventional weights.

I have been doing a regular kettlebbell workout 3 times a week for over a year now and in all honesty I have never been in better shape despite having been going to the gym for over 3 years in total now. If you give kettlebells a try for more than three months I truly doubt that you will ever want to go traditional weights again. Once you have been infected with the power of kettlebell training, there is no going back. I hope this article helps you in some way and please feel free to pass this information on so that as many people as possible can benefit from the amazing potential that kettle bells offer everyone in all walks of life.

Thanks.

Alex Cairnie is a consultant and coach who's passions are fitness, TaeKwonDo, Kettlebell training and helping people.

kettlebell.net Kettlebell

Set Realistic Goals With Visualization

I remember the moment I realized I was no longer a profession athlete. It was in 1992, a year after I had retired from the International Federation of Body-Building (IFBB). I was languishing on the treadmill in my neighborhood gym after a long day of training people, session after session (5 am to 8 pm), when a huge and ripped guy walked in and began warming up with 220 lbs, before starting his leg training session and disgustingly bulging his gigantic body. I smiled weakly in his direction and thought; I used to look like that not too long ago. And of course when he passed me, I ran faster like there was no tomorrow.

Obviously, my 30-minute training sessions weren't having the same chiseling effects as the training sessions I endured when I was in a competitive level. That's when I realized I'd have to change my stay-in-shape strategy. Here are a few of my pro-to-real-world fitness secrets.

Many professional athletes practice visualization, which means picturing themselves going through the motions to achieve a certain goal - complete with sounds, colors, tastes and smells - and have seen it pay off big time. During my 7-year professional career, I spent 10 minutes a day visualizing and looking at my body the way I wanted it to feel and look, the results that I mentally conceived in the visualization were experienced in my training sessions, making them tremendously intensive and effective. Now, whenever I work out, I close my eyes and visualize my arm and leg muscles flexing, my heart pumping strong and my body looking super lean.

Copywrite ©2006 Nordine Zouareg

Nordine Zouareg [nordinezouareg.com] is a former Mr. Universe, an International Fitness Coach, Speaker and Author of the book Mind Over Body [nordinezouareg.com]: The Key to Lasting Weight Loss Is All In Your Head.

Build Stamina for Better Workouts

In fact, stamina and endurance are your first priorities. Before you start building muscles big enough to bust your shirtsleeves and abs rippled enough to serve as a washboard, develop your cardio-vascular capacity to the point that it can stand-up to the punishment strength training requires.

From your very first day of training, make sure every workout includes exercises devoted strictly to building stamina. When you hear athletes talking about their "cross-training," they usually are alluding to a combination of cardio-vascular conditioning and strength training. Whatever your fitness goals, you must make sure your heart and lungs are strong enough to sustain you all the way to the goal. Most athletes recognize the wisdom of warming-up with "cardio." First, carefully stretch every major muscle group; the best athletes use yoga for their stretching routines. Then, walk or jog to get your heart pumping and your lungs functioning at peak efficiency. Your first objective as a serious athlete: get to the point where you can jog non-stop for twenty minutes. Diversify and specialize from there.

When you have reached that first benchmark in your workouts, take your cue from Olympic swimmers and runners who begin each season by focusing on "LSD" workouts- "long, slow distance." They set reasonable distance objectives, and they keep going for however long it takes to cover the distance. Before they try to go faster, they work to go further, slowly increasing their distances to the optimums for good workouts-10,000 yards in the pool or twenty miles on the pavement.

For the everyday athlete, the Olympic standards translate to 1000 yards or two miles, and nobody ever insisted you had to tote-up those yards without stopping or that you had to run or jog those miles. In fact, most exercise physiologists say that swimming "repeats," sets of four laps, builds more stamina than just grinding away. They also say that walking briskly is better than running, because you can go further and sustain your elevated heart rate longer when you walk.

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Picking the Right Yoga Teacher Training Program For You

Considering a Yoga Teacher Training? Confused about how to select the right one? It can be difficult to make the right decision. From one month intensives to weekend courses, from travelling trips to at home studios, from hotels to ashrams... The options available today are numerous.

Here are a few tips and points to think about which may make choosing the best Yoga Teacher Training program for you easier.

1. First look at your time availability - Are you able to take off a month from your daily life for a one-month intensive course? If yes, you may want to consider this option, as it will allow you to completely submerge yourself in a yoga lifestyle for one month. In this way your body and mind become stronger faster. If not, the weekend option may work best as long as you can commit to being in one location for the duration of all the weekends, which could be up to 4 months. If you are able to dedicate yourself to the practice and written or reading work, this option may give you more time to study and review in between lessons. Most importantly to note, in whichever timeframe you complete it, the international standard to become a fully certified instructor is 200 hours of training.

2. Do you want to do the course in your home country or in an exotic location? - Usually when doing the course in an exotic location, you will need time, as these often tend to be the long duration courses of a month. Being in a new location can help you to focus primarily on your yoga lifestyle. If staying in your hometown you may split your time between socializing, going out, stress from work, which all can be counter-intuitive to reaching your goal of becoming a yoga instructor.

3. Once you've decided what timeframe you have for the course and whether you want to do it at home or abroad, finding an organizer and teacher is the next step - Select an organizer that is noteworthy and known within your direct community or within the larger Yoga community. You find this out by asking around. A school with real expertise will have certified more than 1000 yoga teachers and been doing it for more than 10 years. In terms of a teacher, select one that is licensed to certify yoga teachers. This license generally comes from Yoga Alliance and states that the teacher has met the minimum qualifications to teach yoga. These qualifications state that they should have taught a minimum of 1000 yoga classes and have taken 500 hours of yoga training courses.

4. Gather information! - Before fully committing to a teacher training program find out what kind of support they provide and whether there is structure to their program. Can they answer all your questions? Do they send you documents with descriptions to help you feel more comfortable? Can they explain in what format the course will proceed? Being able to answer these kinds of questions and provide you with documentation shows preparedness and their commitment to delivering a nurturing learning environment for their students.

5. Think ahead! What happens when you finish the program and want to start teaching? - The best way is to join a teacher training program where the organizers will facilitate you in beginning your teaching path once receiving your teaching diploma. It is best if the program offers an internship program for students to join at their studio, as well as offer a network of studios around the world that students can later teach at. This will provide support for gaining experience as well as help you to get visibility around the world.

By keeping these points in mind you will be able to select the right teacher training program which will help you to attain your goal of becoming a yoga instructor in the way which makes you feel most comfortable.

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Yoga Improves Your Overall Health

Yoga is an ancient spiritual tradition dating back 5000 years. But today, many people separate the spiritual yoga and the physical yoga, and focus primarily on the physical aspect: stretching and breathing as an exercise program. Yoga has many health benefits. It will improve your balance and posture. It will also improve your mood, memory, and your overall well-being. Specifically, yoga can improve your flexibility, build lean muscle, and reduce stress.

Flexibility-Stretching of your body will help your joints and muscles to become more flexible. Yoga especially helps your legs, back, shoulders, and hips become more flexible. Yoga is a serious of poses that stretch your muscles. As you do more yoga, you will feel yourself becoming more flexible. Not only will your muscles become more flexible, but your joints will be more flexible as well. Each time you practice the poses you will be able to reach a little farther. Yoga will loosen your tight muscles by releasing the lactic acid that builds up while weight training. Yoga is a total body stretch. It stretches not only the muscle, but the ligaments and tendons.

Building Lean Muscle-Yoga is a way of building muscle without the bulk. Yoga uses isometric resistance to help build lean muscle. Isometrics uses the body's own weight as resistance. This happens when the muscle does not change its length. For example, when you lift a dumbbell you are shortening the muscle, and when you lower the dumbbell you are lengthening the muscle. Isometrics does not move the added weight to make it stronger. This type of training is easier on the muscle.

In addition to yoga another good way to build lean muscle is by taking whey protein. Whey protein is dairy based, so it is easy for people to digest. It offers more pure protein than soy based proteins. There are many other benefits to taking whey protein. It also aids in the keeping your immune system healthy. But mainly, it helps build lean muscle and promotes the loss of fat giving you a lean physique. When purchasing Whey Protein be sure to buy Isolate Whey Protein solutions. They contain 90 % pure protein without the fats and carbohydrates of a Whey Protein Concentrate.

Reduce Stress-Studies have shown that participating in some kind of physical activity at least three times a week will reduce stress. Exercise releases endorphins, which naturally make you happy. Yoga helps you to relax by learning how to breathe deeply and through meditation. The concentrated stretching in Yoga releases the tension that is stored because of stress. One way to reduce stress is to breathe deeply. Yoga teaches this. The more oxygen you take in the less stressed you will be. Yoga also teaches you to meditate. Meditation also relieves stress. The mental benefits of yoga offset the stress in our life. Yoga is all about relaxation.

Yoga will increase your flexibility, build lean muscles, and reduce stress. This ancient tradition has many health benefits-inside and outside the body, emotional, disease prevention, and alleviation. There are many styles and forms of yoga. It can be an intense aerobic workout or a peaceful meditation. The stretching of the muscle to create lean muscle and taking whey protein as a nutritional supplement can have a positive effect overall on your bodies health.

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Surfing Exercises - Why You're Wasting Time in the Water If You're Not Taking Surf Fitness Seriously

Are surfing exercises really necessary? Most surfers are in pretty good shape, and surfing itself is a good workout. But did you know that there are five dimensions to surfing fitness? That's five different types of exercises to help you get the most out of your precious time in the water. If you're not addressing each of these, you're allowing these problems to creep into your surf sessions:

* Fewer waves to ride, because it takes you too long to paddle out.

* Less quality on each wave you ride, because it's too difficult to maneuver the board and your body.

* Overall shorter duration of your sessions, because you fatigue more quickly than you should.

* Increased risk of injury, because you're forced to over-exert yourself or use improper form.

Until you're serious about getting into top surfing condition, you won't realize just how many waves you're missing or what kind of moves you're currently prevented from doing. Commit yourself to each of these five areas of surf fitness training to become the best surfer you can.

The Five Types of Surfing Exercises

1. Cardiovascular: while brute strength has its place in surf training, you also need to be able to endure long periods of exertion. You don't want to be exhausted after just a few minutes of paddling. Running is the most common way of increasing cardiovascular fitness; try varying terrains and altitudes to help you get the most out of your workout.

2. Core stability: the importance of core strength for virtually all physical activity gets more and more attention everyday, and it's no different with surfing. Almost all of your time is spent resisting the force of the water, so it's critical for your abs and back muscles to be in good shape. Crunches, abdominal presses, planks, and bridges are good surfing exercises in this area.

3. Upper body: you use your chest and shoulders quite a bit while surfing, especially when paddling and when popping up to ride a wave. The bench press is probably the most popular upper body exercise, but other useful ones are lat pulldowns, tricep pulldowns, curls, and even simple pushups.

4. Flexibility/mobility: one of the most overlooked areas of fitness, and not just among surfers, is flexibility. Stretching will make you more flexible and mobile, which will allow you to accomplish more on your board. You can do simple stretching exercises almost anywhere, and yoga is an option for a more structured activity. Pretty much every muscle can benefit from stretching, including hamstrings, calves, pectorals, and the lower back.

5. Lower body/balance: strengthening your lower body will help you balance on your board and make more advanced moves. Properly working out your legs also will help you avoid injury to your ankles and knees. Examples of lower body surfing exercises are squats, lunges, hip abductions and adductions, and calf raises.

If you're not improving your body in each of these five areas, surfing can still be enjoyable, but you're selling yourself short. Don't be afraid to spend more time in the water, ride more waves, and have more fun. Don't let another surf season go to waste!

To learn even more about the five types of surfingfitnesstips.com surfing exercises, including details on training schedules and specific drills, see this comprehensive surfingfitnesstips.com surf fitness program developed by a licensed sports fitness coach.

Control Diabetes Through Exercise

In spite of the various medical developments in the modern age, a number of diseases are spreading like wild fire today. Diabetes is one such killer disease that has become very common not only in elderly people but children too are being affected by it. So it is wise to take precautions and nip it in the bud.

Diabetes is characterized by high blood sugar levels which occur when the pancreases do not secrete enough insulin and the individual becomes weak and susceptible to other ailments as well.

Perhaps the best way to control Diabetes is by doing regular exercises. Let us see how workouts help to keep diabetes at bay.

There are various factors that lead to this deadly disease. The first cause is putting on extra weight. To lose the extra weight, practice exercises such as squats, lunges, step-ups, aerobic exercises and others, under the guidance your personal trainer. Routine exercise regulates the blood and energizes the body to fight against diabetes. It also helps to deal with the side effects of the disease like weakness and lethargy and makes the patient feel fresh and relaxed.

In order to reduce weight it is absolutely necessary to burn out the extra calories and so you need to do the required exercises. The most easy exercises like Jogging and walking help to burn out the extra calories that are not only harmful but leads to this persistent problem of diabetes.

Diabetes is often referred to as a silent killer and it often becomes too late to cure it permanently and the patient has to live on insulin injections for the rest of his life. So never neglect any of your health problems. Go to the doctor and get yourself checked. If reports show that your sugar level is higher than the normal range immediately visit a fitness trainer and start your regular exercises. Pills and insulin shots are only a temporary remedy. But fitness training can work wonders for you.

Another vital factor that causes diabetes is tension and stress. Breathing exercises help to reduce stress to a large extent. Whenever you are stressed about anything, try out breathing exercises. This will assuredly make you feel better. Meditation and Yoga too reduce stress and strain.

Exercises along with diet control can positively cure diabetes. It all depends on the individual, how eager he is to free himself of the fatal disease. However, never be in a hurry to perform all the exercises all at once. Take the help of your personal trainer and gradually increase the intensity, duration of exercise. Keeping a record of the sugar level is very important. If it falls below the normal level, that too is not good.

Exercises regularly and see how you can control your diabetes problems easily.

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Teaching Hatha Yoga - Be Thankful for Difficult Students

Every once in a while I will meet a veteran Yoga teacher who is disgruntled over difficult students. The complaining Yoga student, the student who has not washed for days, the student who harasses other students, and the student who believes you should teach Yoga for free, can all challenge your purpose in life. So what can you do to get through to difficult Yoga students?

Firstly, you must go back to the Law of Karma, which states that for every action, there is an equal reaction. With a difficult student, it may appear as though he or she selected you, and now you are the victim. This is absolutely wrong. Due to your personality, or the atmosphere of your Yoga class, the student has detected something magnetic.

In fact, you or your center, attracted all of the students you had, presently have, and will have, in the future. You must look at what draws students into your Yoga classes. It may not be obvious to you, so it will require some research, and you may need some objective opinions.

Here is a good example: Bikram Choudhury's schools and style exude discipline. When you enter one of Bikram Choudhury's Yoga studios, you do not have to guess what the rules are. You know the rules. You can complain, but you will be escorted to the exit in "short time." You would not show up late, leave your cell phone on, avoid taking a bath for a month, or whine about the temperature.

© Copyright 2007 - Paul Jerard / Aura Publications

Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500, has written many books on the subject of Yoga. He is a co-owner and the Director of Yoga Teacher Training at: Aura Wellness Center, in Attleboro, MA. riyoga.com riyoga.com He has been a certified Master Yoga Teacher since 1995.

To receive a Free Yoga e-Book: "Yoga in Practice," and a Free Yoga Newsletter, please visit: yoga-teacher-training.org/index.html yoga-teacher-training.org/index.html

Opening a Yoga Studio - The Process From A to Z

Many yoga teachers love practicing and teaching yoga so much that they decide they want to open up their own practices. While their intentions are positive, the decision to create a new yoga studio in the community is one that requires a great deal of careful consideration, planning and support.

business.educationeasy.net Business Plan

A business.educationeasy.net business plan is the best first stage of planning when deciding to go down the entrepreneurial path. A business.educationeasy.net business plan is a document that includes your vision, as well as the financial, marketing, staff, sales, hiring, bookkeeping, start-up and maintenance aspects that are involved in building and sustaining your dream.

Setting Goals

When writing a business.educationeasy.net business plan, the vision statement is the crucial first step. You must decide what the purpose for your yoga practice will be, as well as the type of clientele you would like to serve. It is important to narrow this target clientele as narrowly as you can to take the next steps to attract this group of people.

Record your goals for your studio as part of the visioning process. Write down specific key measurable results you aim to achieve through running your own business.

Determine the strategies you will have to use to financially sustain the studio. Hosting workshops, teaching yoga classes, having retail and online sales, private clients and teacher training programs are all potential income generating ideas.

Assessing Available Resources

At some point during the business.educationeasy.net business planning process, the question of your available resources is certain to arise. Some practitioners decide to have investors get involved in financing their studio, while others refinance their own home to do so. Still others get part-time jobs to save the funds necessary to start a yoga operation, or seek small amounts of money from supportive friends and family members. Some people hold garage sales or do bake sales and other creative fundraising events.

It is helpful if owners can rent space in the location they wish to create a studio in, as this can save a lot of time and money. A place that used to serve as a yoga studio or fitness center is ideal, though it is also possible to use a space that was once an office or store. In the case of using a space that was not used before for yoga, it is important to take into consideration the tremendous potential costs of renovating the place to make it suitable as a studio.

Figure out how many classes, workshops or teacher trainings you will have to teach per year to cover your annual and start-up costs. Make sure you do not overestimate these figures, as they are very important in the planning and fundraising process.

Naming a Yoga Studio

Once you have written a thorough business.educationeasy.net business plan and assessed that you have the necessary resources available to manifest your yoga studio vision, it is important to consider naming your studio. It is best to contact a trademark attorney at this point to see if your desired name is available. If you are unable to afford an attorney, you can see if anyone else is using the same name you have chosen by searching online.

Trademark Process

If you find that no one else is using the name you have selected for your yoga studio, you can visit the website for the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Check if anyone has a pending application or federal registration for the name you plan to use.

After doing this, visit your state's trademark database to make sure that your desired name has not been taken by another yoga business, fitness or wellness center.

When going to file your business name online, be ready to pay approximately $335 to register your trademark. It is helpful to work with an attorney on this process to try your best to prevent receiving trademark application rejections.

Though opening a yoga practice is a challenging process that requires a lot of patience, persistence and commitment, many entrepreneurs will tell you that running a studio is well worth the effort it takes to create one.

Though jobmonkey.com/yoga/open-studio.html opening a yoga studio is a challenging process that requires a lot of patience, persistence and commitment, many yoga studio owners will tell you that running a studio is well worth the effort it takes to create one. Learn how to jobmonkey.com/yoga/become-teacher.html become a yoga instructor from Lisa Jenkins, who is a freelance writer for JobMonkey. She explains the business niche in great detail, from the different types and styles of yoga, its history, and how to market a yoga practice.

Keep a Rug Around for Yoga

Sometimes a practicing yogi needs to do a few yoga poses in the most unlikely of places; at a bus stop, on the train, even in their own cubicle at work. I know I happen to have a lot of those random "I have to do the crow's pose right now" moments. In fact, it happens quite often especially in my cubicle. Since I don't usually carry my yoga mat everywhere with me, I decided to invest in a simple cotton rug for my work station.

I knew that when I was looking for an area rug it'd have to be a bit smaller in size since I have a lot of stuff going on in here: my rolling office chair, a guest chair, my computer tower, the works. Fortunately I found one suitable enough, made from cotton and dyed a lovely serene turquoise color. Thankfully there were no fringes on the edges sine we have a little dog running around the office. The last thing I need is for the dog to choke on loose pieces of thread from my rug!

Now that I have this rug in my cube, I have the freedom to work on a few warrior poses. Not to mention that the turquoise color brings a happy little ambience in my cube. My coworkers have even taken notice and mention that with the addition of the rug my cube looks a lot more inviting, prompting many visitors throughout the day.

Commonly enough, rugs are used during different yoga practices. Sometimes it's even recommended to bring one to practice to double as a blanket or cushioning pad for any poses that may require you to be on your knees, such as camel or table. Next time you have a yoga class, go out and pick up a cotton yoga rug about 28 inches in width and 70 inches in length beforehand. Place it on top of your sticky yoga mat for extra cushioning, traction, and to absorb and sweat or moisture, making it ideal for Bikram or hot yoga. And don't forget to choose a color or pattern that will bring you to a peaceful place during your yoga practice, whether it's in a studio, bus stop or cubicle. Trust me, it'll make a difference.

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Back To School and Back To Health Part 3 - Exercise

Staying physically active is vital to staying healthy especially as we age.

Cardiovascular Exercise

Cardiovascular exercise - sometimes called aerobic exercise - is needed to keep your heart healthy. Remember your heart is a muscle and needs to be exercised to be kept strong. You should talk to your doctor before starting any sort of exercise program first though.

Basically cardiovascular exercise works by strengthening your heart so that it contracts more strongly and can pump more blood with each heart beat. This way your heart doesn't have to beat as many times per minute.

Examples of cardiovascular exercise include walking, running, swimming and jump roping. Anything that gets your large muscles moving and your heart working harder.

Many people buy heart rate monitors such as those by Polar to keep track of their heart rate. They usually consist of a band you place around your chest and come with a wrist band that displays your heart rate. by using a heart rate monitor you can keep track of how hard your heart is working when you exercise.

Strength Training

Strength training is also an important type of exercise to stay healthy. As people age we tend to lose muscle mass so it is important to keep our muscles working.

If you enjoy going to a gym they are a great way to get access to many different types of exercise equipment to strengthen your muscles. If not, there are many other ways to engage in strength training exercise at home.

Some people buy equipment for home use like the Total Gym, which you see advertised on T.V. a lot. Less expensive options include using free weights or exercise bands or tubes.

If you need help using this equipment many local community recreation centers have personal trainers with affordable rates. For many people 3-5 sessions is all that is needed to help you to set up a strength training program personalized for your needs.

Flexibility

It is also important to do some type of stretching or flexibility exercise. Good examples of these include yoga and tai chi. These help to keep you more flexible, can improve balance and are relaxing to the mind and body.

Now that you are sleeping better, eating right and have established a fitness routine - relax!

Trisha M. has a B.S. in Psychology and a M.S. in Biochemistry and writes about numerous topics in health and science. She maintains and writes a ideasforwomen.com/news Women's Health blog at her site ideasforwomen.com IdeasForWomen.com.

Is an Intensive Yoga Teacher Training Right For You?

Once we have journeyed on our path of yoga for a few years we can start to wonder if teaching yoga may be the next stage for us. Experiencing our own transformation naturally leads to a desire to share this feeling.

The ancient yogis handed down their teachings and traditions in a Guru/Disciple relationship that often lasted decades before the student was released to become a teacher to others. However, modern lifestyles rarely can accommodate this kind of lengthy immersion. Imagine telling your spouse "I'm off to India to train as a yoga teacher. I'll be back in 20 years." Not a viable option for the average person although without a doubt the most thorough way to train.

Currently there are two main options when choosing to embark on a yoga teacher training programme. A long term training spread out over a year or more consisting of a monthly weekend session, or an intensive programme whereby you immerse yourself daily for a period of a month or two usually in a location other than your local yoga centre.

Both options serve as great trainings but not always suitable to your lifestyle. If embarking on a long term training, the up side is that it will allow you to continue your usual daily routine, working and earning a living along side your course. Classes usually are scheduled for weekends, once a month with homework and/or a mandatory public class attendance in between meetings. This can be a useful way to manage a training without much disturbance to your daily life. It is a good way to focus on the process in smaller modules. However, one of the problems with this method is that there is a tendency not to absorb the information fully. This is especially true when maintaining other commitments and family responsibilities. Through our own yoga practice we learn that experience itself is the greatest of teachers. If we are "dipping in" to our training and perhaps letting our daily yoga practice slide due to pressures of family or work we can feel the experience we gain on those weekends slips between the cracks of the rest of our lives.

It may be that you are the type of person who needs to eliminate distractions in order to fully focus. Perhaps you are looking for a complete life change or have been made redundant from your job. In these cases a yoga teacher training that completely immerses you in the process of practice, training and theory can be a better option. With an intensive, full time course you would be working everyday for 6-8 hours developing your skills as a practitioner as well as learning how to teach and the general theories of yoga philosophy. This kind of course is usually separate from your local yoga school and tends to happen in places that surround you with a peaceful more yoga "authentic" environment. For many people looking to immerse themselves in a yoga teacher training India and other places in Asia are common options. The advantage to this is that your daily focus is fully on the course itself. This can allow each student to absorb the information as the repetition of a daily yoga routine embeds itself in the consciousness.

Whatever your motivation for deciding to teach, it is a good idea to look into all the options available in yoga teacher training courses. There are a lot of trainings on the market so the choice is pretty big. Think about what will suit your lifestyle and needs before choosing. Being able to manage a family and work may be more important to you while you are training, as teaching may be just something you want to add to your current abilities. Or perhaps stepping out of your usual surroundings and daily habits and immersing yourself in the entire process of yoga is what you need to take you to the next stage on your path. Whatever option you choose yoga teacher training can be a very rewarding and life changing experience.

Julie Martin is Director of brahmaniyoga.com brahmaniyoga.com

Julie Martin is Director of Brahmani Yoga in Goa, India and runs yoga teacher training programmes, workshops and classes at Brahmani as well as around the world. brahmaniyoga.com brahmaniyoga.com

How to Find Free Or Cheap Yoga Classes

Yoga is meant to calm your mind and balance your body, right? Well, if you're broke and you really really love the practice of yoga, you're in a tough spot and yoga can actually become a source of stress. Monthly memberships can run you hundreds of dollars and even dropping in on a class here or there can really add up to more than any broke person wants to spend. Here are a few tips if you're a broke yoga lover.

1. Seek out all of the introductory specials in your area. Look up every yoga studio in your area and check out their website to see if they have a free introductory class or an introductory special. Most studios have something for new clients. Keep your eye out for coupons in newspapers and other advertising specials. I've even found some great deals in the community section on Craigslist.

2. Join the mailing list of every studio you go to. I recently went to a bunch of free classes because a yoga studio that I've been to opened a new location and they wanted to get people in to try it. They had a free day of classes and a bunch of great specials for future classes. I never would have known about it if I hadn't gotten the email in my inbox announcing it.

3. Find out where there are free classes or donation based classes. There are some places (like Runyon Canyon Yoga in Los Angeles) that have free or donation based classes. The one in Los Angeles is outside in a beautiful location and they offer daily classes. Try looking up parks and beaches in your area and see if anyone is doing free classes there.

4. Find a group on meetup.com. If you're experienced and you don't need to learn yoga basics, you might just want a group to do yoga with, a nice location and even just a set time to practice. There are lots of groups all over the country that do this. Try looking for one in your area on meetup.com.

5. Look for teacher training classes. Lots of studios offer teacher training and a discounted class price if you go to one taught by one of their teachers in training. At a hot yoga studio I used to go to, they had two classes per week that were half price because the teacher was a newbie. They were still great classes and an absolute bargain to attend.

6. Friend your local yoga studios on Facebook. It's a simple thing to do, but you'll always see whats going on and what kind of specials are happening.

7. Settle for classes at non-traditional yoga locations. Check your local community college or adult education course catalog. They'll be a lot less expensive. You can also try the classes at a normal gym. If you get the right teacher, it can be just as good as a yoga studio class.

For more information on balanceyogasite.com/broke-yoga Free Yoga Classes, check out this balanceyogasite.com Yoga Resources site.

The Purpose of Yoga - Finding Yourself

Some people claim to find themselves after practicing Yoga faithfully - but how can this be? Yoga is an art of living. In fact, Yoga is a 5,000 year old archive of solutions for the many forms of suffering, which plague mankind.

What causes most of mankind's suffering? A lack of "something" can cause suffering. Which is worse: Lack of food, lack of water, lack of a job, or lack of good health? All of them are bad, and some of these situations are potentially fatal. We now know that lack of something critical can cause serious suffering. Lack of oxygen will shorten our lives in minutes.

Many people blame lack of money for all of their suffering. If they had a million dollars, then they would be able to enjoy their family and their life.

Yet, most of the world's rich and famous do not really seem to be living in a state of bliss. For them, money and power can be the source of their suffering. True intentions in business, relationships, marriages, and friendships, can be murky when money and power are at stake

However, lack of thought is a common thread in many types of suffering. If you fall into a lake, with water over your head, and think you are finished - you will be. If you think losing your job is the end of the world - it might be. The real problem is not having a solution to the problem at hand.

It is also very difficult to come up with solutions to problems, without the proper training. Yet, Yoga trains your mind and body for logical thinking in a variety of critical situations.

If you are able to handle any situation that "comes your way," your mind and body have been trained, conditioned, and prepared, for most of what life has to offer. It is not a coincidence when someone responds to a stressful situation with logical solutions and answers.

Being able to react to problems, with solutions, will also help you find that a problem could be the gateway to a better life. How is that possible?

Here is just one example: Mary has a "dead end job." She has worked for her company for three years. She never gets a raise. She shows up to work on time, every day, never takes time off, and she works overtime, when she is asked.

Mary is ethical, honest, respected by her fellow workers, and has positive suggestions, but management does not care, and they have promoted less qualified people "over her head."

She has many choices, even if she does not see them. She could wait for her wage to go up. She could also wait for recognition. She could wait for an opening in another department. Do you believe Mary will be rewarded by waiting?

Based on the company's performance, it is highly unlikely that Mary will ever be promoted, appreciated, noticed, or rewarded. Mary's best solution might be to work at another company, which will appreciate her skills and work ethic - or work for herself.

This solution may seem logical to you and I, but for Mary, this is a "great leap forward." Unless her mind is conditioned, she will stay at her present job, hoping for success, but receiving only frustration and regret.

In truth, Mary will benefit from a Yoga class, where she will find self-worth, confidence, and build a better self-image. Yoga practice will create a true self-realization of her value at work, in life, and at home.

Mary decides to react to this situation, with a logical solution, and finding the right job, results in a 15% to 70% wage increase at a company, which appreciates her skills and character.

She saw going into business as too risky, but Mary is finding herself, and her family will benefit as a result of her solution.

© Copyright 2007 - Paul Jerard / Aura Publications

Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500, is a co-owner and the director of Yoga teacher training at: Aura Wellness Center, in Attleboro, MA. riyoga.com riyoga.com He has been a certified Master Yoga teacher since 1995. To receive a Free e-Book: "Yoga in Practice," and a Free Yoga Newsletter, please visit: yoga-teacher-training.org/index.html yoga-teacher-training.org/index.html

Sweatin' with the Yogis

I'd say one of the successes of Bikram yoga is this immediate result. I've never sweated so much in my life. Before even starting the postures sweat was pouring off my body. This may sound awful, but the heat quickly escapes your mind as your focus is redirected to maintaining the 60-second poses. A 60 second hold is quite difficult because it involves balancing and holding your own body weight, resulting in a serious workout that reaches muscles never worked before.

Fortunately, Bikram yoga is easier than other yoga programs. It isn't usually necessary to skip postures because you are unable to do them. Each posture is performed in sets of three so it's no trouble to learn and perfect them faster. Bikram yoga requires two sided mirrors, and detailed, repetitive instructions so it isn't necessary to look at the instructor. I was able to adjust my own posture and correct myself, providing an added benefit to yoga -- self-confidence.

What if I'm not flexible? Yoga isn't all about flexibility. The aim of Bikram yoga is not to twist the body into bizarre pretzel shapes, but to strengthen the body's natural range of motion, to restore flow throughout all bodily systems. The heated environment ensures a safe stretch as you loosen up over time. It isn't necessary to reach all these positions in order to do yoga. All that matters is to attempt to go to your personal 'edge'. As Khun Karoonkornsakul said, "Don't expect so much. Yoga is not competitive. You have to let your ego go."

How did yoga become so popular?It always helps when you know someone 'in the business' -- that is, the entertainment business. Bikram Choudhury has Hollywood swearing by his program; some of his more famous followers including Quincy Jones, Michael Jackson, Madonna, Candice Bergen, and Brooke Shields.

It all started in 1972 when Richard Nixon visited the South Pacific. According to CBS, the former President suffered from phlebitis and summoned Choudhury for his special hot yoga. Nixon was supposedly so impressed with the treatment that he gave Bikram an open invitation to come and live in the U.S.

Choudhury has recently been granted copyright protection for his Bikram yoga sequence. In order to guarantee the teaching quality standard, only certified Bikram yoga teachers who have graduated from the 600-hour intensive training course at Bikram Yoga College of India in L.A. are allowed to teach or obtain a franchise to open a studio. As a result, up until now only two Bikram studios existed in Asia, namely in Tokyo and Hong Kong.

Putting Bangkok in the forefront of the Asian yoga movement Thailand has now become the third milestone of yoga in Asia by the introduction of Benjaporn Karoonkornsakul, an ex-investment banker who's been attracted to the Bikram yoga circle since her first Bikram hot yoga experience in Hong Kong. Wanting to stay fit during her travels, Koon Karoonkornsakul agreed to take a Bikram yoga class recommended by a friend.

Having no idea it was going to take place in a hot room, Benjaporn was surprised to find herself sweating profusely. As she said, it's difficult for Asians to sweat, herself in particular, so this one time adventure was highly rewarding. So much so that she decided to enroll in Bikram's training course and has now been practicing yoga for 25 years. This interest has brought her hometown, Bangkok, the first certified Bikram yoga facility, Absolute Yoga.

For Benjaporn, yoga is a serious workout without the dangers that tend to limit the range of other fitness programs. With running one usually tends to turn on a music channel and say, "just give me five songs then I'm done." Many people like yoga for the same reasons as Benjaporn: a 90 minute yoga workout entails a lot of stretching and focus - you can't look around or let your mind wander, you just do it and you're done. 90 minutes have never gone by faster for me, nor have they been, when it comes to exercise, as mentally and physically rewarding.

So, what do they mean by asanas or poses?

Awkward Pose: What a suitable name. A seated, or better yet, squatting pose with knees bent and buttocks near the heels. To add difficulty, all this is done on the balls of your feet with arms held straight out in front. By the second repetition my thighs and upper arm muscles felt hotter than the room.

Toe Stand Pose: It looks more awkward than the awkward pose. This time squatting on the ball of one foot, the other leg rests on top of the thigh. Arms are in a prayer position, which is a good idea, because by this point I was praying to hold this pose as my muscles struggled to balance my body weight.

Camel Pose: Another one on my list to master, it's almost like an inverted Bow Pose. Perched on the lower legs and bent over backward in order to place your head between your ankles, the lower back gets a further workout.

Bow Pose: Not even a locust could reach this state. Ideally the Full Locust Pose is taken to its ultimate limits. Upper body and arms reach up to meet raised legs behind you. Absolutely impossible for me at the time, but like yoga tends to be for most people, I'm destined to come back for more.

Full Locust Pose: The locust in flight. Now the upper body should be lifted with arms spread up and back, but that wasn't about to happen for me. There was no way my ribs were going to get off the floor. Clearly my upper back and shoulder muscles are really out-of-shape.

Locust Pose: Named after an Oriental straight-winged grasshopper with legs and thighs so powerful that it can leap to heights two hundred times the length of its body. In this pose, one lays face down with arms to the side. The legs are lifted up, similar to a grasshopper, providing an intense workout of the buttocks, lower back, and back of the thighs.

Benjaporn Karoonkornsakul, the Managing Director, founder and owner of Absolute Yoga Bangkok (absoluteyogabangkok.com absoluteyogabangkok.com) has trained to become the first bikram hot yoga teacher in Bangkok. After the first year, Absolute Yoga Bangkok branched out to offer other traditions of yoga and opened more locations to distinguish ourselves as Bangkok's dedicated yoga place. Our future plans are to continue to expand both in locations and in what is most beneficial to the practioners of Thailand.

Best Way to Get Into Shape - Men's Workouts Without Weights For Fat Loss

Have you ever observed the physiques and athletic fitness of dancers, gymnasts, and yogis (people who practice yoga)? They're lean and strong, and the only thing they lift is their own body weight. Most people that start with body weight training usually just start off with basic push ups, pull ups, and body weight squats.

I did the same exact thing, but these exercises soon became too boring. When you're bored with your exercise program, you're less likely to stick to it. And if you don't stick to a program, you won't get results. It's as simple as that. So, if you want to take your body weight training to the next level, it's time to start mimicking the movements of athletes that already train with their body weight on a professional level.

What are these athletes doing differently then the rest of us? Well, gymnasts, dancers, and yogis basically perform a variety of movements all strung together into a high intensity routine that has their bodies moving in multiple directions. And that is exactly what you should be doing.

Push ups, pull ups, and body weight squats are one-dimensional movements that only teach your body to go up and down. In reality, your body needs to move up, down, front, back, and side to side. Dancers, gymnasts, and yogis have known this for years.

So, what kind of movements can you do that will allow you to move your body in a variety of directions? Well, you can start off by simply observing what dancers, gymnasts, and yogis do, then applying a few techniques into your current training program.

You know what, speaking of workouts, there's a great 3-phase fat loss system that uses the concepts that I just mentioned called the Bodyweight Blueprint for Fat Loss. You can find out more information about this incredible body weight fat loss program on my site, workoutwithoutweights.net WorkoutWithoutWeights.Net.

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P90x Workout Changed My Life

I was once crazy about doing exercise when I was a child. But when I became a housewife, all my time was occupied by doing housework and taking care of my children. Time has changed me to an ordinary woman. My muscle became flabby. My mood was always bad and my youth faded away day by day.

Until one day, while I was surfing the Internet, my heart was grasped by the healthy and lively girl in the home page of the Beach Boy. Her beauty and strong appearance just is like I used to be. Especially when I saw a woman who is almost fifty but still has a figure younger than mine, because I am just thirty. I was woken up by the P90x extreme fitness training system and insanity 60 days workout program. I am aware that I need some changes; I need more energy and should have a higher pursuit. "No time for exercise" is just an excuse for the women who are lazy. There is no ugly woman, only lazy ones - only exercise can hold your youth.

So without hesitation, I selected the insanity 60 days workouts and decided to buy P90x DVD. I did what the coach told me strictly. I felt myself refreshed and relaxed every time I took insanity 60 days program. That is really good for me. At home, I can also be a coach of my families, which makes them healthy too. Obviously, my youth come back and I enjoy my life more.

Now, I am also fascinated with the happinesslifetime.com yoga training offered by P90x. The unity of the movement let me get completely relaxed. At the same time, the experience of fulfillment is a kind of enjoyment for me. Since 2002, I have learned yoga from magazines. These magazines gave me a lot wrong information on how to learn yoga correctly. Now, with p90x plan, I have a better understanding about yoga.

Due to the small town where has no club for yoga, I usually do yoga just at home. After doing a set of movements with P90x plan, I always can be made to the most comfortable body adjustment. Now, it has become an integral part of my life. I can feel my body become more well-balanced and elegant. My balance and the coordinated ability have been much better, and my flexibility is obviously increased. From P90x lesson, I have learned not to torment myself just for a few kilograms weight reduction. It is more important to be happy and healthy.

p90xdvdstore.com p90xdvdstore.com/ offer many information on P90x workout program. If you plan to know more about p90xdvdstore.com p90x for sale and workout tips, visit us.

Cross-Training for Running With P90X

Running all the time might be boring, it may limit ones fitness to certain areas, and any time you don't provide your body enough time to heal, you may get injured. Cross-training presents a strategy to offer you a change from your typical routine, and it allows you to enhance fitness in areas that running may not do sufficiently. I wanted to share a exercise program that I just recently completed that may also be utilized to cross-train with running.

So, you may be curious exactly why am I writing about P90X anyway? Well first, I wished to share that I did this plan, I enjoyed it, and had some good rewards from it. In case you are in search of a program to improve your all-around fitness, you may want to have a look at this plan. And, if you're looking to boost your running fitness by way of cross training, you may wish to attempt this plan in whole or in part too.

I just recently took a break from running for 3 months while I did a well-liked exercise plan known as P90X. I heard a good deal of people talking about it so I decided to jump on the proverbial band wagon and give it a go. Remember that I'm not necessarily suggesting taking a break from your running as I did, but rather I am sharing the positive aspects of this plan as they are relevant to running.

When you have not heard of P90X, it really is an 'extreme' home workout program that includes resistance training, cardiovascular exercise, and stretching. It is actually for men and women in reasonable condition, though anyone could possibly do it if they really set their mind to it. I benefited quite a bit from the plan, and can definitely tell a difference in my health and fitness. Though I did not follow the diet part of the program really closely. In fact, I did not have the guide on the diet. I did try to make some marginal improvements in my diet however.

I really liked getting some muscle exercise from the system in addition to the stretch exercise. They call the stretch happinesslifetime.com training Yoga-X. Personally, I did not stick to the spiritual part of this at the end, and I only recommend the stretching and balance part of this workout. In addition to these workouts, the P90X plan also included plyometric training (or jump training), kickboxing, and abdominal work. Many of these workouts have specific fitness benefits, some of which may actually allow you to run better. Personally, I do hope that I will continue a few of the components of the P90X system to assist me with my flexibility, strength, and abdominal muscles. These are all important physical fitness elements for runners.

So, perhaps you can benefit from the P90X plan as a whole or possibly you just want to use a few of the specific routines to enhance strength and flexibility, which will help you as a runner.

Should you be interested in ideas like these about startrunningforbeginners.com running for beginners you might also wish to check out these running and startrunningforbeginners.com jogging tips

Meditation Certification - 5 Reasons Why Some People Haven't Felt the Meditation Benefits

1. Knowing well what you are you seeking with the meditation.

Is it about to get enlightenment? Is it about to improve your health? It is about to find peace and love? Or is it just for relaxation? You have to decide what your purposes are.

2. Pick the types meditation that best suit you and help you to reach your purposes.

For example, if you only need some relaxation, Zen is the best choice. If you want to reach your love and compassion goals, Sa Ta Na Ma mantra will do you well. You have to choose the specific types for your specific goals. The more specific you choose, the faster you reach your objectives. You can take a look at my other articles that discuss about 7 types meditation for different purposes.

3. Choose which level types meditation that you need to reach your goals.

If you have a simple problem with health such as influenza, you have to do the basic level type of Pranayama. If you have a bigger problem with health such as weeks of fewer, the intermediate level type of Pranayama, and the other hands, if you want to heal your cancer or huge health problem, you do the advance level of Pranayama.

4. Know how long the meditation time required.

For example, if you do the Trataka, the minimum time is for 5 minutes and the maximum time is for 1 hour. You have to keep this rule, because there will be no effect if you it under or over the time required.

5. Find a good meditation teacher.

Not to mention because nowadays when yoga and meditation is in high demand, people starting claim to be a yoga or meditation teacher. A good meditation teacher have to know the basic step, know the types, know completely the whole level of (basic, intermediate, and advance) including the time required in meditation, and for the complete prove, they must have a meditation certification.

Thank you for reading, hope this article will help you to guide you to find peace, enlightenment, and love.

To your success and spiritual growth,
Choi Rowling

You can learn more about Meditation Teacher Training and get 5 Parts Meditation Mini Course For Free at meditationcertification.blogspot.com Meditation Certification Website

If the link doesn't work, you can copy & paste this link to your web browser meditationcertification.blogspot.com MeditationCertification.blogspot.com/

Yoga and Weight Loss - Separating Fact From Fiction

Lots of weird, seemingly complicated positions that rival the training exercises of a professional contortionist. A variety of breathing patterns that is too diverse to mater.

Philosophical principles that you must hold close to your heart, even if you fail to understand most of them.

Welcome to the wonderful world of yoga, a meditative and recreational exercise that became so popular in America during the so called "New Age" boom in the nineties. Today, yoga isn't only treated as a healthy way to commune with one's self, it is also being seen as a fantastic way to lose weight.

But can yoga really help you lose weight? Is this claim a fact? Or is it a lie propagated by a yoga studio owner?

Let's deal with the facts first and foremost: yoga is primarily a meditative process that helps participants commune with themselves and their environment. Yoga is all about breathing and positioning of the body to aid the same. Yoga is both a spiritual and a physical experience. It's ultimate goal is to improve one's health by cleansing one's system of all sources of pain and suffering. Such a release is called the Moksha.

Now for the biggest misconception about yoga and weight loss: yoga- particularly the "most active" kind, which is Hatha yoga - involves physical activities that will help you lose weight directly. This isn't true. Though yoga may entail demanding body positions, it is never physically taxing. Yoga exercises are not cardiovascular in nature. You won't burn that many calories while pursuing this meditative regimen.

Yoga is about changing one's lifestyle for the better. It's not about what transpires in the yoga studio, it's about what you learn during yoga sessions and how you follow the same outside the confines of the classroom.

Hence, yoga's weight loss benefits are never direct.

Instead, yoga teaches the participant how to live a healthier lifestyle and make him more aware of his body, which consequently will promote less weight gain and better weight loss.

Additionally, since yoga - in any of its form - will most definitely improve one's breathing patterns, the body will get to enjoy better oxygen flow. Oxygen is essential in every bodily function, including metabolism. Hence, better oxygen flow would mean a more efficient metabolic rate, meaning more calories burned and fewer fats retained.

In summary, it is wrong to enroll in a yoga class with the sole purpose of losing weight. That's like going to Paris just to see the Eifel Tower. Yoga has so much more to offer - eventual weight loss being just one of them - that will surely enrich the life of its practitioner.

If you're ready to kick those unwanted pounds to the curb and would like more weight-loss tips to help you get started, visit theweightlossblogger.com theweightlossblogger.com for more information.

Are You Worrying About Your Thunder Thighs?

You do not have to feel a victim of your thigh size. First, thigh size is determined by many factors such as femur bone size, quadriceps and hamstring muscle size and fat located on the quadriceps. These factors must be considered before embarking on a diagnosis of fitness level based on thigh size.

Second, it is important to remember that no fitness program can properly address just one aspect of your physical appearance. Third, a more wholesome way of addressing fitness is to understand that we are all an integration of body, mind and spirit. An integrated fitness program should address mental and spiritual or emotional health as well as the physical fitness aspect.

A personal trainer should give you a complimentary physical fitness appraisal to tell you what issues you should focus on. It is worth getting a personalized fitness program which will enable you to spend time more efficiently addressing your own fitness issues.

If you have large bone size, then this something you have to consider before preparing an image of your fitness level. A general conditioning program is what is necessary. A personal trainer could write up an appropriate program designed specifically for you.

If you have strong quadriceps muscles like a sprinter, then you may want to back off on quadriceps strength training. Instead, use lighter weights and higher repetitions to tone quadriceps muscles. In addition, include strengthening and stretching of your hamstring muscles to balance the quadriceps. Weak hamstrings are the source of many injuries and muscle aches and pains. A fifteen minute stretching program in the morning is a great way to fend off muscle injury. All stretching activity should be carried out after any resistance training (weight training) or cardiovascular exercise. Ask a yoga instructor about an at-home stretching program that is easy and fun.

If you have ruled out bone size and muscle size as contributing factors to your thigh size, then you need to assess the fat issue. At this point, investing in a proper cardiovascular and strength training program will take the fat off and keep it off with a maintenance plan. Remember to include a nutrition plan into your week. Low fat intake is key. It is important to seek the services of a certified personal trainer in order to obtain an efficient program in which your time invested is effective. Many people go to the gym and lift weights but few get the results they desire for the time invested. A certified personal trainer can devise a scheme which will enable you to see results in six weeks. For some people, a walking program is sufficient. For others, a higher level of activity would be mandatory, depending on their fitness level. A professional would be able to accurately assess what you would need.

Ultimately, you have to have good health as a goal. A waif-like look should never be the goal. We need to build strong bones and muscle and lower fat. A professional fitness trainer can show you how. Ensure your goals are always specific, measurable, accurate, realistic and timed (SMART). It is better to say to yourself, "In 6 weeks I will achieve better cardiovascular health by incorporating a walk into my week", than to say "I will fit into a size 8 by next week". Good health should always be priority number one!

A variety of personal interests and professional paths have led Hema to her current role as a personal trainer and yoga instructor with over 20 years experience. Hema is listed in Who?s Who in the World and is an author, lecturer and Can-Fit-Pro certified personal trainer who specializes in body-mind-spirit consulting and training women. Hema has helped many clients overcome issues in their lives using yoga and meditation.

For more information on how Hema can help you through yoga, contact Shanti Consulting today for a free consultation at getshanti.com getshanti.com and sign up for the free newsletter. For more information on meditation, please see getshanti.com getshanti.com

The Truth about Options for Yoga Teachers, Part 1

When, or if, you decide to become a Yoga teacher, you should start with a basic Yoga teacher training course that gives you an overview of all of the fields within Yoga. If you decide to specialize, it is best to do it when the need becomes apparent. This is not always the case for every Yoga instructor. For example: You may have a calling for Prenatal Yoga or Kids Yoga.

This is fine - as Yoga teachers, and Yoga practitioners, we all understand passion. However, please make sure there is a market for the Yoga teaching niche you desire in your local area. After you get your "feet wet," teaching Yoga to different groups, you will more accurately see your own destiny.

This may not happen right away, and some Yoga instructors are very comfortable working with the "general population." When I look at my weekly schedule, I teach Yoga to kids, seniors with various levels of mobility, Gentle Yoga to a targeted middle aged group, Restorative Yoga (which also attracts students in the middle-aged range), Vinyasa Yoga classes to students in the 20 to 30 years of age range, and private sessions, which can cover just about anything.

To be honest, this is not for everyone, but if you teach Yoga full time, you tend to go where the needs are. Yoga students will seek you out, and you may have a specialized market that "screams" for your help. This will guide you toward a needful population of motivated Yoga students.

This is exactly what happened to me with Chair Yoga. When I received a call from a local senior center for Yoga classes, I had no idea it would become so popular. That led to filling up my morning Yoga class schedule, Later, I trained Yoga instructors, in my area, to address a need that is far beyond my ability to fulfill. The fact is, more Chair Yoga teachers are needed right now.

In our next section, we will go over some options for Yoga teachers, who have students, or potential students, seeking a specific form of Yoga instruction. Some of these niche markets will give you no passion at all, but it is good to look at your teaching options and then decide which sort of Yoga training you want to get involved in.

Always remember to keep an eye on which forms of Yoga are in demand, even though they may not appeal to you personally.

© Copyright 2006 - Paul Jerard / Aura Publications

Paul Jerard is a co-owner and the director of Yoga teacher training at: Aura Wellness Center, in North Providence, RI. He has been a certified Master Yoga teacher since 1995. He is a master instructor of martial arts, with multiple Black Belts, four martial arts teaching credentials, and was recently inducted into the USA Martial Arts Hall of Fame. He teaches Yoga, martial arts, and fitness to children, adults, and seniors in the greater Providence area. Recently he wrote: Is Running a Yoga Business Right for You? For Yoga students, who may be considering a new career as a Yoga teacher. yoga-teacher-training.org/index.html yoga-teacher-training.org/index.html

Teaching Hatha Yoga - Obstacles to Instructing in Western Public Schools

You have experienced the benefits first hand, and decided to become a Yoga instructor. Now you want to spread the word about the benefits to children in public schools. After all, children are not getting enough physical education; they are very stressed out, and they are bigger than ever.

It seems like a perfect fit, but there are obstacles, which you should be aware of. Most people are educated enough to realize that Yoga will improve any child's health and well-being. However, there are some exceptions, in the case of religious fundamentalists, who insist that Yoga is clearly a religious instruction.

Granted, if Yogic philosophy were part of a class, it would result in a deeply moral and spiritually-connected practitioner; but even in this case, religious instruction is a rarity in a Yoga class. You already know that Yoga does not exclude any group, because of religion, gender, age, color, ethic background, or social status.

Yogic philosophy does not preach intolerance, judgment of others, or that everyone else is going to hell, because they are not one of us. What a stark contrast to fundamentalism, which preaches intolerance, judgment of others, everyone else is going to hell, and in some extreme cases - fundamentalism preaches, "It is justified to kill anyone who does not believe the same thing."

There are some people, who you cannot reason with. Especially, those who believe they can commit crimes against humanity, and also believe, they will go to heaven for it.

Therefore, how do you explain the benefits of Yoga for children in public schools? If two thirds of the adult population, in the West, has never practiced Yoga, you must assume that you have to thoroughly explain what you are teaching.

Before you talk to anyone to promote Yoga in public schools, please take the time to film your children's classes. In this way, you will be able to demonstrate exactly what you do. It might be wise to have a duplicate DVD prepared, so that educators can show it to the school committee, other teachers, and concerned parents.

Do not be surprised if your Yoga classes are monitored closely to make sure you do not discuss Yogic philosophy or meditate. In the US, we live at a time, when a different form of fundamentalist has successfully worked to ban Christmas trees, decorations, and carols, from pubic schools and government buildings.

Whether you feel it is right or wrong; this is only the "tip of the iceberg," as the US government has "bent over backwards" to prove there is a separation between any religion and the state.

Therefore, if you teach Yoga in public schools demonstrate posturing (Asanas) and breathing (Pranayama), only. This will help you avoid being drawn into the "gray area" of debate.

© Copyright 2008 - Paul Jerard / Aura Publications

Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500, has written many books on the subject of Yoga. He is a co-owner and the Director of Yoga Teacher Training at: Aura Wellness Center, in Attleboro, MA. aurawellnesscenter.com aurawellnesscenter.com

He has been a certified Master Yoga Teacher since 1995. To receive a Free Yoga e-Book: "Yoga in Practice," and a Free Yoga Newsletter, please visit: yoga-teacher-training.org/index.html yoga-teacher-training.org/index.html