Why Is It Important to Stretch Before Your Workout?

Honestly people - I H-A-T-E stretching. I mean, come on... as if it's not enough that I'm ALREADY late to the gym, and I don't have enough time for my workout - do I really have to waste a few mins just to stretch?

The answer is yes. You simply must add stretching to you fitness training. A full body streth can be done in as little as 10-minutes!

What are the benefits? Just to name a few:

- Fatigued, tight muscles are less capable of performing the skills/movement required, stretching helps loosen you up

- Stretching can help prevent injury by aiding recovery and decreasing soreness

- Stretching ensures that your muscles/tendons are in good working order. The more conditioned they are, the better they can handle the stress of your sport and exercise

Based on my experience, I've actually had a significant increase in upper body strength in just weeks after incorporating a stretching routine into my workouts. (Yes, I used to avoid stretching for the first few years of working out.. I'm only human :P)

How do I stretch?

I use the Trebistretch machine (see picture above- Fitness First has them, not sure about the others). These machines make stretching easy and has an instruction board attached to it which guides you on the steps to achieve a full body stretch. As for me, I normally only stretch the bodypart I'm working on for that day. So, for example, if I'm working on my back today, I'll just stretch my back. I love these machines cos they're a safe and easy way to help you stretch. In fact, I sometimes get such a good stretch (especially on my back) that the feeling is almost orgasmic - I SWEAR!

Now, one common mistake that people ALMOST ALWAYS do is that they tend to jerk their movements and only hold the stretch for a few seconds!

Now hear me out : It is IMPORTANT to move carefully and slowly into the stretched-out position, and once you're there - hold it for a good 20 to 30 seconds before slowly moving back into position. Only then will you reap the benefits of stretching.

So, there you have it. My conclusion on stretching?

Stretching is important, and is a simple and effective (and FREE!) method that will help you improve your overall performance in your area of sports.

Happy stretching!

Josh Stone, also known as DM, is the author behind the site dailymuscle.com dailymuscle.com which offers the author's personal views on real-life fitness, bodybuilding, sports nutrition, cardio, fat loss, training information, and on all things that surrounds fitness.

Tips for Finding the Right Yoga Teacher

In the last few years, yoga has been popularly revived by many fitness enthusiasts all over the world. It has been included by many as part of their active lifestyle. You can see new classes being held in different locations every day while hundreds of new yoga instructors have been taking certifications annually. Having this said, how will you be able to find the perfect yoga instructor for you and be certain that they have the right knowledge and good teaching skills that you are looking for?

Basically, there may be different schools of yoga but its curriculum is fundamentally based on similar yoga movements. It can vary on the combinations and tempos with the intention of achieving particular results. You may check first the course brochure of the yoga school which can be informative and helpful in determining the best yoga place to enroll. If you are trying to shed off some pounds, then you may want to consider one of those nearby yoga schools in your area that offer fast-paced yoga classes. But if you are in search of a place for spiritual tranquility, then you may like a slower-paced yoga better as it comes with longer holds. It will really depend on your purpose for enrolling in a yoga course in finding the right yoga instructor. There are more than a few yoga schools that may all meet your kind of need. Never easily give up on the first one you have chosen as it will be a good opportunity for you to try and find the suitable yoga teacher to address your concerns.

In reality, responding to a yoga instructor may be a bit challenging if you don't have the right type of yoga teacher to begin with. There is no such real certification process or an approved training progression that is being given. In view of the fact that there are no standards to be taken as a formal reference, each person can claim themselves to be one of those professional yoga teachers.

That is the main reason why you have to know the kind of training a prospect yoga instructor has had. You have to find out the following:

1.) Which yoga school did he study?

2.) How many hours did he put in to study and work in becoming a teacher?

The program your prospect yoga teacher should have must include practice sessions in teaching more than actual learning. Moreover, the recommended standard is at 200 hours. You will get to see other certification programs that will take a person about a year or more to complete while there are those programs that includes extreme correspondence-type of course study. If this is the case, you are expected to pay more and learn more from the former kind of teacher to prevent getting into a longer yoga courses.

In addition, it is also important to verify his experiences. Check on how long s/he has been teaching yoga. More often than not, it is true in this case that the longer the experiences of the teacher, the better s/he is in teaching his/her students. Although you should not negate the new instructors since there are a lot of promising new yoga instructors too. It is also recommended that you interview some of their students. This way, you will get to know what it is about your prospect teacher that they like and appreciate plus the details your teacher has to change. It is also necessary to experience a session with your soon-to-be yoga teacher by going to a trial class. This will be one of the perfect venues where you can do a comparison between your ideal yoga instructor vs. your prospect teacher.

You can also want to ask your potential yoga teacher most especially if you are new to it and discuss your purpose and plans with him/her. Find out details like how s/he got into the practice of yoga, the styles s/he has learned and practiced and the schools s/he has attended. It is also helpful to know what s/he usually focuses into during her yoga classes. Answers may vary from flexibility, strength, meditation or balance. Furthermore, you also have to find out if s/he limits her class size. Your present condition is also vital in finding the right yoga teacher to teach you as you may be suffering from high blood pressure, muscle pains, and other physical challenges. Thus, it is necessary that you inform the instructor about these concerns and find out if s/he has past experiences dealing with similar cases.

Here are reliable signs to watch out for in seeking a certified yoga instructor:

1.) Is s/he excited about yoga and its countless advantages for his/her students?

2.) Does s/he seem skilled and knowledgeable in making use of Sanskrit names for the Asanas?

Certainly, these questions do not assure you of the expertise but it can give you an idea as to the amount of time they have spent to study yoga.

Once you have checked his/her past experiences and credentials, it is time for you to go for a trial session before you finally sign-up and hire the yoga instructor for a period of time. It is best that you get that feeling of guarantee in yourself that both of you are well-matched to work together. You have to like the routines s/he will lead and find his/her instructions easy to be followed. Preferably, your yoga teacher should give you the personal help when needed. S/he should provide demos and show utmost care for his/her students by closely watching them to ensure that his/her students are doing it the right way to prevent possible physical injury. Some yoga teachers would even correct not only by giving instructions verbally but with light repositioning of your body. If you have suffered from serious soreness after a session, then it is an indication that you did an unbalanced routine. Thus, you may want to consider of finding another yoga teacher.

Always remember not to get disheartened with a bad yoga instructor. You just have to try all over again. Who knows? It may just be worth all the trials in finding that better yoga instructor in no time!

For more information on where to find a good Yga trainer refer to this site bidmyservices.com bidmyservices.com/ we have a variety of different services that will match your needs.

Insider Secrets to Marketing your Yoga Teaching Service, Part 1

There are many choices, when it comes to advertising and marketing your Yoga teaching skills for Yoga studios and Yoga instructors. As I've mentioned in other books, and interviews, the biggest difference between advertising and marketing, is cost. Advertising will usually cost you money. Marketing and public relations can sometimes cost you nothing, if you do it yourself.

You can market by press release, Email, FAX, mail, referrals, public relations, shoe leather (cold call - knocking on doors), and community outreach. Knocking on doors is a very inefficient use of your time. Whatever you do, remember that press releases about charity drives, interesting news in your studio, or your last visit to Tibet, are interesting to the public and cost you nothing.

If you send anything electronically, please make absolutely sure you have permission from the recipient. There are a number of penalties for sending out "Junk Email" (Spam). In the US, the CAN-SPAM Act of 2003 is enforced by the Federal Trade Commission and can result in fines or imprisonment.

You should not Fax prospects without permission either. Within the US, there are penalties for sending "Junk Faxes." The Telephone Consumer Protection Act of 1991 and the Junk Fax Prevention Act of 2005 have rules that ban sending unwanted advertisements to a fax machine, without first receiving the receiver's permission.

Therefore, learn the rules of electronic marketing or hire a service that does. It is in your best interest to know the law. Most Yoga teachers do not want the prospect of teaching Yoga, as an inmate, in prison. It is much less expensive to learn the rules and laws, or hire someone who does.

Advertising your Yoga business, on the other hand, will cost you money, and you want to get the best return for your investment. The return on investment is what makes the Internet so attractive to small businesses, such as Yoga teachers and Yoga studios.

The Internet is your absolute best return on investment. Yes, that's right, and you will notice every major ashram, wellness center, studio, Yoga school, and Yoga teacher, who is worth their weight, has a website. You won't see many "fly-by-night" Yoga teaching services, with a strong natural search engine ranking.

The reason is - it takes a little while to establish your business on the web. Realistically, it takes about five months for a website to gain a strong presence in the natural search engine rankings.

© 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

Habits That Keep You Active, Fit and Healthy

Just like a machine, our body will be active, fit and healthy as long as it is moving. Thus exercises play a crucial role in keeping our body active and inspire it to work. Physical activity, walking and exercises maintain the mobility of the joints and relieve pain. The heart beats faster during exercise and every part of the body gets an extra supply of blood.

For a good memory and healthy body, we should exercise daily. If this is not possible, we should exercise at least thrice a week. Have a full body massage at least twice a week. Sit in the sun after a massage. This facilitates vitamin D absorption, help in rejuvenating your body, increasing your lifespan and preventing general malaise and insomnia.

Pour one or two drops of mustard oil in the ears daily. This will prevent ear infection and earache. Daily massage of the feet and soles keeps our vision perfect as some nerves are directly linked with these body parts. A good body posture is also important. You should sit or stand erect so that there is sufficient space for the air to end the lungs ensuring an optimum supply of air when the breath is drawn in.

Daily bathing is essential both in winters and summers, otherwise the toxins coming out of the skin are not washed and can lead to itching and other skin problems. Bathing helps in re-energizing us. Do not wash eyes and hair with warm water. It damages the hair roots.

Exercise should be done gradually and within limits, according to the age and health of a person. Exercising beyond one's endurance is counterproductive as the body is unable to rest, leading to injury and ill health.

There are special postures devised for yoga, which should become steady and pleasant with continuous practice. A steady and pleasant posture produces mental equilibrium and prevents fickleness and bad ideas from entering the mind. Asanas are not merely exercises; they are postures to soothe the nerves.

To perform asanas we need a clean, airy place and loads of determination. The limbs of the body provide the necessary weights and counter weights; thus we develop agility, balance, endurance and great vitality by practicing these asanas. They secure a fine physique, which is strong and elastic without being muscle-bound and they keep the body free disease. They reduce tiredness. But their real importance lies in the way they train and discipline the mind.

Disclaimer: This article is not meant to provide health advice and is for general information only. Always seek the insights of a qualified health professional before embarking on any health program.

Copyright © Ryan Mutt, All Rights Reserved. If you want to use this article on your website or in your ezine, make all the urls (links) active.

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Yoga Basics - What is Safe Yoga?

Safe yoga is characterized by the following:

-Secure (Environment, teacher, student)

-Awareness (to fine detail, form, poses, quantities)

-Functional (offers modifications, choices, mindful of exercise research)

-Effective (provides flexibility, power, ease of use, balance)

Yoga is much more popular than ever. How come? Yoga supplies a total workout which enhances power, cardio condition, stability and versatility. In addition, it enhances one's body consciousness, raises physical command and facilitates body mastery. Because it involves a highly comprehensive and integrated technique, yoga creates a longer, leaner and more graceful physique - also currently in vogue. Yoga likewise helps reduce stress, stress plus exhaustion by means of its awareness, often-fluid motion and deep breathing emphasis. If Teachers aren't attuned towards the UNIQUE requirements of the Health club atmosphere and customers, accidental injuries can occur. Traditional yoga does not actually exist anymore in the United States but Fitness Styles of Yoga are appropriate for Fitness clubs - it is really simple.

Safe Yoga is different from traditional yoga in that the poses link in a fluid heat-building way. Breath is linked with movements heating your body the natural way and without chemicals. Rest is encouraged whenever required. Warm ups are very important as fitness rooms are usually chilly. Warm up the body totally with large body moves before participating in any complex or flexibility oriented posture. Health and fitness moves are integrated such as sit-ups as well as push-ups, lunge and also hold. Transitions are smooth, from pose to pose having a total body exercise emphasis; all parts of the body are worked equally. Adjustments and ranges can be found to accommodate the requirements of several different students at different ranges within the room. Instructors speak in terms of OR, Either, MODIFY, Pushing pupils to Have Breaks, LET GO of expectations, judgment and competition and never push past their own limitations. Instructors are to never make aggressive physical adjustments to their pupils.

Group Fitness instructors can start by initiating to integrate yoga poses to their own already existing lessons; step, spin, kick box as well as aerobic exercises. This gives a chance to get comfortable with a few basic postures, Before Hiring an Instructor - Respond to these important inquiries:

1. Do you know of the AFAA and ACE Safety Guidelines of Contraindications?

2. Do you know how these relate to Yoga?

3. Were you through a formal Yoga Teacher Training

4. Are you comfortable DOING the postures?

5. Are you at ease TEACHING the poses?

6. Do you have a consistent yoga practice?

If you have responded yes to ALL of the aforementioned then its time to begin. Audition these people!

An expert mentality isn't a welcome kind in the fitness club. Look for an instructor who is very first a fitness trainer, it is a lot easier to train a fitness instructor in yoga than it is to coach a traditional yoga instructor in fitness.

Course Formatting: Whether the teacher prefers to include poses into your current training or create a Safe Yoga Class, a warm up interval is necessary. Just as we do not stretch prior to exercise, we do not want to get into complex yoga poses before our body is warm and prepared to be there. Each class must start with a minimum of 5 minutes of yoga breathing. This helps to clear the mind and prepare your body. The breath of air is actually the single most important part of our yoga exercise training. By inhaling out and in of the nose we maintain the heat in your body and focus the thoughts. Deep rhythmic breathing is the solid foundation upon which we build our own Yoga Practice. Instructors must constantly go back to breath concentration and need to constantly remind students to do the same.

Rest and recovery are an essential section of the actual Yoga, we rest for at least five minutes at the end of class to rejuvenate, restore and bring back the body.

Making the space: The majority of instructors teaching in health and fitness facilities do not have the luxury of independent lighting and heating controls. A Safe yoga is an excellent choice for the health and fitness surroundings with this very cause. If at all possible dim the lights, turn off the Air-con and pick songs for energetic yoga.

This type of yoga offers four ranges of Teacher Education in addition to a lot of specialty programs like PreNatal, Seniors as well as Kids. This has a full line of academic video tutorials for instructors, clubs and students. They also instruct hatha yoga exercises with the stress on exercise research. With all the popularity of yoga has come many injuries, so this type of yoga saw a necessity for an anatomy and positioning training to better train yoga instructors and fitness professionals so that yoga pupils are getting the great things about yoga without the hazards.

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

The Cure to Loneliness: Finding a Guru

Many people ask me if I can recommend where they should study yoga on their travels to the birthplace of this ancient Indian philosophy. I humbly admit to them that I have never been to India. My gurus are in New York--and they are American.

Most people are surprised at this admission. They question me regarding this. After all, if I am a yogi, shouldn't my guru be an Indian man? Well, the gurus of my gurus are Indian men, but in my case, I look into the soft brown eyes and pale skin of my gurus when I bow before them.

It's funny. yoga has taken such a hold in America, yet some misconceptions are still etched in the practice. For example, we think yoga is practiced in hot rooms just because it is hot in India; we have this image in our minds of ancient yogis practicing warrior two and sun salutations, and we think that in order to be a true guru, your nationality matters.

In this day and age of yoga, its evolution has taken a major turn, one towards the west. More westerners are doing yoga today, at least the practice we define as yoga, than Indians. There is a saying now that there is more yoga on the lower east side of Manhattan than there is in all of India. Westerners have taken yoga to the next level--a level of fitness, industry, and fashion--yet many yogis still try to remain close to the roots of yoga.

One of the ways that yogis strive to remain closely tied to the true purpose of the practice is by tightening their grip on what they think is most "classical," the finding of a guru. This is, in my opinion, the most important piece of yogic philosophical principles. While the west has shaped yoga and turned it into an amazing practice that many people need right now, the one thing that hasn't seemed to catch up with this tidal wave is the idea of a guru.

Many practitioners think that it's not important. In truth, some think that guru is a bad word, and those who get over the stigma of what a guru tends to represent think a practitioner has to go to India to find one. This is simply not true. Yoga, as we know it, is largely a western phenomenon, and it is western yogis who have created it and helped it to evolve into the practice we know today. It is they who have crafted the practical application of yoga for modern day living, so why should we not turn to them to learn all we can of their designs? Whether it is Ashtanga, Iyengar, Kripalu, Jivamukti, Viniyoga, Power yoga, or any of the other multitudinous options, all these practices have very strong roots in the west and truly adroit western yogis at their respective helms.

Yoga came into my life in a fairly traditional (American) way. I started going to classes during college simply for health reasons, which is the way most people enter into a yoga practice. Something very strong took hold, and I've been an avid practitioner since. A nagging desire sent me to study with Sharon Gannon and David Life, and my whole world turned upside down. In their presence, I learned what the term "guru" meant. In short, I learned to surrender to another being who could show me my true Light.

I know what you're thinking, Wow, that's some pretty esoteric, frou frou talk for a western girl! Believe me, I would have thought so myself before I stood in their presence, but something in me shifted as I listened to them talk at my teacher training. I felt that strong sense of individuality that Americans prize so highly start to slip away. Suddenly, life wasn't all about me anymore, and for the first time, I didn't feel alone. To put it bluntly, loneliness is nasty. A study by the National Institute of Aging says that, "People who feel lonely have more health problems and a shorter life expectancy than those who do not feel lonely." Loneliness plagues Americans; it causes stress, shortens our lives, and, in general, makes us a despondent and sorrowful lot.

Well, I've found the cure for this common American disease called loneliness, and it's a guru. Yes, finding someone who will 'ru' (remove) your 'gu' (darkness or muck) is a surefire way to find peace and a release from the ills that plague you. You see, we are all like tiny drops of the ocean wandering around, and until we get back, we don't have the great vast sea of knowledge or bliss from which to draw. One of the quickest ways to get back to the ocean is to find yourself a guru, a person or group of people, who can teach you life's greatest lessons without your protest and without your ego saying, "I'm going to do it my way." Some people think that surrender to a guru makes you bland and uninteresting, but by adding your drop of the ocean back into the voluminous sea, you actually have more to draw from and can become a much more rich and vibrant individual.

You don't have to travel to India; you don't even have to be Indian. You don't even have to practice yoga very much to find a guru. The great thing is about this tradition is that "when the student is ready, the teacher will appear," so, sit back, relax, be receptive to all the lessons life brings to you, and get ready to discover yoga's untapped resource--the tremendous power of surrender to a guru.

Copyright 2006 Alanna Kaivalya

Alanna Kaivalya is an Advanced Certified Jivamukti Yoga instructor who teaches nationally and internationally. Her favorite element of yoga is the practice of deep listening ? Nada Yoga ? which helps to connect her to the divine vibrations everywhere. To contact her or to invite her to teach, please visit her website, jivadiva.com jivadiva.com .

Yoga Therapy for Increasing Self-Worth With Mantra, Japa, Affirmation, or Prayer

Yoga practice has been an aide to mankind for thousands of years. In those thousands of years, many brilliant people, who had a lack of self-worth, have taken their innovative ideas with them to the next life. Their ideas could have advanced our species at a faster rate, but they did not take a chance.

You see - the most brilliant minds do not reach full potential, if they lack self-worth. Most of us are not born with self-confidence. Self-confidence and self-worth are usually a result of a particular learning method, and Yoga training is the 5,000 year old mother of all of these methods.

Right now, a lack of self-confidence could be critical to our species, as we keep heating up the planet by burning fossil fuel. If an inventor finds an environmentally safe solution, but lacks the self-esteem to follow through, a brilliant idea remains "locked up in the vault" of his or her mind.

Yoga has many solutions for restoring or creating self-worth. Yoga practice enables millions of practitioners to safely stabilize their mental and emotional health. Let's look at mantra, japa, affirmation, or prayer, for building self-confidence and self-worth.

Depending upon which type of Yoga you study, you may learn mantra, japa, affirmations, or prayers, in class. These are very powerful filtering tools for the mind. When you practice mantra, japa, affirmations, or prayers, you allow only positive messages and images to enter your mind.

If you learn to practice any of these methods in your mind, your self-worth is restored, because they instill hope. There is always hope, if we are willing to look for it. Look at a depressed person, and you will see an inner lack of hope, which reflects outward. If we say to ourselves: "I cannot do it," how can we build our self-worth? Why should the outside world believe in us?

Here is an example of an affirmation for self-worth: I will change today with my first step. I will take chances. I will not fear criticism.

An inherent fear within all humans is the fear of being criticized. This one fear prevents brilliant ideas from becoming reality. Even some of the most brilliant minds had to overcome self-doubt. Yet, they believed in themselves, despite criticism from others.

There are many forms of mantra, japa, and prayer, but all of them develop self-empowerment. Each of these practices is different from the other. Through these practices, you can purge negativity, balance your emotions, build self-worth, and lower your stress levels.

If one practices mantra often enough, a state of "Mantra Siddhi" becomes realized. Mantra Siddhi results when the power of the mantra has come to fruition. It is said that 125,000 repetitions of a mantra will result in Mantra Siddhi.

To say the very least, the repetition of any good idea, would result in positive action, on your part, toward your objective. Action, on your part, is required to build or restore self-worth.

© 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