Mastering the Craft of Teaching Yoga

Did you ever question your devotion to teaching Yoga? Have you ever internally questioned the devotion of another Yoga teacher? It is only human to question and make comparisons. Making comparisons, and judging, has kept you alive up to this point. Every step in life requires you to make some form of judgment or a decision.

You can freely decide to become a Yoga teacher. You decide whether to get out of bed, or not, each day. You choose to eat breakfast, take a shower, meditate, watch television, or anything else, after you wake up. To choose, or decide, is a form of judgment. So, how did we get the idea that judgment should be restrained?

Our judgments, and pre-conceived notions, concerning ourselves and others, can be self-destructive. Prejudice and intolerance have led humankind toward the path of hate, and narrow-minded thinking, throughout history. We have also learned that harsh judgments of others hold us back as a species.

This is why non-judgment is praised as a higher quality. Tolerance and mutual respect, over our differences, gives us the power of collective thinking. When we communicate with others, who have different thoughts; we collectively learn from the experience. This ability, to accept differences in others, is the path to progress for humankind.

Due to Internet communication, television, and radio, we have access to new ideas every day. This does not mean all outside ideas will be easily accepted, but we have come a long way since our cave dwelling ancestors. New ideas are subject to practical application and time. This is why any fresh ideas are worthy of "air time."

In judging ourselves too harshly, we waste time wishing we could change the past. This is a mistake that can lead to feelings of regret, depression, and self-contempt. The experience from mistakes, helps us learn more about what we are made of. We are better off to learn from our past mistakes, try to correct them, and move forwar - enriched by the experience.

Many interns join happinesslifetime.com Yoga teacher training courses as a quest for self-discovery. The journey of understanding your true purpose in life is a noble path, but it is not the end of the path. If you are lucky enough to understand yourself, and you know your unique purpose in this life, you should help others who are seeking answers.

Each Yoga student has unique abilities, skills, and talents that contribute to the better good of your community. Yet, some students feel they are not worthy of praise. The best Yoga teachers help students reach their optimum potential in life.

© Copyright 2010 - 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.org/index.html Yoga Teacher Training at: Aura Wellness Center, in Attleboro, MA. He has been a certified Master Yoga Teacher since 1995. To receive Free Yoga videos, Podcasts, e-Books, reports, and articles about Yoga, please visit: yoga-teacher-training.org/index.html yoga-teacher-training.org/index.html

How Absolutely Anyone Can Benefit From Yoga

Yoga is made for infants and children. Yoga is very easy to learn and even infants are able to pick it up. Through yoga exercises, babies will become more aware of their physical sense of touch and possess a greater control over the movement of their body. This provides a totally natural way to increase hand to eye coordination, strengthen developing muscle groups, bones and ligaments.

Yoga is one of the few ways to do so because yoga utilizes a body's own weight and not artificially added weight which may be dangerous or injury causing for children exercising. By providing a physical release, yoga is proven to reduce mental stress. This can result in fewer tantrums and a better night sleep for your young ones.

Yoga can greatly help those who are seeking to lose weight. One of the main reasons for millions of people to practice yoga is to lose weight and keep fit. Through the use of one's own body weight, yoga does not need any bulky or expensive machines and equipment. You will tone down your arms or legs without bulking up because you will not be using any muscle resistance equipment such as dumbbells; it is simply perfect for that slim and toned beach body.

While practicing yoga, your metabolism will increase allowing you to burn through more calories even while consuming the food you are eating already. In addition to losing weight, yoga allows targeting certain areas easier to train on. You can strengthen and lengthen your biceps and triceps and add definition to give that absolutely ripped look.

Due to the fact that yoga is very non-strenuous, with the only resistance being your own body weight, it can be of great benefit to pregnant women. During pregnancy, weight gain, muscle loss and a decrease in general fitness is a very common occurrence. A factor contributing to this is because most exercises may be considered dangerous to do while pregnant. There are certain asanas specifically designed to target the correct regions which are safe to practice during pregnancy and can significantly help during the giving of birth.

Bronwyn Heeter is an author who writes on many different platforms. Visit hubpages.com/hub/Extra-Thick-Yoga-Mat hubpages.com/hub/Extra-Thick-Yoga-Mat to read more about yoga mats.

Finding Your Voice - Thoughts From The King's Speech

The movie, The King's Speech, is based on the true story of King George VI of England. It detailed the process of how a reluctant Monarch with a speech impediment found his own true voice with the help of a remarkable speech therapist.

It is worth seeing not only because it has received wide acclaim, including 7 Golden Globe nominations (one won for best actors) and 12 Oscar nominations, but also because it connects with every one of us on a common theme: the struggle one faces, which for the king is stammer, on a deeper level, unconfidence, which every one could relate to in one occasion or another.

It takes great courage, faith, help, persistence and relentless practice to overcome one's predicament. When facing your own predicament, will you fight against it till you make it?

In the movie, you'll also see and learn how King George VI works diligently to gain control of his speaking voice with all kinds of exercises, some of which we mentioned several times in previous blog posts, breathing exercises, relaxation exercises, articulation exercises, pauses, etc. In this article, you are going to learn an exercise on relaxation, which is the foundation to freeing your voice and finding your true voice.

One of the most effective exercises to relax fully is through lying down. Find yourself a safe, warm and quiet place, and practice the following exercise.

1) Lie on your back with a cushion or yoga mat underneath. Make sure you are straight along the floor.

2) Move your head gently from side to side until it rests with ease. Look up to the ceiling then.

3) Release your jaw by mimicking chewing gums exaggeratedly several times. Release your lips and unclench your teeth.

4) Open your shoulders and rest your arms by your side.

5) Take a breath in and make sure your chest is still. Concentrate on your upper belly and see it rise and fall while you breathe.

6) Feel the spine expand across the floor. There will be a section of the spine that doesn't touch the ground but you should feel an expansion across the upper back which allows the ground to support more of you.

7) Lastly, place your concentration on the release of your thighs, your calf muscles and all the way to your feet.

8) Stay in this fully relaxation for a minimum of ten minutes.

You may feel uncomfortable. Compared to your day-to-day position in which you may hold tensions in your body, this natural position may make you feel aching in your neck, upper back, or shoulders. It will get better each time you do it. More importantly, you begin to identify tensions and physical warnings.

Cynthia is a voice and speech coach and trainer, based in Singapore. She helps you discover your inner true voice that is authentic and confident. She also helps organizations on voice and presentation skills training.
To get more updates on voice through articles, podcasts and video lessons, subscribe Cynthia's newsletter on her website - ConnectingtoSuccess.com ConnectingtoSuccess.com

The Yoga Sutra

The Yoga Sutra, one of the six darshanas in the Hindu school of philosophy, is a set of 95 aphorisms written somewhere between 1,700 and 2,200 years ago by the Indian philosopher Patanjali. Patanjali is said to be the compiler, not author, of the Sutras as they were traditionally for generations passed down by memory from teacher to student. This does not lessen the impact Patanjali had on the world of yoga. His assemblage of this once oral tradition formed the theoretical and philosophical base for all Raja Yoga and is still considered one of the most organized and comprehensive definitions of this practice.

The Yoga Sutra is not sacred scripture. It is not historical fact. It is not interested in new knowledge. It is a book built on a foundation of Samkhya philosophy and the Bhagavad-Gita and is a set of phrases strung together like a string of beads designed to hold still one's thoughts and feelings. It seeks perspective on the nature of knowing, a way to clear the mind of accumulated experiences that bind us to a world of pain. To silence one's mind and come together with that of the divine, the Sutra calls for an adherence to the eight limbs of Yama, Niyama, Asana, Pranayama, Pratyahara, Dharana, Dhyana, and Samadhi. By this practice, freedom hinges on the ability to detach from the bonds of memory and in turn allow one to realize the possibility of the spiritual world.

Patanjali separated the 195 aphorisms of the Yoga Sutra into four chapters or pada. The first of the four chapters holds 51 of the sutras and is referred to as Samadhi Pada. It is in this portion where the yogi achieves a blissful state of being and is absorbed into the One. The second chapter contains 55 sutras and is entitled Sadhana Pada. This pada illustrates the practice of yoga in the forms of Kriya or action yoga and Ashtanga or eightfold yoga. Within Ashtanga, one would follow the following abstentions: violence (ahimsa), lying (satya), thievery (asteya), sexual activity (brahmacharya), and possessions (aparigraha), as well as the following observances: purity (saucha), contentment (santosha), austerities (tapas), study (svadhyaya), and a surrender to God (ishvarapranidhana). The third chapter also contains 55 sutras and is referred to as Vibhuti Pada. It is here where one would find the higher states of awareness and the techniques of yoga to attain them. The final chapter possesses only 34 sutras and is identified as Kaivalya Pada. To translate the word literally, Kaivalya would mean isolation, but within the Yoga Sutra, a better interpretation would be liberation or emancipation. One must transcend relational thinking in order to realize the isolation of absolute freedom.

The Yoga Sutras not only provide yoga with a thorough philosophical basis, but in the process, also brings to light many mystical concepts common to all traditions of Indian thought.

Copyrighted 2008, Marianne Wells LLC, All rights reserved
Marianne Wells, International Yoga Presenter
Specializing in the Yoga Alliance 200 Hour RYT Teacher Training
mariannewells.com mariannewells.com

Acupressure - More Effective Than Any Other Therapy

Acupressure was started in China many thousands of years ago, and evidence has been found that acupressure was practiced in the stone era. Acupressure can be beneficial to those suffering from back pain. It is more effective than physiotherapy for the majority of sufferers with back pain. For low-back pain, rest on your back, with your feet raised on a couch or chair. Place two tennis balls under your lower back on either side of your backbone. (I bought inexpensive tennis balls in the dog toy department.) Stay in this posture for just one minute or sooner if it becomes uncomfortable. Lower back ache has been the pain of today's world because of the several side effects, complications and nuances of lower back discomfort problems. Further research today verifies the advantages of acupressure over physical therapy. Albeit that this research was unable to take into consideration functional standing and handicap as encouraged by most low back discomfort researchers the results remain very significant and relevant. In February 2006 a randomized operated trial run took place at The National Taiwan University in Taipei.

For knee pain, place a tennis ball on a pillow, and then place your leg above it so the ball is pushing into the crimp behind your knee. Look for the sensitive area just below your kneecap and slightly to the outside of the shinbone. Press into it carefully with your fingertips for around 1 minute.

Almost everyone would want to feel livelier in the daytime. You normally go through times of higher task which contradicts with times of rest. The condition develops whenever more energy and concentration is required than we could provide.

Acupuncture and Acupressure share a network of essential energy points nestled along meridian channels throughout the body. For centuries, these points have been completely used to control qi (chi), the body's subtle power force, for numerous physical and emotional advantages.

The University of Michigan recently accomplished an intensive research that set out to show that acupressure can offer an effective natural energy increase. Lead researcher, Dr Richard Harris, explains "it appears to activate the nerves that moderate awareness and alertness".

But what about the well man or women, can acupressure provide a benefit to them? Absolutely yes. Simply because acupressure operates off the perception that we must maintain balance of our vital energy circulation in order to remain healthy, acupressure acts as the device for realignment. Our crucial energy circulation can be out of balance, and we still sense and seem quite healthy. It is in this capacity in which acupressure serves as a sort of preventive medicine. Checking and controlling the flow of vitality on the meridian points in your system is just like your car receiving a tune-up just before it is in demand of a fix.

A lot of people nowadays are becoming concern with their physical well-being especially now that various health problems like back pain, arthritis and thyroid disorder are becoming prevalent. These conditions can be alleviated with different procedures such as acupressure, acupuncture and also through physical exercise like yogafit.com yoga. Through yogafit.com/CTGY/yoga-dvds.shtml yoga DVD, trainings and conferences, one can truly improve his health. With Yogafit, you'll definitely have all the information you need to keep your mind and body healthy.

Simple Yoga For Kids

Yoga for kids? Absolutely! A centuries old practice, yoga has been recognized as an required practice for physical and mental health. The benefits of yoga are numerous. Why shouldn't our children share in these benefits as well? Our kids can adopt this practice immediately which leads to improved flexibility, coordination, increased strength, enhanced concentration and stress relief, which will result in a lifetime of benefits for them! Kids are NOT just small adults, contrary to what many may believe. You have to use a different approach... a different setting.

Yoga - Kid Style

Your kids may have difficulty doing the normal yoga poses the way they're supposed to, but they can still benefit from the practice of yoga. Yoga for kids has to be entertaining and fun simultaneously! Yes, the normal asanas are the framework, but to keep the kids having fun the resulting postures are more interpretive in nature. There are classes starting up for kids nationally. They deal with this "fun" requirement by incorporating music, storytelling, games, animal references, arts and crafts. Classes are offered for kids as young as toddlers! Just be sure the teacher has the requisite training to teach children.

Special Benefits To Kids

As I said before, the benefits of yoga for adults are well known, but the benefits of yoga for kids go far beyond those that adults realize. Yes, it can support weight loss, flexibility, concentration and strength, but yoga also assists with more kid specific issues. Case in point, yoga has been show to be helpful with hyperactivity and attention deficit disorders in children. Yoga provides the motor and sensory stimulation that kids need. Practicing yoga at an early age allows kids to develop self-esteem and improved body awareness. Since yoga is noncompetitive, it fosters a sense of cooperation and compassion, instead of competition. This results in a more caring and giving kid.

Yoga For Kids at Home

As with adults, the benefits of yoga can absolutely be brought home for your kids to enjoy! The main obstacle, as with most child activities, is keeping their attention. However, as I said, if you integrate animal movements and sounds, games and songs, they will stay engaged you will keep their attention! After all, kids love to make sounds and move around, and yoga lends itself to both. Don't be too critical as they find their way through the series of poses. Don't get mad, if they aren't performing them perfectly. Instead, allow this to be an exercise of self discovery with your guidance.

Yoga fro kids is in many ways superior to yoga for adults. Why not begin your kids walk down this lifetime road of self-discovery and self-improvement now versus later, and the benefits they experience will increase exponentially!

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Teaching Hatha Yoga - Principles of Human Advancement

When teaching Yoga classes, there are times when you have to be a "cheer leader." What do I mean by this? There are many interconnected aspects of life, and we all play a small part in them. Each student's level of success, in life, depends on constant positive reinforcement during the day.

When you see an accomplishment, do not hesitate to praise your students. This does not have to be artificial praise or flattery. A heart felt compliment is much different. Far too often, people in general, and some of our students, feel they do not deserve praise, or that they have a right to succeed in life.

Every Yoga teacher knows students, who feel they do not deserve a better life. This variation of negative thinking is "baggage" that holds back all of humanity.

As teachers, we have the ability to instill positive habits, which will result in happiness and successful living.

The average student has to see the value of a Yogic lifestyle long enough to cultivate the habit of regular Yoga practice. For many people, this is a big step. You cannot expect new students to be present in their practice, until you point out how to connect mind and body with Pranayama. This may seem very basic, but some students never learn this step because they did not have the guidance.

Does this mean you can reach every student? No - each student has different thoughts, needs, and aspirations. Some people see only the superficial layer of everything. You cannot make everyone see the deeper aspects of life. An example of this is the student who sees Hatha Yoga only as a stretch class.

There is nothing wrong with this. Stretching alone is a good physical exercise, but stretching and exercise are only components of Yoga. Happiness, clarity of mind, tranquility, and Samadhi, require guidance from a competent Yoga teacher.

Eventually, your students will learn to honor the true teacher within themselves, but they need to develop a clear vision of progress, success, and achievement, before they undertake their journey. The starting point in the journey is usually "sparked" by an exceptional teacher.

Teaching Yoga is, in some ways, like parenting. If you have instilled a strong foundation in your students, you will be proud of them and their achievements. The student with Multiple Sclerosis, who is making great progress, or the child who is learning to concentrate, each has a significant success story.

Make it a point to recognize student progress, when you are aware of it. Our advancement, as a species, depends on it.

© 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