Five Reasons Why an Online Yoga Teacher Certification Course May Be Right For You

There are many reasons why an instructor or intern would take a Yoga teacher training course online, or through correspondence. The following is a short list of reasons why established teachers and potential interns would consider online, or correspondence, Yoga teacher training programs.

1. Yoga instructors need non-contact continuing education units (CEUs) for existing Yoga teacher credentials. Continuing education is part of their re-certification requirements. CEUs keep educators up-to-date with the many changes in sports medicine and information about teaching students who have special needs.

2. Some interns take continuing education courses for their primary field, but are allowed elective credits for a related field, such as Yoga. These Yoga teacher interns often work in fields, such as medicine, Ayurveda, fitness, physical education, physical therapy, psychology, or social work. In this case, some of them are applying Yoga education toward their CEU requirements in their primary fields.

3. If one lives in a remote location, such as an island or a rural area, there may be no on-site Yoga intensive training near your home. In such cases, your intensive training may be precious, and well spent time, but the journey to your destination may create other hardships, with respect to extra expense and time away from obligations.

4. When we think of obligations, we might consider relationships, children, a spouse, or a job, which falls into this category. When considering Yoga training, some potential interns throw their hands into the air and exclaim, "I'm just too busy!"

This is a simplified response to overwhelming responsibilities. It is likely, that we enjoy our family, friendships, and our daily work, but a requirement of four weekly intensives, or more, per year, may be a stretch for most of us. Correspondence courses are self-paced, which means you fit your schooling into your scheduled time.

5. Affordability may be the most logical reason of all for joining a distance learning program for Yoga teachers. Each correspondence course is designed to guide you toward specific aspects of Yoga. Yet, spending all of your savings, or taking out a loan for your education, may not be necessary.

Online and correspondence courses usually cost a small fraction of a face-to-face training. On average, distance learning for Yoga teachers, costs only 5% to 20% of the cost of an onsite course. The cost of travel, housing, meals, hidden fees, books, educational materials, lost wages, and shutting your Yoga studio down for four weeks, can add up.

When considering your Yoga education, you should weigh up all of the factors and choose the option which best suits your needs. Each of us lives in a different set of circumstances. Yoga correspondence courses allow you to enjoy your life as it is, right now, and expand your knowledge in the best possible way.

? 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 Free Yoga videos, Podcasts, e-Books, reports, and articles about Yoga, please visit: yoga-teacher-training.org/member-offer.html yoga-teacher-training.org/member-offer.html

The 3 Components Of A Good Workout

Summer is on its way and you want to be fit. Do you have a few extra pounds left to loose? Do you feel you've hit a plateau? You know that you need to workout to get lean and mean for summer activities but maybe you're wondering where you should start. What are the components of a good workout that will bring results?

When I first started working out I didn't have a clue where to start. Should I run, or lift weights. What about yoga and pilates. Stretching? How much, how heavy, how often? The whole idea can be overwhelming and discouraging, however after many years of trying different ways to workout I have found the most benefits come from 3 areas.

o Weight lifting,

o cardiovascular training

o stretching

Weight lifting is important for maintaining and increasing muscle tone and definition. Weight lifting also includes any weight baring activity such as yoga and Pilates. Weight lifting can be accomplished using dumbbells, barbells, plate loaded machines, or machines using weight stacks. Three sets of 8-12 repetitions for the upper body and 3 sets of 12-15 repetitions for the lower body will give you fantastic muscle strength and definition. After weight lifting always allow each muscle group to rest for 24-48 hours before lifting again. This time will allow the muscle fibers to rebuild and strengthen.

Cardiovascular training is an absolute must for heart health. Twenty minutes a day is all you need for a healthy heart. However, if you are interested in loosing fat and gaining strength you'll need to increase your time from 20 minutes to an hour or more depending on your fitness goals. Cardiovascular training includes activities such as speed walking, running, biking, rowing, swimming, aerobic dance and many others that will keep your heart rate between 60-80% of your maximum heart rate.

Stretching is probably the most under-rated exercise of all; but really the most important. Stretching will free you from injuries and keep you muscles long and lean. Stretching will keep your spine and joints young and increase you range of motion to enable maximum benefits from the cardio and weight training.

Yoga and Pilates will give you strength training and stretching at the same time so add some variety to your fitness and you will achieve multiple benefits.

Have some fun! Finding activities that you enjoy will bring the most benefits. Exercise outdoors as often as possible, listen to you favorite music, and be consistent. Always enjoy a rest day each week. You deserve a life full of good health!

The chain of destiny can only be grasped one link at a time. Sir Winston Churchill

Kelly Dailey

Reveal Your Prosperity ([revealyourprosperity.com]) has been in the sports and fitness arena for over 30 years. She is a Yoga Teacher and Personal Fitness Trainer. She has studied extensively in the fields of nutrition, wellness and personal growth.

Is Wii Fit Yoga Really Yoga?

The Wii Fit Yoga program by Dreamcatcher is probably the most controversial yoga product on the market. Many yoga purists dismiss it as a gimmicky game, while others rave about it, saying it is a great introduction to yoga. Who's right?

First of all, what exactly is Wii Fit? Wii Fit is essentially a hardware and software program made for the Nintendo Wii system. The indispensable hardware for Wii Fit Yoga is the Wii Fit Balance Board. The balance board has embedded motion detectors that gauge shifts in balance and weight as you go through the poses. The board only measures 11 X 19 inches, but is sophisticated enough to accurately gauge posture even when you're doing poses like the downward facing dog (Adho Mukha Svanasana). With only your hands resting on the balance board, your virtual instructor will tell you if you are putting too much or too little weight on your heels.

As you go through your routine, you must keep your eyes focused on the TV screen. The goal is to keep your balance centered where indicated on the screen by a yellow circle or rectangle. A small pink dot that shifts on the screen as your weight shifts shows you how balanced and centered you are. The goal is to keep that pink dot as centered as possible inside the yellow area. One drawback to having to focus on the television screen is that if the TV is not at eye level, just the act of looking down at the screen in standing poses can automatically lead to subtle improper shifts in weight and positioning. For beginners, however, this is probably a small disadvantage.

Breath (prana) is at the heart of yoga. An expanding and contracting blue ring indicates the recommended breathing cycle for each pose. Critics of the Wii Fit program argue that your virtual instructor does not emphasize breathing enough and that when you focus on keeping your little pink dot inside its target area, you are likely to forget the proper breath sequences (pranayama). It's a valid criticism, but with practice, you learn to follow the breathing rhythm naturally without having to focus too much on the screen.

Aside from the essential balance board, optional accessories include yoga mats and wrist/ankle weights. The "official" yoga mat measures 24 inches by 72 inches (183cmx61cm). It is an adequate size for a yoga mat and at $23.99 from Amazon, it is a reasonable deal. Wrist and ankle weights are a controversial subject among yoga enthusiasts. While using the weights may help in building muscle strength, if that is your goal, weight training combined with hatha yoga will probably yield better results.

One accessory that is worth looking into if you use your balance board regularly for any of the Wii Fit programs is the silicone sleeve. The sleeve fits tightly over the board and adds a layer of protection, prolonging the life of the board. At just under $15, it could easily pay for itself over time.

There is something disconcerting to many practicing yogis about the Wii Fit Yoga program. Yogis developed hatha yoga as a means to spiritual ends. A large part of the discipline is in focusing your attention inwards as you go through your postures. The guru is there to guide you in the finer details of the postures until you perfect your technique and are adept enough to do it on your own, with your attention focused wholly within.

In a perfect world, every student of yoga would practice under a true master, but the fact is, many yoga instructors are not as adept as they ideally would be and many yoga studios do not provide an ideal learning environment. Wii Fit Yoga is by no means perfect, but it is a lot more fun than following a video program and has the added advantage of being interactive. The balance board provides useful feedback that even experienced yogis find helpful. If you take it for what it is and are aware of its limitations, you can get a lot of value out of Wii Fit Yoga. Just don't put your TV on an altar surrounded by candles and incense. It's not THAT good.

Bunky Malone is an editor, writer, and active practitioner of yoga.

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Yoga and Pain

In comparing 12-week sessions of yoga or conventional therapeutic exercise classes or a self-care book, Yoga was found to be more effective than a self-care book for improving function and reducing chronic low back pain, and the benefits persisted for at least 26 weeks. Sherman KJ. Cherkin DC. Erro J. Miglioretti DL. Deyo RA. Comparing yoga, exercise, and a self-care book for chronic low back pain: a randomized, controlled trial. Annals of Internal Medicine. 143(12):849-56, 2005 Dec 20.

Yoga training and a single bout of yoga appear to attenuate peak muscle soreness in women following a bout of eccentric exercise. These findings have significant implications for coaches, athletes, and the exercising public who may want to implement yoga training as a preseason regimen or supplemental activity to lessen the symptoms associated with muscle soreness. (Boyle CA. Sayers SP. Jensen BE. Headley SA. Manos TM. The effects of yoga training and a single bout of yoga on delayed onset muscle soreness in the lower extremity. Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research. 18(4):723-9, 2004)

The information below is an excerpt from the article by Paul P: When yoga hurts. Practicing it is supposed to make you feel better, but doing it wrong is dangerous. Time. 170(16):71, 2007 Oct 15.

Yoga, regardless of the form, does not offer a comprehensive way to get fit. According to a study by the American Council on Exercise, a national nonprofit organization that certifies fitness instructors and promotes physical fitness, dedicated yoga practitioners show no improvement in cardiovascular health. It is not the best way to lose weight either. A typical 50-min. class of hatha yoga, one of the most popular styles of yoga in the U.S., burns off fewer calories than are in three Oreos-about the same as a slow, 50-min. walk. Even power yoga burns fewer calories than a comparable session of calisthenics.

And while yoga has been shown to alleviate stress and osteoarthritis, it does not develop the muscle-bearing strength needed to help with osteoporosis. Part of the problem is that increasingly, the people teaching yoga don't know enough about it. Yoga was traditionally taught one-on-one by a yogi over a period of years, but today instructors can lead a class after just a weekend course.

Though the Yoga Alliance, formed in 1999 and now based in Clinton, Md., has set a minimum standard of 200 hours of training for certification, only 16,168 of the estimated 70,000 instructors in the U.S. have been certified. "Yoga means bringing together mind, body and spirit, but in Western yoga, we've distilled it down to body," says Shana Meyerson, an instructor in Los Angeles. "That's not even yoga anymore. If the goal is to look like Madonna, you're better off running or spinning."

5 KEYS TO SAFE YOGA

1. Ask an instructor for credentials. And don't be afraid to leave if you're not satisfied.

2. Alert your instructor to your condition. Talk about past injuries and current weaknesses, and ask for any necessary modifications.

3. Beware of stationary instructors. They should be roaming around, monitoring participants and making adjustments for those who need them.

4. Avoid positions prone to cause injury. These include lotus, chaturanga or plank, headstands and downward-facing dog.

5. Stop if it hurts. Yoga should not cause pain.

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Jennifer Chu, M.D. emeritus professor of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, pioneered eToims Twitch Relief Method that utilizes surface electrical stimulation to locate motor points (trigger points). The motor points are then stimulated to induce strong local muscle contractions, termed twitches. This results in reduced muscle pain and discomfort in the areas that were stimulated. The involved pain/discomfort-relieving mechanism is thought to include local muscle exercise and stretch effects.

eToims Soft Tissue Comfort Center? specializes in diagnosis and treatment which ends muscle discomfort and pain.

Teaching Hatha Yoga - How to Teach Students About Non-Judgment

Recently, I received an enlightening phone call from a website visitor who had a few suggestions about changing my appearance. It seems we cannot all live up to our own expectations, or those expectations that are imposed upon us. The following is part of a conversation about Yoga, Santosha, and judging others.

Q: Why do you dress in western sports casual clothing? You do not look like an authentic Yogi. Orange or white robes would be more appropriate for a "true Yoga teacher." Your usual clothes make you look like a gym teacher or a greedy businessman.

A: Firstly, I am an American just like you and was raised as a child within this culture. Although I will continue to study Yoga's many facets, and Eastern martial arts for life, my identity is still somewhat culturally based. Therefore, I will not be changing wardrobes any time soon. However, I had a question for you - "How many years have you been studying Yoga?"

Q: You're very clever trying to answer a question with a question. I have been practicing Yoga for over ten years. So, what does the number of years I practiced Yoga have to do with anything?

A: I was curious to know, in your ten years of practice, if any of your past Yoga teachers had taught you about a specific Niyama, which is called, "Santosha." Do you know the meaning of Santosha, and how we can apply it toward our daily life?

Q: I am the one asking the questions, and I don't see what this has to do with anything. No, I have never heard of Santosha or Niyama, but I suppose you want to tell me all about it. So, what is Santosha, and what does it have to do with this conversation?

A: Niyama or Niyamas are a fundamental part of any foundational Hatha Yoga training program. Among the Niyamas, mentioned by Maharishi Patanjali, within the Yoga Sutras is Santosha. Santosha is a state of contentment and non-judgment.

In Yoga, we learn how to appreciate what we have, which will result in happiness (sukha). Non-judgment will also bring about states of inner harmony, contentment, joy, and bliss. We can enjoy life so much by carrying Yoga out into our daily lives.

Shortly afterward, the phone line went dead, but I had hoped to convince her to research Yama and Niyama, as described by Maharishi Patanjali. Also, I hoped she would appreciate what Yoga does for each of us off the Yoga mat. Judging others, over their differences, from what we consider normal, is a waste of time and it depletes our happiness.

While it is true that good judgment can save your life, it is also true that we spend too much time thinking about our little differences. If we truly want peace and happiness, it is much easier to notice what we have in common with each other.

When we judge another person, we risk becoming intolerant. Yoga teaches us that non-judgment is the key to inner peace and world peace. If we do not carry our practice beyond asanas on a Yoga mat, we have missed out on the most valuable part of the lesson.

© Copyright 2009 - 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 Free Yoga videos, Podcasts, e-Books, reports, and articles about Yoga, please visit: yoga-teacher-training.org/member-offer.html yoga-teacher-training.org/member-offer.html

Are Psychics & Mediums Trained to Do What They Do?

Many psychics and mediums are self taught in that once they know they have the ability they open up their awareness to what is presented to them. They may at first find themselves a little isolated and this can be a huge disadvantage to being able to share knowledge and experience. There are some colleges which are specifically set up for the development of psychic ability and related issues. Many psychics and mediums attend workshops and developmental groups which can help bring clarity to their experiences. They may learn certain techniques such as how to open up and how to tune in more effectively. Many psychics learn from other psychics as do mediums and the shared experience can be very enlightening.

There are other related disciplines which could also be considered as training towards psychic development. This could include meditation or yoga or some other discipline which assists with balancing mind, body and spirit. An important aspect to developing the psychic ability is finding a balance between logical thoughts and intuition and insight. Many mediums and psychics get their information spontaneously and randomly and they may sometimes find themselves in a dilemma about whether to pass this on or not.

The shared experience of developing psychic ability with others can help to build confidence and bring clarity to situations. There are some psychics who use divination tools such as pendulum dowsing and tarot cards. They may find information in the library about how to undertake dowsing, however, there is so much more to it than that. They will need to learn how to work with their energy, how to tune into the crystal and how to process the information that they receive. There are specialist workshops available in new age circles where the developing psychic can take part and learn how to make the most of their abilities.

There are a number of ways that a psychic can learn how to read the tarot cards, there are books and sometimes these are sold with tarot cards. These packages can include a special mat where the cards are laid in a sequence and the psychic can learn a universal interpretation of the cards. A tarot reader is not necessarily a psychic because if they learn this universal interpretation they are following a set of rules. A psychic will have a general grasp of this and they will also link into their psychic abilities to enhance the reading.

Mediumship covers areas such as psychic detective work, transfiguration, trance dancing, ghost hunting and there are many more strands to this. Many mediums go on to develop their mediumship in the spiritualist church and they can gain confidence through working the platform. This is where they stand in front of an audience and receive messages from the spirits which they pass on to anyone who spirit wishes to connect with. Many people who regularly attend spiritualist churches waiting for messages from loved ones on the other side go on to become mediums or healers themselves

Rachel Reeves works in the psychic and metaphysical industry and offers services Worldwide to advance spiritualism and world awareness, holistic study kits such as EFT, NLP and Reiki are also within her remit. Contact her at

Yoga for Shoulders - 7 Steps to Healing and Preventing Sports Injuries

As a whitewater athlete, I've had my share of shoulder injuries over the years. During my first couple of injuries, I was in my happinesslifetime.com yoga teacher training and healed up pretty quickly; or so it seemed. As I got older, I developed chronic pain in my shoulder. I thought that I would just need to get used to the pain-I was an extreme athlete, and pain was par for the course, right? Then I began studying yoga therapy and playing around with some different yoga techniques. To my amazement, pain that I'd had in my shoulder for seven years went away in about two weeks with the right exercises. As the pain faded, I gained a safe range of motion that I never thought possible, and my strength increased. Now I can do all kinds of things that I had been told that I would never do again without surgery. My yoga practice and paddling are thriving, and my athletic life is opening up to new possibilities every day.

Inspired by my healing, I began educating myself further so that I could help other injured athletes use yoga to gain more freedom and strength in their bodies. For several years, I immersed myself in more therapy based happinesslifetime.com yoga teacher training, and I taught yoga classes to people with shoulder injuries. Through the process, I discovered what shoulder problems are common in active people and what should be done in order to heal through yoga practice.

Generally, active people's shoulders become injured because of trauma-such as a dislocation and/or repetitive motion and posture-such as kayaking or riding a bike. Obviously, after trauma, an injury needs healing time. If you experience pain in the following months or years, the injury has become chronic. Bodily imbalances then develop that are often similar to repetitive motion injury. Either way, the typical scenario is that the arm bone tends to move forward in the socket due to muscular imbalances. As the arm bone rolls forward, it causes the opening between the arm bone, the collarbone, and the shoulder blade to become smaller until it pinches on important stabilizing tendons causing pain and swelling. Further, when pinched, the tendons are cut off from the muscles causing instability in the shoulder. The symptoms of this are weakness and burning in the front and back of the shoulder and feeling as if your arm might come off as you reach for the shampoo bottle in the shower.

If you exercise and push through these pain sensations, go ahead and make an appointment with your orthopedist for surgery. The exercise will speed up the injury process, and you'll need surgery pretty soon. Think of a rope moving back and forth between sharp rocks. What will eventually happen? By pushing through pain sensations in your shoulder while working out or doing yoga, you're causing damage-pain and swelling are your body's signal. If you truly want to heal, you have to learn to listen to your body's pain signals and work within a pain-free range of motion, or you will be in pain and injured forever.

So, what should you do to heal or prevent this kind of injury? These are the steps that I take using yoga as therapy to help someone heal from a shoulder injury:

1. Breathing-learning to fully breathe in a relaxed body is the base of a yoga practice.

2. Bandhas--energy locks in the body, some of which create necessary core stability for yoga poses.

3. Releasing the fronts of the shoulders. This is stretching-kind of. I like to think of it as releasing-you are gently returning your body to its natural state.

4. Movement in the shoulder blades-your shoulder joint is actually only as mobile as your shoulder blades.

5. Standing poses-learning to move your whole body in a pain free range of motion.

6. Building core strength-not only strengthening your abs, but also your spine and shoulder blades.

7. Weight bearing poses on the shoulders-a culmination of all the previous techniques, learning to balance effort and ease in the body by moving through poses that develop balanced strength.

Can you get this from attending your local yoga studio? Maybe, but probably not in a general class setting. I've been in some classes where the teacher helped me tremendously. But in other classes, when I was moving improperly and making my shoulder worse, no one ever corrected me. Also, there are many poses done in general yoga classes that are not appropriate for athletes with shoulder injuries; some common poses will actually weaken injured shoulders. If you are an athlete with shoulder problems, you should make a private appointment with a yoga teacher who is trained and experienced in shoulder therapy for athletes. After you are healed and understand your injury, you will be free to go to any sort of yoga classes!

What about doing yoga on your own to heal your shoulder? That's okay as long as you know what you're doing. If you don't, seek help-or you may never get to do your beloved activity again! A home yoga practice is good as long as it's tailored to your shoulder injury. You can use a video as a guide, but make sure it's okay for your injury. If you are going it alone, my advice is to always move slowly while you exercise and pay attention to your alignment. If you get pain and pinching, stop doing what you are doing and work within a pain free range of motion.

A path to healing is never quick and easy, but if you want to play hard, it's essential. So, take the time and a little extra effort (and ease!) to get out of the pain and injury cycle and discover the amazing rewards of your accomplishment. May your shoulders be free!

? 2011 Andria Davis

Andria Davis is a whitewater professional and a registered yoga teacher. When not at her desk, she can be found roaming the world in a kayak, on a bike, on foot, or in a van with her husband, Leland and dog, Hudson. She teaches private yoga sessions for athletes and creates yoga videos for outdoorsy and athletic types, including "Yoga for Shoulders: Restore and Strengthen." Find out more and see her whole line at yoga-ventures.com yoga-ventures.com/