Free Yoga Classes: A Lesson for Yoga Teachers

There is a philosophy, which claims: If you give something away, and people find a value in it - they will react positively to your kindness, with repeat business.

This is all well, and good, but the major fast food chains seem to be the only businesses to profit from it. Maybe that is why we call it "junk food."

The public cannot establish a perceived value of Yoga, when you initially give away a week or month. The word "Free" is often associated with "junk" or "stuff."

If you want to give something away free, develop a comprehensive handbook for your Yoga students, give them a music CD, or a Yoga mat, as a bonus for signing up.

If enough Yoga teachers give away free classes, we will depreciate the value of Yoga lessons - then, asking you to teach Yoga for free will become second nature for the average Yoga student.

Think about this: When was the last time you could go to a deli and ask for a "free introductory package?" What do you think you would get for an answer?

After all, you just want to try them out, see if you like it, and maybe you will come back. If you see no value in them, you could go to another deli, and try them out, until they get tired of serving you "free lunch."

Although Yoga instructors do not make sandwiches for a living - this is one good lesson for any Yoga teacher to learn. Yoga teachers can learn from parallel comparisons to similar fields.

Let's look at some mistakes, which the fitness industry has made and learn from them; before any Yoga teachers experience similar financial ruin. Fitness is preventative health maintenance, and good health is very valuable. Anyone who is in good health should "count their lucky stars." If you are not in good health - your poor state of health is all you can think about.

Yet, I just heard a radio commercial that offers the rest of 2006 free, if you sign up for a 2007 membership. The fitness club owner is "prostituting" his or her business. More than likely, the fitness club's third party billing service thought up this "gimmick."

What is the average life of a member in the fitness industry? What can a health club do if a member defaults on a contract? When you consider these options, it makes no sense to give members months of service for free.

This week, I noticed a fitness club that offers memberships for $9.95 per month. How can that fitness club stay open? The overhead costs must be incredible, when you consider paying for all of the equipment, insurance, utilities, and rent.

Do you think that fitness club owner sleeps well? Do you think he or she is drawing a salary? I guarantee the owner regrets the day he or she opened that health club.

Let's get back to teaching Yoga classes. You put your time in as a Yoga student, went through happinesslifetime.com Yoga teacher training, and now you keep your credentials up to date. So, why should you "sell yourself short?"

Each style of Yoga has mental, physical, and spiritual health benefits, to offer the public. That is why we continue to practice and teach Yoga. Therefore, we must educate the public about the value of Yoga, before the junk food kills them.

© Copyright 2006 - 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

Prenatal Yoga

Is yoga safe to do when you are pregnant? This is a question yoga teachers are often asked. The answer is that it is safe as long as both you and the yoga teacher work together to make sure you are always comfortable. Some yoga teachers have undergone extra training in Prenatal Yoga and they are always safe people to work with as they understand the particular changes your body is going through and how to adapt postures to make them achievable for you. It is always a good idea to ask your yoga teacher if they have this extra training when you tell them about your pregnancy - which you must do as soon as you know.

However, even if they haven't had this additional professional development training the two of you can still work together successfully throughout your pregnancy. The important thing to happen in this case is that you remain very aware of your body and what feels comfortable and easy as you do it. For example, in an advanced pregnancy it is uncomfortable to do forward bends and also to do postures where you have to lie on your stomach such as Bow. Check out with your yoga teacher as you go through the class and she will quickly be able to tell you if a posture will work or not. She (or he) will also be able to show you how to adapt it or suggest an alternative.

Yoga teachers who are familiar with Restorative Yoga will also be able to help your prenatal yoga practice to be safe and enjoyable. The focus with Restorative is on comfort and allowing the body to relax into a supported position which then enables the body to find its own alignment. There is never any strain in this style of Yoga and your body will always be supported by props which give you the most comfort and ease. During pregnancy is a good time to be resting and relaxing your body as it is so busy creating life inside and uses a lot of energy in doing so. For you this is a time to be soaking up rest and nourishing your body for the birth and the time afterwards when you will need to call on reserves of strength and energy.

Don't expect to keep up your old yoga practice - your needs have changed - but if you carry on doing Yoga with Prenatal-friendly postures, or doing Restorative Yoga, during your pregnancy you will be able to resume your old yoga practice soon after the birth and you body will be fit and ready for that. Enjoy.

Restorative Yoga Workshops and more information about how to use this form of self healing can be found on restorative-yoga.net Restorative Yoga and yin-yoga.net Yin Yoga. The Fifty, Fit and Fabulous programme provides a step by step approach to wellbeing through holistic care and is outlined on these sites.

Fat Loss Success - Through Interval Training, Workouts and Proper Nutrition

There is possibly nothing more we could want for ourselves than losing the fat and keeping fit. Many of us would also like to be one of those success stories featured on TV about how we have not only gained a gorgeous body, but how we continue to keep it that way. Many would also like to be the one to provide advice, but not be the one on the receiving end of it. All of this may seem all fine and dandy, were it not for the seemingly tiresome advice we receive about how simply eating properly and getting exercise will accomplish all that. At least it's not as bad as those all out, starve yourself diets that seem from outer space and bent on making us miserable. Of which many could be life threatening or completely mess up our health and put us way off the ultimate fat loss goals.

One Excellent Method: Interval Training

One thing is certain, if you hear of some strange sounding fad that works like a miracle or some supplements that do all the work for you, run away fast. These, for certain, will not work in the short term or the long term. Additionally, they may prove dangerous to your health, to your goals, and may even lead to death or disease. On the bright side, there are a few simple solutions which can be followed for great, healthy results. These do not have to include boring sessions of repetitious cardio, or lame aerobics dance tapes. There is a better solution for permanent fat loss. One of these is interval training. This may prove to be a better option since you can then alternate intense sessions of cardio activities with long periods of recovery.

Other important idea to keep in mind is to opt for total body work outs that keep you engaged. Ignore those expensive gym memberships and fancy machines, complete body workouts do not even need to include hand weights or free weights. You can implement pushups, squats, lunges, band workouts, ball workouts, yoga, swimming, and other muscle exerting activities that use your whole body every session. These build lean muscle mass which burns up fat faster that your diet can replace it.

Nutrition is another permanent fat loss tip that, when undertaken properly, can lead to lasting and energizing results. Pre-planning your meal options and dietary please do's will help curb the appetite and the desire to give up and give in, especially when it comes to meals out or weekends. Improper planning will definitely lead to ruination of lasting results. You may even find your efforts futile as the inches creep on long with unwanted fat. Pre-planning ahead and sticking to that plan by making it your normal routing means eating regular, healthy, thought out meals at regular intervals to fully fuel your body and speed up its metabolism.

If speedy fat loss is what you seek, you will not need to look much further than these simple tips above. Additionally you can consider a few other changes into your lifestyle. If you want fat loss in the fast lane, then you can try time saving workouts, and pre-prepared meals that will help you keep on track and succeed faster. You should be amazed, if you stick to the lifestyle changes, at how much more energy you have and how much fat you do not have.

If you provide your brain with the needed routines, these changes will soon become like second nature and habitual. Your body would like nothing better than to be able to plan for the road ahead and will reward you with less flab and more pep while your brain will no longer cry out for its past habits.

Roy Chan provides easy and workable weight loss advice. To download a fat loss report, check out our website freefatlossreports.com freefatlossreports.com for more free advice.

Yoga Benefits - Control the Body to Control the Mind

Often many of us are so physically and mentally worn out due to stress that even the simplest daily tasks become difficult to properly complete. A great answer to this growing epidemic is Yoga. Yoga along with meditation is a powerful method of training your body and mind to focus through relaxation.

If speaking of strictly physical benefits, then yoga has been very effective in reducing toxin levels as well as preventing disease and illness. It is also a great way to build muscle and slim down. Another healthy benefit of yoga is increased flexibility. Yoga will loosen joints, ligaments, and tendons that many other exercise or workout programs do not reach.

It is a recognized fact, many health experts agree yoga helps to work and massage rarely stimulated deep internal organs that help prevent disease and act as first signs of illness. Regular yoga practice will greatly increase blood circulation which detoxifies the entire body.

You will find apart from the obvious physical aspects of yoga there is an emotional relief benefit which helps to decrease stress and put your mind at ease. Yoga and meditation should be viewed one in the same, together they help unify your body and mind. The body cannot function without the mind. The same example can be considered in your everyday life. Without peace of mind there is little control of the body and this makes it nearly impossible to maintain a happy existence.

The combination of yoga and meditation is a "best practice" to naturally relieve stress. Yoga will channel your excess energy and help you gain control of your body. Meditation will help you understand how to live in the present moment, accept life as it comes, and learn to leave the past behind. Most importantly, I believe yoga will help everyone find these life changing benefits with emotional control and a more positive outlook.

Discover the secrets of more natural ways to be healthy.

seyoga.net/Seyoga-blog-blue.html Natural Health Techniques

"Satori"is a Certified Hatha Yoga Instructor and a Yoga Alliance Registered Yoga Teacher; she is trained in Reiki and Shamanic healing, and the founder of the seyoga.net Seyoga Illustrated Products, which has enabled her to positively transform the lives of many.

Her unique balanced approach to life has allowed her to joyfully share the knowledge of Physical, Mental and Spiritual transformation. She has a Passion to encourage her students to let go and embrace the "I AM" Divinity within. She is the author of several books on stress relief yoga, children illustrated yoga, and natural lifestyle change.

Dancing For Your Whole Life - Yogic Advice From the Vijnanabhairava Tantra

"Wander or dance to exhaustion in utter spontaneity. Then, suddenly, drop to the ground and in this fall be total. There absolute essence is revealed."

~ Vijnanabhairava Tantra, verse 111

Each of has the desire (yes?) to become ~ with each breath we take, with each step of our lives ~ more fully alive ... And yet there is the paradox that each breath we take, each step of our lives, brings us one step, one breath closer to our death. So how do we work with this? Is there a "solution" to this paradox?

The traditions of Buddhism as well as Kashmir Shaivism see (the appearance of) this life of ours as training-ground for (the appearance of) that moment of our death. They resolve the paradox through the understanding that only by training ~ in every moment ~ in the art of being fully alive, fully present here and now, in this moment, in this moment, in this moment ~ only through a practice such as this are we able then to be fully present (fully alive!) at the moment of our "death."

The quotation above, from the Vijnanabhairava Tantra (a text written by the Shaivite School of Kashmir around the first century A.D.), points to such a resolution. Let's take a closer look ...

"Wander or dance to exhaustion in utter spontaneity." Have you ever danced, or performed any other activity, so completely, with such total abandon, such love and absorption, that the point of "exhaustion" (what distance runners call "the wall") opens into a whole new realm of experience, puts you in touch with a whole new flow of energy/inspiration? It's the moment when years of training (our accumulated "expertise") is allowed to open, to fall away into a "mindless" spontaneity ... when movement becomes both divinely precise and effortless (Michael Jordan, Baryshnikov, & Jet Li come to mind here) ... when "I" am no longer doing anything, yet all things are still manifesting, radiantly, perfectly. In the language of Taoism this state of effortless doing is called Wu Wei.

"Then, suddenly, drop to the ground and in this fall be total." Have you ever gone out on a warm summer night, laid on your back on a grassy hillside, and let your mind & heart & vision travel out into the starry sky, with its countless galaxies? When we surrender, we surrender completely ... no holding back. We let the whole thing dissolve. We die into the present moment. In the language of Tibetan Buddhism, this is called the Completion Stage.

"There absolute essence is revealed." What if the essence of life and the essence of death were one and the same? What if both our "wandering" and our "dancing" were expressions of that one essence, and equally wise? What if we could touch ~ with each breath, each step, each of our "awakened" daily activities ~ the sweetness & power that is this essence?

And now, please feel free .... to Dance!

Elizabeth Reninger, M.S. (Oriental Medicine) has been exploring Yoga/Qigong - in its Daoist, Buddhist and Hindu varieties - for upwards of twenty-five years. She maintains a private acupuncture practice in Boulder, Colorado, and is a published poet. For more of Elizabeth's writing, on related topics, please visit taoism.about.com taoism.about.com

How To Sponsor More Distributors In MLM

Sponsoring new distributors is the most crucial thing to your mlm business. Without the ability to sponsor, you will have a serious limitation on your income. So what is the most important thing when it comes to sponsoring a new distributor?

Your confidence. Hands down, end of story. The psychology behind network marketing success is absolutely critical to your ability to sponsor. So here are the basics you need to understand...

Prospects sense your confidence, belief level, and emotional involvement in the conversation. If they can sense any "un-desirable" feelings about you...it will work against you.

What that means is this. If you feel desperate, like you NEED someone to join your business...you will push that prospect away. No one wants to feel pressure, or like the person they are joining is desperate. That is a big no no.

On the contrary...if they feel you are strong, confident, and knowledgeable...they will say "THIS is the type of person I want to work with". It's really that simple.

When you have mastered your own posture and your own "inner game"...you will sign people up so much simpler then if you haven't. It's like night and day. It just becomes so simple to say to a prospect, "so what do you need to get started? Well, let's get you going!"

So here is how you DO THAT. Work on yourself every day. Build your own value. Build your belief, your confidence, and your self worth. Do it by reading, writing, spending time in nature, going for walks, working out, doing yoga, meditating, going to discussion groups, journeying within, going to therapy, talking with successful people...ANYTHING that builds your value.

Anything that causes you to grow as a person is going to be EXCELLENT when it comes to your network marketing business. It will boost your self esteem, therefore your posture and cause you to sign people up automatically. Of course...it helps if you have an endless amount of prospects to introduce your business too, but that is another article!

Learn these secret online strategies to build a massive network marketing organization at: [OnlineMLMSecrets.com]

The Truth About Stretching

A three year old study about stretching is being cited in many articles today, and the conclusions reached by some writers may be harmful to the muscle, ligaments and joints of your athletes.

Is stretching before practice harmful?

Stretching before athletic training and general fitness improvement exercise is being made out to be a time-waster, not needed, and even harmful. This is not true. In fact, there's a recent study that evaluates all the research on stretching, and the study concludes:

Due to the paucity (small number), heterogeneity (dissimilar study subjects) and poor quality of the available studies no definitive conclusions can be drawn as to the value of stretching for reducing the risk of exercise-related injury (The efficacy of stretching for prevention of exercise-related injury: a systematic review of the literature, 2003, Weldon).

Essentially, the researchers are saying that there are not enough quality studies to draw conclusions about this issue.

Study in question

The study that is generating all the hoopla was performed by the Kapooka Health Centre, New South Wales, Australia on 1,538 army recruits. It's a creditable study designed to show the occurrence lower limb injury on a group of young army recruits. Despite what you may have heard about stretching before training, this is what the researchers actually reported:

A typical muscle stretching protocol performed during pre-exercise warm-ups does not produce clinically meaningful reductions in risk of exercise-related injury in army recruits. Fitness may be an important, modifiable risk factor (A randomized trial of preexercise stretching for prevention of lower-limb injury, 2000, Pope).

The statement, "Fitness may be an important, modifiable risk factor" is very important. It simply means that age, weight, and conditioning of the study subjects may be an important factor in preventing or facilitating the injuries experienced in this study.

Three years after the Kapooka study, another study involving military recruits was conducted and the researchers in this study show that pre-training static stretching can PREVENT injury involving muscle but not joint or bone injury. The researchers report, "Static stretching decreased the incidence of muscle-related injuries but did not prevent bone or joint injuries," (Effect of static stretching on prevention of injuries for military recruits, 2003, Amako).

Appropriate conclusions

Based on the way some have written about this study, it's okay to run a 100 meter sprint full speed without stretching beforehand. Now, this may be possible for a small number of lean, young army recruits. However, does anyone believe that a powerful, muscled-up athlete or a middle-aged and older adult can go out and run a sprint - cold with no warm-up - without increased risk of injury? Don't think so...

Use Common Sense

...and the full body of research

Think about it; if an out-of-shape, untrained young army recruit performs high-intensity exercise, he may get injured, pre-stretched or not. And this is why researchers evaluating all the research on stretching conclude, "No definitive conclusions can be drawn..."

In short, there needs to be a body of research based on age, weight, conditioning, and the study needs to be performed functionally for the specific sport and type of exercise before life-changing conclusions are drawn.

The truth about stretching

New research shows that stretching can aid in the prevention of injury of stress factures that plague distance runners. Researchers conclude,

Prevention of stress fractures is most effectively accomplished by increasing the level of exercise slowly, adequately warming up and stretching before exercise, and using cushioned insoles and appropriate footwear" (Common stress fractures, 2003, Sanderlin).

Stretching offers many benefits. Researchers show that prolonged stretching (in the form of yoga) with moderate aerobic exercise and diet control will reduce cholesterol and significantly reverse hardening of the arteries (20 percent regression) in adults with proven coronary atherosclerotic disease.

After one year in a yoga program, participants lost weight, reduced cholesterol, and improved their exercise capacity, (Retardation of coronary atherosclerosis with yoga lifestyle intervention, 2000, Manchanda).

Stretching offers many benefits, but there is an issue about the type of stretching and the timing of stretching before athletic competitions.

Use dynamic stretching before games and key practice sessions

There are two main types of stretching, static (holding a stretching exercise in one position without movement) and dynamic stretching, which means moving while stretching (arm swings, knee rotations, neck circles).

Researchers show that athletes should not perform prolonged static stretching before the big game or a key practice session because this slows muscle activation for around an hour afterwards, (Reduced strength after passive stretch of the human plantar flexors, 2000, Fowles). Using dynamic stretching is a wise pre-competition strategy.

Static stretching builds flexibility and should be performed regularly, just not immediately before a big game or a key practice session.

Warming up prior to a high-intensity, ballistic, athletic event is an absolute rule - never to be broken, and stretching can be combined (multi-tasked) as part of the warm-up. The goal of the warm-up is to get the blood flowing and raise body temperature (one degree) prior to athletic competitions and high-intensity training. It's desirable to have the athlete's muscle, ligaments, and joints experience the functional range of motion required of the sport during the warm-up.

Do static stretching with 30-second stretch-holds

away from practice

Gains in flexibility are dependent on the "duration" of stretch-hold position, and researchers show the best "stretch-hold position" (for time-spent) to increase flexibility is 30 seconds (The effect of time on static stretch on the flexibility of the hamstring muscles, 1994, Bandy). "Best" means optimal results for time-spent. You can get positive results with 2 minute stretch-holds, but 30 seconds yields equal results.

This type of stretching is positive for athletes and adults of all ages. Researchers show in one study that longer hold stretching positions are of great benefit for adults over age 65,

Longer hold times during stretching of the hamstring muscles resulted in a greater rate of gains in range of motion (ROM) and a more sustained increase in ROM in elderly subjects (The effect of duration of stretching of the hamstring muscle group for increasing range of motion in people aged 65 years or older, 2001, Feland).

Adults ages 21 to 45 with tight hamstrings also get the best results from static stretching with 30-second stretch-hold positions. Researchers report that static stretching is two times more effective than dynamic range of motion (DROM) for this group of non-competitive athletes. Researchers report,

The results of this study suggest that, although both static stretch and DROM (dynamic stretching) will increase hamstring flexibility, a 30-second static stretch was more effective than the newer technique, DROM, for enhancing flexibility (The effect of static stretch and dynamic range of motion training on the flexibility of the hamstring muscles, 2001, Bandy).

Keep in mind there are important lessons in these studies, but the studies apply to a specific age group (over 65, and ages 21 - 45,) and a specific physical condition (tight hamstrings). If we apply the results of a study with these variables to young athletes, we may be wrong.

While it's reasonable to conclude (as I have for training purposes) that static stretching away from practice is an effective strategic for athletes with tight hamstrings, this study doesn't specifically prove that point. It's clearly a mistake to take the findings of one study and create an absolute fact. Look at the whole body of research about a topic before making a life-changing training decision.

The take home about stretching

1. Use dynamic stretching and static stretching at the correct times in the training plan.

2. Dynamic stretching (arm swings, hip rotations, knee rotations) will aid in the pre-competition, pre-practice warm-up process by increasing flexion in the joints and increasing body temperature. This method is preferred before athletic competition.

3. Static stretching can be used as part of a warm-up for training. However, static stretching will slightly slow down athletes for an hour afterwards so examine training goals. Early in the season, static stretching before practice may be a wise strategy.

The best way to improve overall flexibility is static stretching with 30-second stretch-holds performed away from events requiring peak performance. Personally, I recommend to athletes attending my Speed Camp to use a 10-minute static stretching routine targeting hamstrings, Achilles, hip flexors and quads four days a week.

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Phil Campbell. M.S., M.A., FACHE is the author of

Ready, Set, Go! Synergy Fitness

readysetgofitness.com readysetgofitness.com

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