Second Limb of Yoga- The First Niyama - Saucha

We often refer to Niyamas as the "Do's" or observances of Yoga. To follow the Niyamas is to take a pro-active attitude toward life. The first Niyama, which Patanjali mentions is Saucha, means cleanliness or purity, but this is a much deeper issue. Cleanliness and purity have many levels.

We want to be pure in thought, action, and in our words, but we should also take the time to clean our mind, body, and spirit. In order to function for optimum health, our diet should be clean, with good quality water and whole foods.

The traditional kriyas (cleansing duties) should be taken seriously. Air quality is also important to the entire being. This is why air at the beach, near a lake, or in the mountains, should be inhaled when possible. Whether it is negative ions, Prana rich air, or a combination of these, people naturally feel better breathing clean air.

Exercise will keep us healthy, but it should be kept in moderation, to avoid injuries, which can bother us for life. The physical aspects of Yoga such as Asana and Pranayama will help our physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual well being.

The people we associate with should be full of positive energy. We should not spend too much time listening to "bad news." Whether it is a person, who is full of negative energy, the newspaper, television, or the radio, if it makes us feel bad, we should "turn it off."

Any form of pollution should be stopped, so Saucha is also an environmental issue. Cleanliness starts from within, but it affects the entire planet.

© 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

Exercise Means a Healthy Thyroid Gland

Exercise just might be the secret weapon in your arsenal for fighting thyroid disease. Exercise will boost your metabolism, burn calories and lift your mood. When you are feeling the effects of hypothyroidism the last thing you are going to want to do is get up and exercise. You will probably have to force yourself the first few times. So be firm with yourself and just get moving. After a few sessions, you will begin to feel better physically and mentally and actually start looking forward to getting your exercise.

You don't have to buy fancy equipment or join an exercise club either. All you really need is a good pair of walking shoes and the determination to feel better. Walking is the perfect exercise, especially for beginners. You need to get your heart pounding when you walk though. Leisurely strolls won't do you near as much good as a brisk power walk that works out your cardiovascular system. You should aim to walk for at least 40 minutes at a time, three days a week. Try to get some sort of exercise five days a week for a minimum of 30 minutes per session.

You do not have to walk at full speed the entire time. Instead, maintain your pace at about half of your full speed then alternate speeding up and slowing back down to half speed so you push yourself to the limit but alternate with easing up a bit. Don't stop all together unless you just have to. You heart rate needs to be elevated for an extended time to get full benefits from walking or any other aerobic exercise.

In addition to cardiovascular exercise, you should also add strength training to your routine. Strength training makes your muscles and bones stronger and when combined with aerobics helps to fight insulin resistance and enhance weight loss.

Strength training can be done with small barbells you hold in your hand, or canned vegetables or even bottled water. You don't really need to use those if you don't want to, you can perform exercises without them. Strength training means doing good old fashioned exercises like leg lunges, push ups and leg lifts.

In order to get the best results from your exercises you need to maintain control of your body and use slow deliberate movements. For example, when you are doing lunges and dip down on bended knees then return to standing, keep your movement slow so the muscles in your legs do all the work. Do not jump back up or rise up quickly. It is easier to do the exercise the quick way but it means your muscles are not getting a good workout.

Yoga is another excellent type of exercise for those who have thyroid disease. Yoga helps keep your body flexible, it strengthens your muscles and relaxes your body and mind. Yoga promotes proper posture and effective breathing which brings balance back to your body. Yoga is also a great stress reliever which is always needed if you have hyperthyroidism.

Qigong is a form of exercise that is similar to Yoga that is being used today to treat many types of chronic disease and age related discomforts. Qigong uses gentle, slow and deliberate movements to realign the flow of life energy throughout your body. You may not notice results immediately as this form of healing takes weeks or even months to have an effect. You will receive better benefits from Qigong or any other type of exercise if you eat a healthy diet and drink plenty of water so your body has what it needs to repair itself.

Andrew Long writes for a series of websites about Thyroid related issues. A main area for content covers thyroidtalk.com thyroid problems and feeling better with the disease. More information about Thyroid related problems can be found at thyroidtalk.com thyroidtalk.com

Yoga Teacher Certification in New England

Your yoga teacher certification in New England will give you many career options and a refreshing new life

New England has been good to you. But could it be better? If you are a yoga lover, then maybe it could be. Getting your yoga teacher certification in New England can improve your work and personal life at the same time. Maybe it's time to take the plunge into a better life.

There are many types of yoga teacher certification in the New England area. From Maine to Rhode Island, your options are wide open. Perhaps you are looking at obtaining a bikram happinesslifetime.com yoga certification. Bikram yoga is a style of yoga that is performed in a heated room to improve body detoxification. If that sounds like your style, then a bikram happinesslifetime.com yoga certification just might be for you.

Maybe you are more interested in holistic yoga. Holistic yoga is a great healing technique. If curing others through yoga sounds like your ideal job, then perhaps you should consider getting your yoga teacher certification in New England with special training in holistic yoga.

Whatever style of yoga you decide you want to teach, your happinesslifetime.com yoga instructor certification recieved in New England will do so much for your life. You will be thrilled with the personal growth you experience as you start a fabulous job in the field of yoga instruction. A new career and a chance to perfect the art of yoga in your daily life will be refreshing and rewarding.

Yoga is a great way to strengthen your mind and body and get in shape as well as a great way to unwind after a long day. Whatever your universalyoga.com yoga clothing and equipment needs, we have the information and resources to point you in the right direction. We have yoga music, mats, clothes, pants, videos and journals as well as information on the different universalyoga.com/yoga_poses.html yoga postures, postures and the history of yoga. If you are interested in becoming a yoga teacher learn more about universalyoga.com/yoga_instruction_certification.html yoga instructor certifications in your city or state.

Mental and Physical Benefits of Swimming

Swimming is a fitness activity whose benefits are recognized by millions of practitioner all over the world. Exercising in the water, whether it is swimming or  water aerobics is an excellent physical training for everybody, teenager and elderly citizens, pregnant women and well fit men, overweight people and people recovering from an injury. If you are thinking about starting any fitness activity do not look anywhere else than at your local swimming pool. Keep reading to know why I am advocating so much in favor of the benefits of swimming.

Easy on the joints and effective on the muscles

Because of the support the water gives to your body, training in the swimming pool is like training in a weightless environment. Your joints and ligaments are not stressed as much as in other dry-land fitness activities such as jogging or tennis. Swimming is therefore a sport virtually free from injuries. Nevertheless, all the muscles of your body are trained very effectively. Because all the swimming movements are gentle and performed with stretched muscles, while you train your strengths and endurance  you also train the muscles flexibility. If you start swimming now, you will find yourself stronger and more flexible in a matter of few weeks.

Cardiovascular fitness benefits

Swimming activates all the major muscle groups in your body, but the benefits of swimming go further than just muscle strength. Regular swimmers get an overall conditioning which includes a great improvement on their cardiovascular system. Even just training twice or three times a week you will increase your lactate threshold. This means, your lungs and your heart will be able to support your body during the training effort with more oxygen and a more efficient use of it to fuel your muscles. You will then be able to train harder and improve further or simply to last longer doing any physical exercise. A better fitness level in your body will bring great benefits to your life balance. You will lower your sugar levels, burn calories, and feel mentally stronger to face the challenges of your daily life.

Burn calories

Because swimming activates all the major muscle groups in your body it burns more calories than jogging. Not only that, but being easy on your ligaments you won't get injured as much as going jogging and you will be able to keep up your training throughout the year because you will keep being healthy. To lose weight however, common sense needs to be applied. Training is essential, and the benefits of swimming for losing weight are clear, but you need to keep in mind that you will lose weight only if you burn more calories than you take in. So watch your diet and distribute the meals wisely during the day. A good advice is to try to wait a couple of hours before and after the training session for having something to eat, eat only healthy food and do not forget to drink plenty of water also during your training.   

Swimming During Pregnancy

All Doctors would recommend you to do some mild physical exercise during pregnancy. Walking, practicing yoga, or participating to some soft aerobics class for pregnant women are usually considered activities pregnant women can benefit from. Because of the peculiarities swimming has, pregnant women can benefits greatly by including a soft but regular swimming fitness routine in their life. Swimming trains very effectively the upper part of the body including your back. Your back needs to be strong to sustain the weight of your prominent belly. The best stroke to swim while you are pregnant is breaststroke. Breaststroke does not require rotation of the torso and thus it is more comfortable to do with a big belly. Even if a light training is generally advisable for all pregnant women, you should always ask your Doctor before starting exercising. Your main target with the training should be to maintain your level of fitness and not improving your swimming performance.

How to Get Started

If you feel ready to get started I would recommend you to go and check out what kind of activities are offered by your local swimming pool. You can start with getting a teacher to introduce you to the swimming techniques, in case you are a beginner, or join a master team if you want to train more and maybe have some fun competing. I would also advice you to just get to the swimming pool and plan your own training. There is plenty of information on the Internet and plenty of nice swimming training programs available for you to follow.

One resource I would recommend for information, suggestions and free coaching is effectivewaterfitness.com effectivewaterfitness.com. There you can find all you need to get started with swimming as a fitness activity or to improve your swimming performance if your are more advanced. Download the "4 weeks swimming training plan" for free at effectivewaterfitness.com/4-weeks-swimming-workout effectivewaterfitness.com/4-weeks-swimming-workout/. This training plan is designed to make progress your swimming technique and your physical fitness level easily and effectively in only 4 weeks. Start now and enjoy the benefits of swimming for the rest of your life.

Gab .G

Why is Teaching Yoga so Rewarding? Part 2

Independence, from the daily grind, is total freedom to meditate, be your own boss, and live the dream of teaching Yoga to others. If you teach Hatha Yoga, you will be in the best possible physical shape, due to the physical aspects and living with a moderate diet. You can stop and visit your local bookstore at any time, while the world is in "9 to 5 mode."

Having time to spend with your family, enjoying life, and having the "time to smell the flowers," are newfound parts of a Yoga teacher's life. What is more important than the quality time you have to spend with loved ones and friends? Yoga gives all of us time to reflect on the real priorities in life and Yoga practice could be compared to a brief vacation in your daily life.

Being able to reconnect your spiritual side is a part of Yoga practice. Regardless of your religion, you will gradually gravitate back toward "your roots." You do not have to look outside your religion for answers. The answers to life, and the divine, are within the religion you were brought up with. Yoga is a tool to improve your spiritual health. Yoga does not discriminate and does not condone intolerance.

All Yoga teachers will pursue the path of self-improvement. It may start as pursuit of physical prowess at first, but will end up being much more. This is why Hatha Yoga is a gateway toward many other forms of Yoga that benefit the complete health of mind, body, and spirit.

Why do Yoga teachers love their job? With all that has been stated up to this point, Yoga teachers and their students are some of the happiest people in the world. This comes at a time when the vast majority of humankind is stressed out, having anxiety attacks, and feeling aggression. Words like tranquility, harmony, success, and gratification, seem like a myth to those who do not practice Yoga on a regular basis.

On another note, you have control over your job. Yoga teachers choose the age group they want to teach. You can teach Yoga to a particular age group or all ages.

The time and place are up to you. If you are a late riser, you can stay in bed. If you are an early riser, you can teach Yoga in the early morning and "close up shop" earlier in the evening.

What if you do not want to be a Yoga teacher? Will your Yoga training open up doors for your dream job? The fact is - Yoga practice gives all of us the power of self realization. We become aware of the real priorities in life. There is no better gratification than self-help and being able to help others.

© 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

Yoga Careers Have Broad Appeal and Rewards

Finding work that is financially rewarding and personally fulfilling is becoming a greater and greater challenge in today's workforce, which struggles to understand how to balance financial security with the need to contribute to the world in a healthy balanced way. More people are looking for part time work that fills their need for wellness and health, while augmenting their income. And more and more are turning to a career in Yoga.

National Standards

In 2003, the Washington State Workforce Training Board certified its first yoga teacher training vocational school, The College of Purna Yoga, which is also a Registered Yoga School with Yoga Alliance. As the first yoga vocational school, The College of Purna Yoga seeks to bring industry standards to yoga training where none exist. Right now, anyone, no matter their level of training or knowledge, can teach yoga, which is very dangerous. Yoga--when done correctly--has amazing properties for health and wellness, integrating the whole body with the mind and the spirit. However, when taught incorrectly, by a poorly trained teacher, yoga can cause injury or worse. While health fields such as massage, chiropractic, and personal training naturally require standards in certification, yoga has been left off the list; there is no national standard for certifying yoga teachers.

Because the lack of standards, students are left in the dark when choosing a studio or a teacher. Students often don't know the importance of good training or the dangers of a lack therein. There are big differences in types and levels of yoga teacher training. Quality yoga teacher training programs should train teachers in how to do and teach asana and yogic breathing, as well as the therapeutics and rehabilitative aspects of yoga, meditation, philosophy, nutrition, and ethics for yoga professionals. One international organization, called Yoga Alliance, is attempting to provide standards where none are mandated. Teachers voluntarily register themselves at one of two levels of training: the 200-hour Level or the 500-hour Level.

The Importance of Professional Training

Yoga careers offer people a choice for a more balanced career that can dovetail their existing careers if necessary. A 200-hour training is perfect for people like physical therapists, massage practitioners, chiropractors, and martial arts instructors, who already work in the health field and want to expand their professional repertoire by being able to utilize the many wonderful tools of yoga correctly, to help their students find long-term sustainable healing. Also, anyone just getting started will find the 200-hour level as the perfect place to start to build their foundation.

For teachers who really want to transform their teaching into to a sound profession, a 500-hour training is mandatory. Most schools offer a 300-hour supplement to the 200-hour training to reach the 500-hour level. To register with Yoga Alliance at the 500-hour Level, a teacher must also demonstrate that they have taught at least 100 hour of yoga classes. Students learn that in order to be an inspiring teacher, they must also be an inspired practitioner. 500-hour trainings must spend time on developing the professional skills as well as the personal integrity to commit to the yogic life. At this level, teachers must live their yoga, rather than merely speak about it.

Finally, there are those teachers who understand the true potentials of yoga. Teaching yoga requires an extended and focused course of study, which, like any great art or science, requires the development of both tangible knowledge and inner wisdom. For many teachers, the 500-hour Level is not enough training. To truly embody yoga, one must dedicate themselves to a much deeper course of study. For example, at The College of Purna Yoga, a third level is offered: The Purna Yoga Certificate Level, which involves one year of rigorous study that places the greatest attention on the development of a teacher's personal integrity, professionalism, and inner connection to wisdom and Truth--in addition to expanded technical knowledge.

The Importance of Lineage

Yoga is both an art and a science. As an art, it is a refined and intricate as classical music. As a science, it is as complex and precise as physics. Joy lies in its infinite exploration. The successful learning of any art or science requires a master to transmit the lineage. Many yoga schools are created by master yoga teachers, who have given their lives to the infinite exploration of yoga. Schools without a master teacher or a lineage backing them up have two challenges: They often end up teaching from a tired, uninspired databanks of information that pays no regard to the evolution of yoga; or they try to teach all styles of yoga, without really covering any one in depth. To teach yoga requires true inspiration, which comes from the wellspring within the teacher, not any textbook. To teach yoga is to give to others the greatest gift of all: the ability to realize their unique individual purpose and to fulfill their destiny.

? 2008 Aadil Palkhivala

Aadil is the author of "Fire of Love", a book for Teachers of Yoga and Students of Life.

To buy a copy- click on this link: buyfireoflove.com buyfireoflove.com

Full Body Fitness With Yoga

Kundalini Yoga is a great science to help with full body fitness and health. This is because kundalini yoga combines powerful breathing with dynamic movement, and this combination helps deliver a workout which both, builds your strength, as well as helps with flexibility and stamina. In this article, I will teach you three great yoga exercises which when combined will help you on your march to achieving total body fitness.

The three exercises which will help you in strengthening your entire body are Plank Pose, Stretch Pose and Frog Pose. Plank pose will work on the upper body, helping build your chest, shoulders and arms. Stretch pose will work on your abdominal systems, helping to tone and strengthen your abs. Frog pose is excellent for building and toning your legs, especially your thighs and buttocks. So the combination of these three exercises will give you a full body workout and done consistently, will make you fit and strong.

Here are the details of each of these three exercises:

Plank Pose for Upper Body Fitness:

a. How to Do Yoga Plank Pose:

* Most of us are familiar with doing push ups, and plank pose is essentially the up position when doing a push up.

* For plank pose be sure to keep your body in a straight line, now allowing the butt to sag and the hands should be directly underneath the shoulders.

* Breathing is normal, except if you are doing a particular Kundalini Yoga Kriya, which might require you to do Breath of Fire while holding Plank Pose.

b. Duration:

* 15 seconds - 7 minutes.

c. Benefits:

* Strengthens the arms, shoulders, chest and back.

* Develops your core strength and abdominal muscles.

d. Practice Tips:

* Advanced variations of Plank Pose include, lifting one leg up and holding the pose, or lifting one arm up and holding the pose. This is to take your level of fitness to the next level.

Kundalini Yoga Stretch Pose for Abdominal Fitness:

a. Instructions for Kundalini Yoga Stretch Pose:

* Lie on your back.

* Place your hands under your buttocks palms facing down (to support your lower back).

* Raise your heels 6 inches, point your feet and toes away from you, raise your head slightly and stare at your toes. You will feel the abdominal muscles go to work immediately.

* Begin Breath of Fire Breathing Exercise.

b. Duration:

15 seconds -11 minutes.

c. Benefits:

* Builds abdominal strength.

* Increases core fitness, energy and power.

* Helps develop the much coveted 6 pack abs.

* Improves your digestive system.

d. Practice Tips::

* To modify this pose you can do this posture with your legs bent at the knees, or do one leg at a time. Either way you will reduce the pressure on the abdominal muscles.

Kundalini Yoga Frog Pose for Lower Body Fitness:

Kundalini Yoga Frog Pose Practice Details:

a. How to Do Kundalini Yoga Frog Pose:

* Squat on the floor on your toes, with your feet apart and your heels either touching or very close together.

* Have your knees spread out and your arms inside your knees with your finger tips touching the floor. The elbows are straight.

* Look up, you can have your eyes opened or closed. Inhale. This is the starting position for frog pose.

* Rise up now by straightening your legs. At the same time bring your head towards your knees and keep your fingers touching the floor. Your heels should move down towards the floor. Straighten your legs as much as possible. Exhale. This is the ending position for frog pose. This completes 1 repetition.

* Come back down to the starting position and repeat the cycle as many times as indicated.

b. Duration:

* Beginners, start with as many as you can do and work up to 26 froggies.

* Intermediates, work up to 54 froggies.

* Advanced, work up to 108 froggies or more.

c. Benefits:

* Shapes, tones and strengthens the legs and lower body. Specially the thighs muscles.

* Builds the cardiovascular system and respiratory system. Promoting better circulation and better respiration.

* Promotes flexibility in the hamstrings and calves.

* Overall, builds one level of fitness and endurance.

d. Practice Tips:

* Careful with your knees. If you have bad knees, approach this exercise with caution.

* This yoga exercise will get your heart rate up, so careful not to get dizzy. If you feel breathless, light headed or faint, stop and take a break.

* It is beneficial to stretch the hamstrings before doing frog pose.

Summary of Yoga for Full Body Fitness:

As you can see from the above exercises, a good yoga workout can deliver quite a punch and be an effective science for building your full body fitness and health. These exercises don't just promote flexibility, but are also excellent for training your most important muscles. Doing this set consistently will undoubtedly make you fit, strong and toned.

For more great yoga sets to help you achieve full body fitness and health check out, anmolmehta.com/blog/2009/06/22/yoga-for-full-body-fitness Yoga for Full Body Fitness, created by Yoga and Meditation Master Anmol Mehta. Also, enjoy the free yoga videos, meditation classes and spiritual e-books he offers on his popular and free website.