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By Amruta Kulkarni, CYT 500 As a yoga teacher, you want to welcome new people with open arms. People new to a yogic way of life are taking a big step, just by visiting a studio or ashram. We may view it as a small hurdle, but new students want to shed the label "beginner" as soon as possible. The best way a yoga instructor can help is to provide handouts, information and explain that some information on the Internet is erroneous or intended for teachers.

By Dr. Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500 I am often asked by employers about how to evaluate a Yoga Teacher? Whether you are a health club owner, program coordinator, or a potential student, it is important to accurately evaluate a teacher. It is very important for students to find the best possible teacher. The following is the "CALM check list." These factors are basic criteria that your Yoga instructor should meet before you continue on to a second class. CALM gets it name from four main factors: Communication, Assist, Listen, and Modification. For the right Yoga instructor, you should be answering with a "yes" to all questions. Communication: Does your teacher talk to you, and other students, in a manner of mutual respect? Can you ask a question during class time?

By Sangeetha Saran When you finish that first yoga teacher training session and have your diploma in your hand, it is quite the euphoric moment. However, once reality begins to set in, you realize that now you have to find employment. You will have to put yourself out there with confidence and prove to yourself and others that you possess the qualities that will make you a successful yoga teacher.

By Faye Martins Yoga teacher ethics are an extremely complex issue. What if you met your soul mate in your classroom? If you are faithfully married, then the moral guidelines are simple, but what about single teachers who meet single students? If a student is married, that is also a simple matter of avoiding a real bad situation. However, is it right for a single teacher to date a single student?

By Dr. Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500 If there is one lesson that I can pass onto you in this lifetime, it is to question everything. Please do not take anyone's word as gospel - including mine. Find your answers through research. Lately, there has been a lot of misinformation about Yoga and many related issues. Some people would have you think that all of the teaching opportunities are only in the studios. When you consider that Yoga sessions are taught in health clubs, church basements, kids day care centers, salons, and hundreds of other locations, where people of all ages meet, it is safe to say the 90% of the teaching opportunities are outside the studios.

By Kathryn Boland Are you in challenging yoga teaching environments? It's clear that yoga instructors have a lot to offer with their skills and knowledge in guiding various individuals to greater holistic wellness - Opportunities for doing so range from nursing homes to health clubs to schools. Many resourceful and creative yoga instructors have taken advantage of such diverse opportunities, often apart from the specialized yoga studio atmosphere. It's also clear that yogic philosophy often differs from Western's cultures perspectives on wellness, including the best ways to both work towards and maintain it.

By Amruta Kulkarni, CYT 500 How a yoga teacher chooses to guide and adjust a student depends greatly upon individual style, instruction, previous knowledge, and abilities. There are no particular rules about assisting, and it tends to be a gray area when discussing yoga instruction. Knowing when to physically assist a student is crucial to their experience and it should be done with care.

By Faye Martins How do we start to train the mind and body? Many people practice yoga for its fitness benefits. However, this ancient system of complete health maintenance should be comprehensive when we train the mind and body. If you take specified yoga teacher courses that focus on training the mind and body, then you can help your students obtain the complete art from their practice.

By Amruta Kulkarni, CYT 500 Perhaps you love taking yoga and have felt a calling to teach it. Your best course of action, then, begins with a period of reflection on the subject. If you decide to pursue this plan, you'll need to enroll in an excellent yoga teacher training program.

By Dr. Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500 Vinyasa is a popular form of Yoga that, in the West, is characterized by movement - both while in an asana and when moving between two asanas. The breath initiates all movement in a Vinyasa Yoga class, resulting in a beautiful slow flow. Here are seven things that teachers of Vinyasa Yoga must know:

By Dr. Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500 When you are teaching a Yoga class, remember that this time is not about your personal Yoga practice. Teaching Yoga is about giving your knowledge to others, demonstrating and explaining the techniques effectively, and putting your students' needs ahead of your own. You will probably still feel the benefits of a Yoga class, but it also might leave you yearning for more, or feeling as if you did not quite get adequate fulfillment. It is up to you, then, to find time when you are not teaching to squeeze in a personal Yoga practice, where you can accomplish a number of things.

By Faye Martins There have been times when it has been stated that yoga teacher ethics were just a matter of common sense. Teachers have seen the looks in an intern's eyes, when the lecture starts. The intern's eyes tell me that he/she is thinking, "What's the big deal?" with respect to teacher ethics.

By Faye Martins Yoga teacher ethics are an extremely complex issue. What if you met your soul mate in your classroom? If you are faithfully married, then the moral guidelines are simple, but what about single teachers who meet single students? If a student is married, that is also a simple matter of avoiding a real bad situation. However, is it right for a single teacher to date a single student?

By Sanjeev Patel, CYT 500 What are the marketing secrets of successful yoga teachers? Some teachers will tell you to wait for the flow of the universe to help you with your teaching career. Some people will gladly tell you, "It's unethical to put yourself out there." Advertising is bad? How will people know I teach, if I keep it a secret?

By Eleanor Bartel At its core, yoga is a healing practice that works on a variety of levels. It affects the physical body, the mind, and it also has a spiritual and emotional effect on people. The emotional aspect of yoga can often come out unexpectedly in a class, especially in certain poses that encourage emotional release, like camel pose and child's pose. As a yoga teacher, it is important to recognize these emotions in students and help them through it. Sometimes, this involves recommending outside emotional counseling for more serious personal issues.

By Faye Martins We've all had a bad yoga class. Sometimes the mistakes or problems were obvious, and sometimes we just left with a vague feeling of unease. Most likely, after a bad class with a new yoga teacher, we decided to try something else next time. If students seem to be dropping away from a class, perhaps some of the common mistakes of yoga teachers are being made. Here are some of the mistakes, and how to correct or avoid them in our yoga classes.

By Dr. Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500 Professional development is an important aspect of any career. Professionals from all disciplines seek to gain more knowledge, or to develop knowledge in a specific area of their field. Doctors, teachers, business people, and other professionals, know the importance of staying current with industry related trends and developments. Yoga teachers are no exception. It is important for instructors to stay abreast of any changes in the field of Hatha Yoga, as well as to educate themselves on the various aspects of living a Yogic lifestyle as a path to wellness and personal development.

By Bhavan Kumar Hatha Yoga is an intense physical and mental exercise that yields high levels of conditioning and flexibility, especially when compared to other popular fitness techniques. However, yoga has a greater potential to lead to serious injuries as well. As a yoga teacher, there are steps you can take to prevent student injuries from happening in your classroom.

By Shahid Mishra Practicing Yoga can be inspiring for the mind and good for the body. Yoga has been handed down through many generations and has made its way across the globe. One of the many reasons for this is due to the skill, care and understanding of Yoga teachers. Becoming a Yoga teacher is a great option for people that love Yoga and would like to have the chance to teach it to others. Learning the correct way to teach Yoga is very important.

By Gopi Rao Everyone agrees that Yoga has become more mainstream in the world today. With Yogic methods in the limelight, however, there is increasing focus on styles, trends, and fads sweeping through the community. Unfortunately, some of these trends are annoying and even detrimental. Here are eight trends that many Yoga teachers wish would end as soon as possible.