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By Dr. Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500 The study of Hatha Yoga involves many different aspects. Yoga teacher interns should study the history and philosophies of Yoga, the poses (asanas), breathing exercises (pranayama), meditation techniques, teaching methods, ethics, and guidelines for student safety. Anatomy and Kinesiology are also important areas of study for Yoga instructors. The study of human anatomy encompasses the placement of the body's bones, and the specific systems within the body. Since every aspect of Hatha Yoga involves the mind and body, the study of anatomy makes sense for a well-rounded Yoga education.

By: Virginia Iversen, M.Ed. One definition of fear is to be anxious about an unpleasant or painful event that you feel is likely to happen in the future. For instance, if you are pursuing your Yoga teacher certification, you may be afraid that you are going to fail your final anatomy exam because you have not spent an ample amount of time studying. This fear may be completely reasonable and understandable, or this fear may be largely exaggerated if you have spent an adequate amount of time preparing for the anatomy final, but you are prone to anxiety.

By: Virginia Iversen, M.Ed. One definition of fear is to be anxious about an unpleasant or painful event that you feel is likely to happen in the future. For instance, if you are pursuing your Yoga teacher certification, you may be afraid that you are going to fail your final anatomy exam because you have not spent an ample amount of time studying. This fear may be completely reasonable and understandable, or this fear may be largely exaggerated if you have spent an adequate amount of time preparing for the anatomy final, but you are prone to anxiety.

By Faye Martins If you are a parent who enjoys participating in yoga exercise at home or in a class, then make sure to get your children involved in yoga. Not only can your children benefit from yoga movements that will increase their muscle strength and flexibility, but also, your children can learn more about their own anatomy.

By: Virginia Iversen, M.Ed. One definition of fear is to be anxious about an unpleasant or painful event that you feel is likely to happen in the future. For instance, if you are pursuing your Yoga teacher certification, you may be afraid that you are going to fail your final anatomy exam because you have not spent an ample amount of time studying. This fear may be completely reasonable and understandable, or this fear may be largely exaggerated if you have spent an adequate amount of time preparing for the anatomy final, but you are prone to anxiety.

Find a day and pay attention to what your yoga teacher is saying during class. You might have realized that some scientific names are mentioned. Alot of people just let it pass them by as long they manage to get the pose the teacher is asking for. By taking mental note of one or two, you can learn further by asking your teacher about what they have just mentioned in class. It is a subtle opportunity for you to be lead into the further knowledge and understanding of the asana you've just did in class.

By Marie Jerard, E-RYT 200, RYT 500 If you have long been avoiding teaching yoga to pregnant students, you can complete a few basic training requirements that will allow you to move ahead without worry. As a certified instructor, you can enroll in a specialist prenatal training program for yoga teachers. Since pregnant students will necessarily have different needs than yoga students who are not pregnant, you will undoubtedly want to learn about the anatomy and physiology of pregnancy itself. Once you've been officially designated a Certified Prenatal Yoga Teacher (CPYT), you'll be qualified to lead women through the various physical and emotional challenges that precede childbirth.

By Clyde Granger Reasons for inflexibility are many. Repetitive motion, time of day, skeletal compression, pre-existing injury, and tensile tension head the list of reasons. Yoga teachers, who have exceptional flexibility, may have difficulty understanding why students have a difficult time with asanas, unless they also struggled with inflexibility.

By Faye Martins How much do you really know about the inner workings of your shoulders in yoga training? It's important that anatomy be covered within every teacher training course. If there is so much emphasis on asana in the physical styles, it would be natural for instructors to know exactly how the body works, its limitations and how to modify asanas for people with ailments.

By Faye Martins Anatomy is such an important part of hatha yoga instructor training. As you learn in Yoga teacher training, the neck is the most fragile part of the spine. The neck supports the weight of the head during the hours we are awake. When you consider our skeletal structure, it's a wonder that many of us are lucky enough to have pain free days. Luckily, you have learned enough about Yoga to help others have many more pain free days.

By Faye Martins Yoga can be a wonderful form of therapy for joint health and a number of skeletal ailments. This is the reason why yoga teacher training courses spend so much time on skeletal anatomy, precautions, and alignment. The bodies' joints provide cushion where two bones intersect. Some of the major joints in the body are the knees, ankles, shoulders, spine, wrists and elbows. Over time, because of disuse or as a result of specific ailments, like arthritis, the joints can become inflamed and painful. Yoga can help reduce or eliminate the discomfort of joint pain.

By Marie Jerard, E-RYT 200, RYT 500 If you have long been avoiding teaching yoga to pregnant students, you can complete a few basic training requirements that will allow you to move ahead without worry. As a certified instructor, you can enroll in a specialist prenatal training program for yoga teachers. Since pregnant students will necessarily have different needs than yoga students who are not pregnant, you will undoubtedly want to learn about the anatomy and physiology of pregnancy itself. Once you've been officially designated a Certified Prenatal Yoga Teacher (CPYT), you'll be qualified to lead women through the various physical and emotional challenges that precede childbirth.

By Gopi Rao How can we protect the knees of our students during class time? Knees are one of the most vulnerable parts of the human anatomy. No matter what type of fitness regimen you choose, the knees will often take a beating. Very few sports spare the vulnerable knee, and it is common to see all kinds of athletes, including runners, tennis players, and dancers wearing knee stabilizers.

By: Virginia Iversen, M.Ed. Why is compassion such an important aspect of teaching? During the course of your Yoga teaching training program, you are probably immersed in a great deal of information about correct alignment principals during the practice of the postures, the intricacies of human anatomy and learning the classical Sanskrit names of the asanas. What you may not be so closely connected to is the profound importance of compassion and teaching the finer aspects of how to incorporate the teachings of Yoga into your students' daily lives "off the mat."

By Jenny Park One part of the anatomy section in a yoga teacher training program to watch closely is why the skeletal system is so important during asana practice. In short, our bodies are uniquely different and our skeletons are almost as unique as our finger prints. As we age, our bones naturally become stiff and brittle. This makes getting around more difficult and much more painful. It is a little known fact that yogic exercise benefits the skeletal system. Yoga practice, which includes many standing, balancing, and inverted poses, has been proven to increase the density of our bones.

By Faye Martins How much do you really know about the inner workings of your shoulders in yoga training? It's important that anatomy be covered within every teacher training course. If there is so much emphasis on asana in the physical styles, it would be natural for instructors to know exactly how the body works, its limitations and how to modify asanas for people with ailments.

By Amruta Kulkarni, CYT 500 More than twenty years ago, I was attending a yoga teacher training and the guru who organized it stated that there was too much emphasis on anatomy in typical instructor intensives. Yoga instructors see a wide range of students over the course of the week. Many of these students arrive either mildly or heavily out of shape, hoping their yoga practice will aid them in sloughing off extra weight while reshaping their lifestyle into something healthier. We also see a lot of students who are in amazing shape. These students lead generally active lives and practice yoga as part of their emotional or spiritual health. With some of these students, I suffer from body envy; their well-sculpted shoulders are strong and flexible. But I also find many of them struggle with shoulder pain, and they practice yoga in hopes of easing the effects of old injuries.

By Jenny Park Why should teachers have to learn anything about anatomy? Why should yoga instructors care about the endocrine system? Believe it, or not, some interns in yoga teacher training don't understand the importance of learning the basics of body mechanics. Some teacher trainings don't address the significance of the endocrine system at all. Therefore, let's cover some of these basics together.

By Jenny Park Let's cut to the chase. Some teachers are telling their students to lock the knees in certain asanas especially balancing asanas. These yoga teachers have no understanding of biomechanics or anatomy. Talk to any doctor or physical therapist and you will learn there are no rewards for locking joints (hyperextending), but there are definite risks. It doesn't matter, which Guru or master says to lock the knees, roll up your mat and leave the class because you only have one set of knees.

By Gopi Rao How can we protect the knees of our students during class time? Knees are one of the most vulnerable parts of the human anatomy. No matter what type of fitness regimen you choose, the knees will often take a beating. Very few sports spare the vulnerable knee, and it is common to see all kinds of athletes, including runners, tennis players, and dancers wearing knee stabilizers.