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By Kathryn Boland Many people set New Year's Resolutions with optimism and a good plan in place. Some of the most common are to lose weight, quit smoking or drinking alcohol, or even to improve one's relationships with loved ones and/or friends. Unfortunately, however, come February, several of these individuals find themselves struggling to keep with their resolutions - and their best intentions are left behind, to return to business as usual, not long after.

Yoga exercises give your body an internal stretch, helps to realign and rebalance your energy. Yoga postures improve your sense of body awareness. So you feel lighter, your posture is enhanced, you become more flexible and more in tune with what your body needs in the present moment.

By Dr. Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500 Parents often read or hear that Yoga will help their children. However, what can parents expect from Kids Yoga classes? Starting with the very first Yoga lesson, classes are a great way to constructively keep children active, teach them lifelong habits, reduce temper tantrums, and give them improved body awareness. The benefits of kids Yoga classes include increased flexibility and strength, improved focus and concentration, and an ability to cope with stress and anxiety. While children aren't necessarily aware of each of these benefits, the most important things they do know is that it's fun and it feels good. Parents, on the other hand, want to know precisely what they can expect when they enroll their kids in a Yoga class.

By Jenny Park Have you ever met someone who doubted that yoga is beneficial for health? You might be asked, "where's the proof" when you mention the good that yoga can do for practitioners. As yoga teachers, the following information should be made available to our students who have diabetes.

By Faye Martins The world has changed and women are experiencing more freedom. If you've attended classes, a yoga teacher training, boot camps, or workshops, you have no trouble finding women. Men who enter a class full of women are very comfortable in their own skin. This is a good thing, but how can we encourage more male participation in our yoga classes, studios, and workshops.

By Rachel Holmes No yoga teacher wants to deal with marketing. Most instructors still have trouble with asking for money for the classes they teach. The problem is that you won't be teaching long, if you do it for free. Unfortunately, all of us need money to live. Paul Jerard often compares teachers to authors. The point is: Writing a book is a lot of work, but marketing the book is also a full-time job and a completely different skill.

The science of the sleep is the latest weapon being used by Perth's top women's basketball team with research carried out with The University of Western Australia, offering hope to anyone who struggles to sleep through the night.

By Dr. Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500 How can Yoga help pre-existing injuries? As the benefits of practicing Yoga, to cope with chronic health concerns and pre-existing injuries, becomes more well known, the need to choose an experienced instructor and appropriate class is more important that ever. Yoga is more than a physical exercise; it is a healing art that is good for the mind, body, and spirit.

By Dr. Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500 How can we make the public aware of the reasons for improving posture? Yoga teachers have found many opportunities for teaching positions within the corporate sector. In office Yoga training sessions, and corporate fitness centers, the need is based around holistic health, and proper posture plays a major role in maintaining good health.

Of all the various stances of Yoga, the Downward-Facing Dog, or the Adho Mukha Svanasana, is one of the most well-known and for good...

Yoga has a reputation as a good weight loss programme as well as a women's fitness routine. It steadily shapes your body into new curves and smooths out lumps and bumps but it does it in a way that is long lasting and becomes part of your life style rather than a crash and burn approach which some of the gym based programmes tend to do. Many women find that as they enjoy the other benefit of yoga (calmness) they don't go for food as a prop nearly as much so their weight drops as well as their dress size through the body reshaping.

However, it can be difficult to stick with the Atkins diet plan. This is because the temptation to eat carbohydrates and sweets is so great. Friends and relatives can become diet saboteurs, preventing you from achieving the results you're looking for. In this case, the best defense is a good offense.

By Jenny Park As many of you already know. Yogic practices are good for both genders. Yet, Yoga teacher training programs are full of women. What makes Yogic techniques so popular with women? Yoga is a healthy way of life and one of the most versatile forms of exercise.

What makes a preventative health system so popular and will it continue into this century? There are many good reasons why yoga is becoming a leading...

There are still a lot of precautions for women in their first trimester and beyond. Additionally, practicing yoga for years before pregnancy is much different than spending years on a couch. It seems like common sense, but some women believe they have to join a class because they just became pregnant. The first place to start getting proper advice is in their doctor's office and then, if they are cleared, they can inquire about prenatal classes.

Yoga, with its emphasis on slow, controlled movements, muscle relaxation, and deep breathing would seem to be an odd addition to a runner's cross training schedule. But these two forms of exercise are more complementary than they seem. Just ask 34-year-old Nicole Nakoneshny.

Yoga has been known to improve flexibility, strengthen muscles, and enhance balance. However, if practiced incorrectly yoga can do more damage to the body than good. Misaligned poses can lead to injuries ranging from aching joints to pulled muscles. "Yoga injuries are often a result of not knowing or realizing your body's limitations."

By Rick A. Lee Not every child is good at sports and it's sometimes difficult to know how to get your children to exercise, when you know they don't enjoy competing. Forcing children into competitive situations can be damaging to their self-confidence and reinforce their dislike of exercise of any kind. When your child isn't getting enough exercise, it can be quite a problem thinking of ways to get them away from the computer or T.V. Well, I want to tell you a little about the benefits of yoga for children and how it can help them to stay physically and mentally active.

You dont have to be a contortionist to practice yoga or trade your scrub pants for spandex pants. You dont even have to be in the yoga studio or local gym. With the simple poses listed below, men and women of all ages and abilities can alleviate stress at work and keep energy levels high. You can do them virtually anywhere and arrive home at the end of the day feeling rested and balanced.

By Kathryn Boland, E-RYT 500 Recently while enjoying hot coffee and a good book at a local Panera Bread café, I heard another patron say to his friend (something to the effect of, I'm paraphrasing), "You say you're in this special area, specifically, and they say 'You're the guy for this'. " His comment got me thinking about being a "specialist" versus being a "generalist" as a yoga instructor. I believe this consideration is an important one in the profession because of yoga's countless number of "schools" of thought and styles - from Kripalu to Bikram to Viniyoga forms (and that list certainly continues).