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By Sabine Crackle When did the relationship between Yoga and health begin? No one knows exactly when Yoga began, but it certainly predates written history. Stone carvings depicting figures in Yoga positions have been found in archaeological sites in the Indus Valley dating back 5,000 years or more. There is a common misconception that Yoga is rooted in Hinduism; on the contrary, Hinduism's religious structures evolved much later and incorporated some of the practices of Yoga. (Other religions throughout the world have also incorporated practices and ideas related to Yoga.)

By Faye Martins In today's charged up, plugged in, needed-it-yesterday world, it's no wonder insomnia is one of the most common sleep disorders, affecting, at least, half of all adults at some point in their lives. We need sleep for our bodies to repair themselves, and for our minds to sort out the details of the day in preparation for the next.

This pose stimulates all the organs in the torso to improve function. Sitting posture is improved. It enhances flexibility in the flanks, hips, and legs and reduces leg cramps. Tension in shoulders and neck is lessened, resulting in fewer headaches.

By: Virginia Iversen, M.Ed. There are many different forms of meditation practiced in the world today. The contemplative practice of coming to a still point in one's mind is found in every religion throughout the world. Although the outer forms of meditation may vary among spiritual traditions, the essential nature of the practice itself remains quite similar, regardless of the outer form.

Muscle tearing, bone fractures, lacerations, bruising, and edema are common physical manifestations of trauma. This type of damage causes pain and discomfort, but yoga can be used to relieve both of these unpleasant sensations. The artful stretching involved in yoga improves blood flow to the skeletal muscle in the body, resulting in better oxygenation of the tissues and more flexibility in the muscles. Yoga promotes healing through improved circulation; muscle pain is relieved by this.

By Helena Lucas My greatest sources of joy are spending time with my cats, living in the ever watching jungle, belly-dancing, ballet and rock-climbing. I studied Psychology at … What qualities do you long to perceive in yourself? Do you feel that you can only change 'that' much of you? If this is so, you are not yet familiar with the fundamental truth of Yoga: "The body is the temple of the spirit, conceived in the image of its maker". Through consistent yoga practice, students soon become aware of the infinite power and beauty of their own individual body. Indeed others around will be quick to perceive "something different" in you- be sure to share your secret with them. Yoga's breathing, stretching and meditation exercises promote optimal physical and mental health that shows.

By Dr. Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500 Where did this ball come from? Is the stability ball a legitimate Yoga prop or just a marketing gimmick for equipment sales? Who could benefit from the use of the ball in a class? When can the stability ball fit into a Hatha class? Where did this ball come from? Stability balls have been around since 1963, originating in Italy. The first time I saw a stability ball, we called it a, "Swiss Ball." Yet, the Swiss Balls at that time, were all made in Italy. American Physical Therapists saw the ball, in use, within physical therapy Swiss units.

By Eleanor Bartel Although there are many teachers who specialize in prenatal yoga and offer specific classes for pregnant women, nearly every teacher will come across a pregnant student during their career, no matter what style of the practice they teach. Whether you want to offer specific classes for prenatalyoga or just want to be able to help any pregnant students in your regular class, learning more about yoga during pregnancy can be useful knowledge that helps you ensure every student can have a positive experience with the practice in your class, no matter what trimester they are in.

By Faye Martins In this contemporary era, yoga has become an incredibly popular form of exercise to help promote physical and mental health. In order to ensure that one gets the most out of this physical activity, it is important to get some basic information regarding yoga student safety. With this idea in mind, there are four tips Yoga teachers can implement to ensure that students do not harm themselves while participating in activities at your Yoga studio. Feel free to use the list below as a handout for your students.

By: Virginia Iversen, M.Ed As the coldness of winter begins to recede, you may be noticing that the pulsation of new life all around you is propelling you to dissolve and release stagnant energy. This stagnant energy is often located in the hips, shoulders and throughout the thoracic spinal area. You even find that there is quite a bit of stagnant energy in your home, after several months of spending your time indoors with the windows closed. In the same way that doing a deep spring cleaning of your home lightens up and energizes your living space, dissolving stagnant energy in your body will help to lift your spirits and revitalize your life force energy or prana.

By: Virginia Iversen, M.Ed Many of the same physical and emotional benefits of a regular practice of postures and breathing exercises can also be found in the practice of Chair Yoga. If you are Yoga student who is living with a chronic health condition that necessitates the use of props in order to safely practice asanas, by participating in chair classes, you will gain many of the benefits of a traditional class, while still maintaining your safety. If you are teacher, offering Chair Yoga classes to those students who need to practice a modified set of postures with the support of a chair will greatly increase your marketability and adaptability in a variety of different teaching environments.

By Michael Gleason Can Yoga help women suffering with postpartum back pain? The literal meaning of yoga is to join or to yoke. And after a life-changing event, such as giving birth, resuming your yoga practice is very important in order for a mother to feel whole again - especially in the singular sense. During the postpartum segment of young motherhood is the reality of back pain or discomfort. First, a mother has been carrying a baby whilst the embryo developed into an infant. Second, the care for an infant includes nursing, skin-to-skin contact in order to bond, and rocking. At the end of each day or, as often the case, another series of nursing, changing, or lulling but in the middle of the night.

By Seema Deshpande Practising yoga consistently can be extremely rewarding. Yoga can be practised in various forms such as pranayama or breathing exercises, meditation, and yogasanas or yoga postures. Furthermore, yoga can be practised by anyone - young or elderly, athlete or a normal person-yoga can be suitably modified to match everyone's need. While yoga can improve your physical and mental fitness significantly, research studies are being conducted to study the effectiveness of yoga in preventing and/or treating various physical and psychological disorders. In this research article, we will see whether yoga can lower blood sugar level in diabetic people.

By Kimaya Singh Yoga is an ancient physical and spiritual practice that has become a part of the western mainstream culture. A regular practice of Yoga has many physical, emotional and spiritual benefits. A Yogic workout is also quite easy to customize to a particular group of people. Since a regular practice is so beneficial and easy to modify in order to accommodate different flexibility and strength levels, Yoga training has become one of the most popular offerings in the fitness industry today. Many health clubs offer at least a few Yoga classes per week, if not per day. This popularity makes Yoga much more accessible to the general public and also creates many positions for certified Yoga instructors in gyms, spas and health clubs.

By Kathryn Boland Are you curious about balancing your brain? Do you enjoy taking yoga classes, when you're not teaching? Do you find your instructor "brain" talking to you, even when you're in a student role? Many sources that I've encountered affirm that taking class can greatly expand your skills as an instructor. You can learn new ways to enter into postures, helpful accommodations for certain types of students, and more. On the other hand, not allowing yourself to sometimes be a student can limit your abilities to understand your students' experiences in class, and to otherwise develop as a yoga practitioner. Like many aspects of being a yoga instructor, it's a fine balance that we learn to more skillfully walk with time, experience, and engaging with those in our yoga communities.

Due to lifestyle changes, people are in a constant time crunch. Though it can be practiced anytime, find what's better - yoga in the morning or evening!

By Rachel Holmes Yoga is broadly recognized all over the world as a complementary system of health care and healing. Although yoga is an ancient discipline, having its origin in the Eastern countries and mainly in India, the benefits of yoga for all societies have been well recognized by now. Yoga is also a vast system of tools that helps its practitioners develop self-empowering abilities and abilities to cope with different situations in their daily lives in a creative and productive manner.

By Faye Martins What can Yoga do for chronic back pain? From a point of pure speculation, it might be a fair guess to assume that 10% of the world's population is affected by back pain. However, let's look at the statistics in just one country. Back pain is something that impacts more than 31 million Americans in a year's time, according to the American Chiropractic Association, and a study conducted in 2010 called the Global Burden of Disease, which determined that lower back pain is a leading cause for missed days at work. The majority of cases noted in this study were not caused by infections or disorders, whether metabolic or degenerative, but rather by mechanical problems like severe physical trauma.

By Faye Martins How can yoga improve heart health. In recent years, yoga has become one of the most popular ways to stay fit in the modern world. Yoga originated, in India, as a form of physical and mental health maintenance, in hopes of attaining total peace. However, you do not have to be a guru to experience the many health benefits of a yoga routine.

By: Virginia Iversen, M.Ed The practice of the physical postures of Yoga is a wonderful tool for increasing our awareness of the way we move in the world. When we are practicing Yoga postures, the subtle nuances of how we move our bodies, our habitual thought patterns and a commitment or lack of commitment to the postures becomes strikingly evident. With an increase in self-awareness, it is much easier understand how the obstacles we are encountering in our life are generated by our habitual ways thinking and moving in the world.