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By Sangeetha Saran There are people who will tell you the best way to get through an anxious situation is to do some deep breathing. This isn't just an "old wives" tale, or some cliché way of thinking, the truth is that there is medical fact that backs up this advice. The more stressed a body gets, the less it takes in oxygen. Someone who is panicking is apt to not take deep breaths, meaning that they are not getting all of the oxygen they need for their body. By deep breathing, a body doesn't just get the oxygen that it needs; it also is a therapeutic act that gives the body, and the brain, something to focus on instead of the stress that they are feeling. With this in mind, one of the best ways to help lower one's anxiety level is to learn basic breathing techniques, and to also learn yoga techniques for breathing.

By Faye Martins When sitting through a lecture in yoga teacher training, one intern raised a hand and said: "I never knew there was mindfulness in yoga." Over the years, a few fitness yoga teachers have said the same. In Sanskrit: smrti or smiriti means mindfulness. When a yoga teacher asks the class to focus on the present or to be present for class that is also the state of mindfulness (awareness).

Meditation does not mean sitting crossed legs inside a dark forest; you can meditate on the chair as well! Undoubtedly, roots of yoga and meditation might have started from India, but, today, both ...

By Faye Martins Yoga teacher training courses enhance an interns ability to connect with children on many levels. Teaching yoga to children is very rewarding, but there will be challenges in your classes. Perhaps if adults had the energy, optimism and honesty of children, the world would be a different place. Looking at the world through the eyes of a child means taking things one moment at a time, stopping to appreciate seemingly insignificant moments and attractions, and releasing your emotions as you feel them. Essentially, children are living some of the most fundamental of yogic principles: mindfulness, gratitude and inner peace. It makes sense, then, to teach children yoga postures and breathing while they are young and eager to accept healthy, lifelong concepts.

By Dr. Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500 How serious should teachers be about student safety precautions? Yoga is considered healing for injuries, but that does not mean the potential for damage does not exist. Accidents and injuries are possible in every Yoga class, and instructors must be aware and take steps to minimize these problems. Beginner classes are especially fraught with potential for injury: Students unfamiliar with any particular movement have the potential to push themselves too far, fall from an unstable position, or try to compete with the practitioner on the next mat.

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: Virginia Iversen, M.Ed. Spring is a quintessential time to detoxify. This means detoxifying the extra items in your car, your closet and, of course, your body! Engaging in a systematic process of detoxification on a seasonal basis will help you to release toxic chemicals, emotions, and experiences from your body and mind. You may even find that you are confronted with a toxic work environment or a relationship that no longer serves your highest good. If this is the case, you may also wish to find a compassionate way to move on from those situations and/or relationships.

By Dr. Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500 Can asana practice create an environment for a healthy spine? Due to individual habits, movements, illnesses, injuries, and genetics, each spine is unique in its strengths and weaknesses. This means that one asana (posture) may be beneficial to one person's spine, while it may cause extreme pain to another. When the spine is misaligned, the circulation of spinal fluid, and the nerve responses throughout the body, is affected. With that said - any person who has pre-existing spinal problems, should consult with a medical professional before practicing Yoga postures or any form of exercise.

By Michael Gleason Life is getting faster and faster - both physically and virtually. And while getting a lot accomplished in the course of a work day is good, as is completing many overdue chores on the weekend that does not mean we as human beings experience anxiety and burnout. Thankfully there is yoga for anxiety.[1] Sally Susinno, RYT-200 of Wellesley, Massachusetts, pointed out that more and more people are waking up and drinking larger and larger flagons of sweetened coffee drinks and diet colas which make their bodies more and more wound up. Caffeine is also a diuretic which can lead to dehydration, or just not enough water consumption over the course of the day. At the end of the day, the sweeteners and the stimulants have people reaching for sleeping pills - both over the counter and prescription strength.

By Amruta Kulkarni, CYT 500 The most talented and experienced yoga teachers do a lot more than teach students how to achieve poses. They go well beyond the physical by teaching students how to be more mindful and aware of their bodies too. Body awareness is an intrinsic part of yoga. After all, the word "yoga" itself translates to mean, "to yoke," which is another way of saying "to unite." Without making students aware of this exciting benefit, though, they could easily miss out on it. Therefore, yoga teachers should make a point of explaining the concept of propioception to their students.

By Bhavan Kumar, CYT 500 Being a yoga teacher is very rewarding. It's a job where you get to help people physically and mentally, you can be active and moving throughout the day, and you have flexibility and choice in your work schedule. However, like any job, there are going to be days when it's hard to get out of bed and enthusiastically greet the day. This doesn't mean your teaching style and approach has to suffer. By practicing what you teach to your yoga students, you can enthusiastically engage your students even if you are having a rough day. These tips can help you bring your best self to all your classes, whether the day seems bright and sunny or bleary and gray.

By Faye Martins Sciatica is a painful condition in which the sciatic nerve is impinged, or compressed. Sciatic nerve pain can range from mildly irritating to completely debilitating. For those seeking holistic treatment options, yoga offers a means of pain management that also delivers numerous other health benefits to the body.

By Faye Martins Vinyasa Yoga is a form of yoga that links the breath, movement, and poses together. The Sanskrit word, "Vinyasa," has a variety of meanings; but the most common reference is to the connection between breath and movement. Vinyasa is sometimes referred to as Flow Yoga, reflecting the emphasis on the movement, or ebb and flow, between poses.

By Avalon Hicks Addictions in one form or another can help to slowly destroy anything and everything. From destroying relationships to destroying health and wealth, addictions have been notoriously found, to be at the center of all kinds of negativity. Most addictions start off as simply being part of a social experiment or a teenage dare, and for some, it stops at just this, but for the vast majority, the simple experiment eventually evolves into something more sinister and nasty. There are addictions that could have started out as medications necessary to treat certain health or mental conditions. There are also addictions that could have been a means or an immediate solution to a dedicate problem or a stressful work situation. Either way, any addiction usually spirals out of control and in more severe cases could result in death.

By Kimaya Singh For thousands of years, sages have taught that meditation increases positive emotions and decreases negative ones. In our chaotic modern world, we use the word "depression" to describe a wide gamut of conditions ranging from temporary blues to disabling illnesses. Because it means so many things to so many different people, statistics dealing with diagnosis, symptoms, and treatments can be confusing or even misleading. While mild forms of depression often respond well to healthy diets, exercise, and meditation, others are more resistant to treatment and less likely to go away on their own.

By Dr. Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500 Chemotherapy, used most often in cancer treatment, is a powerful tool. However, like killing bugs with a sledgehammer, it packs a powerful punch to the entire body, not just the cancerous cells. Chemotherapy indiscriminately kills cells that divide rapidly, meaning that it also harms non-cancerous cells dividing rapidly under normal circumstances. Bone marrow cells, digestive tract cells, and hair follicles are all targeted by the chemotherapy, resulting in the most common side effects of the treatment: alopecia (hair loss), myelosuppression (decreased production of blood cells), and mucositis (inflammation of the lining of the digestive tract).

By Gopi Rao Pranayama refers to the deep and deliberate breathing associated with yoga. More specifically, pranayama is a Sanskrit word meaning "control of the life force." Pranayama is often referred to as breath control, or yogic breathing. Pranayama techniquess are beneficial in keeping the body healthy and free of toxins.

By Faye Martins One of the greatest things about yoga is that anyone can do it. Whether you are young or old, healthy or sick or agile or stiff, yoga will provide benefits to your body. The same does not hold true for teaching yoga. Just because you know the poses does not mean you are ready to teach a yoga class. Yoga instructors must think carefully about the students in the class, the type of environment they wish to create and how to best explain the postures and philosophies of yoga to their students. It might seem like a beginner's class would be easy to teach, but in reality beginners can be one of the hardest groups of students to manage because they haven't become comfortable with the poses yet. Teaching beginners requires planning as well as a healthy amount of sensitivity toward the students.

By Faye Martins After receiving your certification, you might be busy. Many interns have teaching positions before they complete their yoga teacher training courses. This means, we should be prepared to field questions when they arise. Do you have a prepared "elevator speech" for people who express an interest in your classes? If you don't have anything prepared, today is your lucky day, because below this paragraph is a prepared handout for prospective students. This is a gift for you.

By Michael Gleason Life is getting faster and faster - both physically and virtually. And while getting a lot accomplished in the course of a work day is good, as is completing many overdue chores on the weekend that does not mean we as human beings experience anxiety and burnout.