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By Faye Martins What is the best yoga teacher training for you? Are you thinking about making the transition from being a student of yoga to a yoga instructor? These days, it seems that nearly every yoga studio offers a yoga teacher training program. For yoga studios, training instructors is big business. However, how do you know which programs are the most qualified? The following three questions will help you find the best yoga teacher training programs for you.

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 Many people opt to become yoga instructors, oftentimes by taking yoga teacher training online. However, there are many yoga students who have considered undergoing teacher training, but aren't sure if this career path is right for them. While there is certainly a difference between a student who's passionate about yoga and a full-fledged instructor, both share a passionate interest in yoga, meditation and advancing their practice. To help determine whether or not teacher training is right for you, here are some of the qualities that make for a good yoga instructor.

By Cynthia Horton Chair Yoga is a gentle discipline and has been referred to as one of the gentlest forms of yoga. Yoga is a discipline that when practiced consistently, increases strength, mobility, coordination, concentration, and can ease the physiological results of stress retained in emotional, mental, and physical tensions and blockages. Chair Yoga uses a sturdy chair (without wheels) or a seat to make yoga poses also accessible to those with limited range of motion and or limited stability. Almost any Yoga Pose can be adapted to a practice with a chair.

By Amruta Kulkarni, CYT 500 Adults from all walks of life and varying physical abilities are discovering the many benefits of practicing yoga and they're not alone. Children as young as three can do simple yoga exercises; in addition to helping a child improve balance, coordination, and body strength, yoga exercises are something that parents and children can do together. In addition to a calming, pleasant exercise, yoga provides opportunities for parents to provide instruction and build trust and communication bonds with their children. And yoga is not just appropriate for small child/parent groups within the home. Larger groups of children respond well to yoga in both classroom and studio settings.

By Amruta Kulkarni, CYT 500 Adults from all walks of life and varying physical abilities are discovering the many benefits of practicing yoga and they're not alone. Children as young as three can do simple yoga exercises; in addition to helping a child improve balance, coordination, and body strength, yoga exercises are something that parents and children can do together. In addition to a calming, pleasant exercise, yoga provides opportunities for parents to provide instruction and build trust and communication bonds with their children. And yoga is not just appropriate for small child/parent groups within the home. Larger groups of children respond well to yoga in both classroom and studio settings.

By Faye Martins What is the best yoga teacher training for you? Are you thinking about making the transition from being a student of yoga to a yoga instructor? These days, it seems that nearly every yoga studio offers a yoga teacher training program. For yoga studios, training instructors is big business. However, how do you know which programs are the most qualified? The following three questions will help you find the best yoga teacher training programs for you.

By Faye Martins How can we establish guidelines for preventing hip injuries in Yoga classes? Yoga is good for you. No, yoga is great for you. No one should ever dispute or deny that. However, the adage, "too much of a good thing," can also be applied to practicing yoga and we have to create systematic methods for preventing injuries in our classes. Just because yoga has a good track record in comparison to other activities is not good enough. As more people become educated, the popularity of yoga continues to grow. Some people come into yoga classes with an overzealous approach that often backfires. It seems that the hips have proved to be a particularly vulnerable area to this overenthusiastic diving-in to the practice.

By Dr. Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500 The term "flow Yoga" is an abbreviated form of the phrase "Vinyasa Flow Yoga." This form of Yoga is based on movements synchronized with breath. The word 'flow' refers to the way the poses are strung together gracefully, and how the Yoga practitioner moves with each breath, while the sequence of movements come together like a dance. Even though it is seen in many Hatha style classes, one of the most popular sequences of Vinyasa Yoga is Surya Namaskar (the Sun Salutations). Many Yoga practitioners know this series, and its many variations, quite well. For anyone who wants to add flowing movement into his or her asana routine, this can be a great starting point. Chandra Namaskar (Moon Salutations) may also be of interest for anyone looking to go further into Vinyasa flows.

By Melody Wordsworth Before starting this essay over a year ago I decided strongly that my Yoga on health topic would have to be Yoga and HIV. As we live in a society where this has unfortunately become a big health problem and a large portion of the population, especially in South Africa is affected by this life threatening disease. As a qualified Pharmacist assistant working in the health sector I see firsthand how this disease affects people. I believe that as Yoga changed my life for the better it can also change the life of those affected by this life altering disease. I believe that Yoga can present them with health benefits to ensure a longer life where the HIV can be kept under control for many years. But before continuing with this topic I have also decided since falling pregnant last year to go further in depth with Yoga during pregnancy as this assisted me in having a successful, stress free pregnancy which I got to enjoy to its full capacity. Enjoying Yoga , while creating life is astonishing.

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.)

The Yoga of today is not actually a separate part of Yoga Meditation, simply because for a fact Yoga is meditation. However, to differentiate Yoga Meditation to the now popular belief that Yoga is all about physical postures, Yoga Meditation is a complete process unto itself and only a small though useful part of which relates to the physical body.

By Dr. Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500 Around the world, Yoga has moved from private studios to large, mainstream gyms as its stress-relieving body benefits become known to the general public. Is the move to the mainstream good for Yoga? How does gym Yoga compare to Yoga practiced in a Yoga studio?

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 Faye Martins Children's yoga classes are a wonderful way to introduce kids to yoga poses, breathing, and philosophies. Classes can easily be modified to suit many different ages, from babies to tweens. Children can begin to feel the positive results of a yoga class, making them more likely to choose yoga as a lifelong activity. There are many different ways to keep children engaged and interested in the class. Yoga instructors can build a class around an animal theme, encouraging the children to voice animal sounds, make a game out of the poses, or create an interactive story with yoga poses incorporated throughout.

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.

I like yoga because it is great at any age. Everyone can do it, from children to senior people.

Absolutely agree! Yoga is great for everyone. And it is convenient that you can do it everywhere. My grandmother does it sitting on a sofa. She found a good guide here https://betterme.world/articles/sofa-yoga-for-seniors/ and follows it at least three times a week. It really helps her stay fit and feel better.

By Faye Martins When we teach yoga classes, what are our students taking home with them? Do some students see it only as an exercise? Yoga has exploded into a popular fitness trend, around the world, for the past two decades. Well known for its relaxation and breathing techniques, yoga as a way of life has spread like fire through studios across the world and into gyms, fitness clubs, senior centers and even public schools. There are many different styles and techniques, with each style focusing on a specific emphasis that tends to characterize it. Ashtanga vinyasa yoga, for example, is a practice that highlights the physical challenges of yoga whereas Iyengar is a slower version of Hatha that allows practitioners to concentrate on pose mastery and yogic philosophy.

By Faye Martins Over the past decade, yoga has exploded in popularity. Some people use yoga as a way to stay in shape. Others use it as a method for relaxing and relieving stress. No matter where you live, there is a good chance there is a yoga class going on nearby. If you are a yoga instructor, there are many ways to go about passing on your knowledge to the people in your class. Let's take a look at some tips that deal with how to teach yoga students:

By Ntathu Allen Are you interested in yoga? Has your partner recently started yoga lessons? Maybe your doctor has suggested you take up yoga as a form of stress management. Yoga, is a holistic health care system. It consists of a series of yoga stretches, known as asanas or poses, meditation techniques, breathing exercises and relaxation. Together, these techniques give your body a complete overhaul and calms and clears your mind. At the end of a yoga lesson you are blissed out, chilled and relaxed.

By Faye Martins Osteoporosis is a serious condition that threatens millions of men and women around the world. Characterized by bones that thin with age to the point of becoming brittle, it can lead to fractures, debilitating pain, and lack of mobility. Yoga therapy for osteoporosis has been found to be an effective form of treatment for the condition. When used as part of the daily regimen, yoga could actually slow the progress of osteoporosis in the body. In some cases, it has even been found to reverse the damage that has already occurred. Researchers believe that yoga can actually prevent osteoporosis from setting in. When individuals are committed to this low impact form of exercise from an early point in their lives, it can benefit them for years to come. Studies have actually demonstrated bone growth for people who included a yoga workout in their lives over the course of two years. Those participants in the study who did not do yoga experienced bone loss.