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By Jenny Park Ironically, quantum physicists are now telling us the same thing that sages have said for thousands of years. We are living in a sea of energy that connects us to everything else in the universe. Ancient healing arts, such as Yoga, Reiki, and qigong, are all methods of harnessing this vital life force and bringing it into the body to promote wellness and healing. In recent years, many medical professionals and scientists have recognized the importance of energy work as a viable complement to traditional therapies, and the knowledge of these practices is no longer a mystery.

By Natalie Clee Vinyasa refers to a series of yoga movements synchronized with the breath. The poses flow with rhythmic variations through each inhalation and exhalation. The breathing style used is called Ujjayi, which is a relaxed diaphragmatic breath with the sound coming from the back of the throat like the sound of the ocean. Vinyasa and Ujjayi together create internal heat, which purifies the body through increased oxygen, circulation and sweat. This breath helps take in fresh oxygen, build energy, and clear toxins from the body. Ujjayi is also said to aide in self - awareness and staying grounded and present during your practice, which is also helpful during meditation. Improved circulation can help ward off illness and aide in recovery of sickness and repair of injury.

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 Dr. Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500 Is Yoga for shaping and strengthening the core muscles realistic? Hatha Yoga practitioners benefit physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually from many different Yogic techniques (poses, breathing exercises, and meditation, etc). One of the physical benefits experienced by Yoga practitioners is the shaping and strengthening of the core muscles. Yoga for shaping and strengthening, in turn, helps to maintain correct posture and prevents heart-related conditions from developing. Shaping the core muscles is not about developing a six-pack to show off. It is, instead, about developing a healthy physique, as a result of taking care of the body.

By Dr. Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500 How important are class sequencing skills for teachers? There are many ways to sequence Yoga classes. The placement of particular pranayama, asana, meditation, and relaxation techniques changes the experience for your students. Instructors, who attend a Yoga teacher training, which did not allow for creativity, are the most challenged, when students commonly leave due to boredom.

By Kimaya Singh Can yoga improve your eyesight? It may be surprising, but with persistence and patience, eyesight can be drastically improved through the therapeutic use of yoga. Steadily, more and more yoga practitioners are using yoga to improve eyesight. Around the world, myopia, or nearsightedness, and hyperopia, farsightedness, have become epidemics in the past years, as well as other eye problems. Over 70 million Americans suffer from myopia alone, or about 25% of adult Americans. One of the main keys to improving eyesight with yoga is to have a relaxed state of mind. Relaxation, eye cleansing, simple eye exercises and meditation can all improve vision and treat eyesight defects drastically. One thing that is also necessary is to abandon all the preconceived notions about how eyesight works. Much of how of this process works is not only in the eyes, but in the brain. Many people also tend to abuse their eyes by straining, squinting and overuse of the television and computers. Focusing on anything for too long is dangerous to the eyesight.

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 Jenny Park A new niche in the field of Yoga instruction is working with trauma survivors. Since trauma survivors often experience residual physiological effects from a traumatic experience, body based healing modalities are becoming more and more important for therapists, counselors and other practitioners who work with trauma survivors. The practice of Yoga asanas, breathing exercises and meditation techniques offers healing practitioners a wide range of therapeutic tools for this population.

By Dr. Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500 What is the importance of warm ups in Yoga Classes? Yoga asana practice, like all other physical activities, requires the practitioner to challenge and stretch the muscles, while creating safe space in the joints. Since an integral part of most physical Yogic practices includes meditation and breathing exercises, many practitioners feel that Yogic exercise provides a "gentle workout" and skip the vital warm up session to tackle more challenging postures as soon as possible. This can be very dangerous, since warming up the body before attempting these more challenging postures can prevent injury.

Work is worship. Work is meditation, when done in the right spirit.If you develop this changed angle of vision and Divine Bhava by protracted and constant practice,all actions will become Puja or worship of the Lord.

Try to control wild outbursts of weeping. This is a weakness and negative state. But allow the pearl-drops of Divine thrill or ecstasy to trickle down occasionally when you are in a profound prayerful mood or meditative state.

Why do you unnecessarily introduce foreign drugs into the system? Resort to Nature Cure and Yogic Chikitsa. Practise regularly Pranayama, breathing exercises, Asanas, concentration and meditation. This is the ideal treatment.

By: Virginia Iversen, M.Ed. Many of the most profound benefits of Yoga come with a committed, regular practice. The reason for this is that many of the postures, breathing exercises and meditative relaxation techniques are cumulative and synergistic with each other.

Yoga students may be able to reach these states naturally. Others will need a great deal of patience and guidance from you as their teacher. By focusing on asanas that promote relaxation, practicing meditation and incorporating Yoga Nidra into the routine, stressed out students will find it much easier to obtain the deep state of relaxation they are longing for.

Padmasana or Lotus pose is a cross-legged yoga posture which helps deepen meditation by calming the mind and alleviating various physical ailments. Practicing asana helps you in terms of increasing your focus and reducing the stress level.

By: Virginia Iversen, M.Ed. Choosing effective themes for teaching Yoga classes is one of the subtle nuances of teaching that will help to keep your classes fresh and engaging. Sequencing a series of physical postures, breathing exercises and meditation techniques that nurtures your students' well being, in a balanced and effective manner, is similar to a stringing a handful of loose pearls together. Choosing effective and appropriate themes for your classes is the very glue that holds together the individual postures and gives the class itself a deeper and more profound meaning than the simple practice of individual asanas and pranayama exercises.

Now more than ever, Yoga instructors can be found teaching Yogic exercise, posturing, stretching, relaxation, stress management, meditation and pranayama, within office surroundings.

By Faye Martins How can a yoga teacher explain wellness and its relationship to yogic methodology? When new students ask how yoga can help improve their lives, many teachers shrug and say, "It helps with everything." While this may sound like a flip answer, the truth is that asana, meditation and pranayama can help students with virtually every aspect of their physical and mental well being.

I was getting a little older and I had decided it was time to take better care of my physical health, so I joined the local YMCA. I didn't pick that gym for any particular reason, it just happened to be close by and it looked nice, so I signed up. One day, after working out on the treadmill, I walked by the front desk on my way out and saw a display of class schedules for the different locations around town. One of the locations was very close to my current gym and it advertised mind/body classes such as meditation and yoga.

The sitting postures of Hatha Yoga are important as ideal postures for a correct practice of Pranayama and meditation, apart from limbering legs and hips, strengthening the back and improving the posture. They are the most efficient postures of the body to allow psychophysical energy to flow freely with maximum relief of tension.