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By Faye Martins Many people find yoga to be a great way to relax and get exercise. Yoga is a great way to mentally unwind and it promotes sports recovery. You may have thought about how great it would be to learn how to teach yoga students. If you are interested in teaching yoga, you probably have already taken classes before. If you are new, you may wish to try different types of yoga to see which types you would most enjoy teaching. You may wish to sample a few different classes if you have been with one instructor for most of the time you have been learning. By sampling different instructors you can also get ideas based on what other teachers do for your own classes. When you are planning to teach your first class, you may want to focus on a beginner class to keep the moves simple.

Whether you just finished your third yoga certification course or are a new student breathing is an integral part of a well-rounded practice. It helps with circulation and relaxation, it helps you go deeper into a pose and it helps you hold poses longer. Competent Yoga instructors constantly remind students to pay attention to their breath.

By Sangeetha Saran Many people practice yoga training to relax and unwind, to stay fit and active and to relieve tension and pain throughout the body. Yoga can also be an effective way to heal the body from a number of ailments and serious medical conditions, from insomnia to cancer. Many people turn to yogic techniques as a way to accompany other more conventional medical treatments. When pursued on a consistent and regular basis, yoga can be a successful treatment. Numerous studies have shown the healing benefits that yoga provides.

By Dr. Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500 How does Yoga Nidra work for sleep disorders? Many people, in our contemporary society, experience difficulty sleeping well on a consistent basis. In fact, it is estimated that fifty percent of adults, in the United States, struggle with insomnia. The types of insomnia range from difficulty falling asleep, to waking frequently during the night, and waking up too early. There are many different factors that can precipitate insomnia. An individual may experience insomnia because of a medical condition, such as sleep apnea, restless leg syndrome, or periodic limb movement. Insomnia can also be caused by an inability to relax due to stress, anxiety, an overactive nervous system, and depression.

By Dr. Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500 Extreme stress-related health problems are so prevalent in our society, that the United States Public Health Service has actually set a goal to see that changes are made. While some stress can be motivating, no one benefits from long-term anxiety, extreme stress, and chronic worry.

By Avalon Hicks The practice of yoga is essential for many aspects of physical, mental and spiritual health. Yoga is known as a Hindu spiritual practice that includes controlled breathing, meditation, mantras and holding many different body postures in order to aid in relaxation and promote health benefits. Many benefits of yoga can include self-awareness, mental calmness and even strength and flexibility. If you have been practicing yoga for some time and want to teach others there are some points that you need to keep in mind while you begin the road to teaching others about your practice.

By Kimaya Singh Many people choose yoga because it offers a gentle, relaxing way to maintain good health without the high intensity or jarring nature of other workouts. Practicing yoga can ensure strong, lean muscles, proper posture and alignment, and better circulation. Although traditional yoga gets newly oxygenated blood pumping into the heart, it doesn't typically raise the heart rate to levels that will make it stronger. Power yoga, however, provides the best of both worlds: You get the benefits of all the traditional yoga postures while also getting a higher intensity workout.

By Faye Martins A regular practice of Yoga poses, breathing exercises and meditation techniques is a very effective and hopefully enjoyable way to ease feelings of anxiety. There are many different Yoga poses that will help to release tension and anxiety. You may have heard about heart opening asanas (backbends), but forward bending Yoga poses are also soothing and nourishing. Forward Folds also help to calm you down because they encourage you to relax into the pose while pulling your senses inward, which allows you to rest for a few moments in your own inner essence. Forward Bending Yoga poses also allow you to curl your body into itself while protecting your heart and abdominal areas. Additionally, Forward Folds open up your hips and first chakra area, which releases stagnant survival energy and helps you to feel more empowered and grounded.

By Kimaya Singh While practicing yoga is typically a safe choice for the general population, it is a good idea to take a yoga class before beginning at-home yoga training sessions. Yoga is designed to stretch muscles, loosen joints, and relax the body, and although it can be practiced by the healthy, injured, young or elderly, there are some risks involved.

By Faye Martins How much impact does yoga have on the recovery of cancer patients? Yoga is an art form that is greatly appreciated for its positive effects on the body. Physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health are each enhanced through the practice of yoga and other holistic methods. Yoga is a calm and relaxing method of strengthening the body and ridding it of toxins, making it an ideal exercise for patients who have long-term or terminal illnesses. Cancer is a disease that is growing rapidly in today's world, but few know the benefits of yoga to cancer patients.

By Faye Martins The regular practice of sitting Yoga asanas can help trauma survivors to relax and release deeply held muscular and emotional tension. Trauma survivors often experience a rigid sense of holding in order to prevent themselves from remembering the painful experiences they have been through and to protect themselves from further pain and trauma. This holding or freezing is a basic instinctual reaction during a terrifying and painful situation.

By Dr. Rita Khanna In the modern scenario, human life has become very fast, hectic and demanding. The present lifestyle demands adjustment on the part of the individual. Each of us, as per our coping resources, tries to adjust in this changing world. Some adjust by becoming overactive and others by withdrawing from the situation. When we fail to make a proper adjustment according to the demands of the situation, a state of negative stress or distress develops in our personality, which gives rise to mental or psychological problems. In most people the mind always remains in a state of arousal and tension. Yoga nidra, as a technique of Pratyahara, not only provides relaxation to the body and mind but also has a number of other benefits.

By Asha Saith The word yoga has been a part of my existence since I was a child. My mother employed the exercises for an injury to her spine and my grandmother, noting the benefits started Yoga in her forties and was able to achieve an unassisted headstand in her fifties! For me personally, I do Yoga classes because I leave each class feeling good - rejuvenated and relaxed and also recharged - and ready to face whatever life has in store for me. In my humble opinion this mental state is a strong contributor to good health.

By Faye Martins Many people find yoga to be a great way to relax and get exercise. Yoga is a great way to mentally unwind and it promotes sports recovery. You may have thought about how great it would be to learn how to teach yoga students.

By Faye Martins The meditation component of a Yoga certification course is often taken for granted. If you ask most Yoga teacher interns what they consider the most valuable component of Yoga training to be, they will often answer: "asana." Restless interns often tend to crave vinyasa flows, while the trainer explains the physical, mental, and emotional benefits of Yogic meditation. As many as 40 percent of all Americans suffer from sleep deprivation, and up to 80 percent of all doctors' visits have stress-related components. Yogic sleep, also known as Yoga Nidra, is a powerful form of deep relaxation that provides the restorative qualities of natural sleep within a brief period of time. Although most effectively practiced with asanas and breathing techniques, it can also be beneficial on its own.

By: Virginia Iversen, M.Ed How important is it to teach your students about setting an intention? Teaching Yoga to new students can be both enormously satisfying and intimidating. At first, you may feel overwhelmed at trying to introduce the entire system of the physical postures, breathing exercises and relaxation techniques to a group of new students, in addition to the philosophical underpinnings of this time honored practice! However, simply guiding your students through a balanced Yoga class will help your new students to become familiar with the flow and pacing of the postures and breathing exercises.

By: Virginia Iversen, M.Ed There are many different styles and nuances of Yoga classes that you can offer to your students as a certified instructor. Although you may have trained to become a professionally certified Yoga teacher in a specific style, there are many ways that you can creatively sequence your classes, in order to address the individual needs of your students. One way to creatively design a sequence of Yoga postures, pranayama exercises and relaxation techniques, is to follow the natural rhythm and flow of the seasons.

By Faye Martins How much impact does yoga have on the recovery of cancer patients? Yoga is an art form that is greatly appreciated for its positive effects on the body. Physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health are each enhanced through the practice of yoga and other holistic methods. Yoga is a calm and relaxing method of strengthening the body and ridding it of toxins, making it an ideal exercise for patients who have long-term or terminal illnesses. Cancer is a disease that is growing rapidly in today's world, but few know the benefits of yoga to cancer patients.

By: Virginia Iversen, M.Ed There are many different ways to modify Yoga classes in order to adjust the pace and intensity levels of the workout to better meet your students' needs. When people think about Yoga, they often think of a languid, but relaxing workout that is practiced in a serene health-spa setting. However, the sequence or krama of Yoga postures and the pacing of your class will determine the level and results of the practice. For example, if you are teaching classes in an area where many of your Yoga students are dedicated skiers and snowboarders, you may want to include strengthening Yoga asanas that will support your students in excelling in these sports, while preventing injuries.

By Dr. Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500 What is the value of Yoga Nidra (sleep of the Yogis)? Deep relaxation techniques, taught in Yoga classes, can become life savers outside the class. Although we should not take sleep period short cuts, Yoga Nidra is effective for bringing the mind and body to a state of rest, while the mind maintains awareness.