By Jenny Park As many of you already know. Yogic practices are good for both genders. Yet, Yoga teacher training programs are full of women. What makes Yogic techniques so popular with women? Yoga is a healthy way of life and one of the most versatile forms of exercise.

By Bhavan Kumar The romance between yoga and your hinge joints is a bittersweet one. In addition to being very conscious of your knees, it is also imperative to be mindful of your elbows. Either of these complex hinge joints can easily be hyperextended, which can lead to injury and pain. Generally speaking, hyperextensions require rest to heal, which means that holding postures will be better for you than flowing through them. For teachers, this means recommending a student to the restorative class and advising him or her to avoid the vinyasa class. Additionally, postures that stress the elbows will not help the healing process.

By Faye Martins Graduates of chair yoga teacher training programs have many opportunities in the corporate sector. If you've ever sat at a desk in front of a computer screen for hours on end, you know the aches and pains associated with an office job. By the time afternoon rolls around, many office workers are feeling lethargic, achy or even pain.

By Kimaya Singh Many graduates of Yoga certification courses tend to think that all of their students will be healthy. When one begins teaching classes it becomes obvious that Yogic methodology was created to relieve the suffering of mankind.

By: Virginia Iversen Warrior I is one of the fundamental standing poses of any Yoga practice. This pose is very grounding and invigorating. If Warrior I is taught and practiced correctly by your students, they will feel more focused, confident and stronger after practicing a vigorous sequence of Yoga asanas that includes a series of Warrior poses. With apt instruction, your students will be able to move into Warrior II and Warrior III from Warrior I Pose with little difficulty. As their practice progresses, they will also be able to move fluidly from a series of Warrior poses into Half Moon Pose and Eagle. Both of these poses are particularly nice to move into from Warrior III.

By Faye Martins How can you educate prospective yoga students? You don't have much time to capture the attention of anyone these days. People are distracted by the beeps and chirps of electronic devices. Therefore, when prospective yoga students seek you out for information about your classes, you must be prepared.

By Kathryn Boland Many people set New Year's Resolutions with optimism and a good plan in place. Some of the most common are to lose weight, quit smoking or drinking alcohol, or even to improve one's relationships with loved ones and/or friends. Unfortunately, however, come February, several of these individuals find themselves struggling to keep with their resolutions - and their best intentions are left behind, to return to business as usual, not long after.

By Kimaya Singh If you decide to become a Yoga teacher, you realize that complete (holistic) health involves the mental, physical, emotional and spiritual planes of existence. Physical activity is not only important for a healthy body it is also good for the mind and emotional well-being. Yogic methodology is a great example of a form of exercise that can help improve focus and discipline inside as well as outside. It strengthens muscle tone and flexibility. By using proper breathing techniques and concentrating on moving correctly through the poses, it forces us to concentrate on the present and what we are doing in the moment. That focus can help to release stress and the nervous tension that we all too often feel.

By Michael Gleason What should teachers and students know about Yoga after a knee replacement? Making the time to exercise, as well as being present, in our fast-paced culture can prove challenging. And sometimes we get lucky and have a good exercise routine supplemented with the right mix of yoga and meditation down to a science. Unfortunately, something unanticipated happens, such as a serious accident (traffic) or fall prey to something heredity like osteoarthritis.[1] One of these events could lead to needing a knee replacement. In addition to frustrations such as being in traction or limited mobility this knee replacement needs a game plan for getting back to the gym and our yoga practice.

By Jenny Park Why should teachers have to learn anything about anatomy? Why should yoga instructors care about the endocrine system? Believe it, or not, some interns in yoga teacher training don't understand the importance of learning the basics of body mechanics. Some teacher trainings don't address the significance of the endocrine system at all. Therefore, let's cover some of these basics together.

By Faye Martins What can yoga teachers do about preventing joint injuries in class? As yoga made the move from a spiritual practice to a fitness craze, the incidents of injury naturally began to climb. Factors such as students with pre-existing injuries, "no pain, no gain" classes, overcrowded studios, overzealous students, and aggressive instructors have all contributed to an increase in injuries.

By: Virginia Iversen, M.Ed A daily Yoga practice offers a practitioner many benefits. These benefits range from an increased range of flexibility to a more positive outlook on life. On a physical level, a daily practice of asanas, pranayama exercises and meditation will energize your body and calm your mind by balancing the parasympathetic and sympathetic nervous systems. Of course, a regular practice of asanas increases flexibility and muscular strength and helps to prevent injuries due to misalignment and repetitive stress. There are even Yoga postures that help to undue some of the tension and stress that ultimately lead to Carpel Tunnel Syndrome!

By Jenny Park There doesn't seem to be a Yoga teacher training course that is specifically designed for reaching out to teens. It may be based on the perception that teens aren't interested. Maybe some instructors get so much positive feedback from working with younger children that working with teens looks difficult at best.

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 Faye Martins How can we help our students with arthritis? Arthritis causes pain and joint stiffness, decrease a positive mindset, and make it hard to function normally (mentally and physically). This condition takes the fun out of the day and discourages a person from participating in outdoor activities, such as swimming and biking. Even walking takes its toll on a person with Rheumatoid arthritis or a person with advanced stages of Osteoarthritis. Depending on the stage and type of arthritis, exercise can actually help to reduce those painful symptoms, and yoga provides a pleasurable alternative to strenuous exercise for people who suffer from arthritis.

By Bhavan Kumar Those who survive a traumatic experience are subjected to a long and difficult journey through life and the process of recovery. Whether this trauma is related to an accident, a war-related injury, emotional or physical abuse, or multiple important losses in life, it can be difficult to overcome. Additionally, it requires time and effort to put one's past in its place. Patients who have suffered from some form of physical or psychological trauma can benefit greatly from practicing yoga on a regular basis during their recovery process. Yoga has enormous healing benefits for both physical and psychological injuries, and many people find that they can effectively utilize the art of yoga to reclaim not only their body, but also their mind.

By Kimaya Singh When I was attending Yoga teacher training, one student wanted to understand where toxins come from. In the physical sense, we are surrounded by toxins. If you go for a healthy walk, you are sure to inhale a variety of toxins from the exhaust fumes of cars that drive by. You can grow the best organic food, but the rain that fed the plants may have toxins that should be filtered before you consume it. Additionally, it has been stated that rain water is less polluted than well water.

By Gopi Rao How can we protect the knees of our students during class time? Knees are one of the most vulnerable parts of the human anatomy. No matter what type of fitness regimen you choose, the knees will often take a beating. Very few sports spare the vulnerable knee, and it is common to see all kinds of athletes, including runners, tennis players, and dancers wearing knee stabilizers.

By Kathryn Boland Do you crave teaching more yoga than you presently are - even full-time? Have you crunched the numbers and thought out the logistics, to see if that might be possible for you? Teaching can be fulfilling and magical like nothing else, but it's not exactly an easy career path. Our bodies, bank accounts, and free time can take a hit. It often requires sacrifice. Let's break this down into things to consider in your decision whether or not to teach more.

By Faye Martins After a new instructor's first Yoga teacher training intensive, he or she may teach in many different atmospheres. When teaching in a corporate, medical, legal or academic setting, the person who initially hires you may ask for proof of Yogic methodology's benefits.