By: Virginia Iversen, M.Ed If you are a Yoga instructor who is teaching one or more students who are recovering from surgery or living with a chronic illness, modifying the practice in order to tailor the intensity level to each student's current ability is critically important. The awareness and application of therapeutic Yoga asanas, breathing exercises and contemplative practices can be profoundly healing to students who are working toward regaining their health. Your inner attitude or "bhav" towards your students' efforts in Yoga class can also substantially impact the healing effect of the class on your students.

By Faye Martins Insomnia can be a difficult condition to treat. There are several causes of insomnia and these can include hormonal fluctuations, stress, medical problems and emotional issues. Insomnia is a complicated and highly-individualized condition and in reality, there isn't a single cure for it. However, yoga has been known to alleviate insomnia. Certain asanas promote calmness and serenity that can lead to better sleep.

By: Virginia Iversen, M.Ed Springtime is upon us, and for many Yoga practitioners who live in areas that experience long winters, the increasing light and warmth of this season is very welcome. Just like the seasons in temperate climate zones, there are also different types of Yoga practices. Some practices are cooling, and other sequences of asanas are quite warming. For example, practices that are cooling and restorative are Yin Yoga and Yoga Nidra. Practices that are quite warming are Ashtanga and Bikram Yoga. Both of these types of flowing sequences will help to stoke the inner fire or agni of your students.

By Brooke Olive Yoga has long been believed to be the most comprehensive whole body fitness regime around. But it is the beneficial side effects that are of real value to the individual. Practicing yoga tones the body, stimulates the nervous system to work more effectively, aids digestion and increases flexibility. However it also works on a deeper level by creating a new mindfulness that leaves the individual feeling calm, relaxed and more at ease.

By Seema Deshpande Practising yoga consistently can be extremely rewarding. Yoga can be practised in various forms such as pranayama or breathing exercises, meditation, and yogasanas or yoga postures. Furthermore, yoga can be practised by anyone - young or elderly, athlete or a normal person-yoga can be suitably modified to match everyone's need. While yoga can improve your physical and mental fitness significantly, research studies are being conducted to study the effectiveness of yoga in preventing and/or treating various physical and psychological disorders. In this research article, we will see whether yoga can lower blood sugar level in diabetic people.

By Sanjeev Patel, CYT 500 As you know, there are as many reasons to teach yoga as there are for students to come to our classes. Not all yoga students want to know about healing or reduce pain in their bodies. Their reason is simple: They are young, fit, and more lucky than they realize. However, each of us will experience suffering of some kind during the course of a lifetime, unless we leave this life in an abrupt flash, while we are in the prime of our lives.

By Kimaya Singh Can yoga help a global population that is stressed out by technology and the struggle to survive? It is beyond dispute that people living in computerized and industrialized societies are currently undergoing unprecedented levels of stress. Media images of violence, constant messages, having problems with the level of multitasking, and daily commuting to and from work are all examples of stress-inducements that our ancestors of only a few generations ago never imagined having to deal with.

By Sangeetha Saran Depression symptoms can range from mild to severe. You can take medications for depression, but they can have side effects, and, they do not always work. Studies have shown that yoga can help relieve depression, and keep depression from returning.

By April Furanna Today, the increase in people being diagnosed with Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) and Irritable Bowel Disease (IBD) is quite alarming. As someone who has suffered from digestive problems my whole life and who has been diagnosed with Crohn's disease, I know all too well the complications of having a chronic digestive disease. It is debilitating on the physical body, but also the mind and spirit.

By Kimaya Singh Have you experienced neck and back pain after a long day of sitting at home or at work? In the modern era, as we have increased the amount of time we spend sitting at our computers at work or our televisions at home, we have inadvertently placed increasing amounts of strain upon the skeletal components in our necks and backs.

By Faye Martins Yoga is an extensively popular form of stress reduction, a way of life, and has been recently classified as a form of Complementary and Alternative Medicine by the National Institutes of Health. The physical postures, or asanas, forms of meditation, and breathing techniques, called pranayama, are the most popular practices associated with yoga in modern culture. They are known to aid individuals in not only improving physical fitness and cardiovascular efficiency, but also in lowering stress and anxiety levels, as supported by data compiled from multiple research studies in an article published in the International Journal of Yoga in late 2011.

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 Faye Martins Every year, more people grow out of touch with their bodies. The computer culture is facing an obesity crisis that will have dire health consequences for millions of people. Fad diets and exercise routines come and go every month, but can't fix the problem. Fitness yoga can.

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 When women have begun to go through menopause and are feeling physically unwell, yoga offers a way to relieve the worst symptoms. In fact, when yoga positions are performed correctly, the entire body will experience an invigorating turnaround. Most yoga positions are designed to bring the mind and body together in harmony. With a superb yoga instructor, students will feel refreshed and ready to grab life by the horns once again.

By: Virginia Iversen, M.Ed. Can you think of effective themes for Yoga sessions that are based on the seasons? Although many of us visualize the carefree days of summer, the summertime can also be filled with long "to-do" lists, as many of us plan assiduously to fit in all of the activities we had planned to do, during these supposed "lazy days." The same is true of many of the seasons during the year. For instance, during the fall many Yogis and Yoginis rush to fit in that final trip to the wilderness or to the ocean. In a similar fashion, the holiday season, as festive as it is, is also often a time of heightened stress, because of all the extra gatherings with family and friends.

By: Virginia Iversen, M.Ed Teaching Yoga poses that reduce anger will effectively detoxify negative emotions from the body and minds of your students. Angry feelings can be generated by frustration, a sense of powerlessness or the subjective experience of being disrespected, to name only a few possible scenarios. Many Yoga students and teachers alike may experience a low level of chronic anger and frustration, which is often evidenced by having a short fuse and breathing in a shallow manner.

By Sangeetha Saran As your class begins, you stand before your students and scan the room. Usually, you will see familiar faces, sometimes-even friends, but always there are a few newbies. It is important to have some techniques for quickly assessing those who may be prone to injury.

By Michael Gleason What can yoga postures do for tailbone pain? The objective to yoga is taking the time to realize you are in your body. While sweating and caloric output have their places, yoga is the opportunity to learn what your body is non-verbally conveying to you. In this modern age of working at desks, or being hunched over on squishy coffeehouse sofas, your yoga practice is your chance to address issues brought on by sedentary life. One of the culprits being tailbone pain. Any aches or muscle spasm just south of the lumbar region, therefore, is your body's message that you need a change of pace. Even an hour of yoga every other day or every few days will affect these changes.

By Kimaya Singh If you're looking for a way to move beyond your sense of self while sharing your passion for yoga with others, you should consider becoming a yoga teacher. During yoga instructor training, you'll learn a variety of important skills that will help you be the most effective teacher possible. One thing that's absolutely crucial is to learn how to check your ego at the door. Without having the ability to do that, your skill as an instructor will be overshadowed by your personal needs.