By Faye Martins There is so much information available about teaching yoga classes, but there is not much information about making a living. Some certification courses teach you everything about running a safe class, but they teach you nothing about finding a teaching position, private lessons, or the many opportunities outside of the yoga studios. Outside of Aura Wellness Center and Bikram's Yoga College of India, I don't know of any instructors who have learned anything about marketing or business. Teaching full-time requires instructors to be creative in their business plan. If you teach for donations, you probably don't need the money or someone made you think that taking payments for services is wrong. Yet, you paid thousands for lessons and possibly thousands more for a yoga teacher's diploma.

By Dr. Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500 How can teachers establish Yoga student safety guidelines? For all Yoga instructors, the number one priority in our classes is student safety. Hatha Yoga is important for the health of the mind and body, but, unfortunately, it can be unsafe if not practiced properly. In comparison to many other physical activities, Yogic methods are in the lower risk category.

By Michael Gleason Life is getting faster and faster - both physically and virtually. And while getting a lot accomplished in the course of a work day is good, as is completing many overdue chores on the weekend that does not mean we as human beings experience anxiety and burnout. Thankfully there is yoga for anxiety.[1] Sally Susinno, RYT-200 of Wellesley, Massachusetts, pointed out that more and more people are waking up and drinking larger and larger flagons of sweetened coffee drinks and diet colas which make their bodies more and more wound up. Caffeine is also a diuretic which can lead to dehydration, or just not enough water consumption over the course of the day. At the end of the day, the sweeteners and the stimulants have people reaching for sleeping pills - both over the counter and prescription strength.

By Faye Martins The ancient practice of yoga, which dates back more than 5,000 years, improves skeletal health through skillful selection and consistent application of a variety of exercises. Yoga poses for skeletal health are chosen for their ability to improve posture, increase flexibility and relieve skeletal system tensions. Yoga assists in maintaining bone density. It also helps minerals that are stored in the bones, as well as the blood cells produced in bone marrow, to be released to the bloodstream for the body's use as needed.

By Seema Deshpande Have you ever felt like your stomach has been set on fire? Have you ever experienced a super burning sensation in your chest, which gradually moves up to your throat? If you answered yes, you are most likely witnessing the symptoms of acidity or acid reflux, more commonly known as GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease). GERD is a condition where stomach acid moves up to the esophagus and irritates its sensitive lining. The symptoms of gastroesophageal reflux disease or GERD are as complicated as its name! The symptoms range from burning sensation in stomach, chest, and throat to coughing, hoarseness, sensation of heat in your ears, palms and feet. Some of the common causes of GERD are obesity, taking meals at irregular intervals, consuming junk, spicy, and fatty food, alcohol and cigarettes, excessive tea and coffee, among other things. Stress and an unhealthy lifestyle are also key contributing factors. GERD, if left untreated, can lead to more serious health disorders such as ulcer and cancer.

By Kimaya Singh Feeling under the weather or down in the dumps does not indicate depression. Depression exists entirely on another level and causes symptoms of extreme sadness, feelings of hopelessness and endless fatigue. In severe cases, people with clinical depression no longer want to live, thus resulting in suicide. Doctors prescribe drugs, group therapy, and psychotherapy, but depression does not let go of the mind so easily.

By Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500 How does Yoga decompress the spine? Our backbone is made up of vertebrae and intervertebral disks, which work as cushions between vertebrae. As time passes, and the aging process begins, these disks start to shrink and lose water content or fluid present in them. This is also the reason why people lose their height as they age. These days, the majority of jobs require a long duration of sitting without any change in posture, leading to excess strain and compression of the backbone.

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: 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.

By: Virginia Iversen, M.Ed. Teaching outdoor Yoga classes can be a special treat depending on your climate. During the balmy days of summer, teaching classes outside can easily facilitate a sense of gratitude and appreciation for the natural beauty that surrounds us. If you live in a temperate climate zone in the United States, you may find that it is possible to teach Yoga outside from early spring until the late fall season. Of course, this will depend on the daily weather patterns, including any rainy or windy weather. However it is possible to teach classes outside most of the time, even if a particular day is overcast or slightly windy, especially if you can locate a protected space where you can teach your classes.

By: Virginia Iversen, M.Ed Are you interested in methods for improving Yoga student safety? The safety of students can be improved by encouraging open and forthright communication, between a Yoga teacher and his or her students. Whether or not a student is new to your class, encouraging open lines of communication is of paramount importance when you are guiding a student through a series of physical postures and pranayama exercises. Over the course of weeks, months or years, a student's physical and emotional health may shift and change with various experiences in life. By encouraging open communication, you will be able to guide your students in their practice through your professional feedback and recommendations.

By: Virginia Iversen, M.Ed Creating healthy habits can be difficult for many of us. Establishing a regular time to practice Yoga is one of the primary keys to benefiting fully from this ancient system of physical postures, pranayama exercises and meditation techniques. For instance, engaging in a thirty-minute practice several times a week, or even daily, will benefit you much more fully than a longer Yoga practice of two hours or more, once in a blue moon. When I was first starting to practice Yoga on a consistent basis, I didn't believe that this was true! I would wonder to myself why a practice that is 2 to 3 hours in length, once a week, would not benefit me more fully than a 30-minute practice on a daily basis?

By: Virginia Iversen, M.Ed How do we go about nurturing harmony in our Yoga classes? According to BKS Iyengar, who is one of the most well loved and highly respected Yoga teachers of our time, "Health is a state of complete harmony of the body, mind and spirit." He goes on to state that, " When one is free from physical disabilities and mental distractions, the gates of the soul open up." Ultimately, the goal of all Yoga practices is to know God intimately in the depths of one's own being. Along the way, of course, you may experience a stronger, lighter, more flexible body and a trained mind.

By Faye Martins What is all the fuss about slow flow yoga? If you want to get in shape by trying a low-impact exercise, then slow-flow vinyasa yoga is the pace for you. Stretch your way to good health with slow movement that gradually warms up muscles, joints and connective tissue. Vinyasa is popular because people want a movement-based form of Yoga, but most vinyasa classes are fast-paced and risky movements may not be in your best interest.

By Marie Jerard, E-RYT 200, RYT 500 If you have long been avoiding teaching yoga to pregnant students, you can complete a few basic training requirements that will allow you to move ahead without worry. As a certified instructor, you can enroll in a specialist prenatal training program for yoga teachers. Since pregnant students will necessarily have different needs than yoga students who are not pregnant, you will undoubtedly want to learn about the anatomy and physiology of pregnancy itself. Once you've been officially designated a Certified Prenatal Yoga Teacher (CPYT), you'll be qualified to lead women through the various physical and emotional challenges that precede childbirth.

By Marie Jerard, E-RYT 200, RYT 500 Most people, in the general public, recognize the health benefits of Yoga. Injury prevention, stress reduction and weight management are just a few of the worthy side effects of a regular yoga practice. Due to the lure of lower health care costs, and fewer workers calling in sick, many corporate executives are instituting Yoga training into work-sponsored employee health programs. Many Yoga teachers are taking advantage of this dependable source of income. What are the pros and cons of teaching Yoga at a corporation?

By Faye Martins What doctors should know about yoga is obvious? New research and studies take place everyday. Yoga is being studied more and more, following an explosion of interest in it over the last ten years. As a result, experienced practitioners feel gratified that their claims of derived benefits have been and will continue to be substantiated by science. However, not everyone in the medical community is on board, and there are a few things to keep in mind when talking to doctors about yoga.

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 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 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.