By Faye Martins Can Yoga teachers create policies for preventing back injuries in class and why should they? Suddenly the yoga world is abuzz with concern over potential injuries. Why is the warning flag suddenly flying? Well, a few reasons come to mind.

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 What is aerial yoga? Are there any risks for students? What can teachers and students expect to gain by this modern practice? Wendy: "But, Peter, how do we get to Never Land?" Peter Pan: "Fly, of course. It's easy". The very name anti-gravity aerial yoga will inspire curiosity in most people. Certainly many questions will arise.

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 Gopi Rao How are happiness and the art of yoga connected? In the search for perpetual happiness, many men and women are turning to yoga classes a few times each week. In fact, certified yoga instructors will be able to help their students gently coax their bodies into various flexible positions. When the blood flows through the muscles in just the right way, peace and serenity can be restored to both the mind and the soul. Here are three yoga poses that will leave students ready to confront anything and everything that life can throw at them.

By Faye Martins How do we start to train the mind and body? Many people practice yoga for its fitness benefits. However, this ancient system of complete health maintenance should be comprehensive when we train the mind and body. If you take specified yoga teacher courses that focus on training the mind and body, then you can help your students obtain the complete art from their practice.

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: Virginia Iversen, M.Ed There are many different Yoga postures that help to open up and elongate the entire front side of the torso, including the Heart Chakra area. Additionally, there are Yoga postures the profoundly help to open up the back of the heart area, which is known as the thoracic spine. Just like the front of the heart area, the back of the heart can also become constricted if we are tense, afraid or sad.

By Faye Martins Body shaping is not an exact art. Athletic bodies come in all shapes and sizes. Those who lift weights have bulky chests and arms; runners have lean legs, but often lack in upper body strength. Swimmers have broad shoulders, and dancers have thick muscled thighs.

By Kimaya Singh Is firming up with yoga possible? Yoga is a fantastic way to tone up your whole body. Many poses are weight bearing, which are extremely effective in firming problem areas. In addition, Pranayama breathing techniques have the ability to burn fat. Therefore, by combining weight-bearing exercises with Pranayama, you have created a vortex of calorie-burning and firming bliss.

By Faye Martins Why should yoga teachers and serious practitioners study healing methods? To many enthusiasts, yoga is more than the mastery of asanas, pranayama and the rest of the eight limbs of yoga. The practice and study of yoga is a lifestyle that pervades all aspects of living rather than a selective application of principles. This is even more so if you aspire to share your knowledge and passion by leading a class of like-minded people. For some people, it will be enough to teach classes, but for others the power of healing attracts them like moths to a light bulb.

By Jenny Park Why has yoga fitness become so popular? Although there are many hot spots for studios, there is hardly a health club that doesn't have a fitness based version of yoga. Many people learn the basics in a health club and they begin to appreciate the results of a steady practice.

By Amruta Kulkarni, CYT 500 Perhaps you love taking yoga and have felt a calling to teach it. Your best course of action, then, begins with a period of reflection on the subject. If you decide to pursue this plan, you'll need to enroll in an excellent yoga teacher training program.

By Amruta Kulkarni, CYT 500 The most talented and experienced yoga teachers do a lot more than teach students how to achieve poses. They go well beyond the physical by teaching students how to be more mindful and aware of their bodies too. Body awareness is an intrinsic part of yoga. After all, the word "yoga" itself translates to mean, "to yoke," which is another way of saying "to unite." Without making students aware of this exciting benefit, though, they could easily miss out on it. Therefore, yoga teachers should make a point of explaining the concept of propioception to their students.

Yoga needs few accessories. It implements your own weight instead of dumbbells. No machines are necessary. When you are travelling, it is easy to wrap up your mat with a yoga belt and throw it in the car or tie it to your carry-on bag. Your phone will always be there to provide the soothing music you may want to incorporate into your routine.

By Bhavan Kumar Yoga teacher training is not only a big decision but also a commitment to change your life in a profound way. Yoga certification courses for a trained mind as well as a trained body will help you to create your best future. Since ancient times, yoga has been considered a method for whole life cultivation. While studying yoga as a student brings numerous rewards, teacher training is a unique, special, and practical way of learning yoga so as to be able to share this knowledge with others in a way that is easy for them to grasp.

By Bhavan Kumar In 1998, I bought a book called The Art of Happiness, A Handbook for Living. The book begins with these words from the Dalai Lama: "I believe that the very purpose of our life is to seek happiness." In 2005, I attended a 4-day workshop entitled "The Art of Living." This workshop focused on Pranayama breathing, meditation and some simple yoga postures.

By Sangeetha Saran Opening a yoga studio is similar to any other fitness or personal service business. Perhaps, one merely starts as an instructor in someone else's business. Perhaps, one gets a business loan to rent a studio and hire other instructors as well. Perhaps, one builds the business on the side, teaching yoga during evenings and weekends while working a more conventional job. There is no one right way to get your business off the ground. And, of course, the business model you choose will expand over time.

By Kimaya Singh People who practice yoga regularly tend to have very balanced, evenly proportioned figures. The same can't be said about the physiques of people who engage in other forms of exercise, so it's easy to see why so many people turn to yoga to shape their bodies. Some activities build stronger muscles in the lower body; others produce the most noticeable benefits in the upper body. Yoga poses, on the other hand, provides benefits for the entire body, and that's especially true when they are performed regularly and held for increasing periods of time.