By Kathryn Boland Do you notice how the shifting nature of yoga practice in the West is opening up opportunities for new health/wellness enterprises? Have you dreamt up such an enterprise that brings together yogic practice/other wellness practice and your unique passions and interests? Perhaps you're unsure of how to get started? I'll detail the building and operations of a unique health/wellness business that demonstrates a true actualization of passion, and through that true seva (selfless service).

By Kimaya Singh Yoga is an ancient physical and spiritual practice that has become a part of the western mainstream culture. A regular practice of Yoga has many physical, emotional and spiritual benefits. A Yogic workout is also quite easy to customize to a particular group of people. Since a regular practice is so beneficial and easy to modify in order to accommodate different flexibility and strength levels, Yoga training has become one of the most popular offerings in the fitness industry today. Many health clubs offer at least a few Yoga classes per week, if not per day. This popularity makes Yoga much more accessible to the general public and also creates many positions for certified Yoga instructors in gyms, spas and health clubs.

By Faye Martins Are you practicing Bikram yoga or hot yoga and what's the difference? Bikram Choudhury is the creator of Bikram Yoga. Bikram's style is a type of heated Hatha practice. Bikram's style falls under the auspices of Hot Yoga because it is practiced in a heated room. In this series of postures, 26 asanas are performed twice, as well as two breathing exercises. The sequence of postures and the dialogue of the teacher leading the series is very set. The studio must also be heated to 105 degrees Fahrenheit with a humidity level of 40%. The class itself lasts for 90 minutes. These guidelines must be strictly followed in order for a class to be considered a Bikram class. Additionally, the Bikram style Yoga teacher must be certified by Bikram's Yoga College of India. Any modulations of these criteria make the class a heated class instead of a Bikram class.

By Faye Martins The human back is a miraculous assembly of bones, ligaments, tendons, muscles and nerves. Backs should be both incredibly strong and supremely flexible at the same time. The back supports the whole body from the neck, through the upper back into the lower and then to the bottom of the spine. We use it for every single movement we make. If your back is hurting nothing seems to go right. Your back is the entire support system for your body and keeping it strong and supple is important for your overall wellbeing.

By Kimaya Singh Is Yoga a healing method? If you practice yoga on a regular basis, you know the benefits it provides. You know the light, uplifted feeling of exhilaration that sets in directly after a good yoga class, or the long, lean feel of your muscles after a good stretch. Perhaps you do a pose as the afternoon slump sets in to get you through the rest of the workday, or maybe you take a few deep breaths before giving a big presentation to clear your mind and focus. The health benefits of yoga training go much deeper than that. Yoga training has been proven to have positive healing effects for a number of common ailments, chronic pain, and diseases.

By Faye Martins How can we measure progress in our practice? The practice of Yoga has many notable health benefits, a fact that has been well established for thousands of years. These benefits range from a deeper emotional understanding and awareness, a calmer mind and a number of positive physical changes. In fact, all of those positive attributes are just a few of the reasons people turn to Yoga training.

By Michael Gleason Can Yoga help women suffering with postpartum back pain? The literal meaning of yoga is to join or to yoke. And after a life-changing event, such as giving birth, resuming your yoga practice is very important in order for a mother to feel whole again - especially in the singular sense. During the postpartum segment of young motherhood is the reality of back pain or discomfort. First, a mother has been carrying a baby whilst the embryo developed into an infant. Second, the care for an infant includes nursing, skin-to-skin contact in order to bond, and rocking.

By Sangeetha Saran Yoga is great for reducing stress, and this makes it a wonderful practice for individuals with high blood pressure. Teaching yoga students with high blood pressure can be very worthwhile, but these students have a few special needs that should be taken into consideration. High blood pressure is often accompanied by a hardening of the arteries. The arteries are hardened by a build up of plaque which accumulates over time. As the plaque increases, the arteries become more and more narrow, making it harder for blood to flow properly. In response, the heart must work much harder in order to maintain proper blood circulation throughout the body, and this creates a higher than normal resting blood pressure.

By Faye Martins Should there be chair yoga precautions before a class? For those with knee or hip problems, or decreased mobility, Chair Yoga can be a great modification, allowing practice to continue. Chair Yoga consists of poses and breathing exercises performed in a seated position or with the use of a chair, allowing it to be performed even in hospitals or nursing homes. Through Chair Yoga, the physical and spiritual benefits of a healthy practice are available to everyone.

By Kimaya Singh How can yoga poses relieve back injuries? A back injury or severe back pain can be extremely debilitating and take the joy out of life. One of the best ways to strengthen your back and get out of pain is to establish a simple, gentle, and regular yoga training routine. Back pain can comes from a wide range of causes such as trauma, strain, sprain, osteoporosis, herniated disc or discs, scoliosis (lateral curvature of the spine), sciatica, or osteoarthritis, to name a few.

By Narendra Maheshri What are the benefits of twisting yoga poses? In our fast-paced world, stress and tension are endemic. In fact, stress and tension seem to be unavoidable for many of us. Holding stress and tension in our bodies creates muscular stiffness and contraction. Energetically, if we are very overwhelmed, our muscles contract in a similar fashion to a tortoise pulling its head and legs into its shell for protection. In the moment, this response may feel protective. Over the long run, muscular contraction and stiffness will stifle the flow of energy throughout the body and will create a state of heaviness, lethargy and discomfort.

By Sangeetha Saran Are there any weight loss tips to be learned from yoga? Being overweight is a condition that many people grapple with. The negative effects of weighing too much can include serious joint problems, diabetes and heart issues - just to name a few. Researchers and doctors tell us that reducing calories and engaging in regular exercise can help people lose weight. Adding Yoga training to your life can have additional positive effects. One of the strongest benefits to regularly practicing Yogic techniques is developing the mind-body connection. This valuable connection can help to change the way people look at food. It can also help to enhance a more positive body image instead of a negative body image - something that is important for everyone, not just people who are overweight.

By Amruta Kulkarni, CYT 500 What are ski postures? After a challenging day on the slopes, it is important to stretch out your muscles and ligaments. Yoga poses that help to elongate and release tension in the muscles and ligaments are critical to preventing injury and stiffness after an exhilarating day of skiing. Your level of skiing ability does not impact the necessity of keeping your muscles, joints and ligaments flexible and pliable. Our bodies work hard to provide us with a perfect run down a favorite bump run or a fast time through the gates on a GS race course. Practicing Yoga asanas that stretch out the hamstrings, quadriceps, lower back and shoulders will help to keep you feeling loose and flexible.

By Dr. Rita Khanna Our back or spine is like the pillar on which the entire body rests but the strongest part can also be the vulnerable spot if not taken care of well. About 80% of the people suffer back pain at some time or the other in their lives. The spine consists of many small bones called vertebrae. These vertebrae are further divided into five sections, namely the cervical region (the neck area) which contains 7 vertebrae (C1 to C7), the thoracic region (the chest area) which contains 12 vertebrae (T1 to T12), the lumber region (the abdominal area) consists of 5 vertebrae (L1 to L5), the sacrum region (the pelvic area) consists of 5 vertebrae (S1 to S5), and the coccyx region (the tail bone area) consists of 4 vertebrae.

By Gopi Rao Unfortunately, I have met teachers who purposely discouraged experienced students from practicing at home. They pointed out that improper alignment could ruin a practitioner for life. In fact, they preached that practicing Yoga without one's teacher could be a "game ender." Some of us believed it until the Internet made information easy to obtain. Suddenly, people were sharing information free. The magazines, studies, and research, rained down from cyber space and some of us started to realize that we had been misinformed. The world would not end if we practiced Yoga alone.

By Michael Gleason What can Yoga do to relieve 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: Virginia Iversen, M.Ed A balanced routine of Yoga poses will strengthen all of your muscles and ligaments. Engaging in a comprehensive Yoga practice several times a week will help to keep your body limber and your skeletal system in correct alignment. There are a number of very effective ways to improve core strength by practicing asanas that specifically target the abdominal muscles. Although many Yoga poses help to increase core strength, specific asanas, such as Plank Pose and Navasana, are very effective at trimming your midsection and increasing core strength.

By Kimaya Singh Can yoga improve your eyesight? It may be surprising, but with persistence and patience, eyesight can be drastically improved through the therapeutic use of yoga. Steadily, more and more yoga practitioners are using yoga to improve eyesight. Around the world, myopia, or nearsightedness, and hyperopia, farsightedness, have become epidemics in the past years, as well as other eye problems. Over 70 million Americans suffer from myopia alone, or about 25% of adult Americans.

By Faye Martins Is Yoga for weight loss a reality? Yoga is a great tool for enhancing your weight loss efforts. Yoga tones the entire body. It also helps to keep you limber and, if performed in optimal alignment, the Yoga poses will help to prevent injury and heal injuries that you may have previously suffered. Vigorous Yoga practices, such as Power Yoga, Bikram Yoga and Ashtanga Yoga all increase your heart rate, metabolism and muscular strength. A well-rounded Yoga practice will also enhance your balance, coordination and flexibility. If you integrate Yoga pose that specifically target your abdominal muscles into your practice, you will also tone your entire abdominal area and help to trim resistant belly fat.

By Dr. Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500 How can we make the public aware of the reasons for improving posture? Yoga teachers have found many opportunities for teaching positions within the corporate sector. In office Yoga training sessions, and corporate fitness centers, the need is based around holistic health, and proper posture plays a major role in maintaining good health.