By Dr. Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500 Every challenging occupation yields some sort of satisfaction, but the fitness professionals industry had an amazing 85% job satisfaction rate according to an Idea Health & Fitness survey. Job Satisfaction In the same survey, 98% of those interviewed felt that "My work gives me a feeling of personal accomplishment." Lack of personal satisfaction is the most frequent reason why people leave a job. These statistics make it obvious that this is an extremely harmonious atmosphere to work in.

By Dr. Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500 What you are about to read applies to teaching, in general. In fact, we are all teachers, to some degree. You teach your friends, coworkers, strangers and family members on a daily basis. The example you set teaches someone in some way. Whether you are a positive role model or not, people, and the world, react to you. Sorry to say, you have more responsibility than you thought possible.

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. One of the main keys to improving eyesight with yoga is to have a relaxed state of mind. Relaxation, eye cleansing, simple eye exercises and meditation can all improve vision and treat eyesight defects drastically. One thing that is also necessary is to abandon all the preconceived notions about how eyesight works. Much of how of this process works is not only in the eyes, but in the brain. Many people also tend to abuse their eyes by straining, squinting and overuse of the television and computers. Focusing on anything for too long is dangerous to the eyesight.

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 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. Many in the yoga industry feel uncomfortable with the business aspect of their practice. Even so, most who find themselves following the path to teaching yoga still need to earn an income. As a studio owner or teacher, one way to be more successful is to convert the curious browsers into regular yoga practitioners.

By: Virginia Iversen, M.Ed As the popularity and availability of Yoga classes continues to expand throughout the world, many teachers are finding that they are teaching a specific group of students who need the support of a chair to practice Yoga safely and effectively. This is particularly true if you are teaching a group of elderly students or students who are disabled from head injuries or chronic disease. By offering these students fun and engaging Chair Yoga classes, you will enable them to participate in a comprehensive practice, while improving their safety with the support of a chair.

By Jenny Park What can you do to boost your metabolism? Is there an optimum time of year for you to boost your metabolism? Many people set weight loss goals for themselves at the beginning of the New Year. This is one reason why so many new faces show up to Yoga classes every January. A regular practice of Yoga asanas combined with a healthy diet, restorative sleep, and a program of stress reduction, will all help anyone reach his or her weight loss goals. A healthy diet consists of a balance of lean protein, whole grains and lots of fresh fruits and vegetables. The more colorful your selection of fruits and vegetables is, the more variety of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants your diet will contain. Dietary lean protein may come from a diversity sources. If you are not a strict vegetarian, wild caught fish, such as salmon and mackerel, have a high level of Omega 3 fatty acids that help to protect the health of your heart and brain. Omega 3 fatty acids are also found in flax seeds, flax seed oil, hemp products and eggs. A sufficient amount of Omega 3 fatty acids helps the body function well and the metabolism to work at optimal levels.

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 Melody Wordsworth Before starting this essay over a year ago I decided strongly that my Yoga on health topic would have to be Yoga and HIV. As we live in a society where this has unfortunately become a big health problem and a large portion of the population, especially in South Africa is affected by this life threatening disease. As a qualified Pharmacist assistant working in the health sector I see firsthand how this disease affects people. I believe that as Yoga changed my life for the better it can also change the life of those affected by this life altering disease. I believe that Yoga can present them with health benefits to ensure a longer life where the HIV can be kept under control for many years. But before continuing with this topic I have also decided since falling pregnant last year to go further in depth with Yoga during pregnancy as this assisted me in having a successful, stress free pregnancy which I got to enjoy to its full capacity. Enjoying Yoga , while creating life is astonishing.

By: Virginia Iversen, M.Ed If you are coping with a cancer diagnosis, remember that you are not alone! Unfortunately, the incidence of cancer has risen dramatically over the last fifty years. By some estimates, one in two people will be affected by cancer at some point in their lives, as opposed to one in twenty people fifty years ago. This increase in the incidence of cancer is quite daunting. So, if you are a Yoga practitioner and you are facing a cancer diagnosis, you are clearly not the only one. However, even if you are not alone, dealing with cancer can be very overwhelming and incredibly upsetting.

By Sabine Crackle When did the relationship between Yoga and health begin? No one knows exactly when Yoga began, but it certainly predates written history. Stone carvings depicting figures in Yoga positions have been found in archaeological sites in the Indus Valley dating back 5,000 years or more. There is a common misconception that Yoga is rooted in Hinduism; on the contrary, Hinduism's religious structures evolved much later and incorporated some of the practices of Yoga. (Other religions throughout the world have also incorporated practices and ideas related to Yoga.)

By Bhavan Kumar How can we improve our ability to protect yoga students? As a yoga instructor, our primary duty is to ensure the continuing safety of our students. One of the easiest ways to do this is through the use of safety guidelines. These guidelines transfer the burden of student safety from being the sole responsibility of the yoga teacher to the students themselves. A well-written set of guidelines helps us protect yoga students to ensure their own safety, which in turn gives teachers peace of mind.

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 Erika Bugakova The journey through pregnancy is a time of great physical, mental and emotional change for each individual, each in her own unique way. Despite one's previous yoga experience, whether an advanced practitioner or completely new to the practice, yoga adapted for pregnancy can help ease the way through these changes, relaxing and balancing the mind, and strengthening the body to prepare for the joys and challenges which lie ahead, both during and after pregnancy.

By Shahid Mishra Is Yoga for weight loss possible? Practicing Yoga postures on a regular basis will help you to strengthen and tone your entire body. A regular Yoga practice will also increase muscle mass, which will in turn increase your metabolism. Engaging in a Yoga practice that flows from one pose to the next through a series of postures based on the Sun Salutation will really get your blood pumping and leave you feeling exhilarated, strong and light as a feather. In the West, this type of Yoga practice is known as Power Yoga. Incorporating arm balancing postures into your Yoga practice will further tone your arms, back and torso. Challenging arm balancing postures will also increase your heart rate and metabolism further supporting your weight loss efforts.

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 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 Virginia Iversen The practice of Yoga offers us many tools to help manage our internal and physical states of being. One of the most challenging and sometimes debilitating internal states is that of unremitting anxiety. Anxiety can be defined as the fear of being hurt in the future, in one form or another. This internal alarm system can save our lives. For example, if you are alone in a train station late at night, and you begin to experience tendrils of anxiety because you feel like you are being watched, this heightened state of alertness may enable you to save your own life. However, if you are constantly feeling anxious at one level or another, your mental and physical health may be compromised. Anxious thoughts and feelings release adrenalin and cortisol to help you navigate out of a dangerous situation. If these hormonal levels are too high for an extended period of time, the functioning of your immune system will be lowered, your cardiac health may suffer and your serotonin level may decrease, leading to depression and even more anxiety.

By Dr. Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500 Kids Yoga stories fall naturally into the lives of children. Parents often begin introducing children to books and stories during infancy, and continue to share throughout childhood. Upon entering school, children find that stories continue to play a huge role in learning a variety of skills and concepts. Stories nurture the imagination, provide an outlet for discussing emotions, and make life a bit easier to understand for children. It would seem natural, then, to find stories in a Yoga class for children.

By Sangeetha Saran Yoga is a practice that yields great benefit, no matter your age. Thanks to the rising popularity of chair yoga, even seniors with limited mobility can experience the conditioning and strengthening effects of this ancient practice. With modification comes new considerations, and there are some special precautions yoga instructors should keep in mind when teaching this style of yoga.