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 Dr. Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500 When you are teaching a Yoga class for kids, it's important to be ready to interact with the parents, as well as the children. If Yoga is a new activity for some, the parents are sure to have questions and concerns about what Yoga is, how it's taught, and what they can expect their kids to experience during each class. If the parents have little experience with the practice and philosophies of Yoga, they probably have a few preconceived notions about Yoga. It is your job as a Yoga instructor to provide a positive experience for both the children and their parents.

By Gopi Rao, CYT 500 Most people know that Yoga can lead to better physical health, but many are unaware of just how thorough the practice can be. When it comes to spinal disc decompression, Yoga can provide relief in several ways, making it a holistic treatment appropriate for people of all ages. Here are some of the ways in which Yoga helps lead to better spine health.

By Dr. Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500 When you are mindful, you are alert and active. You recognize the thoughts coming in and out of your head, while noticing how your body is moving and feeling. Mindfulness is a total body and thought awareness that comes with deliberate consciousness. Mindfulness is an important part of Yoga practice because it allows you to let your thoughts come in and out, without focusing too heavily on any one thought. It allows you to be completely present as you move your body, stretch your muscles, and bring a fresh oxygen supply to your organs. Yoga instructors should always model mindfulness for their students.

By Faye Martins Practicing yoga is a well known method for releasing stress. Lowering chronically high levels of stress in your life will help you to speed up your metabolism, have more energy, increase the functioning of your immune system and sleep better. Cortisol is one of the main hormones found in the human body that revs the body up under internally or externally stressful situations. It is known as the flight-or-fight hormone. The release of cortisol can give you a quick burst of energy and enhanced mental ability.

By Rachel Holmes Teaching yoga is a great way to maintain your healthy body, and it also would be a great way to relieve stress by relaxing in certain body positions. Your dream may be to teach yogic methods, but you have to know how to choose a yoga teacher training course that matches your needs, and there are several to choose from. You may want to work with children, athletes, seniors, or you might want to be involved in teaching people who have ailments as a form of therapy.

By Rachel Holmes I realize that many of our readers are certified yoga teachers with decades of experience and knowledge. The following information may be of more use as a handout for your students. Please feel free to share the following information with your students. I will point out three simple asanas that can be practiced for an anxiety flare up or a full blown attack. There are many additional asanas, mantras and pranayama techniques, but here are three easy asanas for your students to choose from.

By Faye Martins Of all the ailments we cover in yoga instructor training, cardiovascular disease and cancer are two that most of us know a little about. In many families, one of those two ailments has claimed the lives of family members. You can't ignore the importance of preventative maintenance, when it comes down to your family medical history.

By Rachel Holmes No yoga teacher wants to deal with marketing. Most instructors still have trouble with asking for money for the classes they teach. The problem is that you won't be teaching long, if you do it for free. Unfortunately, all of us need money to live. Paul Jerard often compares teachers to authors. The point is: Writing a book is a lot of work, but marketing the book is also a full-time job and a completely different skill.

By Faye Martins The world has changed and women are experiencing more freedom. If you've attended classes, a yoga teacher training, boot camps, or workshops, you have no trouble finding women. Men who enter a class full of women are very comfortable in their own skin. This is a good thing, but how can we encourage more male participation in our yoga classes, studios, and workshops.

By Dr. Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500 Often practiced in gyms, Power Yoga is a general term used to refer to a practice that is more physically challenging than many other physical styles. In order to elevate heart rate, and encourage weight loss, this form of Yoga pushes through a fast-flowing series of postures. Sometimes, the postures are held for longer than is typical, in order to build strength and muscle. Deeper stretches and flexibility are encouraged through the synchronization of breath with movement. A variety of Yogic practices can be adapted to this faster-flowing, and physically-challenging form of Yoga; it is important that practitioners take certain precautions to avoid injury.

By Faye Martins Over the past decade, yoga has exploded in popularity. Some people use yoga as a way to stay in shape. Others use it as a method for relaxing and relieving stress. No matter where you live, there is a good chance there is a yoga class going on nearby. If you are a yoga instructor, there are many ways to go about passing on your knowledge to the people in your class. Let's take a look at some tips that deal with how to teach yoga students:

By Faye Martins Yoga is growing in popularity every single day as one of the best ways to get in great physical shape and rejuvenate the mind and body. However, due to the physical demands of yoga, it is important for every yoga instructor to emphasize yoga student safety in all yoga classes.

By Faye Martins When we teach yoga classes, what are our students taking home with them? Do some students see it only as an exercise? Yoga has exploded into a popular fitness trend, around the world, for the past two decades. Well known for its relaxation and breathing techniques, yoga as a way of life has spread like fire through studios across the world and into gyms, fitness clubs, senior centers and even public schools. There are many different styles and techniques, with each style focusing on a specific emphasis that tends to characterize it. Ashtanga vinyasa yoga, for example, is a practice that highlights the physical challenges of yoga whereas Iyengar is a slower version of Hatha that allows practitioners to concentrate on pose mastery and yogic philosophy.

By: Virginia Iversen, M.Ed As the coldness of winter begins to recede, you may be noticing that the pulsation of new life all around you is propelling you to dissolve and release stagnant energy. This stagnant energy is often located in the hips, shoulders and throughout the thoracic spinal area. You even find that there is quite a bit of stagnant energy in your home, after several months of spending your time indoors with the windows closed. In the same way that doing a deep spring cleaning of your home lightens up and energizes your living space, dissolving stagnant energy in your body will help to lift your spirits and revitalize your life force energy or prana.

By Dr. Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500 Every teacher, or studio, eventually receives requests from experienced students for a challenge. How can we keep our classes safe and give students a challenge? As a Yoga instructor, you have many options - among them are Power, Vinyasa, Hot, and Hatha styles that hold asanas for minutes to build strength. If you are really sharp at adjustment and modifications, you can modify for beginners, while giving your veteran students a challenge in the same class.

By: Virginia Iversen, M.Ed As more and more people continue to suffer from anxiety, depression and insomnia, researchers are finding that spending time outdoors in nature has a very soothing and balancing effect on the nervous system and on the mind. The body's ability to become entrained with the natural rhythms of the sun and the moon has been known for a millennium. As many us continue to spend the majority of our waking hours indoors and in front of an electric screen of some sort, the incidence of anxiety, depression and insomnia will continue to rise.

By Faye Martins In this contemporary era, yoga has become an incredibly popular form of exercise to help promote physical and mental health. In order to ensure that one gets the most out of this physical activity, it is important to get some basic information regarding yoga student safety. With this idea in mind, there are four tips Yoga teachers can implement to ensure that students do not harm themselves while participating in activities at your Yoga studio. Feel free to use the list below as a handout for your students.

By Gopi Rao Chair Yoga Offers Several Benefits There are multiple benefits from chair yoga exercises, and you can engage in these poses all of the time or occasionally. For individuals with mobility issues that require the use of a wheelchair or someone who is aging and finds it difficult to get on the floor, chair yoga is probably the only wait to perform yoga movements.

By Kimaya Singh To understand the essence of yoga, it's vital for those who practice the art to know the importance of yoga posture sequences. In order to develop a sense of physical, mental, and spiritual well being, yoga postures must be done correctly in order to have a healthy mind and body. By using various breathing techniques as well as meditation, those who practice yoga are able to incorporate it into their daily lives, where it helps the person transcend the problems of everyday life and find a sense of enlightenment few others ever experience.