By Dr. Rita Khanna To live in peace and harmony, without being thrown out of balance by the ups and downs of life is really not so hard and yet not so easy though it is the aim of every living being. From a Yogic perspective this means to live life fully, to flow with life and to accept whatever life brings, rather than fighting against life and the circumstances that we live in. Yoga, as an age-old system, has always been a practical science of living which teaches us the tools for a balanced, harmonious life. It is a system which explains the functioning of the human mind and the various levels of consciousness with the aim of unfolding the dormant potential in everyone.

By Sangeetha Saran Does meditation during childbirth have benefits? Few people would dispute childbirth as one of the reigning champions in the area of human pain. Modern medicine has come a long way and pain medications are fairly effective in alleviating the pain of giving birth, but there are some unpleasant side effects for the mother and baby both when these are heavily used. For this and other reasons, more and more mothers are looking to give birth in a more drug free manner. Meditation is a powerful method for pain tolerance during childbirth.

By Dr. Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500 The difficulty and complexity of Yoga techniques can range from quite simple to potentially complex. One of the tasks of a Yoga instructor is to simplify the process of executing the postures. It takes a bit of practice to be able to lead the students into a more complex pose or pranayama technique, step-by-step. You want the movements to be smooth and easy, the verbal cues to be concise, and your physical demonstration to be accurate.

By Amruta Kulkarni, CYT 250 If you have ever seen a master yoga teacher at work, you probably gazed in wonder as he or she created an inviting, calm class atmosphere; put people at ease with a smile, gesture, or comment; or flowed through a series of poses, detailing modifications and potential risks, without a hitch. Although, for some of us teaching yoga comes naturally, there is much to be learned about teaching skills and methods simply by observing others. The best yoga teachers are never satisfied with their own methods, but seek to constantly improve by watching other master yoga teachers in practice. Teachers themselves, then, are nothing more than lifelong students. This is a point that Paulji makes many times.

By Shahid Mishra There was a time, when I was young, that I thought yoga props were for people who were in need of them. As a young Yoga teacher, I was indeed arrogant and my Guru asked me to work at the back of the class assisting, until I learned patience. Frustration filled me, but I remained with my Guru, Paulji for many years. He pointed my eyes toward the type of student who has improved his or her quality of life because props helped with mobility, disease, skeletal alignment, or gave this person self-confidence. I became a believer and now I see yoga props can help anyone.

By Faye Martins Children's yoga classes are a wonderful way to introduce kids to yoga poses, breathing, and philosophies. Classes can easily be modified to suit many different ages, from babies to tweens. Children can begin to feel the positive results of a yoga class, making them more likely to choose yoga as a lifelong activity. There are many different ways to keep children engaged and interested in the class. Yoga instructors can build a class around an animal theme, encouraging the children to voice animal sounds, make a game out of the poses, or create an interactive story with yoga poses incorporated throughout.

By Jenny Park This article will either make you laugh or make you mad. My intention is to make you laugh. Right now, we live in a world of selfies. People are taking pictures of themselves all the time. I know someone who has hundreds of her own pictures doing yoga poses for wallpaper in her bedroom. She is naturally flexible, doesn't put any effort into practice, can do a variety of postures well, and she is obnoxiously proud of herself. Her pictures are all over Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest. Therefore, I devote this article to people who practice postures only for their ego's sake.

By Amruta Kulkarni, CYT 250 Good yoga teaching encompasses a wide range of skills and knowledge. The best yoga teachers are often "naturals," having an innate ability to reach students in a positive, uplifting manner. However, many important teaching skills and methods can be learned. The most successful teachers are constantly self-evaluating, observing peers, and continually striving to make themselves more effective. Observation in itself is somewhat of an art, with different methods appropriate for various situations. When evaluating other yoga instructors, it is important to focus the observation on a particular skill or method.

By Jenny Park Kids yoga provides a wealth of benefits for children, including increased strength, flexibility, coordination, blood flow, confidence, and ability to focus. Children who practice yoga are learning good habits to relieve stress and connect with their bodies early in life. They are learning how to find an inner peace, how to breathe deeply and consciously, and how to recognize when different parts of the body are in need of a stretch.

By Kimaya Singh Practicing Yoga poses before a great day of snowboarding is important in order to warm-up all of your muscles and ligaments and to prevent injury. Snowboarding takes a great deal of balance and muscular strength. It also requires an ability to modify your snowboarding technique depending on the snow conditions and terrain. There are a number of effective and challenging Yoga poses that will help you to warm-up for the day. Before practicing specific Yoga asanas, it is advisable to begin with five to ten rounds of complete Sun Salutations.

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 Gopi Rao Distance learning Yoga courses have become more popular over the last decade, as educators and students become more adept at technology. Educators have learned to tweak and improve teaching methods, and are now able to offer quality-learning experiences without being physically present. Yoga distance learning refers to any yogic teaching and learning where time, distance, or both separate the students and teacher. It is emerging into mainstream methods of yoga education as technology improves, enabling anyone to easily access the resources required for distance learning.

By Shahid Mishra Practicing Yoga can be inspiring for the mind and good for the body. Yoga has been handed down through many generations and has made its way across the globe. One of the many reasons for this is due to the skill, care and understanding of Yoga teachers. Becoming a Yoga teacher is a great option for people that love Yoga and would like to have the chance to teach it to others. Learning the correct way to teach Yoga is very important.

By Narendra Maheshri Teaching Yoga requires a certain level of commitment, both to yourself and the students who are learning from you. Just as life is always evolving, so is your practice. Choosing techniques for a lesson plan is going to depend on a number of factors. Some of those factors will include the types of classes you will be teaching. After all, a class you would teach for school age children would probably require a different lesson plan than a class you would be leading for people who are senior citizens. A beginners Yoga class will differ from a more advanced class.

By Jenny Park Preschoolers are an interesting bunch with personalities exploding, blooming curiosity for the world around them, and fierce independence emerging as they begin to inch away from parents and caregivers to establish their own place in the world. Preschoolers learn how to say, "Please," and "Thank You," how to address adults with respect, how to ask politely when they need something, and how to share precious items with others.

By Tanja Henderson Why would a modern person take up such an ancient thing as yoga? We already have everything we need: t.v., internet, phone, and countless other modern luxuries, as well as basic living necessities, food, running water, electricity, a roof above our heads etc. We work out at the gym and we're in tip top shape already, aren't we? We don't need yoga, now do we? Well, I would like to contradict this.

By Narendra Maheshri Why should we be concerned with safety tips? Yoga is good for the body. There are many aspects of practice, but posture (asana) is most commonly learned first in modern classes. Additionally, asana practice is also good for one's emotional, psychological and spiritual well-being. You can take yoga with you anywhere you go and roll it out like a yoga mat. It will contribute to giving you abundant energy and healthy sleep cycles.

By Faye Martins The hips hold a tremendous amount of tension. Yoga training poses for muscular tension in the hip area also reduce lower back tension. When our lower backs are tense, our neck and shoulder areas also become tense, and our alignment is not optimally supported. Yoga poses that release tension in the hip area help to increase energy by increasing the flow of life force energy throughout the entire body.

By Amruta Kulkarni, CYT 500 The healing and therapeutic nature of yoga is well-known as people across the world with a variety of injuries have found relief from pain and inflammation through carefully selected poses designed to strengthen and tone the targeted problem areas. A person with an injury even has the option now of visiting a certified yoga therapist or incorporating asanas into physical therapy sessions.

By Kathryn Boland Have you wondered how often you should change up your sequences? How much? Does that seem to vary at different places where you teach? Some styles of yoga, such as Bikram and Ashtanga, have a set sequence that students practice every class. With Hatha and Vinyasa, however, teachers have the freedom to vary sequences class to class. In a way, that becomes an obligation, because students start to expect it. Offering new poses, transitions and flows also gives students places into which they can grow. It helps them to drink a few more drops of the vast ocean that is yoga practice.