By Kathi Duquette You might think you can't practice yoga because you are not steady on your feet, you have chronic pain, your balance is off kilter, or you have difficulty getting up and down, but you might be wrong. Chair Yoga can be a safer alternative to people with disabilities, chronic pain, or people who don't feel steady enough to practice on their own.

By: Virginia Iversen, M.Ed. During the frenetic pace of the holiday season, you will probably find that many of your Yoga students are desperately in need of a dedicated period of time at some point during their week when they can simply just relax. Although many traditional cultures value periods during which they have leisure time to dedicate to socializing with others, creating art or beautifying their environment, our current culture tends to more highly value being busy, constantly multi-tasking and getting financially and professionally ahead of the proverbial eight ball.

By Faye Martins Teaching yoga is an art. Your techniques will set you apart from others. You can endear yourself to your students with small details like your selection of music or the use of fragrant aromatherapy sprays or essential oils. However, your ability and the techniques used to engage students into improved postures is a way to create better classroom relationships.

By Faye Martins If you have decided to become a yoga instructor for students who have had a previous stroke, there is much you should know about asana modifications and how to properly use props. Specialized yoga teacher training and therapy are needed in order to give students the best attention and care. A stroke can have devastating effects on the body. Victims can lose the ability to walk or even stand unassisted. Depending on which part of the brain the stroke affects, speech, balance, visual perception and memory can also be altered. Recent studies on the effects of yoga on stroke patients have shown positive results. Yoga helps patients regain balance and agility, and yoga can help patients release the negative emotions associated with this life-altering event.

By Faye Martins Each of us has a unique perspective of life. Unfortunately, many people don't experience health benefits from their daily activities. Time is extremely valuable these days. Holding onto a job requires the lion's share of your time and you come home exhausted by your commute, work, kids, chores, and possibly, you go to college at night. How can you make a positive change? Believe it, or not, you can experience reduced pain and a better quality life by practicing yoga for 30 minutes, at least, three days per week. If you practice daily or for 45, 60 or 90 minute sessions, you will experience more health benefits.

By: Virginia Iversen, M.Ed In the United States, the annual holiday of Thanksgiving is here. This is the annual time of year that many of us gather with family and friends to celebrate all of the abundance in our lives. Many of us celebrate this abundance with an elaborate meal, followed by a movie marathon or watching football games for the remainder of the day. There are also a number of opportunities during the Thanksgiving season to give back to our own communities, by serving meals to the poor or raising money during various charity events.

By Jenny Park Very few people are in love with themselves. There are a few people with narcissistic personality disorder (NPD), but for many of us, coming to terms with one's self is a lifelong struggle. Yogic practices can make a difference and an advanced course such as yoga instructor training can be a journey of self-discovery and acceptance. This explains why some interns take a course to become a yoga teacher, but their real quest was to feel self-worth. They may become a substitute yoga instructor, but they feel much more gratification after successfully completing yoga instructor training because the accomplishment itself enhances their self-image.

By Jenny Park During the course of yoga instructor training each of learns that yogic methodology has many remedies for most of the common ailments. There are many reasons for headaches and there different types, which make a realize that one medicine or yogic technique won't be a perfect remedy for every person. As each of learns during a yoga teacher training, every student is different in many ways. If this point isn't emphasized during a yoga instructor training course, graduates are handicapped. The yoga teacher should adapt the practice to the health of the student. There is no other way to safely teach yoga.

By Sanjeev Patel If you already have a yoga teacher certification, you probably think you know what new students are looking for in your classes. Most instructors have been teaching so long that they forget what it felt like to be a beginner. A new student has his or her senses wide open when visiting your studio. The finger prints on your mirror, the smell of your studio, and your appearance, are all new to first time students. How can you know what students really want, when each one has different expectations? First of all, you can't make everyone happy, but you can make most of them happy by making the best possible impression and looking at your class with a fresh pair 0f eyes, like you once had, long before you decided to become a yoga instructor.

By Sangeetha Saran Many people practice yoga training to relax and unwind, to stay fit and active and to relieve tension and pain throughout the body. Yoga can also be an effective way to heal the body from a number of ailments and serious medical conditions, from insomnia to cancer. Many people turn to yogic techniques as a way to accompany other more conventional medical treatments. When pursued on a consistent and regular basis, yoga can be a successful treatment. Numerous studies have shown the healing benefits that yoga provides.

By: Virginia Iversen, M.Ed There is great power in becoming aware of the truth and speaking the truth, when appropriate. This can be especially true during a Yoga class. A balanced and comprehensive practice of Yoga postures, breathing exercises and meditative techniques can quickly clarify any areas of physical weakness or imbalance. A balanced Yoga practice can also uncover painful and confusing life experiences, which may be lingering just under conscious awareness. These experiences may not have been completely understood or resolved by a student.

By Dr. Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500 Let us look at some ways to group techniques, within a Yoga class, and keep them interesting for each session. Please keep in mind that there are thousands of ways to design lesson plans. The only time a lesson plan is wrong is if it can potentially hurt a student.

Whether you just finished your third yoga certification course or are a new student breathing is an integral part of a well-rounded practice. It helps with circulation and relaxation, it helps you go deeper into a pose and it helps you hold poses longer. Competent Yoga instructors constantly remind students to pay attention to their breath.

By Kristen McCarthy Practice yoga balancing poses for kids and you can fly like an eagle or be as still as a tree. Yoga for kids expands your imagination and tests your inner focus. Play with eagle pose for kids and imagine that you have long feathers and massive wings.

There are some contraindications to doing Downward Dog. If you have a wrist, shoulder elbow or neck injury it is better to modify it or skip the pose if you don't know how to modify. During a head cold, sinus or ear infection, eye problem or after recent dental work it's advisable to avoid the full pose because it puts your head upside down and increases swelling and inflammation and may decrease healing time.

By: Virginia Iversen, M.Ed If you are teaching a number of Yoga classes on a regular basis to a diversity of students, you probably notice that many of your students are just as stressed about "getting a good workout in" and practicing as many challenging postures as possible during class, just as they are about accomplishing as much as possible "off the mat" in their daily lives! This level of frenetic activity can undermine the more grounding and replenishing aspects of a well-rounded Yoga class.

First yoga helps teens de-stress. Between academic pressure and the social jungle that is Junior and Senior High School, teen lives are extremely stressful. There is a significant amount of peer pressure. They have to make decisions which impact the rest of their lives. Their schedules are filled to overfull with school, sports, part-time jobs and a social life. Their hormones are completely out of balance most of the time. Yoga helps teens deal with all of these challenges. It teaches them to look inward for inspiration, to connect with themselves. Furthermore, it provides training in relaxation techniques and breathing exercises which promote calm and stimulate the relaxation response.

By Michelle Buford Yoga is defined as a form of exercise by a series of different poses and breathing exercises. Yoga is done by slow and fluid motions. This exercise is not fast paced or a series of strenuous movements. Yoga is also found to be relaxing and to heighten your mental senses. It is found to be a very beneficial to your health.

By Faye Martins After successfully completing yoga teacher training, many people ask about remedies for every type of pain and ache. There are many pains that humans feel, but headaches might be one of the most common. Among the various types of headaches is migraine. In 2007, a study published in the scholarly journal Headache: The Journal of Head and Face Pain concluded that migraine sufferers who practiced yoga for three months were significantly more likely to report a reduction in headache severity, frequency and related symptoms like anxiety or depression. The authors of the study noted, too, that more research was warranted on the subject, and since then, several more studies have published results supporting the conclusion that yoga training can bring headache and migraine relief.

By: Virginia Iversen, M.Ed One of the most important aspects of sharing the transformational power of Yoga with your students is to truly honor your own truth. This truth could be either physical or emotional in nature. For instance, if you are teaching a Yoga class with a slight back injury, and you are forthright with your students about your current physical limitations, they will be more easily able to identify with you when they come up against their own physical challenges during class.