By Faye Martins The American Chiropractic Association states that 80% of people will experience a back problem in the course of their lives. Studies suggest that about 31 million Americans suffer from lower back pain, and it is the most common disability for people worldwide. Chronic back pain can impact a person's quality of life, but a strong asana practice can relieve some of these symptoms.

By Kathryn Boland Do you see students practicing backbends in similar potentially dangerous ways? Do you have strategies for working against this - proactively and/or retroactively? Backbending has incredible benefits- contributing to strength-building, stretching out various muscles, and offering energy boosts. We're dealing with the spine, however, so the potential for significant damage is very real.

By Dr. Rita Khanna We have been taking care of the physical body, trying to meet our nutritional needs with adequate vitamins and minerals but we have not been trying to supplement the necessary needs of the mind, the state of the inner being which constitutes real health. Therefore, man has become mentally ill. He does not even know how to think, what to think, or why to think; what to feel, how to feel, or why to feel. His mind is like a motor car being driven by a driver who is heavily drunk. By chance the car may reach its destination, but more than likely it will meet with an accident along the way.

By Faye Martins In a perfect world, productivity would be at its maximum all hours of the workday, employees would feel clear-headed and motivated to wipe out their to-do lists during an eight-hour stretch, and people would save any emotional stress or physical weariness for when they stepped out of the office. The reality is that people get tired, productivity rises and falls throughout the day, and everyone hits a little afternoon slump where they would rather be napping than sitting at work.

By Gopi Rao Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is a form of depression that fluctuates with the seasons. It is most prevalent in areas of the world that receive little or no sunlight during the fall and winter seasons. The sun's rays and Vitamin D production from sunlight helps to keep our brain chemistry optimally balanced. When we don't get enough sunlight, serotonin and dopamine levels begin to fall. These are two critical neurotransmitters in the brain that keep our moods positive and healthy. Low levels of serotonin, dopamine and Vitamin D are some of the main causes of depression. Taking walks in the brief periods of winter sunshine is a great way to help boost your serotonin and Vitimin D levels.

By Amruta Kulkarni, CYT 250 Most of us take the ability to breathe freely for granted, but for many people the basic task of taking in air is painful due to respiratory ailments. Those suffering from problems of this nature may find themselves wishing that there was some way to exercise and care for the lungs. Fortunately, there is.

By Faye Martins How can meditation rid addictions? With Patanjali's Yoga Sutras we are taught the higher value of meditation. Yet, Hatha Yoga classes are filled with people who focus on the physical body. You can't blame the masses for taking care of themselves physically, but the mental and emotional Yogic benefits are worth consideration. Yoga meditation is being taught to support groups for the purpose of eliminating addictions.

By Kimaya Singh It is an exciting time for yoga students and teachers, with so many different types of yoga classes offered today. However, we must not forget the importance of choosing the right class because not every class is one-size-fits-all. Some classes are geared toward beginners, while others require prior knowledge of poses. Students who attend an advanced class without knowing the associated risks are putting themselves in a position for potential injuries.

By Dr. Rita Khanna Osteo means bones and porosis means porous. Osteoporosis is the disease which affects the bones inside the body of the human beings. In this disorder, the bones of the skeleton become fragile due to excessive loss of tissues. Ladies are affected more than the males by osteoporosis. This difficulty is noticed mostly in postmenopausal women who cross the age of 50 to 55. When a person suffers from osteoporosis, the bones become susceptible to fractures even by small injuries. It could result in cracking and collapsing of the bones in the three parts of the body areas like wrists, hips and spine. Normal bone consists of a series of thin, intersecting plates called 'trabeculae'. These plates are surrounded by a dense shell. These plates form is called the bone mass. In osteoporosis, they become filled with holes or may even totally disappear.

By Bhavan Kumar How does Yoga help bone density? An increasing number of individuals are finding themselves suffering with ailments related to a weakening of the bones. Age is typically blamed for this decrease in bone density and strength, but in truth extreme bone weakness is not a normal side effect of aging. This new problem has only been an issue in recent years, and our current lifestyle is to blame. Postmenopausal women are most prone to bone weakness, but this problem is starting to extend to young women and even men. The bones are like anything else in the body and must be used in order to be strong and durable.

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 Gopi Rao There are many misconceptions about menopause that generally cast this natural change in a completely negative light. The truth is that menopause is a natural change that should be embraced rather than fought, and yoga can be instrumental in helping women adapt to this new state of physical being.

By Kimaya Singh Virtually everyone has had a headache at one point or another during the course of their lives, and it's an undeniable fact that they make basic activities, decision-making, and even normally enjoyable hobbies difficult or nearly impossible depending on the severity of the pain. Modern pain killers are usually quite effective at masking this discomfort, but extended use of these drugs leads to some unpleasant side effects, including headaches themselves.

By Bhavan Kumar In order to be an effective yoga teacher, strive to provide a comfortable, challenging environment for students. You must have knowledge of the philosophy of yoga, the poses, and breathing exercises, but knowledge alone is not enough. You must also be able to communicate with your students in a positive manner, keeping them coming back class after class. It is important to think about the logistics of how you will format the class, how you will address the different levels of expertise within the class, how you will explain the poses and philosophy so the average person can understand, and how you will correct incorrect postures in gentle, nonjudgmental ways.

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. At the end of each day or, as often the case, another series of nursing, changing, or lulling but in the middle of the night.

By Michael Gleason Can Yoga relieve postpartum depression? Entering motherhood can be an exciting time: buying baby clothes, either turning a spare bedroom or making space in the home for a nursery, and choosing a name. And then the woman goes to the hospital around the baby's due date and comes home as a mother with an infant. Due to the rapid changes in the body - especially when it comes to hormones and core muscles - it is not unheard of for the postpartum period to bring about feelings of sadness or develop a condition known as postpartum depression. In this modern age, a mother may only be allotted six to 12 weeks of paid maternity leave from her employer. Even if paternity time is unavailable for the father, or the baby is constantly fussy then postpartum blues can be exacerbated.

By Kathryn Boland There I was, in my typical Tuesday night yoga class. We were warmed up and moving into some vigorous Warrior flows. Having been on my feet all day long, my quads whimpered for mercy as I bent deeper into Utthita Parsvakonasana (Extended Side Angle Pose). Ok, true, maybe my alignment got a little sloppy as I backed off my deep bend slightly. The instructor, whom I looked up to highly (both as a student and a new, quite green instructor myself), came over and gave me a physical cue to deepen me in the posture. "They're watching you!" she whispered in my ear.

By Kathryn Boland Yoga Rx: What does it mean and where is it going? Have you noticed that yoga is coming more into our Western culture's medical "mainstream"? Do you wonder where you might factor in, as a yoga instructor, in this trend? My father practiced for several decades as an orthopedic surgeon specializing in hands and shoulders. While in my 200 hour CYT training, I forwarded him an article about keeping the wrists safe in weight-bearing yoga postures.

By: Virginia Iversen, M.Ed Teaching Yoga poses that reduce anger will effectively detoxify negative emotions from the body and minds of your students. Angry feelings can be generated by frustration, a sense of powerlessness or the subjective experience of being disrespected, to name only a few possible scenarios. Many Yoga students and teachers alike may experience a low level of chronic anger and frustration, which is often evidenced by having a short fuse and breathing in a shallow manner.

By: Virginia Iversen, M.Ed. Can you think of effective themes for Yoga sessions that are based on the seasons? Although many of us visualize the carefree days of summer, the summertime can also be filled with long "to-do" lists, as many of us plan assiduously to fit in all of the activities we had planned to do, during these supposed "lazy days." The same is true of many of the seasons during the year. For instance, during the fall many Yogis and Yoginis rush to fit in that final trip to the wilderness or to the ocean. In a similar fashion, the holiday season, as festive as it is, is also often a time of heightened stress, because of all the extra gatherings with family and friends.