By: Virginia Iversen, M.Ed. Have you learned about effective themes for summer Yoga classes? In many Yoga teacher training programs, you will learn about organizing your classes around specific themes. This concept encapsulates the idea of constructing a sequence, or krama, or Yoga postures, pranayama techniques and meditation instructions around a specific theme or goal. This theme may be the successful practice of a pinnacle posture, such as Crow Pose or Handstand. Or the chosen theme may be centered on a process, such as physical detoxification or calming an overactive mind.

By Kathryn Boland Language in yoga instruction is extremely important. Being invited to something - to a party, to a meaningful life passage event, even to do something that just plain feels good - carries its own special joy. It's even difficult; at least for me personally, to put into just the right words that special feeling of allowance and/or inclusion. Invitation can also be part of when one seeks to direct another in more formalized, structured activity (that which we might not commonly associate with such simple joy). As yoga instructors, we can both direct and ease our students through using "invitatory" language. Furthermore, it opens up opportunities for students to make their practices truly their own - versus our ideas of what we think those practices should be.

By Faye Martins Bringing awareness to the breath is a fundamental part of any yoga practice, but it is also important for our lives off of our mats. As adults, we feel the physiological and emotional benefits of breath awareness, but children can also benefit from conscious breathing.

By Kathryn Boland Are you in challenging yoga teaching environments? It's clear that yoga instructors have a lot to offer with their skills and knowledge in guiding various individuals to greater holistic wellness - Opportunities for doing so range from nursing homes to health clubs to schools. Many resourceful and creative yoga instructors have taken advantage of such diverse opportunities, often apart from the specialized yoga studio atmosphere. It's also clear that yogic philosophy often differs from Western's cultures perspectives on wellness, including the best ways to both work towards and maintain it.

By Faye Martins If you are a parent who enjoys participating in yoga exercise at home or in a class, then make sure to get your children involved in yoga. Not only can your children benefit from yoga movements that will increase their muscle strength and flexibility, but also, your children can learn more about their own anatomy.

By Bhavan Kumar If you are a yoga teacher, then it is essential to keep students interested in enrolling in classes several times a week. Students who feel bored by their instructor or the classroom environment may decide to take classes from a different teacher, leading to a loss of income for a yoga business.

By Amruta Kulkarni, CYT 500 Adults from all walks of life and varying physical abilities are discovering the many benefits of practicing yoga and they're not alone. Children as young as three can do simple yoga exercises; in addition to helping a child improve balance, coordination, and body strength, yoga exercises are something that parents and children can do together. In addition to a calming, pleasant exercise, yoga provides opportunities for parents to provide instruction and build trust and communication bonds with their children. And yoga is not just appropriate for small child/parent groups within the home. Larger groups of children respond well to yoga in both classroom and studio settings.

By Kimaya Singh Have you experienced neck and back pain after a long day of sitting at home or at work? In the modern era, as we have increased the amount of time we spend sitting at our computers at work or our televisions at home, we have inadvertently placed increasing amounts of strain upon the skeletal components in our necks and backs.

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. The article also explained how the same postures, in an overall balanced asana practice, can help to alleviate many hand and arm medical complications.

By Dr. Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500 The importance of warm-ups, before asana practice, cannot be overstated. The number one reason why we should teach warm-ups is to reduce the chances of student injury. It is amazing to listen to educated people, who believe that experienced students and teachers, do not have to warm up. This mindset that believes warm-ups are only for beginners should have its own mantra: "I am all that!" If you practice a physical form of Yoga, it only makes sense that you should warm up before asana practice.

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.

By Kimaya Singh How can Yoga help people with anger management? Every person feels anger at some point. It is a natural emotion that has its roots in jealousy, hatred, outrage or frustration. Regardless of its cause, anger has negative effects on the body and must learn to be controlled. There are yoga poses that help to redirect energy and reduce anger.

By Michael Gleason What can yoga postures do for tailbone pain? The objective to yoga is taking the time to realize you are in your body. While sweating and caloric output have their places, yoga is the opportunity to learn what your body is non-verbally conveying to you. In this modern age of working at desks, or being hunched over on squishy coffeehouse sofas, your yoga practice is your chance to address issues brought on by sedentary life. One of the culprits being tailbone pain. Any aches or muscle spasm just south of the lumbar region, therefore, is your body's message that you need a change of pace. Even an hour of yoga every other day or every few days will affect these changes.

By Dr. Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500 What is the value of Yoga Nidra (sleep of the Yogis)? Deep relaxation techniques, taught in Yoga classes, can become life savers outside the class. Although we should not take sleep period short cuts, Yoga Nidra is effective for bringing the mind and body to a state of rest, while the mind maintains awareness.

By Dr. Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500 Gentle forms of Hatha Yoga can help anyone who suffers from arthritis. Depending on the type, stage, and where arthritis is located in the body, a Yoga session will have to be modified to match the needs of the student. This can make the search for the right Yoga class, and a compassionate teacher difficult, at best.

By Dr. Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500 Students who seek peace of mind, from chronic anxiety and mood disorders, are often seeking a natural solution to a problem that has existed for years. If possible, it is best for the student to schedule one private Yoga session before attending classes. In this way, there is a level of comfort and familiarity when he or she attends sessions with other students.

By Dr. Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500 Do you always design a lesson plan before teaching Yoga classes, or do you mentally group segments, of your next class, before teaching them? Regardless of which method you choose, it seems that every Hatha Yoga teacher wishes that he or she could have inserted five more techniques in the class.

By Kathryn Boland Have you noticed the positive effects of students feeling a sense of community with those whom they practice? Have you thought about how you might be able to encourage that to emerge as a yoga instructor? I personally started to think about this topic more seriously as I joined a yoga studio, as a member. I had previously taken a few classes here, a few classes there - all enjoyable, but lacking in truly meaningful connections with my teachers and fellow students.

By Dr. Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500 What is unbalanced praise in a Yoga class? If you teach classes, you may have learned about "unbalanced praise" in Yoga teacher training; but let's go over the basics. Essentially, unbalanced praise is favoritism when one student is praised, above all others, by the teacher. There is a flaw in this method in that the teacher does not see the big picture.

By Jenny Park Every teacher has his or her special mat. One of the many benefits of practicing yoga training is that practitioners need few pieces of equipment. While some classes may use props, the most basic piece of equipment in a yoga class is the mat. Lightweight and small, mats afford a yoga student the luxury to practice pretty much anywhere.