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By Virginia Iversen Anxiety is often defined as the fear of being hurt in the future. Anxiety is a form of fear, fear of physical or emotional harm in some form. Anxious feeling may be completely appropriate for the situation we are in, or the anxious feelings may be dramatically disproportionate for the situation at hand. In either case, the physical and emotional reactions to anxiety will remain similar in each situation. Your palms may sweat and your heart may beat faster. You may find yourself perspiring more and experiencing digestive distress. All of these physical reactions occur in order to prepare the body to fight or flee a dangerous situation.

By Faye Martins Restless leg syndrome is a disorder that causes uncomfortable, urgent feelings in the body. It is considered a neurological sleep disorder. Those with restless leg syndrome can have a variety of symptoms including an insatiable need to move or shake the legs, a crawling sensation, or a tickling or itching feeling. Many people with restless leg syndrome also experience twitching or jerking of the limbs during sleep. Sensations are not limited to the legs, and may affect the arms or even limbs that have been amputated. the cause of restless leg syndrome is uncertain, but in some cases, there may be a connection to iron levels in the blood. Certain medications have been shown to cause or contribute to restless leg syndrome, as well.

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 Faye Martins Yoga is good for you, and we all know that. As a yoga teacher, you have the ability to help people deal with a lot of health problems, and heart problems are no different. According to Dr. Suzie Bertisch, a medical instructor at Harvard, the benefits of yoga for the heart are quite immense. In addition to making the body healthy, it helps to improve the symptoms of heart failure, ease palpitations, enhance the rehabilitation of the heart and reduce blood pressure.

By Gopi Rao Sometimes we refer to our instinctive wisdom as "gut feelings." Maybe we don't know why we feel the way we do or how we know the answer to a question. We just do. Some of us chalk it up to instinct or a sixth sense while others discount the phenomenon altogether. Could there be a scientific explanation? the answer may be the vagus nerve, a physical link to the mind-body connection.

By Kathryn Boland A summer or two ago I was browsing a local newspaper and saw an advertisement for a $5 sunset yoga class on the beach. Everything in that description appealed to me, so I penciled it right into my calendar. When I arrived at the small local beach for the class, however, there was nary a yoga mat in site. I asked a few beach-goers if they knew anything about the class - if it was perhaps farther down the beach, or had changed to another day of the week or time of night. No better idea from anyone.

By: Virginia Iversen, M.Ed How do we go about nurturing harmony in our Yoga classes? According to BKS Iyengar, who is one of the most well loved and highly respected Yoga teachers of our time, "Health is a state of complete harmony of the body, mind and spirit." He goes on to state that, " When one is free from physical disabilities and mental distractions, the gates of the soul open up." Ultimately, the goal of all Yoga practices is to know God intimately in the depths of one's own being. Along the way, of course, you may experience a stronger, lighter, more flexible body and a trained mind.

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 Faye Martins Restless leg syndrome is a disorder that causes uncomfortable, urgent feelings in the body. It is considered a neurological sleep disorder. Those with restless leg syndrome can have a variety of symptoms including an insatiable need to move or shake the legs, a crawling sensation, or a tickling or itching feeling. Many people with restless leg syndrome also experience twitching or jerking of the limbs during sleep. Sensations are not limited to the legs, and may affect the arms or even limbs that have been amputated. the cause of restless leg syndrome is uncertain, but in some cases, there may be a connection to iron levels in the blood. Certain medications have been shown to cause or contribute to restless leg syndrome, as well.

By: Virginia Iversen, M.Ed As we enter into the heart of the summer, many Yoga practitioners are beginning to enjoy a challenging and vigorous outdoor exercise regime. Those of us who spend a lot of time indoors during the colder winter months often participate in a variety of outdoor activities during the summertime. Depending on where you live and the availability of different outdoor activities, you may choose to go backpacking, play in a tennis league, surf, or even learn how to rock climb. You may even choose to do several of these activities over the course of the summertime, in addition to your regular Yoga practice.

By Kimaya Singh Is Yoga a healing method? If you practice yoga on a regular basis, you know the benefits it provides. You know the light, uplifted feeling of exhilaration that sets in directly after a good yoga class, or the long, lean feel of your muscles after a good stretch. Perhaps you do a pose as the afternoon slump sets in to get you through the rest of the workday, or maybe you take a few deep breaths before giving a big presentation to clear your mind and focus. the health benefits of yoga training go much deeper than that. Yoga training has been proven to have positive healing effects for a number of common ailments, chronic pain, and diseases.

By Amruta Kulkarni, CYT 500 Like any other workplace, it is important for yoga teachers to stay up-to-date on harassment prevention, whether it is physical, sexual, verbal, or another form of harassment. With recent headlines seeming to indicate that harassment in the studio is on the rise, it's especially imperative that instructors take steps to protect themselves and their students. One of the best ways to prevent harassment issues in the studio is to regularly engage in continuing education courses involving harassment recognition and prevention. Learning about the different types of harassment is key to preventing messy harassment scenarios in your own classes. Taking classes and educating yourself will ensure that all your students feel at ease in the studio, whether they are completely new to the practice or have been visiting your studio for years.

By Brooke Olive Yoga has long been believed to be the most comprehensive whole body fitness regime around. But it is the beneficial side effects that are of real value to the individual. Practicing yoga tones the body, stimulates the nervous system to work more effectively, aids digestion and increases flexibility. However it also works on a deeper level by creating a new mindfulness that leaves the individual feeling calm, relaxed and more at ease.

By Faye Martins Hot yoga studios have recently begun springing up all over the United States. This new trend in yoga might seem puzzling to some who suffer through humid summers and working outdoors, but practitioners swear by it. the idea behind yoga in a heated room is that the body is more flexible when it is already warm, an idea substantiated by the millions of athletes who begin their practices or games by warming up. Bikram style is a form of hot yogic exercise, which gets a jump on warm-ups by heating the room to 105 degrees Fahrenheit and infusing it with 40 percent humidity. Some practitioners liken the experience to practicing asana in a sauna.

By Faye Martins Many women strive for that beautiful, slim waist seen on models, television actresses, and even important historical figures and actresses. The desire to have or maintain a narrow waist has been a part of lives for many years. Women will go to great lengths to get it, like sit-ups, weightlifting, jogging, aerobics and more. You might not automatically think of yoga when you think of a slim waistline, but many of The poses tighten The core while slimming The waistline, too. Even some men can benefit from a slimmer waistline. Try a few yoga poses to stretch, strengThen and lengThen The muscles around The waistline.

By Dr. Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500 Since most headaches are caused by tension, which is caused by stress, Yoga should be at the top of the list of headache relief and prevention strategies. Most people carry their tension in the back, shoulders and neck, and this can create a contraction of muscles around the neck and jaw as well as reduced blood flow to the brain. the result is often a tension headache.

By Kimaya Singh We all know the potential for yoga as a practice in the life of adults. We have experienced such positive changes in our own lives, through incorporating yoga into our daily or weekly routines. the same benefits can regularly be seen in our classes, and it is one of the more fulfilling aspects of teaching the discipline. When it comes to children, could yoga hold the key to improving their physical and emotional health?

By Gopi Rao Regular exercise helps to build strength and stability in our muscles. Cardiovascular activity helps to strengthen our hearts and therefore, our bodies. Power Yoga combines the concepts of strengthening muscles and the cardiovascular system. Although strength training is very important, cardiovascular workouts can help take our fitness levels to higher levels. they can help to burn calories and build endurance levels. Walking and running are just two of the many examples of cardiovascular exercises. the cardiovascular benefits of Power Yoga include the ability to burn calories, improving the mind-body connection and helping to maintain a healthy weight.

By Kimaya Singh Many of us struggle with the discomfort of accumulating neck and shoulder tension throughout the day. Neck and shoulder tension can be caused by too much time on the computer or behind the wheel of a car. Neck and shoulder tension may also be caused by anxiety, stress or bottling up our emotions. Tension in this area can easily block of the flow of chi or life force energy and leave us feeling uncomfortable, drained and exhausted. the optimal alignment of our spine and neck may also be compromised.

By Dr. Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500 How can Yoga and meditation help people with chronic insomnia? Results of studies, released by the Associated Professional Sleep Societies, in 2009, show that meditation "may be an effective behavioral intervention in the treatment of insomnia." the research looked at 11 healthy participants, between the ages of 25 and 45, who suffered from chronic insomnia. Findings show, that the subjects who practiced Yoga during the day, had fewer sleep problems at night.