Group items matching

in title, tags, annotations or url

By: Virginia Iversen, M.Ed. Practicing and teaching Yoga outside is a welcome breath of fresh air for those of us who spend most of our time in an office and behind the wheel of a car, as we commute back and forth to work each day. In geographical areas that have distinctly four seasons, it is often not possible to teach Yoga outside. However, during the warmer spring, summer and fall months, offering outdoor classes to your Yoga students will provide them with the opportunity to connect to the rhythms of the natural world.

By Sarah Labdar Yoga was first experimented with in the US in the 1960's and has steadily grown in popularity since. Approximately 30 million Americans practice Hatha yoga. Like many of the other alternative medicines, yoga promotes a whole-body approach to health and exercise. Unlike traditional medical practices yoga is a physical and mental discipline that uses posture-related techniques that involve gentle stretching, breath control and meditation. As patients delve more and more into the alternative medicine fields to cure their health problems the followers of acupuncture, chiropractic, meditation and yoga are growing at a rapid speed.

Clearly, a balanced practice of Yoga postures, breathing exercises and contemplative techniques lends itself quite easily to improving one's physical capabilities and mental outlook on life. By weaving some of the timeless wisdom of Yoga into your classes, you will further support your students in applying the wisdom of the ancient scriptures to their practice and to their lives off the mat. Furthermore, if you teach your Yoga classes in a disciplined manner, with a higher goal in mind, your students will pick up on how you approach your own professional role as their teacher, and they will quite naturally apply the same dedication to their own practice.

By Faye Martins Yoga teachers work in close physical and emotional proximity with their students, and this makes it imperative that they have the highest ethical standards. there are too many compromising situations that can occur if a student is taught by a teacher with poor or no ethics. therefore, it is important that everyone in the community work together to hold teachers to a high ethical standard. Here is a look at some of the yoga instructor ethics that are the most important.

Although the history of meditation dates back to ancient Vedic texts, the Beatles introduced the healing art to the United States in the...

By Faye Martins Vinyasa comes from the Sanskrit word meaning, "flow," and the flowing movements from one position to another are the essence of the many forms that constitute Vinyasa yoga practice. Vinyasa is often compared to a dance, and this aspect of the practice can pose special problem when teaching vinyasa yoga classes.

Some people think that transcendental meditation is a cult or a religion-related business. The contrasting party to The transcendental meditation followers' claims thinks so because The program is also being declared as The "Science of Creative Intelligence", which is now a degree at The Maharishi University of Management in Fairfield , Iowa .

Bleeding hemorrhoids is the worst of all symptoms of hemorrhoids. For many people, hemorrhoids are the cause of great frustration and pain. One of the utmost difficulties in treating chronic bouts of hemorrhoids involves dealing with the countless symptoms that usually go together with the condition.

Scientific studies even found explanations to confirm some benefits of meditation. These studies point out that meditation shift The brain's activity from The stress-prone part to The calmer part of The brain.

Hatha Yoga for the back is a viable solution for pain reduction or elimination of pain. At the same time, balancing the muscle tension...

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 Dr. Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500 What would you do if a health club manager had to substitute your class for an aerobic step class? What if one of the step aerobics students gave you a case of misplaced aggression because he or she was disappointed the step aerobics class was canceled? If you are considering teaching Yoga in a fitness center, or health club; imagine the following situation. A Power Yoga teacher is called, by the fitness center she works for - to substitute her class for the regular step aerobics class; this is her story.

By Kimaya Singh What can be done about autism for children? Maybe, the first actions on the part of education systems should be awareness, recognition, and a Yogic solution. It is unknown to many teachers that autistic children will benefit dramatically from engaging in Yoga techniques and practice. the benefits are many and varied for the children who suffer from this disruptive condition. Below are six things that children's' Yoga teachers should understand about autism and the benefits these kids gain from Yoga.

By Bhavan Kumar If you teach hatha yoga to younger adults, their minds focus on the muscles during asana practice. If you are a hatha yoga instructor who teaches asana to older adults, the mental emphasis of the average student is on the bones and joints. Although a yoga teacher asks students to be present for class, there is some outside thinking going on in the minds of our best students.

By Faye Martins When sitting through a lecture in yoga teacher training, one intern raised a hand and said: "I never knew there was mindfulness in yoga." Over the years, a few fitness yoga teachers have said the same. In Sanskrit: smrti or smiriti means mindfulness. When a yoga teacher asks the class to focus on the present or to be present for class that is also the state of mindfulness (awareness).

By Bhavan Kumar Like many other conditions we learn about in Yoga teacher training, pain in the tailbone can be both helped and aggravated by exercise. Although some asanas present problems, others alleviate pain and relieve inflammation. the key to success is knowing your own body and finding a good yoga instructor. Pain in the coccyx, or tailbone, is a common condition that affects five times as many women as men. Although the disorder stems from a variety of causes ranging from falls to pregnancy, an unstable coccyx is frequently the culprit. Discomfort varies from mild to acute and is usually aggravated by sitting.

By Jenny Park After finishing your yoga teacher training, everybody comes out of the woodwork to ask you about pain relief. Sometimes, visiting the doctor, getting a prescription, or an over the counter pain killer is the best solution, but Yogic practices offer us many more solutions to pains and aches that have plagued humans since the beginning.

By Faye Martins Yoga teacher training courses enhance an interns ability to connect with children on many levels. Teaching yoga to children is very rewarding, but there will be challenges in your classes. Perhaps if adults had the energy, optimism and honesty of children, the world would be a different place. Looking at the world through the eyes of a child means taking things one moment at a time, stopping to appreciate seemingly insignificant moments and attractions, and releasing your emotions as you feel them. Essentially, children are living some of the most fundamental of yogic principles: mindfulness, gratitude and inner peace. It makes sense, then, to teach children yoga postures and breathing while they are young and eager to accept healthy, lifelong concepts.

By Sanjeev Patel Meditation is the process of calming and focusing the mind. It can effectively relieve anxiety, stress, or depression. Many people use it every day to calm and refresh the mind. there are many positions to take upon meditation, but we often think of the image of a person sitting with his or her legs crossed, hands resting on the knees, and eyes closed.

By: Virginia Iversen, M.Ed Many of the same physical and emotional benefits of a regular practice of postures and breathing exercises can also be found in the practice of Chair Yoga. If you are Yoga student who is living with a chronic health condition that necessitates the use of props in order to safely practice asanas, by participating in chair classes, you will gain many of the benefits of a traditional class, while still maintaining your safety. If you are teacher, offering Chair Yoga classes to those students who need to practice a modified set of postures with the support of a chair will greatly increase your marketability and adaptability in a variety of different teaching environments.