Yoga For Beginners Guide

By Kathryn Boland Do you teach in settings where higher-ups frown upon, perhaps even prohibit, physical cueing? Do you sometimes struggle to find alternate ways to help your students achieve safe and optimally beneficial postures? Such cases will be increasingly common in settings like hospitals, mental health care institutions, memory care units, jails, and substance abuse rehabilitation sites. In these settings, physical cueing may very well trigger students who have experienced trauma, or be misunderstood by those in compromised mental states.

By Jenny Park Where are the best job opportunities for yoga instructors? A lot has changed in the yoga movement over the past two decades. Some developments have been welcome, while others have not, but the sheer volume of job opportunities for yoga teachers is something to celebrate. Today's certified instructors don't have to rely on their local studio for employment. Yoga is now so integrated into the western exercise world it seems that everywhere you look new employment opportunities present themselves.

By Faye Martins What is pet yoga all about? According to a 2004 BBC article, New York City-based yoga teacher Suzi Teitelman invented doggie yoga, or "doga" as it's sometimes called. As an instructor for the fitness chain Crunch, she had an inspiration and decided to include her cocker spaniel in the class, since he frequently joined her on the mat during her home practice and "Ruff Yoga" was born. Since then, a flood of doga classes have emerged across the United States. There's even a book, called "Doga: Yoga For Dogs," by Jennifer Brilliant and William Berloni.

By Kimaya Singh How important is a home yoga practice for yoga teachers? Most aspiring yoga teachers were introduced to the practice through a local yoga studio, and their enjoyment of the experience led them to become a teacher of the art themselves. Practicing yoga in a group atmosphere is an enriching thing that many people come to depend on, but future yoga teachers must make a point to maintain a daily practice of their own, in private.

By Dr. Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500 Everybody knows that Yoga relaxes the body and increases flexibility, but is it enough to keep the body fit? According to some Yogis, the answer is: "yes." Strength can be developed by holding postures for 20 seconds or longer. Yoga styles that hold postures for minutes, will develop strength levels in their students, without an increase in body weight. In contrast, flowing styles, such as Vinyasa Yoga, develop flexibility and strength through repetitive movement.

By Dr. Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500 We often talk about the benefits of Yoga we enjoy in our daily life "off the mat." However, there are also plenty of Yoga techniques we can do off the mat to make sure our practice improves! Here are some easy to incorporate exercises that will help deepen your daily Yoga practice.

By Dr. Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500 "We can never get a re-creation of community and heal our society without giving our citizens a sense of belonging." - Patch Adams Chair Yoga classes create special bonds for practitioners. From birth to old age, the desire to be accepted is an overwhelming prerequisite for happiness. For people who suffer from chronic illnesses or disabilities, however, the difficulty of participating in social or physical activities often hampers their ability to establish bonds or to feel like part of a community. This complicates already existing limitations and frequently leads to additional physical and emotional barriers.

By Dr. Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500 Many practitioners practice Hatha Yoga poses, but often wonder how long each pose should be held. During the process of holding Yoga poses (asanas), there is actually no definitive amount of time that should be applied to each move. The asana should be held as long as it is comfortable and does not cause any pain or discomfort. In addition, it should be quite easy to breathe deeply and fully while holding each Yoga pose.

By Dr. Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500 There are many different Yoga techniques to relieve sciatica, and there are many factors that cause sciatica. Sciatica is a painful condition that is often caused by the compression, or irritation, of one or more nerves. Often, this compression is felt only on one side of the body, depending on which nerve is affected by the compression or irritation. Sciatic pain is often felt in the buttocks and lower back. Sciatic pain can even run all the way down the leg and into the foot. Sciatica is very uncomfortable and can limit mobility and even make sleeping difficult.

By Faye Martins What should yoga teachers know about pregnant students? Pregnancy is a wonderful experience for women, but it comes with its fair share of discomfort and pain. Few things are as taxing on the female body as creating and supporting another life. Yoga practice is an effective way to strengthen and eliminate stress in the pregnant body, but there are some special considerations to keep in mind when teaching pregnant students.

By Faye Martins Have you had a student ask, "Will Yoga help fibromyalgia." Although fibromyalgia is a common disorder, its cause remains a mystery. Symptoms may begin after physical or emotional trauma, stress, or illness; but its onset may also be gradual with unknown triggers. Researchers think that it results when the body amplifies pain signals to the brain, causing conditions like irritable bowel syndrome, anxiety, depression, and tension headaches.

By Faye Martins We often hear that asana is just one of many Yogic aspects, but a 200 hour Yoga teacher training program may focus on asana for 100 hours. Yoga asana is essentially a deep internal massage. As you move through a series of postures the muscles, bones and organs bend, twist, flex, contract, lengthen and release with each other. In manipulating the body this way, energy blockages are released and the internal organs massaged.

By Faye Martins There are a variety of different ways to enroll in a Yoga training teacher program, even if you are on a tight budget. One of the ways is to study under the auspices of an online Yoga teacher training program. Another way to save money is to cut down on travel expenses and the cost of accommodations, by studying for your certification at a local Yoga school.

By Amruta Kulkarni, CYT 500 Although the benefits of yoga training are becoming increasingly more well-known, its effects on specific illnesses are still being researched. One area of debate is yoga's effect on bone health, especially osteopenia and osteoporosis. Both terms apply to bone density, which decreases with age, but the two conditions differ in degree.

By Dr. Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500 How can Yoga improve the state of health for children? Hatha Yoga is an ancient series of physical postures, breathing exercises, and relaxation techniques, which help to balance and rejuvenate the entire body-mind system. Practicing Yoga, on a regular basis, can tremendously support children's health, both physically and emotionally. A regular practice of Yoga, in the range of one to five times a week, has been shown to strengthen muscles, increase flexibility, heighten self-esteem, and lower stress and anxiety levels that can contribute to the development of depression.

By Bhavan Kumar One concern that many people have with Yoga is that certain positions (asanas) could actually be harmful. Depending on the type of body one has, any posture could be beneficial or harmful. This is especially true with headstands. The truth is, you should talk with your doctor about your Yoga practice and this is very important. While there can be a risk, the danger can be removed or modified if you understand your body and perform the pose correctly.

By Kimaya Singh Yoga offers many ways for coping with anxiety. Anxiety is a huge problem in our society. Many people struggle with daily anxiety over a variety of problems and in doing so, often exaggerate those problems. Some of the areas that produce the most stress for people are fear over losing their jobs, health issues, their own personal concerns about the probability of a solid financial future, as well as concerns over the current economic state of the world. People also struggle with having an overly-packed schedule with many obligations to attend to on a daily basis.

By Faye Martins When attending a yoga teacher training intensive, Paul gave a lecture about pain that I could never forget. Basically, he said: "We usually take life for granted, when we are healthy, but when we are in pain, we can think of nothing else." Yogic science directly addresses suffering and does its best to let us enjoy a pain free life. As you know, there are no guarantees in life, but we can be proactive toward living the best possible life during each precious moment.

By Bhavan Patel What has caused the attraction of vinyasa yoga classes? Vinyasa yoga is an active and flowing style of yoga. Vinyasa refers to movements that are synchronized with breath. This type of yoga uses a breathing technique called ujjayi pranayama. This breathing technique is performed by keeping the mouth closed and slightly constricting the throat. The effect is less air passing through which increases its force and speed.