Yoga For Beginners Guide

By Dr. Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500 How can we inspire our students? Did you ever consider how much impact teachers have on the lives of their Yoga students? Years can go by, and you meet an old student at a local market and he or she tells you how much your classes changed his or her life. Within a month, that same student resurfaces in your Yoga class. It does not always happen like this, but a Yoga teacher's impact on the community has a lasting effect.

By Dr. Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500 What are group dynamics and how do they apply to Yoga classes? "The whole is greater than the sum of its parts." The sentiment rang true when Aristotle said it; and it's still true today. Many of us have experienced it in class: The dynamic energy of a room full of Yoga practitioners, all practicing together on a day when every student's practice is going well. It is an exhilarating sensation. Yes, but how can this mindset be cultivated?

By Dr. Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500 Approximately 1 in every 3 adults in the United States has high blood pressure, or hypertension. Often called the silent killer because it produces few symptoms in its early stages, the condition can damage blood vessels, heart, and kidneys. Lifestyle management is one of the primary keys to prevention and management, and a Yoga practice can be the key to making important changes. Genetics is also a major factor in the cause of high blood pressure (HBP). While lifestyle can be a family culture in itself, it is also possible for someone who exercises and eats right to have elevated HBP readings.

By Clyde Granger Reasons for inflexibility are many. Repetitive motion, time of day, skeletal compression, pre-existing injury, and tensile tension head the list of reasons. Yoga teachers, who have exceptional flexibility, may have difficulty understanding why students have a difficult time with asanas, unless they also struggled with inflexibility.

By Dr. Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500 What is the key to motivating students? Teaching Yoga, and maintaining student interest, is an art form. Although the benefits of Yogic practices are indisputable, it is not unusual for students to become discouraged, or bored, every now and then. Whether progress has reached a plateau, or personal problems make getting to class more difficult, it sometimes becomes difficult to maintain one's level of motivation. With a little persistence, and the help of a well-trained instructor, the problem is usually short lived and easily remedied. There are, however, a few things for both Yoga teachers and students to consider when the doldrums strike.

By Dr. Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500 How can a practitioner perform a physical practice after rotator cuff surgery! pAccording to conservative estimates, in 2008, nearly two million people visited a doctor because of rotator cuff injuries, within the United States. Some estimates claim higher numbers and it makes one wonder about the global statistics. The rotator cuff, which provides stability to the shoulder, is particularly vulnerable to injuries in sports like swimming, kayaking, tennis, and baseball.

By Dr. Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500 What is the importance of warm ups in Yoga Classes? Yoga asana practice, like all other physical activities, requires the practitioner to challenge and stretch the muscles, while creating safe space in the joints. Since an integral part of most physical Yogic practices includes meditation and breathing exercises, many practitioners feel that Yogic exercise provides a "gentle workout" and skip the vital warm up session to tackle more challenging postures as soon as possible. This can be very dangerous, since warming up the body before attempting these more challenging postures can prevent injury.

By Dr. Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500 Constant demands on our time - from work, spouses, children, and worrying about the future, can create a subtle background hum of chronic stress. It may seem invisible and inevitable, lurking just beneath the surface like an iceberg. Yet, chronic anxiety wears the body down, curtailing immune function and giving rise to more frequent illnesses, as well as conditions, such as neck and shoulder aches and tension headaches.

By Dr. Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500 Are Yoga techniques for studying effective? There are some people for whom studying is easy: they simply sit down, without prompting, and work diligently until the material is covered and papers are written. They usually finish the project ahead of schedule and have time to review and revise. However, we've never met any of these people in real life. For the rest of us, carving out the time and effort, whether the material is work or school related, is difficult.

By Dr. Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500 What is the quickest technique for anxiety? Pranayama is the practice of breath control. Pranayama is an extremely important tool, when practiced in Yoga, which can harness one's anxiety, reduce stress levels, and control energy flow. At the same time, controlling the flow of "prana" (vital energy), throughout one's body, is important to maintain one's emotional stability.

By Dr. Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500 Is Yoga for leukemia a viable option? Leukemia, or cancer of the blood or bone marrow, is a terrifying disease that strikes both young and old. Damage to the blood stream, from the cancer, results in reduced immune response, anemia from lack of red blood cells, and other conditions. In the U.S., about 245,000 people are affected with some form of leukemia, including those currently in remission. Treatment of leukemia typically involves medication, chemotherapy and/or bone marrow transplantation. The most common form of leukemia has a five-year survival rate between 15-70%, and a relapse rate from 33-78%.

By Dr. Rita Khanna Prolapse is a very common problem for women, but very few women are aware of the possibility of doing something about it. Apart from surgical correction, there are many Yogic techniques, which help to reintegrate the pelvic structure and which often prove more beneficial in the long run than surgical intervention. Before taking any major steps towards removing this problem, it is important that we understand what prolapse is and how it comes about.

By Kimaya Singh There are many variables in the type of Yoga training each of us might choose to practice and there are many ways to injure one's knee. Let's look at the safest way for a person to enter a class, without slowing down the recovery process or causing self-injury. Therefore, medical clearance in the form of your doctor's approval is imperative before considering asana (posture) practice. A conference explaining your surgery, with a certified Yoga instructor before you take a class, insures that you will get proper attention.

By Dr. Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500 Ring the Bell, Pranayama is in Session How will Yoga fitness change schools? The rise of attention deficit disorder (ADD), decreasing emphasis on physical fitness, and the increasing stress levels of our children, worry us all. With this in mind, some educational programs and public schools are giving Yogic methods a chance, by allowing their students to practice from an early age.

By Dr. Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500 How can Yoga improve self-acceptance? Practicing asanas (postures) is very different from practicing other physical exercises - not only does Yoga help the body, but it also enriches the mind. All of us suffer from insecurities, due to issues we have with ourselves. In order to live a healthy, fulfilled life, it is important to accept our imperfections and learn to accept ourselves.

Battling a cold is a strategy and may require contacting your physician. Yoga might not help you build a better mousetrap, but it can help you with battling a cold. The congestion, fatigue, headache, and sore throat, which accompany the "common cold" can keep people at home all year round. Beside drinking plenty of fluids, and getting enough rest, try some of these asanas for symptom relief - and even an ounce of prevention.

By Dr. Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500 Are there any psychological benefits to be gained from Yoga practice? At this point in time, most individuals, outside of India, view Yoga as a physical activity more than anything else. This is partially true; Yoga has extensive benefits for the physical body, but these may be outweighed by the positive effects on the psychological state of the practitioner.

By: Virginia Iversen, M.Ed. How can your students learn to apply mindful breath awareness to life? The warm, balmy months of summer easily lend themselves to teaching Yoga classes in an outdoor environment. Traditionally, Yoga postures and breathing exercises were practiced outside, or at least within the natural confines of a cave, grove of trees or on the banks of a river. Most of the traditional sadhus of India practiced Yoga in tandem with either the dawn or the dusk hours. The reason for this was that practicing Yoga in alignment with the rhythms of the dawn and dusk hours helps to facilitate a deep connection to the natural world.

By Faye Martins Yoga is a discipline that can quickly become a passion for people of any age. As a practice that promotes physical and mental health, more and more people are choosing to attend yoga classes to build strength, increase flexibility, lose weight, tone the muscles or to get rid of stress. Unfortunately, many of the class lesson plans are not designed for beginners who are trying the discipline out for the first time. If you are in the process of targeting beginners for your class, here are some very valuable design tips for instructors designing a yoga lesson plan catering to students who have no yoga experience.

By Dr. Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500 Can Yoga improve the lives of active seniors? An active lifestyle is one of the keys to a long life. In our elder years, it is important to keep moving in order to enjoy the wonderful essence of life. Yoga is a fantastic activity for seniors, as it is low impact, promotes overall wellness, and can be modified to suit the mobility of any practitioner. If you have been practicing Yoga for many years, you will see your youth extended, and your ability to practice is mildly affected as you age. Even if you are well into your senior years, and have never stepped foot on Yoga mat, it is never too late to start a healthy habit (though it is important to follow your body's own pace).