Yoga For Beginners Guide

By Faye Martins How can meditation rid addictions? With Patanjali's Yoga Sutras we are taught the higher value of meditation. Yet, Hatha Yoga classes are filled with people who focus on the physical body. You can't blame the masses for taking care of themselves physically, but the mental and emotional Yogic benefits are worth consideration. Yoga meditation is being taught to support groups for the purpose of eliminating addictions.

By Amruta Kulkarni, CYT 250 Most of us take the ability to breathe freely for granted, but for many people the basic task of taking in air is painful due to respiratory ailments. Those suffering from problems of this nature may find themselves wishing that there was some way to exercise and care for the lungs. Fortunately, there is.

By Gopi Rao Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is a form of depression that fluctuates with the seasons. It is most prevalent in areas of the world that receive little or no sunlight during the fall and winter seasons. The sun's rays and Vitamin D production from sunlight helps to keep our brain chemistry optimally balanced. When we don't get enough sunlight, serotonin and dopamine levels begin to fall. These are two critical neurotransmitters in the brain that keep our moods positive and healthy. Low levels of serotonin, dopamine and Vitamin D are some of the main causes of depression. Taking walks in the brief periods of winter sunshine is a great way to help boost your serotonin and Vitimin D levels.

By Faye Martins In a perfect world, productivity would be at its maximum all hours of the workday, employees would feel clear-headed and motivated to wipe out their to-do lists during an eight-hour stretch, and people would save any emotional stress or physical weariness for when they stepped out of the office. The reality is that people get tired, productivity rises and falls throughout the day, and everyone hits a little afternoon slump where they would rather be napping than sitting at work.

By Dr. Rita Khanna We have been taking care of the physical body, trying to meet our nutritional needs with adequate vitamins and minerals but we have not been trying to supplement the necessary needs of the mind, the state of the inner being which constitutes real health. Therefore, man has become mentally ill. He does not even know how to think, what to think, or why to think; what to feel, how to feel, or why to feel. His mind is like a motor car being driven by a driver who is heavily drunk. By chance the car may reach its destination, but more than likely it will meet with an accident along the way.

By Kathryn Boland Do you see students practicing backbends in similar potentially dangerous ways? Do you have strategies for working against this - proactively and/or retroactively? Backbending has incredible benefits- contributing to strength-building, stretching out various muscles, and offering energy boosts. We're dealing with the spine, however, so the potential for significant damage is very real.

By Faye Martins The American Chiropractic Association states that 80% of people will experience a back problem in the course of their lives. Studies suggest that about 31 million Americans suffer from lower back pain, and it is the most common disability for people worldwide. Chronic back pain can impact a person's quality of life, but a strong asana practice can relieve some of these symptoms.

By Kathryn Boland Have you wondered how often you should change up your sequences? How much? Does that seem to vary at different places where you teach? Some styles of yoga, such as Bikram and Ashtanga, have a set sequence that students practice every class. With Hatha and Vinyasa, however, teachers have the freedom to vary sequences class to class. In a way, that becomes an obligation, because students start to expect it. Offering new poses, transitions and flows also gives students places into which they can grow. It helps them to drink a few more drops of the vast ocean that is yoga practice.

By Amruta Kulkarni, CYT 500 The healing and therapeutic nature of yoga is well-known as people across the world with a variety of injuries have found relief from pain and inflammation through carefully selected poses designed to strengthen and tone the targeted problem areas. A person with an injury even has the option now of visiting a certified yoga therapist or incorporating asanas into physical therapy sessions.

By Faye Martins The hips hold a tremendous amount of tension. Yoga training poses for muscular tension in the hip area also reduce lower back tension. When our lower backs are tense, our neck and shoulder areas also become tense, and our alignment is not optimally supported. Yoga poses that release tension in the hip area help to increase energy by increasing the flow of life force energy throughout the entire body.

By Narendra Maheshri Why should we be concerned with safety tips? Yoga is good for the body. There are many aspects of practice, but posture (asana) is most commonly learned first in modern classes. Additionally, asana practice is also good for one's emotional, psychological and spiritual well-being. You can take yoga with you anywhere you go and roll it out like a yoga mat. It will contribute to giving you abundant energy and healthy sleep cycles.

By Tanja Henderson Why would a modern person take up such an ancient thing as yoga? We already have everything we need: t.v., internet, phone, and countless other modern luxuries, as well as basic living necessities, food, running water, electricity, a roof above our heads etc. We work out at the gym and we're in tip top shape already, aren't we? We don't need yoga, now do we? Well, I would like to contradict this.

By Jenny Park Preschoolers are an interesting bunch with personalities exploding, blooming curiosity for the world around them, and fierce independence emerging as they begin to inch away from parents and caregivers to establish their own place in the world. Preschoolers learn how to say, "Please," and "Thank You," how to address adults with respect, how to ask politely when they need something, and how to share precious items with others.

By Narendra Maheshri Teaching Yoga requires a certain level of commitment, both to yourself and the students who are learning from you. Just as life is always evolving, so is your practice. Choosing techniques for a lesson plan is going to depend on a number of factors. Some of those factors will include the types of classes you will be teaching. After all, a class you would teach for school age children would probably require a different lesson plan than a class you would be leading for people who are senior citizens. A beginners Yoga class will differ from a more advanced class.

By Shahid Mishra Practicing Yoga can be inspiring for the mind and good for the body. Yoga has been handed down through many generations and has made its way across the globe. One of the many reasons for this is due to the skill, care and understanding of Yoga teachers. Becoming a Yoga teacher is a great option for people that love Yoga and would like to have the chance to teach it to others. Learning the correct way to teach Yoga is very important.

By Gopi Rao Distance learning Yoga courses have become more popular over the last decade, as educators and students become more adept at technology. Educators have learned to tweak and improve teaching methods, and are now able to offer quality-learning experiences without being physically present. Yoga distance learning refers to any yogic teaching and learning where time, distance, or both separate the students and teacher. It is emerging into mainstream methods of yoga education as technology improves, enabling anyone to easily access the resources required for distance learning.

By Faye Martins Body shaping is not an exact art. Athletic bodies come in all shapes and sizes. Those who lift weights have bulky chests and arms; runners have lean legs, but often lack in upper body strength. Swimmers have broad shoulders, and dancers have thick muscled thighs.

By Kimaya Singh Practicing Yoga poses before a great day of snowboarding is important in order to warm-up all of your muscles and ligaments and to prevent injury. Snowboarding takes a great deal of balance and muscular strength. It also requires an ability to modify your snowboarding technique depending on the snow conditions and terrain. There are a number of effective and challenging Yoga poses that will help you to warm-up for the day. Before practicing specific Yoga asanas, it is advisable to begin with five to ten rounds of complete Sun Salutations.

By Jenny Park Kids yoga provides a wealth of benefits for children, including increased strength, flexibility, coordination, blood flow, confidence, and ability to focus. Children who practice yoga are learning good habits to relieve stress and connect with their bodies early in life. They are learning how to find an inner peace, how to breathe deeply and consciously, and how to recognize when different parts of the body are in need of a stretch.

By Amruta Kulkarni, CYT 250 Good yoga teaching encompasses a wide range of skills and knowledge. The best yoga teachers are often "naturals," having an innate ability to reach students in a positive, uplifting manner. However, many important teaching skills and methods can be learned. The most successful teachers are constantly self-evaluating, observing peers, and continually striving to make themselves more effective. Observation in itself is somewhat of an art, with different methods appropriate for various situations. When evaluating other yoga instructors, it is important to focus the observation on a particular skill or method.