Yoga For Beginners Guide

By: Virginia Iversen, M.Ed It is not uncommon for many Yoga practitioners to put on a few extra pounds during the winter season. If this is the case for you, practicing a vigorous, flowing series of Yoga postures, that includes a series of core strengthening poses, will help you to maintain a healthy weight and a strong core. Strong core abdominal muscles are very important for stabilizing the entire body, including the lower back. When the abdominal muscles are weak, the lower back is much more vulnerable to strain and injury, both on and off the Yoga mat.

Power yoga does not follow an order for asana practice, so each power yoga session can be quite different depending on the practitioner...

Yoga techniques for neck pain can be a "life saver." Pain is a very serious negative distraction and distractions get in the way of...

Keeping a daily log is one of the best ways to monitor progress in any activity, and this may be especially true in meditation. Not only...

Yoga meditation is such a powerful tool for mental, emotional, spiritual, and physical health, which beginners to this practice can...

According to NCCAM, some research studies reveal that meditation and yoga can have a positive impact in reducing blood pressure in people suffering from...

The term "flow Yoga" is an abbreviated form of the phrase "Vinyasa Flow Yoga." This form of Yoga is based on movements synchronized with...

Are the flashy advertisements for weight loss Yoga, "butt lifting" Yoga pants and nude Yoga helping to bring in new practitioners, or...

Meditation is an extremely powerful tool for self-empowerment. When meditation is practiced correctly, it has been known to be the key...

Let's now study what pranayama can do to reduce or lessen anxiety and stress in people. The Sanskrit word pranayama means controlling breath, and breath...

Many Yoga teachers often strive to balance offering their students a challenging and creative series of Yoga postures and breathing exercises, while still maintaining a high degree of student safety in their classes. For some Yoga teachers, this quandary may prove to be quite difficult. This balance can be especially challenging to establish if you are a new teacher.

Practicing Yoga for body shaping makes sense. There are a variety of Yoga poses that specifically target the core muscles. Practiced over...

Some yoga instructors continue this tradition through often seeking wisdom from a trusted mentor and/or colleague instructors. Novice teachers also often...

By Kathryn Boland, E-RYT 500 Recently while enjoying hot coffee and a good book at a local Panera Bread café, I heard another patron say to his friend (something to the effect of, I'm paraphrasing), "You say you're in this special area, specifically, and they say 'You're the guy for this'. " His comment got me thinking about being a "specialist" versus being a "generalist" as a yoga instructor. I believe this consideration is an important one in the profession because of yoga's countless number of "schools" of thought and styles - from Kripalu to Bikram to Viniyoga forms (and that list certainly continues).

Before and after a class, make certain you leave enough time to clean up the yoga studio you have just used. Store mats and any other equipment you may...

States of bliss are a naturally occurring phenomenon that accompanies Yoga practice, even if the individual practicing it is not actively seeking such...

Many Hatha Yoga styles provide a basic framework for yoga teacher training, which suggests that a teacher complete a minimum of 200...

The unique needs of athletes, at the pro level, are diversified. Yoga for professional athletes is an alternative path to incorporate...

What is "pet Yoga," and can it honor the real practice of yoga? Formats vary, but practices typically last 30 minutes, rather than a...

In the first part of this series on developmental movement patterns, I discussed how babies develop through a general sequence of accomplishing ...