Yoga For Beginners Guide

By Sangeetha Saran Could practicing yoga raise your resistance level and protect you from the flu? It seems as if yoga training is being credited with preventing everything these days. Is there something to the therapeutic application of yoga for flu prevention? Let's look deeper into the subject to see if there is something to the hype.

By Faye Martins What is heart rate variability (HRV)? How does it relate to our health and our Yoga practice, especially Yoga Nidra? First, let's define a few catch phrases to make this relationship easier to understand. * Heart rate - the number of times the heart beats within a given time, usually a minute.

By Faye Martins Does Yoga have a mysterious past? If sages knew its secrets thousands of years ago, why has it taken so long for us to find out about its benefits? Like other forms of shamanic wisdom, Yogic philosophy was handed down orally over thousands of years, staying in the hands of those who protected and preserved its teachings.

By Dr. Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500 What is the measurement of a successful Yoga teacher? Should a Yoga teacher take money for classes? How do you define success for a Yoga teacher? Is it your contribution to the common good? Is it by producing successful teachers? Is it by technical prowess? Is it by how many students you have? Or, is it a combination of these factors?

By Faye Martins Does Yoga decrease blood pressure? At Long Island University, researchers and Yoga teachers are working together to find out. Approximately one out of every three adults in the United States has high blood pressure, a silent killer that puts us at risk for strokes, heart disease, kidney failure, and other illnesses. Although our blood pressure rises as we get older, we can often prevent complications by living healthy lifestyles.

By Shahid Mishra It has long been understood that yogic methodologies have strong medical benefits. This connection is so widely understood by those who practice yogic arts that there has been little interest in finding out just why this is so. A suitable analogy would be like finding a fountain that permanently replenishes the thirst of every one who drinks from it. Additionally, every additional drink from this fountain produces still more benefits. Faced with such a proposition, it can be understood if people choose to drink rather than to investigate.

By Dr. Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500 Are there reasons why someone should not be a Yoga teacher? Truthfully, there are no reasons why any of us cannot be, or do, what we want, as long as you are not hurting anyone. You should always strive to be the best you can be. However, you may find that many people create obstacles, in front of themselves, to avoid success.

By Dr. Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500 The dark exists everywhere and so does the light. The dark side of human personality is in all of us. Unfortunately, Yoga teachers, priests, politicians, and police are human too. We are not perfect. Some people try to make business look dirty, but business alone cannot be dirty without unethical behavior.

By Dr. Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500 How important are communication skills? Here is an oxymoron for you: Some of the best Yoga teachers are great listeners. This is a general guideline for students who aspire to teach Yoga some day. Listening skills, in Yoga, start when you take your first class, as you learn by hearing, watching, and doing.

By Kimaya Singh With the number of yoga practitioners continuing to rise, more people are experiencing firsthand the benefits of yogic methods. Countless personal stories of yoga training methods reliving stress have given it a solid reputation as an anxiety solution. While this evidence is sufficient for most people, everyone likes to have real data to back up their opinions.

By Dr. Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500 How can teachers lead classes effectively? Behavior toward neighboring Yoga schools, teachers, and their students, should be cordial. Like the old saying goes, "If you do not have anything good to say, do not say anything at all." When we speak of other Yoga instructors, or former teachers, in a hostile manner, what do we teach our students?

By Dr. Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500 Some teachers lead great classes, but hardly anyone has heard of them. It is a shame that proper behavior, respect, and ethics do not make great headlines in the newspapers. Just watch the news, and read the newspaper for a week, to confirm what makes "good copy." It will not take long for you to find a dozen, or dozens, of scandals.

By Jenny Park Let's cut to the chase. Some teachers are telling their students to lock the knees in certain asanas especially balancing asanas. These yoga teachers have no understanding of biomechanics or anatomy. Talk to any doctor or physical therapist and you will learn there are no rewards for locking joints (hyperextending), but there are definite risks. It doesn't matter, which Guru or master says to lock the knees, roll up your mat and leave the class because you only have one set of knees.

By Kimaya Singh It has long been discussed, in the medical and yogic communities, that yoga can help to reduce the levels of stress in the body, and the good news is that this can potentially lead to a reduction in body weight as well. Lower stress can lead to lower levels of cortisol, a hormone found in the body that is secreted from the adrenal glands. When our bodies are stressed, extra cortisol is released into the blood stream, and for a short period of time, this can be beneficial to the body. It can provide increased energy, increased immunity, as well as lower the body's sensitivity to pain. However, over time, if the body is experiencing chronic stress, too much cortisol is produced, and the balance of the body can be jeopardized.

By Dr. Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500 During the course of a lifetime, most of us have heard the saying," Do as I say, not as I do." We see this kind of leadership everywhere we go. All politicians, religious leaders, police, sports professionals, parents, academic teachers, and Yoga teachers, lead by example, even if the example displayed is not a good one.

By Sangeetha Saran One of the most important and significant lessons that a Yoga instructor teaches his or her students is the healing potential of Yogic methods. By healing potential, I mean the ability to transform one's negative situation. That could be a feeling, mood, emotion, thought or physical pain. Yoga has proven itself to be an effective means of exercise, spiritual rehabilitation tool, stress reducer, and a great method of reducing one's negativity. However, in addition to transforming negative emotions or thoughts into positive ones, it also has the ability to help children at many levels.

By Dr. Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500 Until a certain age in life, words like dignity, quality of life, and independence seem to be more suitable for descriptions, or reasons, why independent nations had revolutionary wars, than for senior independence. However, for seniors, these words reflect the need to stay the course of independence.

By Faye Martins According to Duke Integrative Medicine in Durham, North Carolina, the quickest-growing segment of the American population consists of seniors over the age of 65, and many of these are turning to Yoga to stay mentally and physically fit. Considering the fact that statisticians expect the number of these seniors to double to 80 million by 2050, there is obviously a need for Yoga instructors trained to work with older students.

By Lisa Bradford As we age, our bodies go through numerous changes. Senior citizens often face health challenges such as arthritis, which affects the joints and decreases flexibility. Also, bone density decreases and energy levels may not be what they used to be. All of that can affect fitness levels and limit the types of exercises in which they can take part in. High impact activities, such as jogging, might be replaced with walking or swimming. Another great activity for seniors is Yoga training. The gentle postures (asanas) and slow, centered movements of Hatha Yoga are the perfect way to loosen tight joints and relieve pain. Low impact exercise (and the right type of exercises) is crucial for staying healthy - not just physically but mentally and emotionally as well.

By Kimaya Singh When we think of fitness training, Yoga training is not the first discipline that comes to mind. To overlook Yoga's benefits, however, as an independent discipline or an addition to an established training program would be a mistake. While Yogic philosophy can be helpful in every phase of life, challenging Yoga postures, meditation, and breathing techniques enhance physical and mental fitness.