Archive for February, 2007

By Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500

In Yoga, and Ayurveda, the Yogic body is composed of three bodies. One is the physical body (sthula sharira), which we can easily see. Another is the causal body (karana sharira), which we often refer to as the soul.

The energy body (sukshma sharira), is often called the subtle, vital, or Pranic body. This is very often a mystery to many, and confusing to more, but let’s take a tour of the energy body and you will understand it much better.

If someone does not believe in the existence of the energy body – I would ask how the physical body runs without electricity. Without electricity, we would have heart failure, and very big problems, if our hearts are not restarted.

How is the heart restarted? Sometimes CPR is enough, but most often CPR helps just long enough for a defibrillator to be used to restart the heart. The defibrillator causes low voltage electric current to enter the body through paddles or patches, which are then applied to the chest.

At the atomic level, your body is full of electrons, flying all over the place, and some are flying around the body. We cannot see it, but we know it is happening. How is this? We have faith in science, but science cannot measure everything.

For centuries, Ayurvedic doctors, and doctors of Chinese medicine, mentioned the electro-magnetic body, but western medicine scoffed at the idea of it. How could there be energy meridians? Does acupuncture really work or is it a “side show?” How come the energy meridians of Chinese medicine line up with the Nadis of Ayurvedic medicine?

Time has passed, and western medicine has now started to work in harmony with Ayurveda and Chinese medicine. Maybe there’s something to the Yogic energy body after all. So, what are the main parts of the Yogic energy body?

Nadis (Energy Meridians): There are 72,000 Nadis in the electro-magnetic body, which send vital energy (Prana) from one point to another. Shushumna, Ida, and Pingala are considered the most important to Yoga students – although, 14 main Nadis should covered, when this subject is covered during a Yoga teacher training intensive.

Marmas (Pressure or Energy Points): There are 107 Marmas, and some say 108, but they can be effectively treated for healing purposes. Unfortunately, they can also be considered strike points in martial arts, but these energy points correspond, regardless of the purpose.

Chakras (Energy Vortices): There are seven main chakras, which transform magnetic currents of the earth into energy of the physical body. This physical energy balances the central nervous system and the endocrine system. There are also many secondary and minor Chakras.

© Copyright 2007 – Paul Jerard / Aura Publications

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How to Become a Certified Hatha Yoga Teacher
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Bonus: Free Yoga e-Book, “Yoga in Practice.”

http://www.yoga-teacher-training.org/docs/Yoga-in-Practice-eBook.pdf

Visit: http://www.yoga-teacher-training.org
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FREE CONTENT: If you are a Yoga Teacher, Yoga studio, blogger, e-zine, or website publisher, and are in need of quality content, please feel free to use my blog entries (articles) – Please be sure to reprint each article, as is, including the resource box above. Namaste, Paul
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By Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500

There are so many Yoga students over 40 years of age, who desire a knowledgeable, mature, and careful Yoga teacher. Many beginner Yoga students are 40 years of age or more. In my Chair Yoga classes, many new Yoga students are over 65.

How is it possible that a veteran student with decades of experience and practice cannot see his or her self-worth, as a Yoga teacher? Where does this self-doubt originate from? Could a young Yoga teacher graduate understand the pains, aches, medical conditions, and limitations of older students?

Quite simply, a Yoga teacher graduate over 40 years of age has the major advantage of life experience. This is not meant to take credit away from young, compassionate, and well-trained Yoga teachers; but how many of them can understand working around physical or mental injuries from experience.

Let’s make a comparison of the human body to an automobile. When you are a young driver, you really learn about auto parts the hard way: When they break down and cost you money.

Your friends will also tell you about their experiences with auto maintenance. You can sit in a class and learn about auto mechanics to your heart’s content, but the lesson is not the same.

Time and experience are an education. Now, your Yoga students are not automobiles, but life’s lessons are very valuable when teaching Yoga. Your previous life experience is a treasure when working with your Yoga students.

So, what does hold some experienced Yoga students back from becoming a Yoga teacher? If you have been on this earth for a while, you have experienced more failures than someone who is decades younger. Past failures sit deep in our memory and haunt us – even when we know we should act.

This is a good time to examine your self-worth and realize how often the “skeletons in your closet” are holding you back from taking action. Youthful exuberance is an advantage, when making decisions within a given “window of time. Yet hasty decisions can be avoided, when you research the demand for your Yoga teaching services.

If there is no demand, there is no point in becoming a Yoga teacher, but on further investigation, the demand for experienced teachers, who can teach students over 40 years of age, is quite strong. In Europe and North America, the numbers of people turning 50 years of age, at this moment, is huge.

According to some studies, every seven seconds one American becomes 50 years of age. Robin Kocina, President of Mid-America Events & Expos said, “The 55-plus market is growing six times faster than the rest of the population, and is finally beginning to get the recognition it deserves.”

Consider these words by Franklin D. Roosevelt: “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” Never let fear get in the way of a rational and researched decision.

© Copyright 2007 – Paul Jerard / Aura Publications

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How to Become a Certified Hatha Yoga Instructor
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FREE Yoga Report. FREE Yoga Newsletter.
Bonus: Free Yoga e-Book, “Yoga in Practice.”

http://www.yoga-teacher-training.org/docs/Yoga-in-Practice-eBook.pdf

Visit: http://www.yoga-teacher-training.org
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FREE CONTENT: If you are a Yoga Teacher, Yoga studio, blogger, e-zine, or website publisher, and are in need of quality content, please feel free to use my blog entries (articles) – Please be sure to reprint each article, as is, including the resource box above. Namaste, Paul
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By Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500

All too frequently, I am asked by middle-aged or senior students, who aspire to become a Yoga teacher, “When is the best time to become a Yoga teacher?” Has the window of time passed for this opportunity, and is a younger Yoga instructor better suited to teach Yoga to the public?

Some of these veteran Yoga students have decades of experience, but feel intimidated by the “young hard bodies.” This is a deep subject, so let’s take a close look at what holds some of us back from becoming a Yoga teacher.

The following three issues are worth mentioning at this point:

1. Is Hatha Yoga strictly a physical practice?

2. If Hatha Yoga were an exercise class, the value of a “coach” is worthy of note.

3. There are so many Yoga students over 40 years of age, who desire a knowledgeable, mature, and careful Yoga teacher.

Is Hatha Yoga strictly a physical practice? No – Hatha Yoga covers mental, spiritual, and emotional aspects, as well as the physical aspects of life. The public has been duped by pretzel asanas (postures) on the covers of magazines.

If you never studied Yoga, you might not know better, but I am surprised when a student, with ten or more years of practice, still sees asana as the “Holy Grail” of Hatha Yoga. Asana is very valuable, but does not govern Hatha Yoga.

Pranayama (cultivation of life force through breath) is the ruler of body, mind, spirit, and emotions. Pranayama keeps you healthy in all aspects of existence, and Pranayama governs many asana techniques. If you cannot breathe correctly, asana performance can be very frustrating – when folding, balancing, or twisting. Pranayama makes mudra (gestures), and bandha (locks), purification of the nadis (energy channels), and meditation, much more powerful.

However, Pranayama is not the only aspect of Hatha Yoga. It is just one of the many aspects mentioned within the Hatha Yoga Pradipika. Maharishi Patanjali mentions eight limbs within the Yoga Sutras. Asana is just one of the eight limbs of Yoga, but asana can be seen, and can be performed, to impress the public.

Would the public be impressed by Samadhi (the settled mind)? You already know the answer – The general public is impressed by the superficial aspects of Yoga, but Yoga is much more than one aspect.

If Hatha Yoga were simply an exercise class, the value of a “coach” is still worthy of note. The definition of a “teacher” in most languages is, “One who has been there before.”

When you can teach a Yoga student how to perform an asana technique correctly, but you cannot perform the same asana perfectly, that is a part of being a teacher. The fact is – you understand the mechanics as good as anyone.

© Copyright 2007 – Paul Jerard / Aura Publications
——————————————–
How to Become a Certified Hatha Yoga Instructor
——————————————–
FREE Yoga Report. FREE Yoga Newsletter.
Bonus: Free Yoga e-Book, “Yoga in Practice.”

http://www.yoga-teacher-training.org/docs/Yoga-in-Practice-eBook.pdf

Visit: http://www.yoga-teacher-training.org
Affiliates: http://www.yoga-teacher-training.org/signup.html
Sister Blog: http://yoga-teacher-training.blogspot.com/
On-Site Training: http://www.riyoga.com
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FREE CONTENT: If you are a Yoga Teacher, Yoga studio, blogger, e-zine, or website publisher, and are in need of quality content, please feel free to use my blog entries (articles) – Please be sure to reprint each article, as is, including the resource box above. Namaste, Paul
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By Michael Hawkins

Who the first yogi really was is lost in the sands of time, but when we learn the history of Yoga the roots can be traced as long as 5000 years back. The earliest reference to Yoga was found when archeological excavations where made in the Indus valley – the most powerful and influential civilization in the early antique period. This sophisticated culture developed around the Indus river and the long gone Sarasvati river in northern India, on the border towards Pakistan.

Archeological findings from two of the largest cities, Mohenjo-Daro and Harappa, revealed (among other things) a portrait of a human being or god meditating in what looks like a Yoga posture. The Rig-Veda work, that describes different Yoga methods, is believed to be derived from the Inus-Sarasvati people and has been dated to 3000 to 5000 B.C.

Yoga as we know it today, is thus the result of a complex evolution that has been going on for at least 5000 years. However, according to most scholars, Yoga can’t be recognized as a complete and complex tradition before about 500 B.C.

Vedic Yoga

The oldest written records of Indian culture and yogic activities is found in the Vedas, which are a compilation of hymns and rituals over 3000 years old. The Vedic Yoga, also known as Archaic Yoga, revolves around the thought of reuniting the visible material world with the invisible spiritual world by sacrificing certain things. In order to practise these rather long rituals successfully it was necessary to be able to focus the mind to a very hight level. This inner focus as a means to enhance the sensory and human ability is the root of all Yoga.

The Vedic teachings at this point where not reserved for an religious elite, but was instead transmitted to the people by Vedic prophets, called Rishis, who had gained insight in the origin of life and it’s existence. The hymns of these prophets witness of strong intuition, wisdom and knowledge about human beings that can inspire new levels of understanding even for the people of today.

Pre-classical Yoga

This period in Yoga history spans about 2000 years, until year 200. The most central Yoga literature from this period are the Upanishades – a collection of texts revolving around meta-physical speculation – and are just like the Vedas considered as enigmatic revelations. As opposed to the public rituals of the Vedic period, the Upanishades where secret scriptures.

Some of these 200 Gnostic texts are directly related to Yoga and are about the complete connectedness of all things. Yoga was now slowly finding it’s form. As Yoga and it’s secret teachings spread from teacher to student, or from guru to yogi, the concept of an individual system of thought began to take shape.

The Bhagavad Gita, that is the most well known and popular work among all Hindi and Yogic literature was written during this period (about 500 B.C.). It is a beautiful story of a conversation between the god of Hinduism, Krishna, and a prince named Arjuna. The plot, ironically enough, takes place on a battlefield. This location is often interpreted as a metaphor for the many distractions present in our turbulent world. Prince Arjuna had put himself in a difficult position, where he must fight parts of his family and friends.

Symbolically speaking, this frustration conveys that prince Arjuna wanted some advice on how to fight the bonds that tie him to the material world, in order to set himself and his soul free. Krishna explained that it was Arjuna’s destiny and task to face this situation. He then moved on to explaining to Arjuna how he could emerge from the battle victorious, by outlining a detailed yogic path for the prince to follow; Through devotion (bhakti Yoga), a keen mind (jnana Yoga) and by giving up the ego (karma Yoga), spiritual freedom (moksha) could be attained.

Needless to say, the Bhagavad Gita is a complex work, and is meant to be studied, pondered upon and then studied some more. It is interesting reading in order to learn the history of Yoga though.

Learn more about Yoga history on Michael Hawkins’ web site. If you want to learn more about Yoga “in plain English” and from a beginners perspective, you can check out his No Nonsense guide to Yoga.

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How to Become a Certified Hatha Yoga Instructor
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http://www.yoga-teacher-training.org/docs/Yoga-in-Practice-eBook.pdf

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By Michael Russell

Regular practice of Yoga meditation will most certainly result in a gradually widening awareness of both our inner and external lives. Meditation will effectively expand your personal aspirations, as well as helping you arrive at a clearer vision and understanding of the world around you. But most importantly, meditation provides the most appropriate environment for you to personally experience the reality of your soul and spiritual being. This help to satisfy the profound need of us all to feel secure in our place in the grand scheme of the Universe.

There are many approaches one can take to Meditation and this is only one of the many approaches used by students of Yoga.

Firstly some preparation is helpful:

The body is prepared by a period of gentle exercise and stretching together with appropriate breath control. This allows the mind and body muscles to come together, or to integrate prior to stretching the consciousness.

The body should be comfortable and seated upright either in one of the cross-legged positions or in the so-called (in Yoga) ‘Egyptian’ pose, where you are seated in a straight-backed dining type chair, with spine straight and erect and hands resting on thighs. It is preferable that the chair seat be of such a height that you thighs are parallel with the ground.

Eyes are closed from the commencement.

Easy rhythmic breathing relaxes the nervous system. To focus upon this for some minutes in itself is extremely helpful, employing the restless mind and tiring it, in preparation for mental relaxation. Rhythm breathing should be followed by a number of rounds of the Yogic pranayama exercise Nadis shodana or Alternating Breath.

Now focus upon one part of the body, such as the Ajna chakra (the point between the eyebrows), which helps to anchor the mind further. An alternative is to concentrate upon a part of the body, such as the hands, and to feel your energy radiate from them.

Proceed from concentration upon the body to focusing the mind upon a single thought that you select for your Yoga meditation. If you seek to feel peaceful, concentrate upon an appropriate image or word, or both, in order to encourage a state of calm. For example, visualizing a soft blue colour, or a tranquil lake and inwardly repeating the word ‘peace’ or ‘calm’ or ’shanti’ in the language with which you feel most comfortable-this helps you to ‘tune in’ to the quality you seek.

After a few minutes, the mind usually tires of this.

Now is the time to relax and make no mental effort at all, but just to sit and wait for your full awareness to unfold. Perhaps you will feel inclined to continue the thought of the blue colour, or you will mentally continue silently repeating the word or mantra you have chosen but this diminishes as you enter the meditative state, which is purely receptive.

Meditation brings you the experience of peace for a period of time and a state of being which you tend to hope will last and last. This is the reward for your personal aspiration to alter and improve your state of consciousness. This is the experience of the meditative state in which you let go your conscious thinking, effort and struggles, to enjoy a time of pure being.

What each of us discovers in this sacred time of being is personal and unique to us and our particular relationship or feeling of connection to the Universe around us. However, we usually share many common stages along the way as we make progress in increasing our ability to surrender our attention and sense of the material world and to enter the spheres of deeper feeling where our own intuition guides us further.

Michael Russell Your Independent guide to Yoga

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How to Become a Certified Hatha Yoga Instructor
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By Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500

How much of the spiritual aspect of Yoga should be incorporated into Yoga teacher training? Swami Vishnu Devananda, founder of the International Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centers, believed that spiritual and physical aspects were the two most important, in relation to Hatha Yoga.

Yet, most Hatha Yoga teacher training courses offer only a small “taste” of the Vedas, Upanishads, or Yoga Sutras. In a 200-hour Yoga teacher training course, “The Hatha Yoga Pradipika,” by Swami Svatmarama, (which was written in the 15th century), might be skimmed over or not mentioned at all.

Since its beginning, approximately 5,000 years ago, Yoga has been attached to Hinduism. (Hinduism is the oldest of today’s major religions.) The many forms of Yoga were created for mental, physical, spiritual, and emotional health.

Today, Yoga has many more branches, and many of the branches of Hatha Yoga, outside India, are no longer attached to Hinduism, but the spiritual aspect of Yoga is still readily apparent. Most serious Yoga practitioners are spiritually aware, and spiritually healthy, as a result of their own Yoga practice.

Even though, Yogic philosophy does not conflict with any religion; moral codes such as Yama and Niyama exist within most religions of the past and present. When moral codes are similar to other philosophies and religions, they do not conflict with any of them.

Spiritual awareness is developed through a variety of avenues, but even an atheist would become more spiritual, if he or she practiced Yoga regularly. Samadhi – the eighth limb of Hatha Yoga is absorption with the “Supreme Being,” God, Universal energy, or the Supreme entity.

If everyone in the world practiced Yoga and meditation, we would have a much better chance at mutual tolerance of each other and world peace. It is futile to try to force others to live or worship by a narrow view of what we consider to be right. Yoga does not endorse violence, and teaches us to accept what we cannot change.

Therefore, spiritual health is enhanced with a universal moral code and faith in a higher power. There is no need for any of us to have a conflict, when we are just trying to raise children, earn a living, and worship God.

The hardest task any of us have in life is to make friends with a perceived enemy, yet each religion tells us to forgive our enemies. Look into the scriptures of your own religion and you will see.

Now that mankind has the power to destroy himself, it is very important for us to open a rational dialog with those who we perceive to be our enemies. We may just find out that we have more in common than we ever thought possible.

© Copyright 2007 – Paul Jerard / Aura Publications

——————————————–
How to Become a Certified Hatha Yoga Instructor
——————————————–
FREE Yoga Report. FREE Yoga Newsletter.
Bonus: Free Yoga e-Book, “Yoga in Practice.”

http://www.yoga-teacher-training.org/docs/Yoga-in-Practice-eBook.pdf

Visit: http://www.yoga-teacher-training.org
Affiliates: http://www.yoga-teacher-training.org/signup.html
Sister Blog: http://yoga-teacher-training.blogspot.com/
On-Site Training: http://www.riyoga.com
——————————————–
FREE CONTENT: If you are a Yoga Teacher, Yoga studio, blogger, e-zine, or website publisher, and are in need of quality content, please feel free to use my blog entries (articles) – Please be sure to reprint each article, as is, including the resource box above. Namaste, Paul
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By Paula Flood

The original meaning of the word ‘yoga’ was not limited to the asanas or postures that are synonymous with Yoga in the West. The word yoga itself means union, and yoga was taken to mean any path which led the spiritual seeker to union with his highest Self, or union of the individual soul with the Universal Soul. In this sense, Yoga can trace its origins far back to the dawn of spirituality, to the time of the ancient Vedic seers, and possibly even before.

Over time, different yogic paths evolved reflecting the different types of human temperament. In the Bhagavad Gita, India’s most famous scriptural work, three main types of yoga were described:

Bhakti Yoga was for people whose natural spiritual tendency was to approach the Highest through love and worship. In India, Lord Krishna was a central focus for those following bhakti yoga, and the popularity of this path grew in the 15th and 16th centuries through the life and example of such great figures as Sri Chaitanya, Mirabai, and Kabir. This kind of yoga is probably most familiar to us in the West as the approach to God used in Christianity.

Jnana Yoga: the path of knowledge, through studying books and scriptures, but more importantly through self-introspection. One famous 20th century jnana yogi, Ramana Maharshi, would commonly ask those seeking his guidance to contemplate on one simple question ‘Who am I?’. The Buddha was also a jnana yogi.

Karma Yoga is for those who wish to make progress through staying in the world; it tells us to act selflessly, without attachment to the results of our actions. It means seeing and serving God in humanity; a familiar example would be the work of Mother Teresa.

The meaning we in the West give to Yoga today stems from the Yoga Sutras, which were written around 200AD by Patanjali and are generally considered to be the classic description of yoga. This text is looked upon as one of the six darshanas, or branches of traditional Indian philosophy.

In this text, Patanjali describes an integral system of living called Raja Yoga, which included as one of its components a series of physical postures called asanas. In the West, the term yoga is generally taken to mean the practice of these asanas, which in addition to giving a sense of wellbeing, were also meant to prepare the body to be able to sit for long hours in meditation and contemplation.

A very influential text in the spread of these asanas was the Hatha-Yoga-Pradipika, written in the 14th century by Svatmarama. Hatha Yoga is a broad term usually used to describe the physical postures and breathing (pranayama). In the 16th and 17th century, this kind of yoga grew in popularity and was strongly influenced by Tantric principles.

The spread of yoga in the West can be partly attributed to such spiritual figures as Swami Vivekananda and Paramhansa Yogananda, who first awakened the interest of Western seekers in Eastern philosophy in the late 19th and early 20th centuries with their expositions of jnana, bhakti and karma yoga. the promotion of Hatha Yoga in the 1920’s by T. Krishnamacharya and the work of his students B.K.S Iyengar, T.K.V Desikachar and Pattabhi Jois have had a profound influence in shaping the yoga performed in today’s yoga studios.

The physical postures of Hatha Yoga found popularity with people in the West who were seeking physical and emotional balance rather than full-fledged enlightenment, and many styles evolved as individual teachers emphasised different aspects of the practice. For example, Iyengar Yoga emphasises precise alignment in the posture work, whereas Ashtanga Yoga concentrates more on strength and agility.

Paula Flood has been teaching yoga for almost ten years, and manages Lotus Yoga, a yoga studio in Dublin’s city centre. She also studies meditation with her meditation teacher, Sri Chinmoy, and teaches free meditation courses in Dublin.

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How to Become a Certified Hatha Yoga Teacher
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Bonus: Free Yoga e-Book, “Yoga in Practice.”

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By Rebecca Prescott

Yoga in Western countries may have started life as a something of a hippy niche, but over the last 20 years, it has entered the mainstream at a phenomenal rate. With this popularization of an ancient Indian tradition, there has been a huge growth in organizations offering yoga teacher training. Gone are the days when students had to travel to India to gain qualifications.

But the plethora of courses has created its’ own problems – not least in the question of quality and whether a course is recognized by the appropriate local and international associations. The prospective student must also ask themselves a number of important questions, the most fundamental of which is the type of yoga they wish to be trained in.

But also, the wider question of what direction they wish to take their training in once completed. This article will address all of these points, and help provide a framework with which students may better choose amongst the many courses offered.

There are more styles of yoga available today than there has possibly been ever. Some represent a continuation of older traditions, that are relatively unchanged. This includes hatha yoga, and styles by Desikachar and Iyengar. Others represent a synthesis of different methods, even whilst being shrouded in mystical origins. For example, some have suggested that Ashtanga yoga is not derived from the yoga Korunta, but from a synthesis of traditions that may have included early acrobatics!

Some styles of yoga are very modern, and evolved more out of an adaptation to the West. Bikram yoga is a good example of this – and perhaps a very extreme one, given that Bikram copyrighted ‘his’ yoga poses and they way they were taught, despite yoga being essentially in the public domain.

Most people who train as teachers in yoga do so in a discipline that they have been practising already. This does make logical sense, as it’s important to be passionate about what you do for a living. There is the additional experience that people will have with a particular style of yoga that no doubt makes it easier than starting from scratch in a different style.

But other issues may come into play when choosing a yoga school. Is the style of yoga you like well supported in your area? Is there sufficient demand for that style? Understanding who these particular styles of yoga appeals to will help later on when you set up your own yoga business, as it will guide your marketing, choice of location, logo, and business identity. It’s worth thinking a little bit about these things before you make a time and financial commitment to getting qualified.

Finding out whether your course is accredited nationally and internationally is an important step. There are various governing associations at different levels around the world. For example, in the UK there is the British Wheel Of Yoga. In Australia, the government keeps a list of accredited training courses through the Australian National Training Authority. For a yoga specific association, try the Yoga Teachers Association of Australia. Globally, there is the International Yoga Teachers Association, which is available in many countries. There is also the American Yoga Association, Yoga Scotland, and the European Union Of Yoga.

Each of these organizations may have different standards by which they measure courses. But they do provide a good guideline for selecting providers with a minimum level of professionalism, integrity, and quality. You could look at contacting teachers who have gone through their training to find out what they thought of the course, and perhaps go to a few of their classes to get a feel for what is being taught.

Before going into any course, it’s a good idea to have some sense of the bigger picture. For example, are you looking at combining yoga with other healing modalities, such as massage, nutrition, meditation, or some combination of all of these. There are some teaching colleges that integrate yoga with other modalities, both locally and abroad in India. For the sake of continuity, and ease of integration, it may be easier to look at this before any study is actually done. It may prove easier to study with an all-in-one provider who will provide a clearer way to integrate these different aspects of health.

In some ways, this broad integration of yoga with health is more closely aligned with the true nature of yoga, according to some teachers such as Desikachar. But Indian style yoga is not the only one that offers this approach, with the Japanese ki, or Ki yoga often integrated with macrobiotics and shiatsu.

If you’re interested in going more deeply into yoga training for your own personal practice, as opposed to a prelude to teaching, studying abroad can be a truly rewarding experience. If you’re looking for teaching qualifications, it may be wiser to choose an institution in your own country, at least initially. Because it should be adapted to Western learning styles, the structured environment it provides will be easier to learn in.

Yoga training can be intensely rewarding, and life changing in many ways. Provided you choose a course that is accredited, in a style of teaching you like, and that has good community support, it could be the start of a great new career.

If you’d like to explore the option of studying yoga in an Indian school, click here. If you’d like to read more yoga articles, click here.

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How to Become a Certified Hatha Yoga Teacher
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FREE Yoga Report. FREE Yoga Newsletter.
Bonus: Free Yoga e-Book, “Yoga in Practice.”

http://www.yoga-teacher-training.org/docs/Yoga-in-Practice-eBook.pdf

Visit: http://www.yoga-teacher-training.org
Affiliates: http://www.yoga-teacher-training.org/signup.html
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On-Site Training: http://www.riyoga.com
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By Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500

We live at a time, when the masses have to be impressed by the extremes. When people think of Yoga, they often think of circus tricks, pretzel bodies, and gymnastic feats. Feats of physical prowess are a wonderful thing, but you do not need a Yoga teacher’s instruction or a sage’s advice to perform them.

When I was visiting a colleague’s Yoga studio, a young woman signed up for a free introductory Yoga class, and a free Tai Chi class. Before the Yoga class started, she was walking on her hands, touching her heels to the back of her head, and doing full splits in every possible direction. She also put on the same performance before her Tai Chi class.

Needless to say, she did not sign up for either class. About Yoga: She claimed that one Yoga class was all she needed. She had “been there and done that.” She was bored by Yogic philosophy, Pranayama, and meditation. She had “mastered” everything about Yoga in one beginner class.

My Grandfather used to say, “You can’t reason with a horse’s tail.” So, there was no point in reasoning with someone, who already has all of the answers to life’s many mysteries. In my life, my Grandfather was to be the first of many sage’s for me to learn from. He did not know much about Yoga, but he knew a lot about common sense, philosophy, and how to apply them to every day life.

The value of a sage cannot be under estimated. Unfortunately, the news shows us that wisdom and common sense have been taking a “vacation” for a while. In Yoga, a sage does not need a light show, fireworks, smoke, explosions, or special effects to capture the imagination of his or her Yoga students.

In Yoga, we look to the sages of the past, and present, through the written or spoken word. The sage is a Yoga teacher who can capture your imagination and guide students without any special effects. Maharishi Patanjali might be the first sage that comes to your mind, when thinking about the Yoga sages of the past.

So, where do you find a sage? Please remember that a sage is usually a mentor of spiritual and philosophical subjects, who is a source of profound and innovative wisdom.

This does not mean he or she has to be a Yoga teacher, but this is someone you can constantly learn from. If you need a note book to keep up with all of the wisdom you hear from your mentor, then you have found a genuine sage.

The true sage has been where we desire to go and is capable of teaching all of us.

© Copyright 2007 – Paul Jerard / Aura Publications
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How to Become a Certified Hatha Yoga Teacher
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FREE Yoga Report. FREE Yoga Newsletter.
Bonus: Free Yoga e-Book, “Yoga in Practice.”

http://www.yoga-teacher-training.org/docs/Yoga-in-Practice-eBook.pdf

Visit: http://www.yoga-teacher-training.org
Affiliates: http://www.yoga-teacher-training.org/signup.html
Sister Blog: http://yoga-teacher-training.blogspot.com/
On-Site Training: http://www.riyoga.com
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FREE CONTENT: If you are a Yoga Teacher, Yoga studio, blogger, e-zine, or website publisher, and are in need of quality content, please feel free to use my blog entries (articles) – Please be sure to reprint each article, as is, including the resource box above. Namaste, Paul
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By Brooke Pennington

If you are looking to add yoga to your healthy lifestyle you may be wondering what type to choose. We are here to break down the many styles of yoga and help you decide which path is best for you. Below is a brief overview of the most popular yoga practices today.

Vinyasa – Movements and breaths are coordinated in a fast pace type of yoga. Each asana (pose) is balanced with a counter pose to create a harmonized mind and body. Vinyasa yoga has influenced many other styles of yoga that all keep the idea of balance and synchronicity throughout.

Ashtanga – This is a type of Vinyasa yoga that follows a series of asanas that constantly flow, allowing each movement to receive a breath. Ashtanga is a Sanskrit (an ancient language in India) work meaning “8 Limbs”. Ashtanga yoga is sometimes better known as “power yoga” because of the demand on the body.

Iyengar – This a type of yoga designed by the famous yoga guru B.K.S. Iyengar. His style of yoga places a great emphasis on proper alignment by encouraging the use of yoga props such as bands, blocks, pillows, etc. while holding each pose for a longer amount of time than most other yoga styles. This style is great for beginners or those who have not exercised in a while because the props help to compensate for any lack of flexibility that comes with continued practice.

Bikram – Otherwise know as “Hot Yoga”, this style of Vinyasa yoga is taught in heated rooms of 105 degrees F or warmer. It is meant to duplicate the climate in India where yoga originated. There are 26 specific asanas that are performed in the same order. Bikram yoga follows the belief that the muscles in the body should be warmed up and worked in this order to create the fullest potential of energy in the body. Because of the extreme heat this type of practice is meant for those in extremely fit shape.

Kundalini – This yoga style focuses on the spiritual aspect of yoga; the mind, body, soul connection with the goal of taking the yoga participant to a place beyond just the physical body. The main goal of Kundalini yoga is to activate and balance the seven chakras in the body, the kundalini energy found in the spine. Different parts of the body and brain are awakened by performing breathing, mantras, body locks, meditation, etc. in order to unlock the different layers of consciousness found in every individual. Kundalini yoga is ideal for anyone looking to take their yoga practice beyond the physical attachment.

Hatha – In Sanskrit Ha means “sun” and Tha means “moon”. This is a mellow slow paced type of yoga that places great emphasis on using the basic poses to relieve stress in the body and mind. Hatha yoga is perfect for reflecting at the end of the day. It is also ideal for beginners wanting to practice connecting the body with the mind through a gentle series of flow movements and meditative breaths

No matter what type of yoga seems best for you on your computer screen. We encourage you to take part in several styles of yoga classes and open your mind to the relaxing and energizing effects that the amazing practice of yoga offers you. Only after you are able to open and receive can you truly learn what is best for you.

Brooke Pennington is co-author of NaturalHealthLifestyles.com and has been a natural health enthusiast for many years. Currently, Brooke is head yoga instructor for her local YMCA, while also administering yoga courses for other local businesses as part of their health and wellness programs. http://www.NaturalHealthLifestyles.com

——————————————–
How to Become a Certified Hatha Yoga Teacher
——————————————–
FREE Yoga Report. FREE Yoga Newsletter.
Bonus: Free Yoga e-Book, “Yoga in Practice.”

http://www.yoga-teacher-training.org/docs/Yoga-in-Practice-eBook.pdf

Visit: http://www.yoga-teacher-training.org
Affiliates: http://www.yoga-teacher-training.org/signup.html
Sister Blog: http://yoga-teacher-training.blogspot.com/
On-Site Training: http://www.riyoga.com
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