Archive for May 29th, 2008

Sacred Tree Announces Summer Solstice Retreat
“Earth Cycles: A Pathway To Healing” June 19-22

NEW event to kick-off signature series of wellness retreat workshops

May 29, 2008 (Breckenridge, CO) – Sacred Tree, a holistic health and wellness center in Breckenridge, announced today that it will launch a line of signature health and wellness retreats beginning with a summer solstice celebration, Earth Cycles: A Pathway to Healing – June 19-22, 2008 in Breckenridge, Colorado.

Participants in Earth Cycles will discover the meaning and significance of the four winds and the four directions, which are interrelated to the birth, growth, dissolution, regeneration, and returning of life on the earth. The experience will also include Qigong and Yoga, interactive presentations, indigenous ceremonies, outdoor nature activities, organic breakfast and lunch. The foundation for the retreat celebrates the four seasons, marked by the solstices of winter and summer and the equinoxes of fall and spring.

Joel Proctor, Dipl. L.Ac & CH, founder of Mystic Warrior School for Martial and Cultivation Arts, Practitioner of Indigenous Healing and Traditional Pipe Carrier, and Brigette Schabdach, owner and founder of Sacred Tree, along with additional practitioners, will present and lead these wellness health spa retreats. Both Proctor and Schabdach have been integral in the development and growth of Sacred Tree since its opening in June, 2003.

“A retreat or getaway allows people time away from their daily routines and spheres of influence,” says Proctor. “They are able to find deeper levels of relaxation for their bodies, more clarity for their minds, more time to nourish and rejuvenate their spirits,” he adds.

More than 15 wellness health spa retreats are currently offered within the next six months. Earth Cycles (Summer Solstice and also Fall Equinox) is one of two featured signature retreats, with the second being Return to Spirit: Transformational Healing Session. Future destinations include Breckenridge, Aspen and Tulum, Mexico. Visit sacredtree.com for an ongoing schedule of wellness retreat workshops, such as Female Health and Vitality, Family Wellness and Qigong Retreats.

“We invite you to join us in our discovery of the body’s natural, inherent and powerful capacity for restoration, regeneration and vibrant, energetic health,” says Brigette Schabdach, owner and founder of Sacred Tree.

Registration for Earth Cycles is open, and availability is limited. The fee to attend this signature four-day retreat is: $550. Discounted spa services and lodging rates are available for all participants. All ceremonies are offered freely under traditional perspectives of spiritual responsibilities and reciprocal agreements. For more information surrounding Sacred Tree retreats and for registration information, visit: www.sacredtree.com or call 970-389-9968.

————————————————————-

About Sacred Tree: Sacred Tree is a holistic health and wellness center founded in Breckenridge by Brigette Schabdach in 2003. The center supports an integrative approach to health and wellness, addressing the physical, psychological, social and spiritual components of well-being. Skilled practitioners help people of all ages and fitness levels live healthy lifestyles, reduce health risks and grow personally, with the ultimate goal of Sacred Tree being a place of protection, peace, relaxation, nourishment, contemplation and centering.

The center offers acupuncture, massage therapy, natural skincare, chiropractic and naturopathic medicine, Rolf Methodology, iridology, ear candling, thermographic scans, ionic cleanse, nutritional counseling, women’s exams, skin cancer screenings and body treatments, free wellness talks, yoga, tai chi, qigong and kung fu programs. Sacred Tree features two Breckenridge locations with an on-staff naturopathic doctor, chiropractor, acupuncturist, massage therapists and Rolf Method practitioners.

By Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500

Have you ever wondered what studio owners are evaluating, when they hire a Yoga instructor? What can you expect at an interview for a Yoga teaching position? Let’s look into the minds of Yoga studio owners, to get a better idea of which qualities they seek in teachers, before hiring them.

One of the first aspects to consider is the type of Yoga teaching position available. For example: If an advertisement states that a Yoga studio is seeking a prenatal Yoga teacher, an instructor, without prenatal experience, is wasting his or her time.

There are too many safety concerns, liability restrictions, and required certification issues for a “general practitioner” to walk in, and train, pregnant students. On top of this, the students are, most likely, in different trimesters. Finding your teaching niche is a matter of matching your skills, training, and certification, to the specific needs of the prospective Yoga studio.

In general, it is wise to send out resumes, with a cover letter, to prospective Yoga studios in your area. Initiating contact over the phone, before sending information to the studio is a “cold calling” method, and will lower your success rate.

However, if you are strong on telephone skills, and still want to pursue this method, do not put your prospect on call waiting. Before you laugh – I know of an instance, when a Yoga teacher made a phone call, reached the studio owner, gave a presentation, and had an “audition” scheduled.

She put her future employer on hold, because she had to take an “important call.” As a result, the studio owner hung up, but she admitted, that up to that point, she would have been eager to hire that particular Yoga teacher. Needless to say, confidence is worth something, but good manners are also a major value.

What is an audition? Some studio owners will schedule new teachers, into the class schedule, as a substitute for a regular class. Your performance is evaluated, on a trial basis, by the owner, director, or chief Yoga teacher. This trial basis could last for one class, or a series of Yoga classes. Therefore, if you have an audition scheduled, be completely prepared to teach your Yoga class.

Is a particular certification or registration seen as superior to all the rest? Not really, a small number of studio owners might think this way, but they are few, and far between. Certification is a key, which opens doors to teaching opportunities, but a Yoga instructor’s performance secures the teaching position.

With that said, you should acquire a Yoga teacher certification, have good manners, seek interviews, prepare for auditions, show compassion to your students, and be safety oriented. If you have the complete package, you will have no difficulty finding, and keeping, Yoga teacher positions.

© Copyright 2008 – Paul Jerard / Aura Publications

——————————————–
Yoga Teacher Certification
FREE Yoga Report. FREE Yoga Newsletter.
Bonus: Free Yoga e-Book, “Yoga in Practice.”
——————————————–
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.aurawellnesscenter.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
——————————————–

Written By Karina Sinclair

Becoming a yoga teacher is a very rewarding career. Not only will you help people become more supple and fit but it is also a spiritual exercise that brings a lot of peace to millions of students worldwide.

In days gone by schools were the only option. This often meant having to give up gainful employment to attend or to take large blocks of leave. Both of these options can have many drawbacks including lack of income or even — at worse — the loss of a job.

There are a number of home study programs that specialize in teaching men and women to become fully certified yoga teachers. However, they are not all equal.

Below I will discuss some of the options available.

Weekend workshops are a common way that people learn about becoming a yoga instructor, however, i don’t recommend these workshops at all if it is your only education. A weekend of training will not give you all that you need to know to teach the subject, to prevent injuries, to be able to cater to all socio economic groups like seniors, children, pregnant women, etc. Nor will it cover insurance and liability and how to actively market yourself in this booming market.

It is best to choose the online course that provides a minimum of 200 hours of yoga classes as this is a criterion that has to be met for one to become a certified yoga instructor. Regardless of your age, you can start your own yoga classes, once you find a suitable place to begin the lessons.

Basically, the best course will be one that prepares you for numerous classical yoga asanas, pranayama and powerful meditation techniques. If you opt for online teacher courses, choose the course that offers a minimum of 200 hours of lessons. This is because you need a minimum of 200 hours to master the art of yoga so that you can teach it others. It is always better to choose a training course that is accredited.

In the United States, as an example, you can charge anything from $35 to $150 per hour, depending on your expertise and knowledge. Many factors ultimately determine yoga instructor rates including demograhics and demand. So if there are more people in your area wanting to learn yoga, you can charge more as they are more than willing to pay your fees. Additionally, if you can get in with a select group of people, celebrities, movie stars, you can pretty much charge what you like if you give them the sculpted results that they are after!

If you choose to become a certified teacher not only will you spend your life doing something you love — but you will be also be teaching other people throughout the world to enjoy the many spiritual and health benefits of yoga also.

Yoga teacher training schools are no longer the only option for teacher certification. To save you time I have spent hours researching the range of instructor certification courses available and have announced my number one choice at my yoga training website. Yoga Master With 5000 Hours Of Training Under His Belt Teaches Future Yoga Instructors How They Can Earn $150.00 Per Hour As A Professional Yoga Instructor And Be Certified Within Just 3 Months In His World Class Yoga Teacher Training Course Online. Start your certification today at http://www.yogainstructorscoursecertification.com