Archive for the ‘Yoga for Inspiration’ Category

By Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500

The motto of every Yoga session is “live in the moment.” Many of us try to live for now, but we wait in anticipation for better weather to come, a bill to be paid off, or our soul mate to arrive. We might put tasks off and create a new method for wasting time. Let us look at taking our Yoga practice off the mat, and bring it into practical use for daily life and solve two common problems.

Anticipation: This is a wonderful human quality, based upon planning for the future. Yet, life should be enjoyed right now. It is good to have plans for the future, but never forget to enjoy this day. While looking at a long-term goal, it is easy to forget those who love us. Enjoy your friends and family each day – as if it was your last day on earth.

Even during Yoga teacher training sessions, some interns become so fixated on completion of their work, that they realize later how much happiness they have missed. It is great to be focused, but we must allow ourselves to experience inner peace when an opportunity arises. A strong work ethic is a wonderful quality, but humans are not designed to be one dimensional.

How do you balance work and play? This is an age old question, but the keyword is “balance.” We need to be moderate in every aspect of life. Work too hard and you run yourself down. Play too much and the world passes you by. The answer is: Live a moderate lifestyle and you will receive the best of both worlds.

Procrastination: This quality is often associated with laziness. We may see it in work most often. It is a method for getting rid of friends and making the world a smaller place for ourselves. Who wants to defend a co-worker, who puts off completing assignments? Who wants the added burden of extra work to make up for someone who never finishes his or her work?

On a personal note: How often do you hear someone say, “I’ll practice Yoga after I lose 50 pounds?” In other words: This person will never practice any form of Yoga, but you can clearly see that Yoga practice would help the quality of his or her life. You may maintain a relationship with this person for life, but it is hard to watch someone put everything off, including the time each of us should invest in maintaining the quality of our health.

If we want to enjoy our life, we have a choice. Some of us enjoy life to our last day, while others look back, too far forward, at the stars, or sleep through it as if life was a boring movie. If we practice any form of Yoga long enough, we begin to realize the value of each precious moment.

© Copyright 2010 – Paul Jerard / Aura Publications

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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

By Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500

How often do people wish for changes? How can people make more effective resolutions? Where do beginners go wrong in maintaining a steady Yoga practice? There are many benefits that occur when practicing Yoga, but these benefits are not instant. Yet, those who stay on the Yogic path, experience benefits because of Yoga’s systematic plan of action.

How often do people wish for changes? The answer is: Most of the time, people wish to improve their lives, but wishing or wishful thinking, without action, leads nowhere. Whatever one does, says, or thinks, is karma to some degree. Yet, failing to take action (non-doing) is also a form of karma. Simply wishing, without action, is not enough to change oneself or the world around us.

A decision to do something (resolution) is sometimes taken very seriously. The beginning of the year is often a time of self-reflection because of time away from work. Depending on where we live, with respect to our culture and our climate, each of us has precious time during the course of the year. When we have time away from the daily grind, we are able to think more clearly about our purpose in life.

How can people make more effective resolutions? Developing a strategy of motivation and inspiration is the key to making great changes within us and the world around us. What inspires you, burns within, like an eternal flame. Inside each of us is an inner voice that would like to make a difference.

We cannot just wish for a cleaner planet, world peace, social changes, or a better diet. We have to take part in it. We have to feel good about what we do. We have to be inspired by a cause to be a part of a lifestyle change. True inspiration is what gives each of us gratification, and it can move the world.

Inside the philosophy of Yoga is a strong belief in tolerance, loving kindness, forgiving, and self-realization. The first to change must be oneself. In order to help others, we must help ourselves. This change from within is an age old process, but it always works.

Where do beginners go wrong with maintaining a steady Yoga practice? Beginning Yoga students want to change themselves in an instant to make up for lost time. The Yogic path must be a gradual walk – not a sprint. Time is not our enemy because it is eternal. When you enjoy each second of your existence, you have achieved the state of self-realization.

Yoga’s systematic plan of action requires us to enjoy life – one step at a time. Enjoy all that is good in life and always focus on the positive. There is no need to worry about making up for lost time if you are on the Yogic path.

© Copyright 2009 – Paul Jerard / Aura Publications

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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

By Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500

Whether you practice alone, or teach Yoga classes full of students, you are familiar with the state of inspiration you feel. Some feel that Yogic inspiration gives them guidance, in the form of a sudden jolt of intuition, while searching for a solution to a problem. Other practitioners admit that a steady Yoga practice helps their creative thinking process.

Regardless of which form of Yoga you practice, the benefits of inspiration stay with you throughout the day. Yet, how much time do we take to inspire others? If we have no inspiration, there is nothing to share. If we are inspired, but fail to motivate others, we have gathered positive energy without sharing it.

It costs you nothing to share positive energy with others. All you have to do is encourage those who need it most. This is not to be confused with excessive or insincere praise. Each person has unique talents, which can be brought out if he or she feels worthy. Therefore, sincere encouragement might create enough energy for motivation.

Motivation is the key element of inspirational energy. One might say motivation is the spark that lights the fire of inspiration. For example: Beginners may need motivation to practice Yoga, but as they become inspired, the drive to continue practicing is perpetual. This form of ageless, and everlasting energy, can be created with encouragement and education.

You cannot change the world by lecturing when it is not wanted. Each of us learns this lesson, when we raise children. Leading by example is the way parents train children. For better, or worse, the lifestyle each of us chooses can be mimicked by someone who observes our behavior.

This journey we call life is a work in progress, but all of us need a little direction at the right time. In fact, the timing of encouraging words or actions is critical. You might compare this to a teacher who leads a Hatha Yoga class. To lecture students about all that can go wrong, while practicing Downward Dog, means little if they are not practicing that exact posture at the time.

A timely physical assist, and words of encouragement, can leave positive memories in a student’s mind forever. To advise them of possibilities that may never happen will often bore them. Much like life, Yoga has many lessons to offer at precisely the right time.

© Copyright 2009 – Paul Jerard / Aura Publications

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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

By Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500

How can Yoga help anyone change the course of life? How many people say they would like to make a lifestyle change? How often do you hear someone say he or she would like to make a difference? Let’s look at each issue, and discover a formula for positive change, which will help you, and everyone you know.

How can Yoga help anyone change the course of life? Making a positive change in your life requires you to make a commitment. The root of our commitment is our decision making process and how serious we are about focusing on it. Any form of Yoga, teaches us how to focus our mind, and make positive changes around us.

Whether you practice alone, or under the guidance of a competent Yoga teacher, you begin to realize the unlimited potential that is within each of us. The biggest difference between people is that many have no direction. This lack of direction is a result of great social changes around us or the inability to focus in a particular direction.

However, great social changes have never stopped humanity from moving forward. There is always someone who is focused enough to lead a cause or a nation. A person who has chosen to lead has made a decision, reinforced it with commitment, and focuses on progress every day of his or her life.

How many people say they would like to make a lifestyle change? Most people would like to make a change, but they have not seen the three-step formula of: decision, commitment, and focus. It is not complicated, but each of us has to make an initial decision in order to shape our destiny.

How does Yoga help one learn to make a difference? At the heart of every cause is someone who has learned how to completely focus his or her mind. Consider M.K. Gandhi: He was a humble man. He could have sat back refused to act, and blamed the world for everything. Instead, he created a global philosophy of nonviolent resistance to social injustice and colonialism.

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi’s decision to take part in India’s independence movement became a role model for other independence and social change movements around the world. We can learn from his example to this day. He may not have desired to change the world, but his example created awareness and changed the world view of social injustice.

From the outside, looking in, Yoga may seem quite ordinary. The physical Yoga styles move slowly, in comparison to other forms of exercise. The truth is – Yoga cannot be compared to exercises because the Yogic approach to life and health is holistic. To make decision, maintain a commitment, and remain focused, requires mental, spiritual, emotional, and physical fortitude; all of which can be revealed in Yoga practice.

© Copyright 2009 – Paul Jerard / Aura Publications

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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

By Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500

Time off, or time away from work, is special to us because it gives us a chance to re-direct our energy. Some of us might call this “time to get our bearings straight.” Yet, how many people really take time off for themselves? Is it selfish to spend time on meditation, Yoga, or self-analysis during the holidays or on vacation? Let’s explore these questions, and see how we can accomplish more, when we have time off.

How many people really take time off for themselves? The short answer is: Not many. Students are very honest with their Yoga teachers. When asked how much time they spent meditating during the week, most Yoga students will readily admit they do not meditate at all. When asked how often they practice relaxation techniques, which are taught in Yoga class, most will admit that they do not practice any Yogic form of relaxation during the week.

There are exceptions to everything, and the above-mentioned information applies to western Yoga students. However, students and Yoga teachers, in Asia, also admit that life is moving much too fast. Family ties, job security, and global economics have challenged people in every corner of the earth. Strangely, humans seem to be addicted to electronic stimulation, and it is difficult for us to unplug ourselves from technology.

Is it selfish to spend time on meditation, Yoga, or self-analysis, during the holidays or on vacation? Everyone needs to take a break from bad news, technology, and work. Time away from work is short-lived and it should be appreciated to its maximum potential. This is time for rest, relaxation, healing, meditation, creative thinking, and finding one’s sense of direction.

Time spent on self-reflection helps one find solutions to healing the inner being. When the inner being is healed, it is much easier to help others, if they need, or want, our help. This need for self-reflection and healing, from within, is a simple formula known by sages of the past. A state of complete awareness (self-realization) cannot be reached without first healing your inner being.

Consider this: If you are in pain, what can you focus on? Usually, you can only focus on pain, but some of us might focus on revenge. A rare few blessed souls can focus on forgiveness, when feeling pain. Hopefully, our pain can be healed when we have time off and realize that forgiveness is the key to spiritual freedom. When we let go of our hate, anger, intolerance, and desire for revenge, we experience self-healing and we reflect spiritual beauty from within.

© Copyright 2009 – Paul Jerard / Aura Publications

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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

By Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500

As many of you know, Yoga practice is a good adjunct therapy for most forms of suffering. There are many reasons for the suffering that plagues humanity. Some can be measured scientifically, while others cannot be measured through medical or scientific technology.

A virus or bacteria can be observed through a microscope. We can identify the exact micro-organism, which cannot be seen with a naked eye. The power of an unidentified virus, bacteria, or fungus could lead to the destruction of a society or life, as we know it. Centuries ago, people blamed witches for ailments related to micro-organisms.

Does this mean we should abandon positive thinking, intuition, and spiritual health, because we have difficulty measuring them with scientific instruments? The power of prayer and meditation cannot be measured at this time, but we know they help during the recovery from surgeries and ailments.

Medical doctors and scientists admit that positive thought and prayer help a patient recover. At this time, it seems that statistics are the only measurement that can confirm positive thinking, and prayer improves the odds of a complete recovery.

Yoga teachers and serious practitioners often talk about states of inner peace. This state of internal peace, or tranquility, can be experienced through the practice of every form of Yoga, whether it is physical, mental, or spiritual in nature. Yet, inner peace cannot be measured.

We can observe behavior as a form of measurement. This is what the science of psychology does. When we observe behavior, we begin to realize that “normal” means many things to many people. In a multi-tasking society, one who has found complete tranquility, or inner peace, may not be normal.

When you observe angry commuters, traveling to high stress jobs, with anxiety written all over their faces, this has become normal behavior in societies where technology is dominant. In technologically-dominant societies, the objective of all humans is to do more than you did yesterday.

If your performance is less than optimum, you may be creatively terminated from your job for any reason. This creates anger, fear, anxiety, and stress. Stressful states of mind create many ailments and can cause death. What is the solution? How are people to find any form of tranquility?

If you teach or practice Yoga, you already know the answer. Yoga allows everyone to “unplug” and find internal peace. The mind needs time to relax on a daily basis. If we deny the mind of rest and relaxation, we endanger our mental, physical, and emotional health. The best time to find inner peace is right now or at some point today.

© Copyright 2009 – Paul Jerard / Aura Publications

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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

By Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500

There are many rewards that follow the disciplined study and practice of Yoga. Among them are finding one’s self, tranquility, and the ability to show others a better way of living. Meditation, relaxation, self-analysis, and self-awareness do not receive as much attention as the Yoga postures and physical benefits, but years of practice grace us with inner peace.

After many sessions of practicing meditation and self-analysis, some of us realize why we are here. We find our life purpose and move forward. Yet, what do we leave behind for our family, friends, and students? Once we have found our life purpose, there should be no hesitation on our part, but we should leave markers along the path for our loved ones and the generations of Yoga practitioners to follow.

As you know by now, Yoga is a lifestyle and one does not have to attend a Yoga class to practice it. Yoga is with you as you walk, talk, breathe, think, sit, or eat. It can be described as a science of life, a health maintenance system, an art of living, as well as a path to pure bliss. The fact is: Yoga can be practiced by anyone, anywhere, and at any time.

When most people think in terms of leaving a legacy behind for future generations, they think of financial arrangements, money, or an inheritance. While a few of us may be able to do this, others worry about their next pay check. It would be nice to leave a monetary legacy behind, but financial wealth is not a guarantee in this life.

You are guaranteed to live in the hearts and minds of others, when you help them. Those who practice Karma Yoga (selfless service) are remembered by those they help, and those who see their example. Although we should not go bragging about all the people we help, our example will inspire others. If we had no examples of modesty and humility, these would be foreign concepts.

Mohandas Karamachand Gandhi serves as one example. His deeds are remembered worldwide and he still serves as an example of a Karma Yogi. He practiced ahimsa and introduced a non-violent civil rights movement, which would later be replicated in other countries. Imagine if he had never lived. What would India and the world be like today without his example?

Therefore, humanity needs people who are living examples of loving kindness, tolerance, mercy, and forgiveness. It goes without saying that it is good to perform acts of kindness anonymously, but the generations behind us need to see reference points. In this way, the Yogic path might be decorated with street lights.

© Copyright 2009 – Paul Jerard / Aura Publications

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By Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500

One, who studies Yoga, is traveling down the Yogic path, but where is he or she going? What is truth, and how can Yoga help us find it? Will the eight limbs of Yoga, described by Maharishi Patanjali, reveal the true path? How can inner vision help us as we continue to practice Yoga? Let’s examine these questions, and dig deeper, as we continue to study Yoga.

When one travels the Yogic path, where is he or she going? Yoga is made up of many components. An exceptionally flexible person may visit one Hatha Yoga class. After one class, he or she may leave bored and go back to dance or gymnastics. This happens every day because some people view all forms of Yoga as an exercise in physical mastery.

If you have a purely physical goal, why would you want to open your mind toward mental, emotional, and spiritual health? To the long-term practitioner, the Yogic path is not one single streamlined highway. Yoga has many paths, styles, and forms. To every practitioner, Yoga is a quest for improved well-being.

If the Yogic way is a spiritual quest, then the path leads to Samadhi (a state of concentration, which leads to a pure presence of mind). Yet, there are many ways to describe Samadhi. Some may describe Samadhi as a state of deep meditation, a state of bliss, or a state of supreme union.

What is truth and how can Yoga help us find it? Truth could be described as: “a fact that has been verified.” Yet, propaganda is verified by organizations, companies, and governments. Worse still, propaganda often appears to be a fact, until we research it in greater depth. Research and study is the key to finding the truth. The Yoga of knowledge, which we know as “jnana,” is the search for truth and enlightenment.

Will the eight limbs of Yoga, described by Maharishi Patanjali, reveal the true path? Yes, but each of us is different, and we may be hypnotized by a single limb. There is nothing wrong with that, but we should know what Yama, Niyama, Asana, Pranayama, Pratyahara, Dharana, Dhyana, and Samadhi are. How many people are familiar with Yama and Niyama? Most practice Asana or pranayama and ignore the rest. Remember: There are many paths and the best direction is usually, but not always, forward.

How can inner vision help us as we continue to practice Yoga? The most common questions people ask are: “Who am I?” and “Why am I here?” Inner vision requires self-study. To know oneself, without judgment, is a major step in life. Many people do not know their strengths or weaknesses. These perceptions of strength or weakness are not based on someone’s opinion, but on pure internal focus.

Each of us has true worth. Each of us has a special skill set and purpose in life. If you find your life purpose, you are making progress in your study of Yoga.

© Copyright 2009 – Paul Jerard / Aura Publications

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By Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500

Hatha is only one of the nine main forms of Yoga from India. Each of us begins to practice Hatha Yoga for a variety of reasons. Among these many reasons for practicing – some of us are drawn to Hatha Yoga by the healing aspects, the spiritual journey, a feeling of inner peace, or the joy of physical mastery. No matter what the original reason was, self-realization will become a reality sooner or later.

Among those who practice Yoga, on a steady basis, are people with a variety of religious beliefs. Some Yoga practitioners believe in God, or Gods, and some do not believe in the concept of a single or multiple God entities. Yet, practitioners with a wide variety of spiritual beliefs, practice in the same class in complete tranquility.

Self-realization could be defined as a state of mind, where we are present in the moment. Yogis might describe it as the achievement of higher consciousness, through the realization of the inner-being. Some spiritual teachers say self-realization is a state of seeing, knowing, feeling, and being the soul.

Regardless of your exact beliefs, self-realization in Yoga, is being present for practice. The practice of Hatha Yoga is usually pranayama, meditation, mantra, relaxation, asana, mudra, or a combination of these techniques. The study of any form of Yoga will result in the accumulation of wisdom, understanding, and the clarity of perception.

There are some benefits, which result from long-term Yoga practice and self-realization. To know one’s self is to know one’s true nature, but it takes time, practice, and work. Each of us has a special purpose, but not all of us find it. To know one’s true purpose in life is a mystery to most of us. Through insight, and the development of one’s intuition, we can attain our true purpose.

How do we develop the insight to find our true purpose? Spiritual beauty is easy to see. Children are good examples of spiritual beauty. The longer we live, the easier it is to be confused by erroneous information. In the confusion, our visions of a brighter future can become clouded by pessimism. The truth is: Spiritual beauty is within each of us.

The next step is to concentrate and find those thoughts that bring happiness to us. When we find inner harmony, all we have to do is share it with those around us. Each day is a second chance to improve our ways. The result of our continued efforts will put us on a path to achieve goodness.

© Copyright 2009 – Paul Jerard / Aura Publications

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By Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500

Whether you are a Yoga teacher, or just started practicing today, the following tips will useful. There is a common belief that natural flexibility is the primary exceptional quality among Hatha Yoga practitioners. In the struggle to become more flexible than the person next to us, we may become frustrated enough to push and pull our bodies beyond their limits.

Yoga instructors often tell new students not to force, leave competition at the door, and breathe into a given posture (asana). The average student listens, but some students are driven by competition. How can a competitive person “turn the switch off?” It’s not easy to stop a lifelong habit. However, making progress in the study of Yoga is not a race.

1. Continuity in Yoga practice is the first key to improving. The student, who spends part of each day practicing Yoga, will advance and become well-rounded in knowledge. Physical mastery is part of Hatha Yoga, but it is not everything. Older students and seasoned teachers know Hatha Yoga requires knowledge. This is much more than walking into a class with God-given flexibility.

2. Look for guidance in your studies. The student / teacher relationship, with a Yoga teacher, Guru, or Swami is sometimes taken for granted. There is nothing like a bond with a person who has been where you are. On the other hand, finding a competent teacher can be a quest within itself.

One qualification that people overlook in teachers is their passion for passing on knowledge. There are many good Yoga teachers who are not famous. If a teacher takes the time to “pass the torch” to his or her students, that is the first measurement. A self-absorbed teacher will not guide you – no matter how famous he or she may be.

3. Independent study is time spent discovering the many facets of Yoga. If a person studied every technique, the subtle body, the physical body, various forms of meditation, pranayama, history, and philosophy – one lifetime is not enough time to learn it all. This is something we must accept, but we can design a weekly schedule, which will help us improve our knowledge.

If you study Yoga for one hour per day – at the end of one year, you have 365 hours of Yogic studies. After four years of study, at that pace, you would have 1460 hours of study. Do you think your Yoga practice would improve with nearly 1500 hours of study? Of course, but how many people really persist in their practice? The secret to independent study is to “stay the course.” The pursuit of knowledge is a healthy addiction, which benefits you and those who learn from you.

© Copyright 2009 – Paul Jerard / Aura Publications

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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