Posts Tagged ‘yoga teacher certification’

By Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500

What is your untapped potential?  Why do people take a certification course to become a Yoga teacher?  Could Yoga teacher training help you to find inherent talents that have remained hidden inside you? Let’s look at these, and many other questions, related to finding natural resources within each of us.

What is your untapped potential?  Most of us let a few set backs in life guide us down a well-beaten path that is traveled by many.  Most people do not consider their full potential.  Instead, they become conditioned to settle for less from life.  They “play it safe,” and become extremely conscious of risk.

Your untapped potential is your ability that lies hidden in dormancy.  You may not have had time to consider what you really want to do in life.  Assessing your natural talents is a start, but envisioning where your natural talents could carry you is your untapped potential.

Why do people take a certification course to become a Yoga teacher?  There are a wide variety of reasons why people take intensive courses.  Some interns may feel a calling toward teaching Yoga as a vocation.  Some choose to teach as a part-time hobby. 

There are many, who take Yoga teacher courses, to help friends and family members.  In this case, they are seeking enough information to teach safely.  Rarely do interns have visions of a big Yoga teacher salary.  It is possible to earn respectable wages, but this requires teachers to market themselves.

The marketing aspect tends to be a “turn off” for those who do not seek full time employment.  This runs parallel to the mindset of many artists and writers, who begin to realize that a successful marketing campaign may require 50%, or more, of their time.

Could Yoga teacher training help you to find inherent talents that have remained hidden inside you?  Yes, a Yoga teacher intensive course makes it possible to tap into the inner-self through self-realization.  For anyone who experiences this awakening of consciousness, the world around them has changed.

This change is due to a transformation from within.  At this point it is up to each individual, as to what he or she will do with complete awareness.  A few may use it to garner a respectable Yoga instructor salary, while most will use the information they learn to help others.

Untapped potential means many things to different people, but it usually comes down to our personal values.  Within each of us, what we see as valuable will be different.  Regardless of our differences, a Yoga teacher intensive will guide us to find our true purpose in life.

© Copyright 2009 – Paul Jerard / Aura Publications

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Yoga Teacher Certification

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 important is it to follow your passion?  How can you do your best when you are not doing what you love?  These are questions humans have struggled with since communication began.  Most of us realize we have a limited time during our working years.  Who wants to spend years working at a job without rewards?

There are signs that people do not believe in the work they do or the products they sell.  I knew a Ford salesman, who seemed happy enough, but he drove a Mercedes Benz to work.  His father owned the Ford dealership, but he did not believe in the product.  Yet, he sold a product he would not drive.

Maybe he loved what he was doing, but there is an indication here that he would have loved to sell for a Mercedes Benz dealership.  He was very excited about the craftsmanship and the features of his own car.  This same passion was not apparent when he was selling on his father’s car lot.

Many people would love to make a change, but there is always some risk.  Change in itself is risk.  The older we get, the more set we become in our ways.  At a certain age, many of us refuse to change.  Before you know it, and if you live long enough, you may be retired.

Yet, there is the ability to do what we love at any age.  If we can think clearly, there is time to do what we love.  When my wife, Marie, graduated from college, one of her classmates was nearly 80 years of age.  She explained, “I always wanted to go back to school and never had the opportunity, until now!”

Most of us do not have to wait until retirement to follow our passions.  It is true that family obligations, a career, and financial limitations can hold us back from following our dreams.  However, there are steps we can take that are progressive, and might be considered unconventional, at the same time.

Going to college, in the evenings, has been one step toward progress.  College courses can also be taken on the Internet and through some public television stations.  Yoga teacher certification courses can be taken by correspondence, Internet, or a combination of the two.

Granted, you can take a conventional training too.  Yet, the conventional form of Yoga teacher training tends to be a strain on those with family obligations, a career, and financial limitations.  If children are living at home, leaving them can create complications. 

One has to “weigh up” the pros and cons of each type of Yoga certification course before making a decision.  Either way, a progressive step, in doing what you love, is a giant leap forward for your emotional and mental well being. 

© Copyright 2009 – Paul Jerard / Aura Publications

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By Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500

If you participate in a Yoga practice, you hear terms related to negative or positive energy. Negative energy is most commonly seen as worry, anxiety, pains, aches, pessimism, and doubt. Negative energy prevents progress and can bring your life to a standstill.

Positive energy is an arousal within the mind that causes action and creativity. Sometimes, problem-solving skills are enhanced, due to a surge in positive energy. Religious theologians, of all faiths, call positive energy divine guidance. Positive energy has been the driving force behind creativity, positive action, art, music, and writing.

During a Hatha Yoga training session, we can feel the difference between negative and positive energy within the body. Do you feel muscles and joints that are stiff? This is an area that needs work – in the form of massage, asana, and pranayama techniques.

Muscular tension, inside the body, creates excessive tension on the joints. It may cause a delicate joint to be pulled out of alignment. Some of us get a massage, visit a chiropractor, or participate in a Yoga class, with a clear intention of purging negative energy and bringing the body into balance.

Yet, how often is the mind forgotten? The mind may be the source of all the physical tension. Granted, there are other factors that cause physical tension, such as the body alignment during sleep, genetics, lifestyle, illness, and trauma. These factors can play a major role in throwing the body off balance. These factors can also wear on the mind.

This is why an optimist has a better chance at a quicker recovery, when he, or she, is struck by illness or trauma. A balanced state of mind is often taken for granted by many of us. Those who suffer various degrees of mental illness are all too familiar with an unbalanced state of mind.

In Yoga, the easiest way to cultivate positive energy may be through pranayama (Yogic breathing) practice. From the outside looking in, pranayama may look quite easy; but after ten minutes, one learns a state of humility. Most Yoga practitioners experience the mind / body connection during pranayama practice.

This mind and body connection creates a state, where we are living in the moment, while competition is put aside. We may think clearly, during or after pranayama practice, because we are able to control the flow of positive and negative energy. Yet, this is only the gateway to a Yogic lifestyle filled with many rewards.

© Copyright 2009 - Paul Jerard / Aura Publications

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http://www.yoga-teacher-training.org/

On-Site or Online Yoga Instructor Training Courses

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

Have you been considering an affordable Yoga teacher training course?  Many people would like to advance themselves in life, but they see a “road block” ahead.  Fortunately, life’s obstacles can also be new doors to many different opportunities.

Sometimes, an obvious solution to continuing education is not well known. Online and correspondence education programs have been in place at many universities worldwide.  There is no need for anyone to turn their life upside down to advance their education.

In fact, there is no need to pay large sums of money for education. Instructional television training programs, for teachers, have been around for decades. In the Chicago area, these programs started in the 1960s. Accredited universities have also offered college courses, with the help of local public television stations.

If you can earn a degree from an accredited college online, you can also earn a Yoga teacher diploma. Online study, to become a yoga instructor, is flexible and allows you to study at your own pace. There is no extended travel, and you do not have to put yourself in debt in order to earn your Yoga teacher’s diploma.

You could study for your certification anywhere a Wi-Fi network is set up and you could do all of your studies within your own home. However, if possible, it is always good to network with local Yoga teachers. By learning from local teachers, while studying to become a Yoga teacher, you will gain much knowledge from the experience.

At the same time, anyone considering a correspondence course in advanced Yoga studies, should also realize the importance of self-motivation. A self-starter has a big advantage – when finishing assignments pertaining to Yoga certification.

© Copyright 2009 – Paul Jerard / Aura Publications

Yoga Teacher Certification. FREE Yoga Report. FREE Yoga Newsletter. FREE Yoga Videos. Free Podcasts. Bonus: Free Yoga e-Book, “Yoga in Practice.” http://www.yoga-teacher-training.org/

On-Site or Online Yoga Teacher Training Courses

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 has the Yoga teacher community managed to flourish so quickly? It seems to have occurred around the time the web made rapid advancements in technology. There is no coincidence in the timing of the popularity growth of Yoga and Internet video technology. Here is what happened and why.

Until recently, most Yoga practitioners were dependent upon training with their Guru, in small groups, or training alone with a book. Without constant stimulation, feedback, or guidance, most students did not participate in Yoga long enough to experience the long-term benefits of regular practice.

Words like “self-realization” and “transformation” can be a mystery, if you practice Yoga without ongoing support. This is where Internet-based Yoga education has been so crucial in the global popularity of Yoga. At this time, any student or teacher of Yoga, can find resources which help one sustain a steady practice.

In turn, the global Yoga teacher community has made web-based resources available for the public. Anyone can learn how to practice Yoga for preventative health, pain management, ailments, physical rehabilitation, or reduction of chronic stress levels.

Evidence, in the form of benefits experienced by long-term practitioners, can be seen in the current economic crisis. Instead of resorting to alcoholism and drugs, a large portion of the public has opted to practice Yoga in classes with like-minded people.

This is in stark contrast to the numbers of people, in the past, who engaged in substance abuse the moment times got tough. This is also an indicator that the long-term benefits of Yoga practice have been realized outside of India. Constant reinforcement, of clean living and a healthy lifestyle, has begun to show its true worth.

These positive changes, in the behavior of societies, worldwide, will contribute to a global economic recovery. People need to think clearly in order to find viable solutions. For example: The pursuit of clean energy solutions will help us now, but future generations will thank us for it. This is only one example of how the Yogic mind-set has managed to influence the global community.

To think clearly, to let go of greed, and to train the mind, are basic principles of Yogic philosophy. This is why online resources, for Yoga education, are so important. We sow the seeds today for a brighter future tomorrow. Instead of plundering the earth for every natural resource, we can logically approach problems with solutions that will permanently help future generations.

Consider the alternative: Our past history, as a species, has shown we make some terrible mistakes. Yet, we have managed to advance despite ourselves. Imagine what good we could accomplish if we work together. This is why the online Yoga teacher community exists. All we have to do is keep spreading the message.

© Copyright 2009 – Paul Jerard / Aura Publications

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Yoga Teacher Certification
FREE Yoga Report. FREE Yoga Newsletter. FREE Yoga Videos.
Free Podcasts. Bonus: Free Yoga e-Book, “Yoga in Practice.”
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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

Do you wonder about the value of certifications earned on the Internet? How do you sort out who is reputable? When is a Yoga teacher correspondence course a viable option? How can anyone benefit from online certification? Will virtual training ever replace traditional face-to-face education of Yoga instructors? Let’s review these questions and sort through your options.

1. Is there a value in Yoga certifications or diplomas earned on the Internet? Many of the world’s Yoga registries, and Yoga certifying organizations, recognize the value of non-contact continuing education credits (CEUs).

Correspondence courses, and online courses, are a form of independent study in many fields, including Yoga. Distance learning credits may be applied toward re-certification or to keep a registration active.

2. How do you sort out which Yoga courses are reputable? If the certifying body specializes in Yoga, this is a major step. The certifying body should have a qualified Yoga teacher trainer on its staff. If the certifying body writes courses for aircraft mechanics and computer repair; you may want to shop around.

3. When is a Yoga teacher correspondence course a viable option? If a person is busy at work, has children at home, or has limited funds for a Yoga education, an online course may be the best option. If you live in a rural area or on an island, distance learning may be your only choice.

4. How can anyone benefit from online certification? Even a bad course would teach you more than you knew about Yoga. However, a well-rounded Yoga teacher course should give you new ideas, even if you have 10, 20, or 30 years of teaching experience.

5. Will virtual training ever completely replace traditional face-to-face education of Yoga instructors? Absolutely not. Yoga teacher education is an ongoing process. Over the years, teachers go through many stages of life. For example: The world economy will improve again. Instructors will have the funds for workshops, camps, and seminars in the future.

On the other hand, why turn away the chance for virtual online training? In comparison, it is much more cost effective than traditional face-to-face Yoga training. With the development of the Internet, and various forms of broadband technology, teacher trainers can now review interns, or established teachers, by streaming video.

This is only the beginning, because 3-D technology is about to make leaps forward within the next decade. Online Yoga teacher training will help instructors improve in an instant. Therefore, it will always be a valuable source of foundational training and continuing education.

© Copyright 2009 – Paul Jerard / Aura Publications

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FREE Yoga Report. FREE Yoga Newsletter. FREE Yoga Videos.
Free Podcasts. Bonus: Free Yoga e-Book, “Yoga in Practice.”
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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 many reasons why an instructor or intern would take a Yoga teacher training course online, or through correspondence. The following is a short list of reasons why established teachers and potential interns would consider online, or correspondence, Yoga teacher training programs.

1. Yoga instructors need non-contact continuing education units (CEUs) for existing Yoga teacher credentials. Continuing education is part of their re-certification requirements. CEUs keep educators up-to-date with the many changes in sports medicine and information about teaching students who have special needs.

2. Some interns take continuing education courses for their primary field, but are allowed elective credits for a related field, such as Yoga. These Yoga teacher interns often work in fields, such as medicine, Ayurveda, fitness, physical education, physical therapy, psychology, or social work. In this case, some of them are applying Yoga education toward their CEU requirements in their primary fields.

3. If one lives in a remote location, such as an island or a rural area, there may be no on-site Yoga intensive training near your home. In such cases, your intensive training may be precious, and well spent time, but the journey to your destination may create other hardships, with respect to extra expense and time away from obligations.

4. When we think of obligations, we might consider relationships, children, a spouse, or a job, which falls into this category. When considering Yoga training, some potential interns throw their hands into the air and exclaim, “I’m just too busy!”

This is a simplified response to overwhelming responsibilities. It is likely, that we enjoy our family, friendships, and our daily work, but a requirement of four weekly intensives, or more, per year, may be a stretch for most of us. Correspondence courses are self-paced, which means you fit your schooling into your scheduled time.

5. Affordability may be the most logical reason of all for joining a distance learning program for Yoga teachers. Each correspondence course is designed to guide you toward specific aspects of Yoga. Yet, spending all of your savings, or taking out a loan for your education, may not be necessary.

Online and correspondence courses usually cost a small fraction of a face-to-face training. On average, distance learning for Yoga teachers, costs only 5% to 20% of the cost of an onsite course. The cost of travel, housing, meals, hidden fees, books, educational materials, lost wages, and shutting your Yoga studio down for four weeks, can add up.

When considering your Yoga education, you should weigh up all of the factors and choose the option which best suits your needs. Each of us lives in a different set of circumstances. Yoga correspondence courses allow you to enjoy your life as it is, right now, and expand your knowledge in the best possible way.

© Copyright 2008 – 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
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By Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500

Have you ever been curious or skeptical about how correspondence courses, for Yoga teachers, work? Below is a question and answer session about educating Yoga instructors through distance learning. These courses are online, or correspondence programs, designed for the education of new, or established, Yoga teachers.

Q: It’s hard to believe that someone can be certified as a Yoga teacher without face-to-face contact. How does a correspondence course for Yoga instructors compensate for personal contact?

A: Technology, in the form of streaming video, via Internet and DVDs, has changed the face of education and training in every field. Correspondence courses traditionally entailed learning by reading, and maybe sending a few photos of postures, but video has made learning and testing much easier – especially when you add telephone, or Email contact.

Many graduates of correspondence courses are already certified or registered Yoga teachers, but they need Continuing Education Credits for re-certification from the registries or their original certifier. Therefore, Yoga certification organizations provide continuing education for Yoga teachers, and the world’s Yoga registries approve of non-contact continuing education units (CEUs).

Q: What kind of testing requirements do Yoga teacher graduates go through?

A: The examinations process is the same as most on-site Yoga teacher training courses. There will be written exams, but you will retain more information from essay-style written examinations. Multiple choice and true or false examinations do not require a Yoga teacher intern to do in-depth thinking and research.

There may be essays, research, and a synopsis or two. The highlight of the testing process is the practical exam video, which may be 50% of the entire grade. The video may require you to demonstrate, assist, adjust, and explain, pranayama (Yogic breathing), relaxation, asana (Yoga posture), and meditation techniques.

Depending on the practical exam requirements, there may be other techniques to demonstrate, and explain, such as: Mudras (gestures, usually performed with the hands), bandhas (locks), or something else.

Q: Is knowledge of all the aspects of classical Hatha Yoga required?

A: A well-rounded distance learning Hatha Yoga course should contain educational materials about the following aspects: Anatomy, Physiology, Kinesiology, Asanas, Modifications, Yoga philosophy, Yoga teaching methodology, Adjusting posture (asana) alignment, Chakras, Bandhas, Mudras, Yamas, Niyamas, Pranayama, Meditation and Relaxation, Working with special populations, Yoga Teaching Tips, and Yoga Teacher Ethics.

Granted, some Yoga distance learning courses have less material to learn, but the very first level 1 course should contain at least 200 hours worth of material, to set a solid foundation of knowledge. In fact, a level 1 Yoga certification course is often considered a foundational course, which opens the path toward constructive continuing education for life.

© Copyright 2008 – Paul Jerard / Aura Publications

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Free Podcasts. Bonus: Free Yoga e-Book, “Yoga in Practice.”
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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

When discussing teaching Yoga for a living, you might not think you deserve to be happy, while performing work. This seems to be the main objection to a rewarding career: “It’s not a real job, unless you are suffering miserably.”

This same “undeserving” mentality, which surrounds the workplace, also dominates fitness and medicine. Remember: “Feel the burn,” “No pain, no gain,” and “Medicine has to taste bad to be good.” Some people inherently want to be told that they do not deserve grace, merit, or reward.

In Yoga, we are often familiar with the universal law of karma and the universal law of attraction. To envision unhappiness is a path toward misery. Why not learn to master the power of envisioning our paths in life? No one has to resign himself or herself to failure.

If your job situation looks bleak today, will it be the same tomorrow? Life has many twists and turns, but it only seems to make sense in hind sight. The only way we can control the direction of life is to visualize the future with optimism. By taking the “high road,” you are more likely to react to an opportunity, when one arises.

The difference between someone, who is a successful Yoga teacher, and someone who wants to be, is the ability to recognize an opportunity. The path of teaching starts with the study of a specific subject. This is completely true if the subject you want to teach is Yoga.

You can dream all you want, but you must take action in the form of study and practice. After a period of time, you can take an intensive course. There are many choices for Yoga teacher certification courses. There are correspondence, onsite, and online Yoga teacher training courses, to choose from.

However, a 200-hour Yoga course will prepare you for many things, but it will not prepare you for everything. There are too many aches, pains, ailments, and illnesses for one course to cover. This is why almost every Yoga teacher participates in continuing education.

There is no “magic bullet” Yoga training course. Yoga has been documented for thousands of years. One course may be very comprehensive, but a single course is a gateway to many more doors of knowledge and opportunity.

The job of your dreams is in your mind, and the path you choose is ultimately your decision. It does not have to cost you an “arm and a leg” to get started, but the path toward success and happiness starts with your first step in that direction.

© Copyright 2008 – Paul Jerard / Aura Publications

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Yoga Teacher Certification Courses
FREE Yoga Report. FREE Yoga Newsletter. FREE Yoga Videos.
Free Podcasts. Bonus: Free Yoga e-Book, “Yoga in Practice.”
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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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