Posts Tagged ‘yoga teacher’

We are accepting recycled Yoga course materials in exchange for store credits. If you are interested in recycling your old Yoga teacher training course, please feel free to contact us.

Please do not send Hi-8 or Mini DV video tapes. As we have mentioned in the past, US Government scanning equipment de-magnetizes and erases these video formats. DVDs are fine and many Yoga teacher interns are sending streaming videos through www.yousendit.com

Currently, Yoga teacher exam turn around times are two to three weeks.

By Katalin Zsiros-Szabo

Yoga is like music: The rhythm of the body, the melody of the mind and the harmony of the soul create the symphony of life.

I would like to start my essay with a few words about myself. I was born in 1974.  I am practicing bhakti yoga since 1991 and I am an initiated member of the Hare Krishna movement since 1996. My spiritual name is Kalindi devi dasi. I am vegetarian since then as well. I lived in the brahmacarini ashram for 12 years and practiced the Hare Krishna mantra meditation and devotional service every day. I am now in the grihasta ashrama and still practicing bhakti yoga with my husband. I have been practicing hatha yoga since May 2007 and in the future I would like to open my own yoga studio when we move back to Hungary.

In the first part of my essay I would like to share my experience with my first yoga teacher. I have enrolled to an 8 weeks yoga course in 2008.

I work irregular hours. Sometimes I work from 10 am to 10 pm sometimes only from10 am to 6 pm but we have to fill shops in when someone calls sick so I never know which part of the city I am going to end up working. I was very delighted when I learned that a yoga course started in a college close to my apartment. I was already practicing yoga at home using books and DVDs and YouTube but I wanted to meet people who are also practicing yoga and I wanted to get help from a teacher with my postures. It turned out to be a big disappointment. I was completely dissatisfied with my teacher. She was a nice young Canadian lady who has been practicing yoga for 12 years but was always very distant and “cold”. It felt strange because in my experience those on the spiritual way generally more open and friendlier.

I think it is very important that you have a friendly relationship with your students. We had a small group only 8 students and sometimes only 4 or 5 of us turned up for the class only. Actually I was the only one who never missed a class. Still my teacher couldn’t manage to remember our names when the 8 weeks course was finished. It felt very impersonal and cold. I feel that the yoga teacher should fill you up with warm and loving feelings and show that you are welcome in the class.

At the first class she asked us to introduce ourselves and if we practiced yoga before. Half of the group has never practiced yoga before. Our teacher should have explained the basic principles of practicing yoga for example that one should not eat before the class (three hours for a meal two hours for a snack). There were only women in my course and she should have made us aware that it is not recommended to perform any inverted postures during the menstrual period and try to have the bowels and bladder empty if possible etc. I think that she should have made us aware that there are certain postures which are not recommended to people with heart condition, spinal weakness or high blood pressure. She never mentioned any of these principles.

The second point which I feel is very important that the teacher must leave time for questions after the class. It is nice if the students can come together at the end of the session and have a little chat, share some thoughts about the class or just have a cup of tea (nice organic green tea or herb tea) together. In our case we were rushed with our relaxation at the end of the class and we had to grab our staff dress up quickly because the college was closing up.

Thirdly the yoga teacher should be sensitive enough to see if someone is more advanced than the other students and instruct them differently. Tell the student how to improve that posture guide them through and offer more advanced options and assistance. She never ever assisted with any posture to anyone. She was just sitting in front of us and watching us.

I was surprised that all of us were doing all the postures perfectly.

Another point is that the teacher should seek feedback from the students about the class. Ask the students how they feel about the class anything they would like to add or if they are satisfied with the session.

There was a class when our teacher asked us if we had any special requests or some postures we wanted to practise with her. There were a good few requests but she decided to practise only one of those. I felt we should have practised all those requested postures as we had sufficient time for more then one.

My last point is that she would go through her notes between postures and sometimes we had to wait a good few minutes until she told us what to do. That was very upsetting and very surprising.

I feel that was a very good experience how someone should not teach yoga.

The important points for us teachers to remember:

- be personal make the students feel welcome in our ashram / yoga studio

- be open minded listen to the students and ask for feedback

- leave time for discussion after the class or just for a little chat or set up a specific

time when the students can come forward and ask questions

- give different variations for someone who is ready to take it further

- ask the students if they need help with the postures and give assistance

- be aware of any possible health conditions of your students and instruct them

accordingly

- the most important point is that we must love what we are doing

You might ask yourself then why I didn’t leave the class. Because I really hoped that I will learn more in a next class and I was kind of waiting for something to happen at the next time. I hoped that I can make friends with my classmates and we can practice together outside of the class also. The main reason was that actually I couldn’t find any other classes which fit with my work schedule / circumstances.

I would like to share my very recent experience. On my day off I felt that I really wanted to go and practice yoga with a teacher and to see how others teach yoga. I looked up two studios in our neighbourhood. Both are about 30-40 minutes walking distance from our place. I love to walk anyway and it would take more than an hour to reach any of those yoga studios by bus. It was required that anyone who is interested to drop in the classes had to call them first to make sure that the class is not already full. I called the teacher four times and left a message. My calls were never returned.

I was very disappointed. It was mentioned on the website that the teacher has studied yoga for over ten years under Sri K. Pattabhi Jois, Richard Freeman and Shiva Rea among others. I was really looking forward to meet her.

As she never called me back I called the second studio. I was able to speak with the teacher. He mentioned that the classes are held only if there are four students at least in the class. There was no way to know if there will be four people present on the class or not until the last minute therefore I decided that I will practice at home by myself.

This experience made me think about the importance of being reliable. We should be eager to return phone calls reply to emails because we can loose potential students.

I would teach yoga even if only one student would show up at my class. If someone makes the effort to come to my studio I would never let them down. I think it would be a nice opportunity to learn more about my student.

Now I would like to talk about some common mistakes the student can make.

As students we should not fall into the trap of trying too hard when performing asanas. A practice that is too rajasic applies too much effort will detract from your creative expression. We shouldn’t try to force our body into a posture that is not yet capable of achieving or that causes discomfort or pain. Instead a student should try to let go of any attachment to the result of postures. Be it as a flat stomach or the desire to achieve the “final pose”. By removing expectations and assumptions the students open themselves to new ways of connecting different parts of the body and fresh ways of thinking. It becomes a heartfelt playful practice. It is also a good model for how to approach life in general: living fully in each moment. Progressing along the yoga path at our own pace will be much more rewarding than racing to the end.

Yoga is not a competition. This point is very important. When the student begins yoga classes and displays competitive tendencies that may suppress his or her creativity. The yogic way is to be inspired not by those around you but by your own body and mind as they are today which will be different from any other day and from any other yogi.

About beginner’s mind: avoid anxieties about “being good at” asanas and treat every yoga class as your first. This allows yoga to remain creative rather then being another pressure in your life. If you practice asanas without worrying about trying to achieve perfection you may glimpse the blissful awareness of the present moments that awaits all Yogis.

Too much repetition of the same physical exercise can isolate and stress the muscles and joints rather then liberating them or allowing them to work in harmony. While it is important to find an approach to yoga that you find inspiring and that benefits you as much as possible it is also key not to get too stuck in any one groove-variety is the spice of life and of Yoga.

Points to remember when practicing Yoga.

IF THE PRACTICE OF TODAY DAMAGES THE PRACTICE OF TOMORROW,

IT IS NOT THE CORRECT PRACTICE.

Practicing yoga should be a pleasure and not a duty.

As you undergo the postures try to make them exercises and concentration at the same time. Tune into your body, what you are feeling where you are stuck, where you move easily. Try not to allow your mind to wonder. Of course it will but become aware that this is happening and bring yourself back into a full involvement with what you are doing.

Don’t neglect warm up exercises too loosen joints and muscles. Warming up prepares the nervous system, heightens mental awareness and alertness, and loosens up joints and muscles to make them less prone to injuries. Warm ups jump start the fluid located in the joints, minimizing the risk for wear and tear of the muscles. It gives the heart a suitable period to adjust and pump up blood and nutrients into muscles.

It is very important to learn the basics correctly. It is like a good foundation when you build a house. If you are confident in the basic poses you will get more benefit than attempting some poses which are beyond your body’s current capacity which could cause also injuries. Always remember yoga is a pathway of discovery about both your body and mind.

At the end of yoga practice you should feel refreshed and re-energized. Don’t practice until you feel exhausted drained fatigued. Don’t skip svavasana at the end. Some students tend to skip the relaxing part but it is very important for your body to relax after your practice.

Make sure you have balance in everything. So always counter a forward bend with a backward bend and similarly if you do stretches or twists to the right it should be followed by the same movement to the left for the same length of time.

Be aware of your mental attitude to the practice whether you try to hard whether you give up too soon whether you are put into negative frame of mind because of the difficulties whether you see them as challenging or overwhelming. The challenge of yoga is to go beyond our limitations-within reason.

Don’t rush yourself into postures because of lack of time. It is much better to practice a fewer asanas correctly than to practice many more but quickly or hastily. You are looking for injuries if you rush.

Each practice will be different. Your body could be sluggish or responsive and your mind fresh or burdened. Simply be aware of all this without judging it. You must do the asana with your soul. Many people try to think their way into an asana but you must instead feel your way into it through love and devotion.

Physically the exercise should certainly provide you with a stretch but do stop at any sign of strain.

The more you can relax into the posture pushing just so much but not enough to create new stresses the better your practice will become. Yoga is always about finding balance. So don’t try to force your body into a posture that is not yet capable of achieving or that causes discomfort or pain. Progress along the yoga path at your own pace.

The time you spend holding a posture will vary according to your own fitness and needs. If you are a complete beginner and not very fit hold each posture for just one breath. As you become stronger and more adept increase the number of breaths you take.

In the last part of my essay I would like to highlight of the benefits of practicing yoga.

Benefits of practicing yoga:

It stretches the muscles

Yoga postures involve deep stretching movements-even muscles we didn’t know we had are involved. But unlike other forms of exercise the muscles are given a gentle controlled stretch without any strain and once your muscles gain flexibility they become stronger and better toned.

It delays the aging process and prevents illness.

Regular practice delays the aging process by keeping the muscles and ligaments moving. Although someone may experience muscular aches and pains after yoga these will soon wear off leaving that person refreshed. Yoga should never leave anyone feeling jumpy or exhausted.

It loosens and strengthens the spine.

As the muscles loosen and stretch so do the ligaments which hold the spine in place. Instead of being held rigidly the bones become free to move back into a more natural alignment. This is especially true of the spinal vertebrae as many of the yoga postures work directly on the spinal column. The postures are also preventive and help guard against slipped discs.

It improves circulation.

The circulatory system improves through regular deep breathing. With practicing yoga we become more aware of our breath and will start to use more of our lungs. Oxygenated blood is pumped more effectively to all organs revitalizing them and carrying away toxins. The inverted postures help blood circulation reversing the blood flow and also improve lymph drainage.

It helps digestion.

The digestive system is helped by the internal massaging action which some of the postures perform on the organs. Twisting postures and those which involve the back bending forwards and backwards will help stimulate the digestive organs. The improved circulatory process allows cleansing blood supply to reach the stomach and intestines.

It calms the nerves relax and rejuvenate the mind.

The nervous and endocrine systems are also affected. Yoga’s concentration on the spine through which the major nerve pathways flow helps to control the nervous energy. Regular yoga practice is well-known for reducing anxiety and panic states.

It balances hormones and emotions.

It helps to prevent menstrual cramps. It is my personal experience that since I am practicing yoga I don’t have any premenstrual cramps or cramps under my period. I am extremely happy because I had suffered a lot of painful periods and now it has stopped. Hyperactivity and lethargy can be overcome and emotions become more stable through doing yoga.

Somebody who is practicing yoga for a while will also find changes which are taking places on a quite subtle level. The person will begin to notice improvements in his/her health energy and mental state, feeling calmer and more detached from the worries of the everyday life. They feel clearer more directed and more purposeful.

Yoga helps to give up bad habits.

Yoga helps to develop a growing awareness and sensitivity. When the inner harmony starts to grow it is much easier to give up bad habits like smoking. When you are more in touch with your inner self it is easier to see that smoking, drinking or drugs are bad for you and you won’t be craving for it.

Yoga also helps to develop disciplines patience and intelligence. Yoga helps your body use oxygen and nutrients more efficiently.

Your vision will become clear when you look into your heart.

“Who looks outside, dreams. Who looks inside, awakens” (Carl Jung)

“Learn to let go. This is the key to happiness” (The Buddha)

“Life is a bridge. Cross over it, but build no house on it” Indian proverb

Namaste

Katalin

References:

BKS Iyengar: Light on Yoga

BKS Iyengar: Light on Pranayama

BKS Iyengar: Light on the Yoga sutras of Patanjali.

BKS Iyengar: Light on Life

Stephanie Pappas: Yoga posture adjustments and assisting

Nicolai Bachman: The language of Yoga

Michael Alter: Sport stretch

Michael Alter: The science of flexibility

Dr. David Frawley: Yoga and Ayurveda

Dr. David Frawley: Ayurveda and the Mind

Rodney Yee with Nina Zolotow: Moving towards balance.

The human body- an essential guide how the human body works

Liz Lark: 1001 Pearls of Yoga wisdom

Marylin Barnett: Hot Yoga

Mukunda Stiles: Ayurvedic Yoga Therapy

Thich Nhat Hanh: The miracle of mindfulness

Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada: Bhagavad Gita as it is

Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada: Srimad Bhagavatam I-XII

Sri Caitanya Caritamrta

Sri Isopanishad

Yogananda Paramahansa: Autobiography of a Yogi

Navin Chawla: Mother Theresa

DVDs

Desi Bartlett Yoga for beginners

A.M. and P.M yoga with Rodney Yee and Patricia Walden

My favourite youtube teachers:

Sadie Nardini

Esther Ekhart

My favourite sites:

Aurawellnesscenter.com

Thesecretofyoga.com

Abc-of-yoga.com

Yogajournal.com

Yogatic.com

Other inspirational books which I have read:

Dale Carnegie: How to stop worrying and start living

How to win friends and influence people

How to enjoy life and your job

Norman Vincent Pale: The power of positive thinking

The positive principle today

Enthusiasm makes the difference

Napoleon Hill: Success

Think and grow rich

Anthony Robbins: Awaken the giant within

Unlimited Power

Richard Carlson: Don’t sweat the small stuff…and it is all small stuff

Daniel Coleman: Emotional intelligence

Deepak Chopra: Grow younger live longer

Quantum healing

Perfect health

Ageless body timeless mind

Life after death

How to know God

Brian Tracy: Maximum achievement

Self-made millionare

Stephen Covey: 7 Habits of highly effective people

Rhonda Byrne: Secret

Wayne W. Dyer: Change your thoughts, change your life

Susan Jefferson: Feel the fear and do it anyway

Health related books:

T. Colin Campbell: China Study

Dr. David Frawley: Ayurvedic Healing

Ayurveda’s Nature Medicine

Dr. Vasant Lad: Ayurvedic Home remedies

Dr. Frawley and Dr. Lad: Yoga of Herbs

Laura Normann: The reflexology handbook

Katalin Zsiros-Szabo is a certified Yoga teacher. She teaches Yoga classes in Dublin, Republic of Ireland.

By Peggy Kelly, CYT

The more I learn about and practice yoga, the more amazed I am at its many benefits. Because of my background as a personal trainer and fitness instructor, I am aware of the benefits of exercise in general, however, yoga is clearly in a class by itself. There are countless reasons to love and appreciate yoga.

Physical Benefits

Physically, yoga improves flexibility, bringing greater range of motion to muscles and joints. Many yoga poses require a person to support the weight of their body in different ways, thereby increasing strength in many muscles. As one practices, muscles are not only becoming stronger, but more toned, long, and lean.

Another physical benefit is pain relief, especially back pain. People who sit down a lot may have tightness and spinal compression. Specific poses can address this effectively, bringing relief to the practitioner.

Yogic breathing provides another significant physical benefit of yoga. There is a calming of the central nervous system by bringing attention to the breath and using the lungs more efficiently. Learning how to properly inflate the lungs and exhale completely also promotes focus, clarity, has a calming effect, and helps with relaxation, thereby benefiting the yogi mentally as well as physically.

Stress Relief

In the busy-ness of life, we tend to get stressed-out, burnt-out, overwhelmed, and anxious. The prescription for this is to practice yoga. We know that being physically active helps alleviate stress, but yoga practice brings a keener awareness to one’s self in the moment. It provides a much needed break from stressors by applying concentration on the poses, as well as through relaxation and meditation. Personally speaking, in the weight room I’ve worked harder on those days when my stress levels were high. However, during the workout, I was typically still thinking about the things that were stressing me out. It’s different with yoga. When I practice yoga, my concentration turns inward as I focus on the postures, giving me the ability to cope with those stressors and put them in the proper perspective. That’s a wonderful way to alleviate stress.

What’s Happening on the Inside?

There are significant things occurring inside the body because of yoga, such as cardiovascular improvement, decreased blood pressure, and slower pulse rate. The heart is working more efficiently. Also benefiting are the circulatory and respiratory systems as they work more efficiently with consistent yoga practice. Yoga provides improved gastrointestinal functioning as well.

In addition, improved cholesterol levels, as well as reduced sodium and triglyceride levels can be credited to yoga. Practicing yoga helps to regulate and control hormone secretion, which means the endocrine system is more efficient.

Wait! There’s so much more! A balanced metabolism, which helps maintain healthy weight can be attributed to yoga. There may also be benefits to the immune system. And who knew that your internal organs could be massaged? Yes, yoga can do that, too! The practice of yoga helps improve the body’s ability to prevent disease, plus, as one becomes more attuned to the body, there is more awareness if something isn’t functioning properly.

It makes you stronger, provides consistent energy, and helps you sleep better. Yoga improves balance and increases body awareness. You will walk taller, sit more ergonomically, and have ways to stretch your body that are safe and effective, with the benefit of reducing aches and pains.

Mind-Body Connection

Not only are there wonderful physical aspects to yoga, but there is also a strong mind-body connection, such as calmness and positive moods. You can learn to use the concentration required for poses into other areas of life. As you continue to incorporate yoga into your life, your focus and ability to pay attention to details improves.

Non-Competitive

Yoga is non-competitive. This enhances a stress-free workout and deepens the introspective nature of yoga. Participants are encouraged to go at their level and to modify a pose as necessary in order to feel their best (as opposed to trying to feel the way they think the person on the mat next door feels). Yoga’s a personal experience.

Important Health Benefits

Those fighting or recovering from cancer can improve because of the benefits of yoga. Cancer patients who practice yoga gain strength, raise red blood cells, experience less nausea during chemotherapy, and have an improved outlook.

Those who suffer from arthritis benefit due to Yoga’s slow, deliberate poses that provide relief from arthritis symptoms. Additionally, I read that when yoga is used in the early stages of muscular dystrophy that it can help return some physical functions. Amazing!

Then there are other ailments such as sciatica, back pain, and constipation that are positively impacted by practicing yoga. There are specific yoga poses that help ease the pain of sciatica. Constipation can be eliminated with yoga combined with a healthy diet. Practicing provides overall improved posture, which helps the digestive system work more efficiently.

Grace & Beauty Abound

Yoga is beautiful. The asanas are graceful and flowing. Meditation enhances that beauty immensely. As it becomes part of one’s life, the benefits can be profound. It’s like “mental floss”. There’s an increased inner awareness and spiritual aspect that is appealing because it rejuvenates, calms, and centers one’s self. As a Christian, my faith is enhanced as I meditate on God’s Word. This is a personal aspect of meditation that can enhance anyone’s spiritual life, regardless of belief or denomination.

Peggy Kelly is a certified Yoga teacher. She teaches Yoga classes in Billerica, Massachusetts.

By Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500

The more we know, the more we realize how much more there is to learn. In Yoga, and in life, each day is a new lesson. Some interns think that, the material they learn in a 200 hour Yoga teacher training will be the “end all” to their education.

After a month into teaching, most of us of us develop a method for expanding our continuing education. The following five tips will help any Yoga teacher gradually reach maximum potential, while living a multi-faceted life.

1. Determine your exact direction. This may depend on the needs of your students or your own quest for personal growth. Whether you are considering training toward the 500 hour level, or becoming a Yoga teacher specialist, you want to draw up a plan to stay on course – without getting “side tracked.”

2. Move forward with purpose. Do you think you can make a habit of studying Yoga for one hour per day? It seems reasonable enough. Imagine how much you could learn in one year. After one year, you will have 365 hours of independent study – in a direction that you can apply toward your student’s needs, your personal growth, or both.

3. Take a realistic look at the pace of your progress. Even when we have a deep passion for Yoga, we must realize that independent study is not a race. Not everyone can study for seven hours per week. Some will study more, but most will study less. It is best to set a steady pace and enjoy life along the way.

4. Reflect back on your progress. It is easy to start a journey, but many can become discouraged along the path. Stop to think about how much you have accomplished. If we invest just four hours of study per week, we have 52 hours of study after three months. Your own continuing education program is a big help to students who depend on your knowledge.

5. Make continuing education a regular part of life. Education, in a subject that we find fascinating, is stimulating, and makes life worth living. As Yoga teachers, we realize that we are students for life. There are many benefits that come with a Yoga teaching position. The lifestyle is healthy. The continuing education stimulates your mind. Your students adopt a less stressful lifestyle. You feel the rewards of watching your students improve their lives.

© Copyright 2010 – Paul Jerard / Aura Publications

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

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

Yoga can break the cycle of continual stress. We know that chronic stress is linked to a variety of health problems and can cause death. When you are stressed out, hormones, such as – Cortisol and Adrenaline, are released into your body to give you extra strength in an emergency situation. However, long term affects of releasing cortisol and adrenaline, into your body, can result in heart disease and potential suicide.

Among the most necessary reasons, to practice Yoga, is the resulting state of inner peace during and after a session. Multi-tasking, stress, worry, and negative thoughts work against obtaining peace of mind. How can Yoga help people who are worried about their families, employment, and health care? Let’s discuss the healing powers of Yoga, and how you can reap the rewards of inner peace.

If you have problems that are blended with chronic stress, it is difficult to sort out the origin of your anxiety. Most people worry when they see an impending problem. Worrying is only a natural reaction to stress overload. However, have you ever met one person who claimed that worrying solved a problem?

Problems are much easier to solve when we train our minds to focus on solutions. This is where a regular Yoga practice helps us to take control of fear and worry. It is hard to see reality when we are consumed with fear. Many times, the amount of worrying people do has nothing to do with reality. People often worry about potential problems.

On the other hand, if the problem is real, time spent practicing Yoga will allow one to find inner calm and solutions. Hatha Yoga helps people of all ages learn to cope with stress. Most beginners are attracted to the physical postures (asanas), or the flowing of physical postures, with breath, in a sequence (vinyasa).

While there are much deeper practices to be realized within Hatha Yoga, the physical postures tend to be the main attraction on this journey of self-discovery. As time passes, the practitioner becomes much more aware of pranayama (Yogic breathing), niyama, yama, and the many variations of Yogic meditation.

When we read Patanjali’s “Yoga Sutras,” we begin to notice that our superficial view of Yoga is much like a child’s view of the world. Our view of Yoga is a fresh start. Most of us easily believe in what we see and what we feel. This is the reason why the Hatha style became so popular when it was exposed to the world. Physical benefits are easier to realize than mental, spiritual, or emotional benefits.

Therefore, a stressed-out person will find complete relief by finding a competent Yoga teacher, learning the Yogic methods for obtaining inner peace, and will be reassured when the physical and mental benefits are realized. The deeper benefits will be revealed, as the practitioner continues on the Yogic path.

© Copyright 2010 – Paul Jerard / Aura Publications

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

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

After an intern has successfully completed a Yoga teacher training course, he or she is looking for teaching positions and considering many side issues. One of the main issues is liability insurance. Below is a question and answer session regarding Yoga teachers and liability insurance.

Q. What if a student did not indicate a specific health issue and has a problem, ailment, or physical condition that I am unaware of?

A: You cannot read minds, but you can develop a preliminary questionnaire for all of your students to answer, before they enter your classes. A detailed questionnaire makes you aware of their ailments and limitations. For Yoga teachers, negligence is when we take risks with our student’s health and well being.

Negligence also happens when we know of a pre-existing problem, but we fail to take action, by creating a safe environment and practice for our students. If a student does not tell you about his or her pre-existing health conditions, when you have an established track record of establishing student safety policies, you cannot be held responsible for a student’s actions.

Q. Likewise, what if a student indicates a pre-existing condition and then does not follow teacher safety guidelines and corresponding information for student safety?

A: You should continually mention safety precautions during your classes. Sometimes, a stubborn student may have to be warned or advised to stop practicing in your Yoga classes. If a student is taking risks against your advice, you should address this directly. You are not responsible for students who do not follow your advice in regard to their safety.

Q. How do teachers protect themselves from being the subjects of lawsuits?

A: Firstly, anyone can be sued for anything. It’s a matter of whether a judge feels a case has legitimacy. A small number of Yoga teachers could find themselves at risk for accusations regarding negligence, lack of ethics, or harassment lawsuits. However, there are very few Yoga students who have ever complained about negligence, ethics violations, or harassment.

This is one more reason why certified Yoga teachers should be active in their continuing education. As long as you have a track record of professional behavior, establishing safety guidelines, giving modifications, watching your class, and building a rapport with students, you should be fine. Giving an extra safety tip, making handouts available, or mentioning a specific contraindication, during your classes, establishes a history of your deep concern over student safety.

Q. What are your thoughts about Yoga teachers acquiring liability insurance?

A: Most Yoga teachers have liability insurance for themselves or the entire staff at the center. Teachers should consider Yoga or sports liability insurance, depending upon the reputation of the company and the rates. Most teachers admit, they never had to use it; but liability insurance gives each teacher a “safety net.” You never really know if any insurance is good until you have a problem.

© Copyright 2010 – Paul Jerard / Aura Publications

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

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

Why would anyone, of any religion, seek spiritual growth from Yoga practice? How compatible are Yogic concepts with other religions and philosophies? Is Yoga a wing of Hinduism or an ancient Universalist approach toward living? Let’s take a closer look at why people are choosing the Yogic path for their spiritual health.

Yoga was practiced for thousands of years by Hindus. When Yoga moved out of India, it was assimilated by people of many cultures and religions. These new non-Hindu Yoga students could not erase their previous religious, philosophical, and political learning. That said, the teachings of Bhakti, Raja, Karma, Jnana, Hatha, Kundalini, Mantra, Tantra, and Yantra Yoga will differ and integrate to some degree.

Therefore, teaching and learning Yoga depends upon the Yogic style, the teacher’s method, and the student’s culture. If a student is familiar with the Ten Commandments, he or she will see some similarities to the Yamas and Niyamas. In all cultures, morality is a universal concept. Humanity’s largest struggle has been with fear of outside ideas.

Anyone can get a copy of any religious text on the Internet. The authenticity and quality of the interpretation could be subjects for debate, but the fact is – people are reading more Holy Books than ever before. In fact, people are reading more about everything than at any previous time.

Why would anyone, of any religion, seek spiritual growth from Yoga practice? The reasons are many, but sometimes they have to do with moral examples of religious leaders and the education of the people. It is hard to convince educated people with threats, when the leadership of a religion is up to its ears in a scandal.

There is no need to point fingers; all you have to do is listen to, watch, or read the news. We readily accept scandals within governments. It has been a historical fact that governments are often less than perfect. However, to be let down by religious leaders takes a toll on the faithful. Scandals in religious settings have created a culture of spiritual “castaways.”

How compatible are Yogic concepts with other religions and philosophies? All religions teach us to forgive, to be tolerant, and to love each other. This message is clear to see in Yogic teachings. If you take part in any form of Yoga, courtesy and mutual respect, are foundational concepts of the practice.

Is Yoga a wing of Hinduism or an ancient Universalist approach toward living? The answer is: It depends upon your Yoga teacher, where you study, and lessons learned in your classes. If you practice fitness-oriented Yoga classes in a gym, chances are that Yogic philosophy may not be part of your class.

If you practice in an ashram – this was traditionally a religious settlement, where a priest, monk, or a group of people, lived in seclusion from society. Yoga studios are usually at store front locations and will not be secluded, but philosophy and lifestyle will likely be addressed.

© Copyright 2009 – Paul Jerard / Aura Publications

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