Archive for the ‘Yoga for Emotional Health’ Category

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Yoga Helps Mental Health

Wednesday, February 13th, 2013

online yoga instructor certification intensiveBy Gopi Rao

If you’re anxious about your health, career, or relationships, you are not alone. Research done in the UK recently found that Brits lose the equivalent of five years of their lives worrying about their health, money, and lifestyle. An article published in Frontiers in Psychiatry in early 2013, has better news, however. Although stress creates havoc, there is proof that Yoga can help.

Scientists looked at over 100 different pieces of research and concentrated on 16 well-respected controlled studies to see how Yogic practices affected schizophrenia, depression, sleep problems, eating disorders, ADHD, and learning disabilities. They found “positive effects” on sleep ailments and mild depression, even when patients took no medications. Yoga also had a beneficial effect on symptoms of ADHD and schizophrenia in participants on medication. 

Researchers at Duke University Medical Center in North Carolina say that biomarker studies confirm that Yoga benefits mental health in ways similar to talk therapy and antidepressants. Biomarkers are substances used to measure biological conditions in the body. One study showed that Yoga training positively affected inflammation, neurotransmitters, oxidative stress, second messengers, lipids, and growth factors. 

This means that Yoga helps cells communicate with one another, allowing them to stay healthy and fight off toxins and disease. Yogic methods also help to regulate hormones necessary for physical and mental health. The World Health Organization says that over 350 million people around the globe suffer from depression, and this count doesn’t include other mental illnesses. 

The lack of mental health facilities and the stigma associated with mental illnesses create financial and social problems on community and global levels. While drugs undoubtedly save lives, they can be expensive and create unwanted side effects, leading some people to stop taking them. 

According to Dr. P. Murali Doraiswamy, professor of psychiatry and medicine at Duke University and one of the study’s authors, Yoga shows promise but needs rigorous study with greater numbers of participants. Nevertheless, Dr. Doraiswamy expressed his sentiments with the following statement: “If the promise of Yoga on mental health was found in a drug, it would be the best-selling medication world-wide.” 

While no one should stop taking medication without a doctor’s approval, there is no reason not to practice Yoga training in the meantime. 

© Copyright 2013 – Aura Wellness Center – Publications Division

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Yoga Teacher Training: Trauma

Monday, September 17th, 2012

yoga trainingBy Sangeetha Saran

It is important to remember one of the primary purposes of yoga. Yogic practices tend to reduce suffering – Although the goal is to end all suffering. This is the reason why we still see so many therapeutic yoga teacher trainings to this day.

Any type of trauma can be treated through yogic practices. Life has many different traumas but it’s important to know that through trauma we learn of ourselves and grow as individuals. Tackling traumas with yoga, including injury as well as mental trauma, such as the loss of a loved one can speed us on our way to a healthy and happy life. Yoga does help one become more grounded in all areas of their life. It pushes us to notice and appreciate our strengths and our weakness and gain self-acceptance. The feeling of overcoming a traumatic event in life and conquering it breeds a strength and confidence in ourselves that no one can take away.

There are certain things to keep in mind when teaching a yoga training session for an individual with the pain of trauma. Without delving deep into someone’s thoughts you may not know exactly what they’ve been through. Many suffer PTSD or Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. It could be from experiencing war, assault, or any multitude of traumatic experiences. A yoga instructor that is coaching those suffering from PTSD should be aware of things like chair and mat postures for those who have had an accident, and how to modify classes to make them trauma-sensitive.

The effects of trauma on the body are many. They can include pain, stress, low-energy and depression. Even without trauma these symptoms have been the main reasons for anyone taking up yoga training. First they must learn to quiet the mind and connect with the world around them through breathing techniques. Then through practice of asanas, students learn to travel and focus on the place where the trauma lies by listening to the body and letting go slowly of the pain.

Trauma survivors can gain strength through any asana, yet some of the following are the best.

• Mountain Pose – Mountain pose is perfect for those suffering emotional trauma. It concentrates on strength, and how you are grounded to the earth.

• Folding Pose – This is perfect for those with injury or without. Emotional conflict is usually held in the hamstrings. Conflicted feelings are easily released in Folding Pose.

• Legs Up the Wall Pose – This is a restorative asana that helps the yoga student relax, focus, and also will help them sleep better, as insomnia is a common effect of trauma.

Whatever poses are incorporated; the main focus should be stress relief, calmness, and slow easy moves with focus on breathing.

© Copyright 2012 – Aura Wellness Center – Publications Division

To see our selection of Yoga teacher training courses, please visit the following link.

http://www.aurawellnesscenter.com/store/

Free Report, Newsletter, Videos, Podcasts, and e-Book, “Yoga in Practice.”

If you are a Yoga Teacher, studio manager, 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!

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Yoga Teacher Training: Neuroscience

Friday, August 24th, 2012

yoga instructorBy Faye Martins

When considering methodology in most Yoga certification courses, mental and emotional health takes a back seat to the physical body. In many ways, it is a shame that the value of sanity means nothing, unless it is lost.

Modern science is just beginning to prove what Yogis knew thousands of years ago: Yoga changes the brain. At the University of Wisconsin-Madison Center for Investigating Healthy Minds, ongoing studies are researching the effects of meditation, deep breathing and Kriya Yoga on veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD. Phase I of the study was completed in 2010, and the second phase is now underway.

Symptoms of PTSD include hyper-vigilance, flashbacks, anger, depression and emotional numbness. Only half of the veterans who receive traditional treatments are cured, and many are unaware of the havoc of PTSD on their lives and relationships. Researchers estimate that at least 20 percent of the two million veterans who served in Afghanistan and Iraq suffer from PTSD, and suicide rate among these veterans have reached epidemic proportions.

Anecdotal evidence suggests the interventions are working, but scientific data is also being gathered from brain scans, allowing scientists to see how various areas of the brain react to negative memories and anxiety. The research is not limited to the United States, either. The Russian army has also researched the use of Yoga training.

The ability to monitor the effects of different thoughts and behaviors on the brain has only been available in the last decade. In the late 1990s, researchers in Pennsylvania reported that brain scans of experienced meditation practitioners showed increased action in the prefrontal cortex, the part of the brain that is responsible for attention. Meanwhile, the superior parietal lobe, the area involving orientation to time and space, went dark.

Criticized by mainstream scientists, the findings were controversial, but the tide seems to be turning as more evidence and more sophisticated equipment become available. In a show of support, the National Institutes of Health helped to set up science research centers at Emory University, Stanford University, and the University of Wisconsin, also home to the world’s first door-to-door meditation room and brain imaging lab.

Until the end of the 20th century, scientists thought neural pathways were determined early in life. Now we know the brain has the capacity to rewire itself throughout life, compensating for trauma or negative thought patterns. Researchers now say that neurons that “fire together wire together.”

Through the use of Yogic breathing techniques (pranayama), meditation and asanas, we can retrain the brain’s circuits. As new research emerges in the field of neuroscience, Yoga instructors need to stay current as more evidence is likely to document the medicinal relationship between Yoga and the brain.

© Copyright 2012 – Aura Wellness Center – Publications Division

To see our complete selection of Yoga teacher training courses, please visit the following link.

http://www.aurawellnesscenter.com/store/

Free Report, Newsletter, Videos, Podcasts, and e-Book, “Yoga in Practice.”

If you are a Yoga Teacher, studio manager, 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!

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Yoga Teacher Training: Emotions

Monday, August 13th, 2012

how to become a yoga instructorBy Amruta Kulkarni, CYT 500

One point you become aware of after completion of your yoga teacher training studies is the emotional health of your students.  Many of us are on an emotional roller coaster ride.  At one point, we might feel we have it all together, and then, life happens.  Good or bad, emotions are often the driving force in life. There are many instances when we make decisions based on emotions rather than logic. Even when your brain sends warning signals, sometimes emotions are too hard to ignore. Emotions are powerful enough to take over our entire being, affecting every aspect of the day. The older you get, the easier it is to recognize when you’re running on emotions and should slow down a bit before doing or saying anything drastic.

When emotions are negative, they can easily take over your mind and body, causing all sorts of problems from headaches and sleeplessness to more serious diseases. Yoga training can be therapeutic for a number of ailments, both physical and mental. The benefits of moving your body and forgetting about your problems for a while should never be underestimated. This can be achieved through any type of exercise. However, yoga training offers added benefits to the mind in the form of breathing and meditation and improved body awareness.

When you focus on your breath, you become fully aware of the air coming in and out of your lungs and abdomen. As you focus on something other than emotion, you are able to recognize some of those negative emotions surfacing. As they surface, you learn to acknowledge them and release them on your breath without letting them take over. The key to ridding your body of negative emotions is to recognize them first. When we push them down and ignore them they will only fester and grow much like an untreated wound.

Sometimes yoga postures themselves are enough to encourage the release of emotions. Heart opening asanas like cobra, pigeon, bridge or wheel pose will open the chest and allow emotions to flow freely. When your body is put into a position to release, it can be extremely beneficial for the mind. As your yoga practice improves and you become more comfortable in each pose, your emotions will tend to flow out with more ease as well. As yoga becomes habit, the need for this healthy release becomes a driving force behind your motivation to continue.

The need to release emotions on a regular basis is normal and healthy. We wouldn’t be living if we weren’t faced with a barrage of emotions each day. Since we can’t eliminate emotions from our lives, we can let them illuminate our lives by savoring the positive and releasing the negative through yoga and meditation.

Side Notes for Yoga Teachers

A workshop or an intensive for emotional flow can be very helpful for students.  Sometimes, a seasonal class before the holidays is the best time for a special workshop or a master’s class (yoga instructor training intensive), which equips local yoga teachers with enough information to help their students.

© Copyright 2012 – Aura Wellness Center – Publications Division

To see our selection of Yoga teacher training courses, please visit the following link.

http://www.aurawellnesscenter.com/store/

Free Report, Newsletter, Videos, Podcasts, and e-Book, “Yoga in Practice.”

If you are a Yoga Teacher, studio manager, 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!

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Yoga Teacher Training: Addiction

Thursday, July 26th, 2012

yoga teacherBy Faye Martins

Imagine my surprise when one of my first teaching assignments was at a drug rehabilitation clinic.  Yoga teacher training hadn’t prepared me for this one and I had no idea which drug did what!  I contacted Paul for some advice, which was very encouraging.  Although we learned many pranayama techniques during yoga instructor training, I hadn’t considered the state of euphoria we take for granted could be so effective in drug rehabilitation.  Additionally, there is much more of this experience for me to share with you.

Anyone Can Become an Addict 

Addiction can happen to anyone. They may not even realize they have what is classified as an addiction. It can be to drugs, alcohol and cigarettes. These are the first things that come to mind when someone says addiction. However, people are also addicted to food, hoarding, shopping, gambling and many other similar things. Addiction is extremely hard to overcome and it’s true that traditional therapy methods can work; but many are discovering that implementing yoga into their schedule plays a major role in helping them overcome their addictions. It is the mind-body approach that helps people who are suffering from addiction realize how strong their body really is. Replacing their addiction with yoga can be extremely difficult, but in turn it helps them kick the addiction, and begin a path to recovery.

How it Works

Addiction is a lifestyle that is run on complete impulse. The impulse to grab some fast food, or smoke a cigarette, or do whatever it takes that provides immediate satisfaction and calms the desire that created that impulse. Yoga students who are trying to overcome addiction realize that through a bit of strain and discomfort their mind and body are focused on something else, and the impulse is controlled. The satisfaction that is achieved through yoga training and using the mind as well as the body is equal to or greater than the satisfaction they would have gained from giving into their addiction. Yogic methods can prevent addiction by switching a good habit for a bad one and the impulse is controlled, because yoga causes euphoria with no bad side effects.

Kundalini and Hatha are two yoga styles that are perfect for those struggling with addiction. They both practice slow movements and controlled breathing (pranayama) along with engaging the mind to achieve a peaceful state of being. Kundalini incorporates more meditation and chanting of mantras to build spiritual awareness. Certain breathing patterns have proven to release endorphins. Endorphins create feelings of pleasure, which help replace those that were brought on by the addiction.

In addition to the practice of yoga training, the sense of community and togetherness can create a safe haven for those who are recovering from addiction. They may feel they are not alone, and feel like their yoga instructor and classmates are there for them, and know where they are coming from. That combined with the peacefulness that yoga training methods bring about can become the perfect marriage of elements on the journey to complete well-being.

Side Notes for Yoga Teachers

If you’ve never been addicted to anything – good for you.  However, your strength is what addicts need to learn to master.  There is no better role model for an addict than someone who has recovered or someone who has a gateway to an alternative lifestyle.  It’s easy enough to find a local counselor who can point out  rehabilitation centers and clinics.

© Copyright 2012 – Aura Wellness Center – Publications Division

To see our selection of Yoga teacher training courses, please visit the following link.

http://www.aurawellnesscenter.com/store/

Free Report, Newsletter, Videos, Podcasts, and e-Book, “Yoga in Practice.”

If you are a Yoga Teacher, studio manager, 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!

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Yoga Teacher Training: Grief

Saturday, July 21st, 2012

yoga teacherBy Faye Martins

There are many healing methods learned during yoga teacher training, but some the most puzzling problems humans face are emotional in nature.  Grief touches everyone at some point in their life. The loss of a loved one is a devastating blow for some, while career setbacks such as firing or layoffs can send others into a tailspin of sadness. Grief is generally caused by loss, which is sometimes as concrete as a person or as abstract as our beliefs about ourselves or our expectations about our life. We must experience deep feelings like grief for them to pass through us and dissipate, but the pain they generate makes us reluctant to do this.

Our human nature is one of action and power; we expect to control our lives and when things don’t go our way we see it as a failure. This makes it even harder for us to accept loss and the grief that comes with it.  When you push away grief it must go somewhere. Unresolved grief usually stores in the body. For some people it creates physical pain, such as the feeling of pinching or stabbing in the chest area or a stiffness in the shoulder area as if their body tries to curl into itself and protect the heart.

Many people develop chronic fatigue or digestive problems following a deep loss. The curious thing about these complaints is that many people never understand that there is a connection between their emotional situation and their physical ailments. With yoga, the mind and body connection becomes clearer and people usually find that as they move through the asanas their body will release some of the tension and grief it is holding for the mind. Yoga class is a safe place for people to let their feelings arise and watch them dissipate. It is not unusual to see yoga practitioners tearing up or openly crying during a class as feelings and emotions can arise unexpectedly for us all.

Yoga is a path toward acceptance and understanding of all parts of your life, including loss and grief. Yogic philosophy has a less personal take on loss; for some people life is full of suffering and our attachment to people and things will certainly compound that suffering.  After attending retreats and yoga teacher training intensives regarding detachment, I can honestly admit it is not possible for most of us to remain unattached.  Living a life of love and joy, engaged with the world and the people in it will naturally lead to loss and grief. Rather than reject life altogether, we can take solace that it is not our failure but rather the inevitable nature of things that has caused this outcome.

© Copyright 2012 – Aura Wellness Center – Publications Division

To see our selection of Yoga teacher training courses, please visit the following link.

http://www.aurawellnesscenter.com/store/

Free Report, Newsletter, Videos, Podcasts, and e-Book, “Yoga in Practice.”

If you are a Yoga Teacher, studio manager, 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!

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Teaching Yoga to Students with Emotional Stress

Friday, June 1st, 2012

how to become a yoga instructorBy Dr. Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500 

Many Yoga teacher training interns envision classes with fit students, who want physical challenges. Hatha Yoga training is well known as a form of exercise designed to build flexibility, strength, and general fitness. What is less well known is that practicing Yoga can improve your ability to deal with stress. As many of us realize, stress is a very corrosive aspect of our modern society, and it takes an especially heavy toll on our children. Students often find themselves under severe emotional stress and have a difficult time coping with the feelings and problems this can create. Yoga training is an excellent tool to teach students how to integrate all aspects of their lives.

These days, students experience the burden of a great deal of pressure from a very early age. For many people, the day starts early with long hours of school, followed by homework, extracurricular activities, and other obligations. Frequently, older students also have jobs they try to fit in around their other responsibilities. There is little time for students to catch their breath, much less to relax and integrate their life experiences in a positive way. Adolescence is a difficult time for most students, even at the best of times, and frequently it is a time of deep emotional uproar. When you add all of this up, it is no surprise that the level of emotional stress in the life of many young people can reach nearly intolerable levels.

Yoga class is a wonderful place for students to relax and unwind. Unlike most traditional academic classes, there are no tests or exams; everyone comes to class as they are, and there is not a required level of fitness necessary. There is no competition in class, but there is endless potential for improvement and accomplishment. Yoga students progress at their own pace, and often have fun, too. In Yoga class, students learn that every day is a different challenge, and there is no failure for anyone who tries. These are important life lessons that academic schools often neglect to teach students.

Yoga teaches students to connect their breath with the asana, or poses. This connection helps students integrate their minds and bodies in a balanced state, which is especially helpful for those trying to cope with emotional stress. Pranayama, or controlled breathing, is a very important tool to relax the mind and body during an emotionally or mentally stressful situation. Once a student learns some of these skills, he or she can use them in all aspects of their life, helping them to deal more effectively with difficult people and stressful situations.

© Copyright 2012 – Aura Wellness Center – Publications Division

To see our selection of Yoga teacher training courses, please visit the following link.

http://www.aurawellnesscenter.com/store/

Free Report, Newsletter, Videos, Podcasts, and e-Book, “Yoga in Practice.”

If you are a Yoga Teacher, studio manager, 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!

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Teaching Yoga to Balance Emotional Flow

Monday, May 14th, 2012

online yoga teacher coursesBy Dr. Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500

Yoga students come to our classes seeking practical solutions to life’s daily problems. If one becomes overwhelmed by negative emotional energy, this can cause chronic stress, anxiety attacks, and many more health problems.  When we decided to become a Yoga instructor, we realized that many people need help to reach optimum health. In the holistic sense, health is physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual.  Yoga is one of the oldest and most effective means of balancing the daily flow of emotions, and its benefits extend far beyond the mat or the meditation cushion.

Imagine the following scenario.

You are stuck in traffic, and you were supposed to pick up the kids at soccer practice ten minutes ago. To make it to tonight’s seven o’clock meeting and see that the homework is done, you are going to have to grab fast food on the way. You tense your muscles and hold your breath as negative thoughts race through your mind. You get angry and then you feel guilty. By now, you probably have an aching head and tight shoulders, and you still have not moved your car.

There is not much we can do to change our fast-paced lifestyles, but we can alter the way we react to stressful situations. Contemporary energy medicine is finally recognizing what swamis knew thousands of years ago. Our thoughts and feelings do one of two things: create blockages or enable the flow of energy throughout our bodies. It all depends on our reactions.

When faced with negative emotions, our first impulse is usually to suppress or deny them, but not expressing positive feelings can create problems, as well. Regardless of whether it is joy, fear, anger, or bliss, holding feelings inside makes it difficult to fully live in the present moment.

The Yogic Solution

Yoga training addresses this problem by synchronizing breath and motion. Flow Yoga, also known as Vinyasa, sometimes encompasses several Yoga styles and concentrates on accompanying each movement with either an inhalation or exhalation. Focusing on the breath also helps to gauge the length of time spent in each asana, or pose, and creates a dance-like synchronization of movements that prepares the mind and body for meditation.

Our mental, emotional, and physical health, are intricately connected to our breath. Our reactions to what we see, feel, and hear, are reflected by the rhythm of our breathing. We cannot disconnect our breathing from our senses, but we can use this to our advantage. When teaching Yoga classes, emphasize the power that pranayama and everyday breathing have over one’s emotions.

The answer to emotional distress does not comes through detachment, but through allowing and observing emotions. To become the observer, allows one to seek a rational solution, rather than be buried by waves of emotion. Through Yoga meditation, we can become witnesses to our thoughts and actions, allowing our emotions and our lives to flow more freely.

© Copyright 2012 – Aura Wellness Center – Publications Division

To see our selection of Yoga teacher training and continuing education courses, please visit the following link.

http://www.aurawellnesscenter.com/store/

Free Yoga report, newsletter, videos, podcasts, and e-Book: “Yoga in Practice.”

If you are a Yoga Teacher, studio owner, 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!

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Yoga Practice and Positive Psychology: Positive Group Affiliation

Saturday, April 21st, 2012

yoga certificationBy Dr. Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500

The combination of a regular Yoga practice, with the incorporation of positive psychology principles, can have a profoundly uplifting effect on a Yoga practitioner. Many of us struggle with low self-esteem, self-doubt, anxiety, and even a significant amount of depression. Positive psychologists approach a sense of malaise and mental duress from a positive perspective. Instead of focusing on the cause of anxiety, low self-esteem, and even mental illness, positive psychologists focus on each individual’s personal talents, skills, aptitudes and intelligence. By focusing on an individual’s strengths, these strengths will grow, along with a stronger sense of self-worth and overall competency.

The practice of Yoga asanas, relaxation techniques, pranayama exercises, and meditation techniques offer a Yoga practitioner a wide range tools that, if practiced regularly, will cultivate an overall sense of well-being. A regular practice of Yoga will increase a practitioner’s sense of physical well-being, as well as lower levels of anxiety and calm the mind.

As the mind calms, the body’s biochemistry begins to re-balance in a more optimal fashion. Although most people take breathing for granted; pranayama exercises (Yogic breathing techniques) are some of the most powerful tools Yoga offers us to help lower stress and anxiety levels. As your stress and anxiety levels decrease, your overall sense of well-being will increase. Practicing Yoga postures, regularly, will also increase your sense of accomplishment, physical well-being, and self-esteem.

An often overlooked aspect of practicing Yoga, regularly, with a group of dedicated spiritual seekers, is the positive group affiliation that practicing with the same group of Yoga practitioners provides. This is one of the primary “pillars” of positive psychology: positive group affiliation. Most Yoga studios offer a degree of social interaction and community, or environmental activism opportunities, to their Yoga students.

For example, there may be a potluck dinner and a kirtan on Friday evenings, which would give you a chance to mingle with other Yoga students and engage in an uplifting activity.  Also, there may be a volunteer workday scheduled to help your community plant flowers in the town square. On the outside looking in, it may appear that you are giving of your time and energy, but your heart and mind will be uplifted through the positive energy cultivated by your generous actions, as well as the new friendships you will begin to form.

Conclusion

Positive groups, social activities, and affiliations, have a cumulative effect on one’s holistic health profile. One’s mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual health, are not just separate parts. Our state of health can be enhanced through the cultivation of positive energy, which Yoga offers.

© Copyright 2012 – Aura Wellness Center – Publications Division

To see our selection of Online Yoga teacher training courses, please visit the following link.

http://www.aurawellnesscenter.com/store/

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!

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Yoga Practice and Positive Psychology: Cultivating Gratitude

Wednesday, April 18th, 2012

yoga certificationBy Dr. Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500

Positive Psychology places much emphasis on what makes individuals happy and how communities thrive. In order to support an individual in manifesting his or her greatest potential, therapists, counselors, and teachers who utilize the techniques of Positive Psychology focus on the innate talents, gifts, and skills of that particular individual. Positive Psychology focuses on what is going well in your life and why, instead of what is going wrong. In this way, employing the paradigm of Positive Psychology to yourself will bolster your sense of self-esteem, confidence, and self-worth.

As Yoga practitioners, we often have the opportunity to witness the negativity in our own minds as we practice Yoga asanas, pranayama exercises, and meditation techniques. Yoga practices allow us to slow down and give us the time and space to witness our own thoughts. It is often the case that we Yoga practitioners become aware that we are hard on ourselves. We can be negative, critical, and judgmental, when we analyze our own tendencies and perceived limitations. According to the tenets of Positive Psychology, engaging in negative thinking about ourselves only undermines our own sense of well-being and happiness, in addition to the cumulative effect on our self-esteem and self-confidence.

Cultivating Gratitude

One of the primary recommendations of Positive Psychology is to cultivate a deep sense of gratitude. Cultivating gratitude cuts negative thinking at its roots. For example, if you are having trouble getting into your favorite balancing asana one day, and you are internally berating yourself for being so inept, gently shifting your inner perspective to one of gratitude will immediately halt your negative internal dialogue.

In order to shift your thinking to a more positive frame of mind, you may wish to contemplate all of the things you have to be grateful for today. If you are physically able to practice Yoga, you are blessed. If you have the time to practice Yoga, you are blessed. If you are able to walk into a Yoga studio, you are blessed. In this way, you can cultivate gratitude for the abundance in your life, which will uplift your own heart and free your mind from the cycle of damaging negativity.

If you teach Yoga, you should be a classic example of gratefulness. As a Yoga teacher, there is much to be thankful for. To be able to help others, to witness the accomplishments of our students, and to be a messenger of quality living in the local community, are blessings we cannot afford to take for granted.

© Copyright 2012 – Aura Wellness Center – Publications Division

To see our selection of Online Yoga teacher training courses, please visit the following link.

http://www.aurawellnesscenter.com/store/

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!

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