Posts Tagged ‘does yoga’

Yoga and Group Therapy for Coping with Phobias

Friday, October 29th, 2010

By Dr. Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500

Yoga classes can be a helpful form of group therapy. Students attend Yoga sessions for a variety of reasons, but they consistently support each other with fresh ideas. The encouragement of an entire group helps each student develop new skills for coping with stressful situations, which take place in daily life.

Yet, Some people still resist group therapy for coping with chronic stress and anxiety disorders. The average person may not take progressive action to resolve a phobia until friends or family members advise it. Group therapy comes in many forms, but the objective is group support.

Among the many benefits of group support and Yoga classes are the feeling of belonging. The feeling of belonging makes people happy, and they generally feel more secure in their relationship to the entire group. This bonding and sharing with others, who have similar obstacles, is good for personal growth and recovery.

There are many methods for coping with anxiety disorders, but group support is one of the least invasive. In some cases, it is possible for a person, who is troubled with a phobia, to recover with counseling and group therapy only. Anxiety and stress medications might be avoided altogether, depending on how well a patient responds to group therapy.

Where does Yoga come into this process of recovery? Many doctors, therapists, and counselors, recommend Yoga to their patients for reducing stress levels and the group support. Some Yoga teachers have workshops that specialize in stress management techniques for coping with chronic stress, panic attacks, and overwhelming states of anxiety.

Some counselors, doctors, and therapists are also Yoga teachers that believe in non-invasive methods for coping with phobias. Group therapy and Yoga classes make problem solving much easier for all participants. To be overwhelmed by fear is a hard path to travel, but to have to go it alone makes the situation worse.

To be part of a group that is completely dedicated to finding solutions for better health is a great preventative tool. This is why Yoga has continued to grow, while other health maintenance systems fade away. In all of its forms, Yoga is a science of life designed for complete health and the prevention of ailments.

On the other hand, a group of people who share a common experience or issue, make any form of group therapy an attractive option. People who feel overwhelmed, should consult with a professional to find the best possible solution toward recovery.

© Copyright 2010 – Paul Jerard / Aura Publications

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

http://www.aurawellnesscenter.com/store/Teacher-Courses/

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

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Posted in Yoga for Emotional Health, Yoga for Mental Health, Yoga for Stress Management | No Comments »

Practicing Yoga Will Shape the Course of Your Life in Three Steps

Friday, December 25th, 2009

By Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

© Copyright 2009 – Paul Jerard / Aura Publications

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

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Posted in Yoga for Inspiration, Yoga Lifestyle | 1 Comment »

Yoga and the State of Spiritual Awakening

Saturday, June 20th, 2009

Reverse Warrior - YogaBy Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500

You read and hear so much about being consciously aware and spiritual awakening, but what does it all mean? What does Yoga have to do with it? How could Yoga practice cause a practitioner to live with intention and complete mindfulness?

Firstly, let’s talk about being consciously aware. One of my Yoga students is celebrating her 96th birthday this weekend. Her husband died quite young and she raised three children by herself. You might picture someone who is bitter, comes to class with a walker, and barely conscious at all.

She is the polar opposite of that image. She walks with a stride of a healthy woman in her 40′s. She is happy, still drives (quite well), and her mind is as sharp as a tack. She is my student, but I am in deep admiration of her approach to life.

So, I asked her to share her insights on longevity, mindset, worrying, happiness, and consciousness. She mentions to three points, that most of us tend to skim over, but here they are for us to analyze once again.

1. Moderation is a key to life. To eat, drink, and behave with mindfulness and moderation, is a Yogic and Ayurvedic principle. We can put this into practice by reading about, and then applying, the Yamas, Niyamas, and Doshas, to our life.

2. Remember that God walks with you, but he does not work for you. She elaborated on this point for some time, but here it is in a nutshell: Prayer is powerful, but we must take action. We have to get up from the couch and move forward. The power of action, and the power of prayer, combined, is an extremely powerful combination.

3. See the good in all people. It is so easy to forget about the good in humankind. It is natural to see the crimes, wars, cruelty, and scams on the news. Does the news report how many people volunteer for charitable work daily? Have you heard how many people give to good charities, despite their own economic hardships? The world media reports bad news because it sells.

My oldest student is 101 years of age, and she will see her next birthday this summer. She spends most of her average day in a wheel chair, but she had a contribution to make about the mystery around Yoga and spiritual awakening.

She has been practicing Chair Yoga with me for six years and here is what she has to say: “Spiritual awareness is a natural part of our existence. If someone lives long enough, he or she may find it, but Yoga will take you directly to it.”  Furthermore, she stated that goodness is all around us, if we sincerely look for it.

© Copyright 2009 – Paul Jerard / Aura Publications

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FREE CONTENT: If you are a Yoga Teacher, Yoga studio, blogger, e-zine, or website publisher, and are in need of quality content, please feel free to use my blog entries (articles) – Please be sure to reprint each article, as is, including the resource box above. Namaste, Paul

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Posted in Yoga for Inspiration | 4 Comments »

Yoga in Practice – The Law of Attraction

Thursday, September 25th, 2008

yoga certificationBy Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500

How does Yoga relate to the “Law of Attraction?” We often hear about the universal concept of attraction, but how many of us are aware of it as it happens throughout the day? Let’s take a closer look at our Yoga practice and how we influence the world around us with our thoughts.

Most people feel that actions and words are all that counts. If they think negative thoughts, they assume there will be no repercussions. Yet, negative thoughts create pessimism and influence the outcome of daily situations, for the worst.

If we worry about something long enough, we can influence the end result for the worst. The exact opposite can be said for positive thoughts. Sometimes, the eternal optimist is oblivious of anything, but a good outcome. We must control what we think at all times. Below are a few methods, which can change your life for the best.

Start your morning with a smile, meditate, and give thanks for the blessing of each day. Appreciate the sounds of your family, a bird’s song, and the steady noise of daily life. Never be the person who complains about the weather. This is an imperfect world, but there is still so much to appreciate.

Create a positive affirmation of your own. This is similar to mantra, but much different. If you feel stressed out, you should think, “I look for and find solutions within stressful situations.” This may seem very simplistic and a bit silly to some.

Yet, how many people react to stressful situations with headaches, rapid heartbeat, muscle tension, chest pain, backaches, insomnia, and more ailments? When stress makes you ill, it is unlikely that you will find solutions during a crisis.

Mantra is also valuable, because you block the external signals of stress, with internal sounds of peace. However, let’s put Yoga in practice. If you are in a social environment, a self-created positive affirmation, in your native language, may help you to create a solution to a cycle of stress.

Almost every form of Yoga practices mantra and positive affirmation. If you practice these Yogic methods regularly, you can quell pessimism from within. This is only half of the solution. The other half is to permanently instill positive energy within your mind.

In your free time, meditate on positive feelings. Get to know which images, in your mind, create happiness. It could be God, a spiritual center, a loved one, a pet, your favorite vacation spot, or a beloved teacher.

Regardless of what makes you happy, learn to envision it at any time, and summon into action, all the happiness that comes with it. Kindness and happiness is how a Yoga practitioner can master the power of attraction.

© Copyright 2008 – 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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Posted in About Yoga, Yoga for Inspiration | No Comments »

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