Yoga Teacher Training Forum

Thank you all for writing on the benefits of yoga. I've started to self-teach yoga again after three years. I'm twenty one years of age and currently under a lot of pressure with my degree. Lately I've become very tired, over-burdened and drained with the amount of study I have to get through before February. So, I am turning to yoga for help. I'd like to know what time of day is best for practicing yoga and for how long? As I am my own boss, it is possible for me to do it at any time of day and for as long as I like. Should I follow a video or try it myself using a book? I need energy to study yet I desperately need relaxation. What do you recommend I do? Thank you.

Best times to practice gentle hatha yoga are early morning and late at night with a fairly empty stomach. Better to watch the yoga video first and take notes. With books, the same rule applies.

Finding The Perfect Yoga Position

By Nancy Terence

There are many ways to be healthy. You should eat right, exercise regularly and a whole lot more. As for spiritual and mental exercises, you can pray or do crossword puzzles. But there is one thing you can do that keeps you sharp physically, mentally and spiritually. What I'm talking about here is yoga. A meditation technique that has been around for hundreds of years. So what is it about it and its various yoga positions? Well read on and find out.

Yoga originated in India, a country whose culture is as rich and diverse as any other. It is the country where Buddhism originated, a religion that is third in terms of worldwide denomination. And it is the country that gave us the art of yoga. A country with such a healthy culture should know what it is doing when it started yoga. And with its longevity, you just know that it works. As an aside, yoga was based on the meditation techniques of Buddha himself. Now that's something worth considering.

So you have a meditation technique that was virtually originated by a god, so now what? Well, for full disclosure, modern yoga positions and techniques are very different from what the original practitioners practiced. Take the lotus position. Basically, see a picture of Buddha, and the way that he is seated, that is the lotus position. In today's yoga, the lotus position is still being used, but along the way, hundreds of other positions were introduced. For meditation purposes, the lotus position is good enough. But if you are looking to get limber, then there are other positions you can use.

So which yoga position is perfect for you? Well, it really depends on what you are after. If you are just after the meditation aspect of yoga, then the aforementioned lotus position is good enough. But if you want to stretch your limits, meditation and being mentally aware of your surrounding, then there are dozens of other yoga positions to consider. If you want to sharpen your mind only, no spiritual or physical testing of limits, there's a yoga position for you. Basically, yoga is chock full of positions you can use, depending on what you intend to hone. Meditation only? Check. Meditation plus spirituality? Check. Spirituality and physical? Check. And any combination of the three, you can find a position for you.

If you want to know more about yoga positions, you can either go to a yoga instructor and learn from him or her. But if you don't have time for that, you can do a little research around the net and find sites that you use as reference. So no need to go to a practitioner every time you wish to learn a new yoga position. All you need are a few click of your mouse and you can find a cornucopia of positions for you to absorb and learn. And after you've tried a position of 20, maybe you will find the position that is perfect for you.

Become Your Own Yoga Teacher

You eventually will become your own best yoga teacher. As you develop your practice, though, a "good" teacher will make a critical difference in your enthusiasm and advancement. But "good" is a word which here means "instructs you in what you need and want to know," and which also means "explains everything about yoga practice in terms you easily can understand and apply," and which especially means "satisfies all of your expectations for both substance and style." So, if you had to teach your yoga teacher how to teach you, what would you teach her?

The split between doing and teaching

Everyone knows and frequently repeats the old saw, "Those who cannot do, teach." Usually, you hear the expression repeated in its pejorative sense, but it applies in the honorific, too. Joe Paterno recently became the winningest college football coach in history, and he no more could suit-up and take a position than he could read a playbook without those big glasses on his nose.

You may tend to forget that the converse also applies: "Those who do frequently cannot teach." Michael Phelps probably cannot show you how to swim 100 meters butterfly with skill and grace. Naturally, you want a yoga teacher who knows how to do the poses and can set a good example for your yoga practice, but you cannot learn the poses and transitions simply from imitating her movements. Especially because yoga practice requires meditation and encourages spirituality, you want a yoga teacher who can explain it as proficiently as she can do it. In fact, if you are just beginning your yoga practice, you need a teacher who understands at least as much about teaching yoga as she knows about its practice.

What do you want your yoga teacher to teach you?

Where do you want to start? Do you suspect the question about where to start may, in fact, be a trick question? Do you want to start with your state of mind, or do you want to start with the physical stuff and incorporate the emotional, psychological, and spiritual elements as they become relevant? Do you want to learn about the wide variety of yoga practices, what they do and how they differ? Or would you prefer just to get down to business? Do you want your yoga teacher to take a little time for learning about you-your needs, wants, and wishes? Or do you prefer just to submit to her instruction, faith-leaping into your yoga practice with confidence she knows her profession? How much explanation do you require? Do you want just the how-to, or would you prefer the how-to plus the why-to plus the symbolism of the how and why? Do you want your teacher to give instructions only as they become absolutely necessary to your successful practice, or do you want her to do all the thinking and all the talking for the duration of your practice? How do you want her to conclude your practice? Do you want your yoga teacher to bring the practice to closure as if it realty started and stopped, or would you prefer she leave you wanting just a little bit more, signifying the process continues until you perfect it?