All about Yoga

Just like any other subject that requires communication skills, you have to finely tune your speaking skills, if you want to become a Yoga teacher. Students will continue to come back to your classes because of interaction, social atmosphere, and intellectual stimulation.

The art and science of public speaking is still a major “drawing card,” whenever people gather in groups. If you attend local meetings for charities, business, city government, public schools, or religious centers, you will notice a few speakers, who stand out from the rest.

Yoga sessions are no different because you are giving detailed instructions to your students. You demonstrate, cue, assist, and cue again. Sometimes fitness- based Yoga classes do not have the same public speaking aspect.

Granted, the Yoga instructor who is teaching a fitness-based class may be shouting out instructions, in between breaths, but much detailed information is missed, when a teacher is out of breath.

The key to better communication, in your classes, when you teach fitness, flow, Vinyasa, or power Yoga, is to demonstrate the first round. After that, walk around the room communicating and assisting your students. In this way, you are observing, helping, and maintaining a communication link, through clear instruction with your class.

As a result of your efforts to communicate, students will clearly understand that class time is set aside for them. When a Yoga instructor does not bother to communicate, assist, or make eye contact, a student may get the feeling he or she has become one of the outermost parts of the class.

This is a difficult situation for students, as they want recognition for their efforts. In life, this is what most of us want, from the moment we are born. There are some people who would demand all of your time, if you give it to them.

However, it should be noted that when you give your best effort to your class, as a collective group, you have done what is required. Yoga teachers who stay after class to answer questions are very special. Taking the time to spread the word of this science of life, which we know as “Yoga,” is a noble cause indeed.

As teachers, each of us is different, and we will emphasize different aspects of Yoga, based upon our personal preferences. Yet, communication is an essential part of the skill-set required to become a Yoga teacher. With that said, your communication skills should be perfected to the point where they become a natural part of you.

Copyright 2008 – Paul Jerard / Aura Publications

A SEQUENCE TO WAKE YOU UP WITH ENERGY USING YOUR BED! With Sadie Nardini, Master yoga teacher, founder of Core Strength Vinyasa Yoga, Director of East West Yoga in NYC, Author of The Road Trip Guide to the Soul [Wiley, September 2008]. For more info, visit www.SADIENARDINI.COM

Yoga’s sun salutations are among the most refined and effective movement meditations for health and well-being ever created. Originally practiced to connect to the sun’s vitality—this precise combination of forward bends, backbends, and inversions awakens the breath and promotes circulation and inner balance through the flow of prana shakti—our creative life force. On Sun Salutations, internationally acclaimed vinyasa flow yoga teacher Shiva Rea presents a complete at-home course. Learn More …

There is plenty of competition to go around in this world. If you are a Yoga teacher, you should not encourage competition within a Kids Yoga class. This is not easily done. Each child wants praise, but this can be accomplished by making your Yoga class a nurturing event, where every child who participates, can feel a sense of self-worth.

This atmosphere, which is designed by the Yoga instructor, will develop a child’s character “from the ground up.” Each child is unique and special in his or her own way. Children have to be taught to appreciate themselves as they are. Self-worth cannot be calculated by the skill of one single activity, and Yoga is the sum of many different activities, within a given class.

When I first started teaching Yoga to children, I began to integrate Vinyasa Yoga into the warm-ups of our children’s martial arts classes; some parents wondered why? Soon, some of the children, who had Attention Deficit Disorder, and other attention span problems, became more focused for the rest of the class. Still, other children, who regularly practiced Vinyasa Yoga warm-ups, started to develop a more pronounced muscular appearance. This may have been due to many factors, such as the cross training involved in practicing Vinyasa Yoga and martial arts, on a regular basis – while many other children, who attended these integrated classes, went home, did their homework, and slept better.

Eventually, we established a pure Kids Yoga class, and it was scheduled between two children’s martial arts classes. The children were enthusiastic and the parents were, and still are, very supportive. In the above-mentioned examples, different children gained different benefits from learning Yoga.

As children continue to learn Yoga, they should also be taught to refrain from comparing themselves to other children in the Yoga class. This is not easy for a Yoga teacher to do, but can be accomplished by teaching children to accept themselves as they are, and that trying their best is really good enough.

Regular attendance to Kids Yoga classes is the key to getting rid of emotional baggage. Children must be taught to appreciate themselves in a positive way, and the study of Yoga can give any child self-empowerment. When children gather and participate in Yoga instruction on a steady basis, they also make new friends. The parents who send their children to study Yoga sincerely care.

Therefore, any child who learns Yoga is surrounded by children of “like-minded” parents. Yoga training for children is, in essence, a controlled atmosphere – even though the Yoga class setting is relaxed.

© Copyright 2006 – Paul Jerard / Aura Publications

Yoga Styles to Balance the Body, Mind and Spirit

Yoga is all about poses, breathing exercises and meditation. Yoga can be practiced in with a variety of styles. Thus, there are many yoga styles and you, as a yoga practitioner needs to select the one that best suits the requirements of your body.

Various Yoga Styles

Here are some of the yoga styles and the information about each style

Hatha Yoga

Hatha is a general “catch-all” term for many physical yoga styles. If the yoga class you are going for describes hatha style of yoga, then it will be a gentle, slow-paced class. It will offer you a fundamental instruction on yoga poses.

The different styles of yoga are embedded from hatha yoga. All these styles provide a balance to the mind, the body, and the spirit through the yoga poses. However, the prominence differs. Some focuses on strict alignment of the body while some on the coordination of breath and movement.

Hatha yoga is suggested for yoga beginners. It’s best to gain knowledge of yoga fundamentals before moving to other styles of yoga.

Vinyasa Yoga

Vinyasa is an explanation of many types of yoga classes. These yoga classes cope with breath-synchronized activities. It is somewhat more vigorous than the hatha yoga and is more powerful.

Ashtanga Yoga

Ashtanga is an interesting one among all yoga styles, which is a series of yoga poses that always practiced in the same order. This style is physically demanding as in this style you are moving from one pose to another.

It is also called as power yoga. Being one of the popular styles of yoga, it needs to be practiced everything in an order. Without any break, you naturally move from one pose to another.

Iyengar Yoga

Iyengar is also among popular yoga styles, which needs to practice with the body alignment. It is a moderate intensity style. There is very little focus on breathing exercises and meditation for starting levels.

The importance is on proper alignment, mainly for the spine and core of the body. That is the exact way that your body should place in the yoga pose in order to obtain the best results and to avoid damages.

In this style of yoga, the yoga poses will focus on holding the poses for longer periods of time rather than flowing from one pose to another. In addition, this style of yoga makes use of some supports such as yoga blankets, yoga blocks, and yoga straps in order to bring your body into a proper alignment.

Integral, one of the good yoga styles for beginners, which are a gentle form of yoga practice and the concentration of this style, is to integrate body, mind, and spirit with the combination of yoga poses, breathing exercises and meditation.

Hot Yoga

Hot yoga, is among the intense styles of yoga. This yoga style is practiced in a very hot room with temperatures between 90 and 100 degrees. The heat or the hot air makes the muscle relax and causes heavy sweating. This sweating is treated as cleansing to the body.

Bikram Yoga

Bikram is the most popular among yoga styles. It is a style with 26 poses. It is a vigorous physical style of yoga created by bikram choudhoury. This style is designed to bring the body to maximum health and fitness. An intense session of vigorous poses to reinforce the body, liberates pent-up emotions, and purifies your body.

It also helps in healing the body by releasing the pain. This yoga style is a concentrated exercise using abdominal intensification and deep, relaxing breathing.

Sivananda Yoga

Sivananda is also among the yoga styles that have been practiced since 1957. This style is based on five principles.

* Proper exercise

* Proper breathing

* Proper relaxation

* Vegetarian diet

* Positive thinking and meditation.

People about eighty locations all around the world practice this style of yoga. Many of them sponsor retreats for the dedicated yoga enthusiast.

There are many different yoga styles. These are the most popular styles of yoga and are just a sample of yoga styles offered in yoga classes. By getting an idea about a few of these yoga styles, it will become easy and you can safely select a yoga class as well as yoga styles that are best for you.

There are many styles of yoga, but teachers should be familiar with the nine main forms of yoga, from India, and their relationships to contemporary styles. The nine main styles are: Bhakti, Hatha, Jnana, Karma, Kundalini, Mantra, Raja, Tantric, and Yantra Yoga. Bhakti yoga is widely practiced in India, yet barely known by the masses outside of India.

If you’re looking to become a yoga instructor, you must be thoroughly trained and ready to cater to a variety of student needs. A competent yoga instructor should be well-versed in many aspects of yoga. Different styles emphasize varying aspects of yoga. Some may focus on the coordination of breath and movement, while others focus on the proper alignment of the body. Others use atmospheric conditions as the basis of the style.

Globally, one of the most popular styles is Hatha yoga. This is a style that focuses on slow, meditative breathing and relaxed postures. A yoga instructor will slowly guide students through poses one at a time. Many people, who attend Hatha classes, appreciate the relaxed feeling they get from the exercise aspects. Some people, who try Hatha classes, do not like the slow-pace and are searching for a higher-intensity exercise.

Vinyasa yoga, sometimes called Flow or Power yoga, contains a completely different focus, in comparison to the meditative Hatha. Vinyasa is called, Flow or Power, because of its emphasis on smooth and powerful movements. The teacher will guide students through a series of poses, changing them in rhythm with the breath.

The poses run together like a dance. Vinyasa classes can be either, high or low intensity, depending upon the yoga instructor’s emphasis. Vinyasa can be very diverse because it allows the yoga instructor to interject their personality into the routines.

Vinyasa, Flow, or Power yoga, draws sequences from Hatha or Raja yoga, depending upon the instructor’s lineage. Raja is the form of yoga, which Maharishi Pantanjali describes in the Yoga Sutras. It should be noted that Raja is sometimes called, Ashtanga, which means “eight limbs.”

Ashtanga yoga can also be an athletic style of yoga. It is based on a demanding series of pose changes, sometimes connected by jumps. Designed for flexible, and usually young, bodies, Ashtanga has gained popularity in the Western world because of its intensity. Some popular students of this style are Madonna and Sting. An advantage of this style is that it can be self-led.

Usually the yoga instructor will teach students a series of poses and lead them in the routine. After mastering the poses and changes, the students can go through the routine at their own pace. Since this is done in the company of the yoga instructor, and other students, progress can be monitored and mistakes corrected.

For a completely different experience, there is Bikram yoga. Also known as Hot yoga, Bikram is a modern style, focusing on a set series of poses performed in a heated room. The creator of the style, Bikram Choudhury, designated twenty-six poses that constitute the Bikram style. The temperature of the room is ideally set to 105 degrees.

By keeping the room at a high temperature, the muscles of the body are more flexible. This is a controversial style because of an intellectual property lawsuit by Choudhury. Only those yoga instructors, certified in his method, are permitted to teach Bikram yoga.

On the other end of the timeline is Kundalini yoga. An ancient form, that is relatively new to the West, Kundalini focuses on the spiritual aspects of yoga. The yoga instructor leads students through a series of poses, making sure that movement is linked with breath.

The idea behind this discipline is to cause dormant energy in the lower body to become free and move upwards. For students seeking an athletic workout, Kundalini is not the place to look; but it is still an important style for a yoga instructor to understand.

From the purely physical yoga, to the more spiritual forms, a yoga instructor must be well versed. If you want to be a great yoga instructor, you should understand the basics of each major style, even while you focus on your favorite style. In this way, you’ll be ready to answer any student’s question and guide them to the right style.

Copyright 2008 – Paul Jerard / Aura Publications

Yoga, as an ancient philosophy and body treatment emerged more than 3,000 years ago. Over the centuries the discipline has developed, changed, and branched off into the all forms we know today. Today yoga is divisible into six major disciplines. Some of these branches are more meditative, some are focused on taking dedicated actions, or on cultivating wisdom. The most common branch of yoga for the western world is Hatha yoga.

Hatha yoga is a physical practice that includes controlling breath with a series of postures. Advanced learners call it a moving meditation. You can find there both mind and soul partials.

Iyengar yoga. This practice style of yoga is best for beginners. It’s a slow practice where attention is paid to every detail. It is the easiest way to learn to get the pose right. Classes often complemented with a variety of racks to help each person get the benefits out of the pose. It is important to keep in mind that not all learners are of equal energy and flexibility.

Ashtanga/Vinyasa yoga. The great thing in this style of yoga is a synchrony of your movements with your breath. This can be attractive to a newcomer because it takes only a few lessons to get the key-note.

Choosing a class

The best way to choose a class is to estimate your physical abilities and decide what you need. If you want to study relaxation, a meditative class is the best. However, if you need to build strength, enhance flexibility, and arrange your mind and body, then you’d better prefer a flowing class.

Let’s take a good look at common mistakes that most newcomers usually make.

Mistake One: You don’t know what you want from Yoga. Ask yourself what is more attractive for you about Yoga. You may watch out for physical, mental or spiritual. Discuss your preferences with the instructor of your class before you begin. Yoga instructors are usually forward to assist all their learners.

Mistake Two: Skip a grade. Each class has got its own estimated duration. Don’t try to skip a grade even if you think you are on top of form. You body need time to get used for the new physical activity; you mind need time to learn to execute all exercises automatically. Take your time! The best way is to join a yoga beginner class. This class will give you a very comprehensive knowledge for different types of Yoga.

Mistake Three: You find the wrong teacher. Traditionally a person should study for many years before he could teach even the simplest technique. If you wouldn’t find an instructor who have been taught just enough, your lessons may be dangerous for you heals. So, always try to check your instructor’s background and qualifications. Find more information about yoga and everything about yoga at Yoga And Meditation Blog.

www.myyogaonline.com In this advanced vinyasa yoga practice, Nico Luce flows through long, flowing yoga pose sequences and a series of blissful, heart opening back bends. Distributed by Tubemogul.