Yoga

Yoga has worked wonders with the lives of so many. Nothing can compare in value to the popularity and influence that Yoga owns nowadays. And so it is undergoing constant and drastic changes every moment. Millions of people around the world are into this activity.

Dahn Yoga is one among the many major Yoga practices followed all over the world. It is also known as Dahn Hak or Dahnhak. It is believed to be a Korean Yoga style. Ilchi Lee is considered as the mastermind behind Dahn Yoga which instructs how to expand and widen both the body and mind. Dahn Yoga, with its focus not just limited to the fitness aspects of Yoga, teaches the basic principles and concepts regarding the various mechanisms of body. It teaches how energy acts or moves in the body, how stress promotes ageing and weakening of the body, how the evasion of stress can bring about a longevity and good health, and the most important of all- how to improve and develop the energy flow inside the body. The result is that health is regularly and efficiently scrutinized and in this manner, protected. In brief, what Dahn Yoga provides one is a better communication and correspondence with his own physical body.

Dahn yoga practices are based on the principle that the body has got an instinctive healing power. This involuntary healing power can’t be used effectively unless one learns how to excite the energy that links his body to his conscious mind. The stretching, deep breathing and meditative methods of Dahn Yoga speeds up this association. Dahn Yoga practices make one feel relaxed and help to have a perception regarding one’s inner self. The postures followed drives away stress and anxiety. Dahn Yoga makes it possible to live a calm and controlled sort of life. The meditation and breathing mechanisms result in the accumulation of energy in the body which in turn enhances the functioning of the internal organs.

Removal of toxins from the body is another task that Dahn Yoga undertakes. This helps to have a better feeling regarding one’s physique- the basic aspect which boosts up self confidence and positive thinking. Dahn Yoga brings to light those dormant abilities in us.

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There was a time when the use of the words, “Yoga” and “business,” in the same sentence, would have been considered “shameful.” However, when you have a Yoga studio, pay for a lease, advertising, insurance, utilities, and more – you know this is serious business. Whether you own a Yoga studio, or are an independent contractor, your money is “on the line,” and possibly your life savings.

Many Yoga teachers, and directors, often ask me the following questions: What is my most effective way to advertise? Who should handle the marketing? What can I do about student retention? Why does a Yoga teacher need a sales letter or business plan?

As the popularity of Yoga grows, more Yoga teachers are looking for professional advice to “stream line,” market effectively, and make their Yoga businesses “recession proof.” For some Yoga teachers, Yoga has evolved from a sideline hobby to a fulltime Yoga business. Yoga students will not be happy to train and learn with you “in a closet.”

As a Yoga teacher, your economic survival is at stake. With a fulltime business, of any kind, a surprising amount of overhead will follow. When you own a Yoga studio, you have to “wear many hats.” If you are already an established Yoga teacher, you went into teaching Yoga to share the gift and practice your own solo routine more often.

Many of the most successful Yoga studios, ashrams, and wellness centers, get “insider” business and marketing advice. The surprising fact is that Yoga business coaching doesn’t have to cost as much as you think. Yoga business coaching can be handled on a “per session” basis. Many Yoga businesses save, and learn, far more than the session costs.

If this is not the case, it is time to find a different Yoga business coach or consulting service. The objective of Yoga business coaching is to help the Yoga business owner become self sufficient. Therefore, consulting is not for dependence, but to teach the typical Yoga studio owner how to fill the gaps and address priorities within a particular Yoga business.

What type of Yoga studio should seek business advice? Most Yoga businesses, of any size, can use help with a particular issue. Established Yoga studios, and Yoga teachers, usually know where they need help, but still need practical solutions. Also, established Yoga studio owners may want to “recession proof” their business or increase their market share right now.

Is this type of service geared toward new Yoga studios, as well? After years of Yoga training, and thousands of dollars, many new Yoga teachers need to recover the money they have invested in their new career as soon as possible. Yoga business consulting services will help any new Yoga studio get to the next level and put the learning curve behind.

Are Yoga business consulting and technical support services given by phone or Email? Actually, I use a combination of both methods. After a Yoga business coaching session by phone, there is a “homework assignment” for my client. Sometimes, this assignment will save my client thousands of dollars or create unforeseen revenue streams.

Sales letters, marketing campaigns, and website development can be handled by your Yoga business coach, but it is far less expensive if you learn how to take control of your own marketing campaign. Again, the objective is to have a client who becomes totally self sufficient.

However, complete marketing campaigns for Yoga studios are never refused by any responsible business coach. In any economy, coaching programs for marketing and business will save you thousands of dollars, and teach you skills that will last you a lifetime. At this point, it will be much easier for you to help your own Yoga students and clients.

© Copyright 2006 – Paul Jerard / Aura Publications

Hottest New Yoga DVDs for Christmas and New Year’s

Yoga is a technique for relaxation and exercise that has been around for over 5000 years. It has become evermore popular in the past twenty years. Many people would like to learn yoga. A few people would like to learn it well enough to become teachers of Yoga.

Perhaps you have a friend or loved one who would enjoy a Yoga DVD as a Christmas gift.

Here is a list of the hottest new Yoga DVDs for 2007 going into 2008:

1) Beginning Yoga with Erich Schiffman DVD. This DVD is taught by Master Yoga Teacher Erich Schiffman and is designed for the Beginner. It features seated opening poses, sun salutes, standing poses, lotus preparation, back bends, twists, and deep relaxation. $17.95.

2) Vinyasa Flow Yoga Session II DVD. 120 minutes. Filmed live. $17.95.

3) Yin Yoga with Paul Grilley DVD. This is Taoist Yoga or the unification of Yin and Yang. It includes inhaling and exhaling, the Tao of breathing, the Tao of circulation, and the Tao of movement. It is a 2-disc set with 5 and 1/2 hours of instruction. A quiet practice with many floor moves. $32.95.

4) Chakra Yoga for Mental Clarity with Gurutej Kaur DVD. Taught by Master Yoga Instructor, Gurutej Kaur, these are exercises to increase your powers of concentration and improve your ability to focus. Includes 20 focused exercises. It combines movement, breath work, and mantras. Focuses on the body’s seven energy centers, dissolving emotional blockages, and opening the mind/heart connection. $17.95.

5) Intro to Ashtanga with Richard Freeman DVD. This is an introduction to classic and Ashtanga postures. It is good for the beginner and all levels. 75 minutes. $17.95.

6) Ashtanga Yoga with Richard Freeman, Intermediate Series DVD. Includes 70 postures. Prerequisite: Ashtanga Primary Series with Richard Freeman. 94 minutes. $17.95.

These six DVDs were found at The Yoga Site: The Online Yoga Resource Center. (Address at the bottom of page).

The following hot Yoga DVDs were found at (www.mylifetime.com) and suggested by Rebecca Abramowitz. (Full address at bottom of page).

1) Gaiam Yoga Dance Fusion DVD. Offers relaxation and a serious workout. (Packaging is 100% recyclable and biodegradable).

2) Yoga Booty Ballet DVD. Offers two twenty-minute workouts – “Goddess Abs” – a fun way to relieve stress; and “AM Latte” – a full-body workout to begin the day.

3) Prevention Fitness: Better Belly Yoga DVD. Offers 10-minute segments for abs’ workouts anytime with each segment targeting different parts of the waistline.

4) Living Room Yoga: Strength and Lengthen DVD. Uses living room furniture as workout props. Includes movement, breathing, and yoga calisthenics.

So here you have the 10 hottest new Yoga DVDs for the Christmas Holiday season. Perhaps you can find them in your local video or bookstore or at Amazon.com. The first six are available at The Yoga Site. The Yoga Site includes many other Yoga DVDs.

The Yoga Site: The Online Yoga Resource Center at (www.yogasite.com/yoga_store/d vd.html?gclid=Cljp6sm3oZACFSBM godTANs8q).

My Lifetime.com at (www.mylifetime.com/lifestyle. com/lifestyle/health/fitness/n ine-awesome-new-yoga-and-pilat es-dvds). Article by Rebecca Abramowitz

The calling to teach Yoga classes can reach into any of us, but what about obstacles which hold each of us back. A shy person may want to become a Yoga teacher, but how can he or she develop the voice of a Yoga instructor?

For an aspiring Yoga teacher, shyness is like a prison which stops him or her from life’s rewards. This person knows what to do, but feels serious anxiety when having to address a person or when having to speak in front of a group.

So what is a shy, but aspiring Yoga instructor to do, when confronted with this impasse? Should he or she give up the dream of becoming a certified Yoga teacher? Some trainers of Yoga teachers would agree, but the truth is there is a solution for the shy, but aspiring Yoga instructor.

Luckily, we are surrounded by recording devices. You can record your voice or film a mock Yoga class to develop your Yoga teaching skills. Watch the recording of yourself teaching Yoga, and later, practice along with the film or the audio recording. Then you can make corrections as you deal with the learning curve involved in becoming a Yoga teacher.

If you have some areas in your video or audio recording that need work; you will find a solution, but you must be patient with yourself. We are our own worst critics. This is just a part of the learning process in becoming a Yoga instructor. It is guaranteed that if you try, you will succeed, and you will not be let down.

Many of my best Yoga teacher training graduates spent their lives under estimating themselves, but found independence and a better quality life, teaching Yoga. The harshest judge many of us face on a daily basis is ourselves.

This is not an exercise in self-criticism, but a proven method for developing your Yoga teaching skills. Do not “beat yourself up,” but do take a constructive look at ways you can improve the range of your voice, cueing skills, and your Yoga lesson plan.

You should also seek out a trusted friend or an experienced Yoga teacher for constructive advice. Some Yoga teacher mentors will tutor you through any part of learning process.

Later, you may need at least one student and you can film your lesson plan in any open room. Some Yoga instructor interns have filmed a Yoga class outside, depending upon the season. Teaching Yoga in different settings will also build new found confidence.

You will learn to develop your own lesson plan. This is not acting, but a way to see your personality evolve into a Yoga teacher. This evolution of personality knows no boundaries. Most Yoga teachers are very confident and make the most out of enjoying life to its fullest potential every day.

To be honest, I was nervous when I taught my first Yoga class. I never thought I would be a public speaker, and I never considered that I would some day train Yoga instructors from every part of the earth. The raw skills are within all of us, but your dreams will not be realized without positive action by you.

Life happens, and hopefully, most of us change for the best. As a result, you will help others and have a tremendous feeling of job satisfaction, when you become a Yoga teacher.

Copyright 2007 – Paul Jerard / Aura Publications

What is Yoga? Yoga is a very old way of life that came from India that encourages personal health, spirituality and wellness. It doesn’t clash with any religion but does have an influence on our spiritual path. What Yoga is not: a religion, a circus act, looking intently at a candle in roomful of smoky incense, or just for adolescents who are flexible.

To practice correctly you need discipline, concentration and attentive breathing. The effect of serious Yoga practice is an excellent union of mind, body and spirit. No matter your age, knowledge, body shape, or physical skills can implement a Yoga program.

Hatha based or alignment Yoga has been around for approximately 5000 years. More and more medical practitioners and therapists are using Yoga as a remedy for many kinds of poor health conditions. The rewards of Yoga practice are numerous and consist of increased strength and flexibility, cardiovascular vigor, healing injuries, produces mental clarity and emotional balance.

Most significantly, it’s a complete exercise. Yoga practice can replace various exercises such as:

1.Weight lifting drills for strength.

2.Jogging or aerobics for cardiovascular workout.

3.Tai Chi for building awareness of balance and harmony.

4.Stretching exercises for flexibility.

5.Meditation for relaxation and tranquility of the mind.

Yoga is more than a stretching and relaxation system, it’s the ideal test for your mind and body.

Should you practice Yoga? All persons from couch potatoes to world class athletes can profit from the exercise of Yoga. Purna Yoga requires the perfect positioning of your body as you hold the poses you develop your physical strength and stabilize your emotional and mental condition. This does not happen overnight, if you are looking for a fast solution to a health problem you are better off looking for another type of exercise.

Yoga will be your preferred exercise if your long term goal is to reclaim your energy, health and dynamism. Yoga exercise is a perfectly balanced program that can be started by anyone above the age of eight. Your practice can be made more challenging as you progress or take it easy on days which you are fatigued.

Familiarize yourself with the various Yoga styles to have a better understanding of the classes that are offered in the Yoga schools near you. You need to be able to choose the correct Yoga style which will match your practice goals and your level of physical fitness.

No matter why you are interested in learning more about starting a Yoga practice, you will certainly profit from the self-control, breathing techniques and the physical exercise you get while practicing Yoga.

Circulation

Oxygen is the source of life for every cell in the body. It heals our wounds, kills germs and bacteria, and ensures the strength and vitality of all living tissues. Blood is what carries oxygen throughout the body, and physical activities like yoga raise the heart rate and increase the circulation of oxygen-rich blood.

What makes yoga particularly beneficial is that it also boosts blood circulation to often-neglected areas of the body like joints, connective tissues, and internal organs. Deep stretches, twists, backbends, and muscular contractions signal the body to send blood to those specific areas.

Detoxification

Toxins are all around us—in the air, in our food, and in the water—but fortunately, our bodies are designed to naturally eliminate these poisons through the skin, the breath, the blood, and the organs of elimination. So how does this relate to yoga?

In almost every yoga class, you sweat, you breathe deeply, your heart rate rises (increased circulation), and you massage and stimulate the organs of elimination through twisting and bending postures. For detoxification, a regular yoga practice is extremely effective.

Strength and Flexibility

Many people think that in order to change their body they need to use the latest exercise machine or hire a personal trainer. While some people find results with those methods, more people find results through yoga because of its natural, holistic approach.

Yoga postures strengthen and lengthen the body’s connective tissues through physical postures that have been practiced for thousands of years. It doesn’t matter if you are flexible or stiff, weak or strong, yoga can transform your body and mind and improve your overall health.

Stress Relief

The stress and pressure of our daily lives can lead to serious illness and disease if left unchecked. A regular yoga practice calms the body and mind, boosts the immune system, and eliminates the toxins that stress creates—so many students see yoga as the perfect “cure” for a hard day at work.

Self Confidence & Self Esteem

Yoga makes you feel healthy, strong, and limber which will immediately boost your self-image and self-confidence. Learning yoga postures creates an enormous sense of pride that will improve the way you feel about yourself both inside the studio as well as out in your daily life.

Breath Control

The quality of our breath is directly related to our mental state. When we are upset, the breath tends to be fast and shallow. When we are at ease, the breath is usually slow and deep. We don’t have to think to breathe, but when we learn to consciously control the breath, it helps us to control the body and mind as well.

Often referred to as “moving meditation,” an advanced yoga practice is one where students are able to maintain deep, consistent breath throughout their entire practice, regardless of the physical posture they are performing. In this manner, yoga teaches us to control our state of mind, regardless of the daily stresses we encounter.

Weight Loss

Many students report that after practicing yoga regularly, they feel less hungry and make better choices when eating. As part of an overall healthy lifestyle, yoga is a great way to cleanse the body, increase metabolism, stimulate waste elimination, and reduce food cravings.

Is Yoga Aerobic?

Aerobic exercise occurs when an elevated heart rate is sustained for twenty minutes or more. Aerobic activities are particularly helpful for strengthening the heart, burning excess fat, and increasing the body’s metabolism.

Yoga can be a great aerobic workout, but it depends on the student and on the class they are taking. In order to sustain an elevated heart rate during practice, students should try their best to actively participate in all postures and take classes that they find challenging.

Overall Fitness

Many physical activities that are good for your health also create serious imbalances in the body. Runners are prone to knee and back problems, tennis players often develop arthritis in their wrists and elbows, and weight lifters connective tissues soon become tight and rigid.

Yoga is one of the few physical activities that promotes whole-body wellness—both physically and psychologically—without creating the imbalances that lead to injuries and complications later on in life.

Please send any questions or comments to: questions@yogabodynuturals.com

If you are interested in starting Yoga, a Yoga Mat is one of your essential first purchases. At many yoga studios you should be able to rent a yoga mat, or they may supply them for free, but having your own mat has several advantages. These would include allowing you to practice while at home, be more hygienic and in general should help enhance your yoga practice. If you look around there are various types of mats available, including ones specifically designed for Ashtanga Yoga, mats that have extra length or mats that roll up small and are easier to travel with. Hopefully the rest of this article will help you decide what type of yoga mat to buy.

Why Should I have a Yoga Mat

A mat will provide a soft surface for you to sit on rather than the hard floors you will find in studios and gyms. They also provide grip for your hands and feet while in a pose.

The Mats Thickness

The comfort of the mat is based on a mat’s thickness and firmness. Many of today mats are too thin and provide little if any cushioning, and the last thing you want to be thinking about while practicing is how hard the floor is. Other mats are to thick and this could cause them to be too soft to provide enough you with enough support. What you should be looking for is a mat that is thick enough and soft enough to provide a good grip, yet firm enough to provide enough support and cushion you.

It should feel sticky

Grip is usually referred to as the stickiness of the mat. A quality mat will conform around your hands and feet to provide a secure grip. It should not slide around the floor, remain flat and no matter how much you sweat should provide you with the same amount of grip. Initially a new mat may not be that sticky as it should be, this can improve with use, but if it doesn’t, try washing it as this can help speed up the process.

If you are prone to sweat a lot you may want to use chalk similar to that used by gymnasts and rock climbers on your hands, the chalk is designed to absorb the sweat, and stop you from slipping.

How to care for your Mat

You can get special hygienic sprays for cleaning your mat, that may be handy if you have to share your mat, but caring for your mat should consist of nothing more than occasionally wiping it down with clean cloth dampened with warm water. It is also a good idea to get a yoga mat bag to help protect your mat while carrying to and from a class. The mat bags usually have enough room to carry other belongings to and from your class, and they also usually have a strap so you can easily carry it over your shoulder.

Yoga deep breathing helps in increasing the oxygen intake to the body cells, including the fat cells. This results into burning up of fat cells. Another amazing aspect of Yoga is that it reduces anxiety which, in turn, reduces anxious eating. It is human tendency that whenever we are tensed we tend to swallow our food without deriving much satisfaction and pleasure. In the process we end up eating more. On the other hand, if we approach our meals with better mood, we tend to be less likely to overeat in a worried effort to calm our anxieties. Yoga plays an important role in making us more calm and cool.

During yoga practise you work your whole body, stretching and toning your muscles, streamlining and firming them. This gives you a lean firm body shape as opposed to the bulkier, short muscles you might get from weight training. With yoga you build strong lean muscle tissue which burn calories even while you are at rest.

Yoga is about balance. Balance in eating, balance in drinking, balance in exercise, balance in purporting yourself. Yes, too fat is out of balance, as is too thin, but neither is a crime punishable by not being able to stretch.

Sun Salutations: 24 sun salutations a day, at a speed of 4 rounds in a minute, can provide benefits altogether of both asanas and exercises. Regular exercise of sun salutations is beneficial for lungs and enchanting mantras have a relaxing effect on mind.

Pranayama: it is a technique to control vital energy of life and act as a vehicle for energy management. Kapalbhati, Bhasrika and fast breathing leaves excellent effects on obese people. These improve lungs tendencies and help burning fats.

Yogic asans for arms and legs: Tree pose, Hero pose, Dog pose (face up), Dog pose (face down), Swinging lotus pose, Bridge pose (face up), Bridge pose (face down), Celebacy pose, Squat and rise pose.

Ashtanga: Ashtanga Yoga is a very vigorous style of practice with a few distinct advantages for those who want to lose weight. Ashtanga practitioners are among the most dedicated of yogis, and beginners are often encouraged to sign up for a series of classes, which will help with motivation. Another advantage is that Ashtanga Yoga is ideal for the home practitioners, once you learn the poses.

Asanas: Asanas in Yoga such as the fish posture and shoulder stand are specific for the thyroid gland. In Yoga, asanas enhance fat metabolism so covering up fat to energy and muscle. An individual will not just reduce fat but also have vitality and better muscle tone.

Deep Breath yoga: Taking deep breath in yoga is very useful to enhance the oxygen intake to the body cells containing the fat cells in body. Other yoga asanas like tree pose, sun salute, triangle pose, locust pose, camel pose, wind releasing pose, cat pose, angle pose, Hero pose II and I, aeroplane pose are also useful to reduce body weight.

Bikram Yoga: It is recommended that you attend a minimum of 10 Bikram yoga sessions per month (3 or more sessions per week is optimal) to gain maximum weight loss benefits. It is accepted that it takes about 13 sessions for your body to start enjoying maximum benefits from Bikram yoga; three classes to understand and get used to the posture, then ten classes to work optimally with poses.

Yoga positions for beginners are so easy to learn. If you have not experienced any yoga session or have not seen one, that is not a problem.

Practitioners have talked about the unification of the mind, body and spirit. They claimed that this will be acquired through the practice of yoga exercises and techniques.

If it is your first time to hear of yoga, you will of course wonder how these exercises are done and how it looks like. Since you are a beginner, you will also definitely ask what kind of positions will be best for you.

Yogis have believed that the mind and the body are bonded into a unified structure. This belief has never failed and changed through time. Yoga has extensively performed an amazing procedure of healing oneself through harmony. This can be successfully done if you are in a proper environment.

With the great effects of yoga, the doctors have been convinced that yoga has some therapeutic results and can be recommended for people who have illnesses that is hard to cure.

If you have some illness that has been with you for a long time, you can practice the yoga positions for beginners and apply it to yourself.

If you want to practice the yoga positions for beginners, you must believe that yoga is effective and will help you to be cured or be refreshed.

Yoga is not just a recent application. It has been practiced and applied a long time ago and up to the present, the people are benefiting a lot from it.

Investigations and researches have been implemented to prove that yoga can be helpful in the healing process.

Therefore, it has been proved that the yoga positions for beginners are extremely effective and useful when it comes to maintaining a high level of joint flexibility. Although the yoga positions for beginners are just simple and basic, it can slowly bring up a healthy lifestyle and bring more when it is practiced over and over again.

The yoga positions for beginners are very interesting and exciting to perform. Beginners will never find it hard to keep up with the exercises because it is just simple. The technique of yoga gives a very big contributing factor to our internal glands and organs. It also includes the parts of the human body which is barely stimulated.

If you want to learn the yoga positions for beginners, you can learn it easily at home or at school where yoga is taught.

Some basic yoga positions for beginners include standing poses, seated poses, forward and backward bends, balance and twisting. These yoga positions for beginners are not that far from those who are used to practicing yoga. Only that the extreme poses and positions are handled at the latter part of the exercise.

The time duration in executing the positions are also lessened because a beginner cannot fully cope up with a longer time exposure in practice. Rest is required of the beginner so that he will not be drained easily to prepare the body for further positions.

Since you are a beginner, the most important thing you should understand is self discipline. Yoga is not just doing yoga and executing the poses. If you haven’t mastered the basics yet, do not jump into the complex stages and positions because you will not feel the essence of executing the yoga positions for beginners.

If you are just starting out with yoga, you already know that there are a number of different pieces of equipment that you may need and the yoga mat is one of them. But, how can you choose one that is right for you? There are several things to help you make that decision and knowing a little about each yoga mat will help you to make the right choice.

The most common type of yoga mat is the sticky mat. These mats are very thin and offer a little padding. This is the traditional type of mat. There are now those that have more padding and allow for a better feel being produced. What is important is to realize the point behind having a yoga mat at all. They do several things for you. First, they can help to brace you so that you do not slip and fall when you are in one stance or the next. They can also help to provide even a small bit of padding to the knees, the hips, and the back.

Here are some of the various types of yoga mats and what they can do for you.

The Meditation Mat: This mat is usually purchased with a pillow that goes with it. The combination offers for a better sitting meditation posture. It conforms to your body’s shape while allowing you to sit properly.

Universal Style Yoga Mat: This yoga mat is one of the most basic. It has a light texture to it and a high tack surface that will allow the hands to melts into it during poses.

Deluxe Yoga Mats: These are highly textured. They often are made of high tack foam surfaces and offer a better grip all around.

For those that are a beginner, a beginner yoga mat can be quite important. These are vinyl and have a sponge foam texture to them.

Others: There are also those yoga mats that can do excellent things for you. For example, some are thicker and denser than others. Some will absorb perspiration. Some are just tougher.

In order to know which yoga mat you should purchase, you will want to consider what you plan to do with it, your level and need for comfort while doing that and what budget you have. You can always ask your yoga instructor about which mats are appropriate for the type of yoga you will be doing.