Yoga

The roles and responsibilities of being a competent, and effective, yoga instructor are up to the individual. Teachers should obtain sufficient training and education in yogic philosophy, anatomy, asanas, and pranayama. Reach a competent level in your own practice before taking the step to instruct others.

A strict set of guidelines, for the certification of yoga instructors, has yet to be established in the United States. The implications of this situation are many. What it means, essentially, is that each yoga instructor has a responsibility, that is, the obligation to conduct themselves in a way that represents the yoga community in a positive light. The other responsibility is to safely, and effectively, teach yoga students the correct and healthy way to practice yoga.

Yoga certification guidelines are in place so that instructors don’t unwittingly produce injuries to their students. Instruction must be executed with the a sufficient amount of knowledge and personal practice. Hatha yoga instructors must deeply understand the fundamentals of posture and alignment.

Teachers must know how to build, and modify, a pose for a less flexible or beginner student. An instructor also needs to be able to quickly spot incorrect postures. This is so their students do not injure themselves or exacerbate pre-existing conditions, which they already have.

Instructors must be able to accurately verbalize a pose to students in a way that they can understand. In the same way, communication must be clear in the correction of common mistakes. Often, beginners of yoga practice are not as familiar with their bodies, as someone who has been practicing for years. For this reason, you must be able to notice incorrectly executed techniques, then clearly and gently correct them.

Not all students will learn in the same way, when you teach yoga classes. Many students will be able to listen carefully and learn from verbal cues. Others still will further benefit from you personally assisting them with a pose. Visual learners will best learn by observation and will be able to copy a pose by watching you.

Every teacher must be aware of the different learning styles, which individuals may possess. A good teacher will operate accordingly. This means you must be adaptable in your teaching style, while remaining accurate.

There are certain elements that should be taught, in proportion, during each session with your students. The four minimum elements requisite of the Yoga Foundation are asana, meditation, breath, and mantra. The order and proportion is decided by the instructor from their learning and individual class structure. Feel out the class, and decide what rhythm and sequence of poses will best benefit the group you are instructing.

Although we know the benefits of mantra for controlling mind chatter, some students may be resistant to seeing the value of verbal mantra. In this case, teach them the option of mental mantra, or positive affirmation, in their native language.

Another issue to consider, as a yoga instructor, is the ethical side of teaching. The practice of yoga is very intimate, physically and spiritually. The atmosphere, that an instructor creates, needs to be based on the welfare of the students.

Students will experience physical and emotional shifts during their progress. An effective yoga instructor can be there to guide them, but the guidance must be focused on disciplined and ethical alignment. Select carefully the tone of words and music used in the class. Balance of the mind, body, emotion, and spirit, is the ultimate focus of a yoga class.

The role of a yoga instructor can be a very rewarding one. Assist your students with proper yoga techniques and you will see amazing changes. Follow the essential knowledge you have learned in your own training, and you will be able to help your own students find their path. Be patient with the process and treat all of your students with the same level of respect and courtesy. Remember that they are looking to you for guidance on a life long path to optimum holistic health.

Copyright 2008 – Paul Jerard / Aura Publications

Yoga for Toning Your Body

Yoga in these days is becoming popular and is practiced by people mainly for its health benefits. The term yoga is derived from the Sanskrit word “union,” which means ‘to join.’

It aims for the great union of the body, mind, and spirit through a system of postures, breathing exercises, meditation. It refers to far more than these. In reality, it includes a wide range of disciplines designed to eventually bring the practitioners closer to god.

The yoga classes are usually longer than any other exercise classes because practicing yoga generally needs two to three hours. During a yoga session, your yoga instructor will guide you a series of yoga poses, where you will find many for the yoga positions with simple names such as ‘the plank,’ ‘the cat,’ or ‘the warrior.’

Yoga, when compared to other classes, is based on perfection and many yoga practitioners expend large amounts of their time in getting the positions perfect. Many instructors make use of definite terminology in their sessions.

You may feel overwhelmed in the beginning with terms such as asana, pranayama or pratyahara. So, do not allow these put you off, as it is not essential to learn and master all yoga terminology.

Benefits of Yoga

The benefits of yoga are countless. The most important benefit of yoga is physical and mental therapy. Hence yoga is considered therapeutic or beneficial. Yoga helps to increase one’s body flexibility. It also helps to increase the muscle and tendon suppleness, as a result decreasing your risk of injuries.

It can also helps to combat against certain illnesses, and there are some reliable researches proving that it aids in controlling certain illnesses such as headaches, arthritis, stress, anxiety, blood pressure, asthma, multiple sclerosis, chronic fatigue, epilepsy, diabetes and many more.

Practicing yoga doesn’t increase the aerobic fitness of your body, apart from ‘ashtanga yoga’, so it is better to combine yoga sessions with aerobic type of exercises such as brisk walking or jogging. The ultimate aim is to manage the breathing and reduce stress through meditation.

Types of Yoga

Yoga is all about poses, breathing exercises and meditation. There are many types of yoga that are available to practice regularly in order to maintain a healthy body and though no type particularly is harder.

So, it is wise to ensure how experienced your yoga class is prior to join. Generally, beginner’s classes are more available.

Here are some of the types of yoga:

Hatha Yoga

‘Hatha’ is a type of yoga that is an overall term for the physical part of yoga. Hatha yoga is suggested for the yoga beginners. Hatha covers most types of yoga and a class that is known as Hatha Yoga, is usually a balanced and moderately concentrated.

Yoga posture and breathing exercises will be practiced. It’s best to gain knowledge of yoga fundamentals before moving to other type.

Iyengar Yoga

This is one of the Hatha yoga styles, which needs to practice with the body alignment and focusing on the way to understand the body and its work. There is very little focus on breathing exercises and meditation for starting levels. The primary importance is on proper alignment, mainly for the spine and core of the body.

This Hatha yoga style makes use of some supports such as yoga blankets, yoga blocks, and yoga straps in order to bring your body into a proper alignment. Practitioners will hold the yoga poses for longer periods of time than other types of yoga.

Astanga Yoga

Ashtanga is an interesting one among all Hatha yoga styles, which is a series of yoga poses that always practiced in the same order. Astanga yoga is a physically demanding workout. Astanga yoga practitioners practice these postures in a continual flow linking their movements from breath to breath.

Practicing this type of yoga will develop the body strength, stamina and flexibility. It is also called as power yoga. Those who want to practice this type of yoga can fit it easier if they are physically fit.

Modern Yoga has taken on a new connotation devoid of any spiritualist with the asanas or postures of hatha yoga included in fitness regimen. This has essentially led to many self designed types of yoga and is a lucrative business. Yoga essentially means enlightenment and is central to Hinduism and offshoots of Hinduism. Modern Yoga practice has inherited a few elements from this ancient tradition. Breathing exercise (pranayama) and meditation is the most popular of these. Yoga has a unique ability to relax a person and this is adopted by persons who do not look for enlightenment but for its utility to health of mind and body

The goals of Yoga are expressed differently by different traditions. The goals of modernism are relaxation and distressing of a person. With this in mind we have a number of tailored programs Yoga for beginners, Yoga for Women , Yoga for Children , Yoga for heart, etc. are the advertisements you would see to entice people to join a yoga fitness center. The common form of Yoga is the practice of concentration. The focus of meditation is different from school to school. Heart (anahata), or third eye (aina) are major points of focus, meditation on peace or Deities is another form. Hatha yoga was invented as purification so that meditation can be done with ease.

Physical purification, Moral Discipline, and meditation are the basics of yoga. There is a far wider reality which often gets forgotten in modern fitness practices. It is sorry to see that instead of holism practiced another view of yoga is propagated. Blinding the horse to see only in one direction is what the market forces have done to Yoga. Enlightenment is left far behind in our globalization and commercialization. Hatha yoga is only viewed for its health benefits and not for its enlightenment.

Health Benefits

• It is believed to calm the nervous system.

• It helps to balance the body, mind, and spirit

• It follows the same principles as life energy and helps prevents specific diseases.

• It is used to reduce blood pressure and stress

• It improves sleep, coordination, flexibility, concentration and digestion.

• Alternative remedies suggest it as a therapy for cancer, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, asthma and Irritable Bowel Syndrome

• It is helps in treatment of spinal problems and chronic back pain.

Yoga as a healing alternative is now the most popular form and very few look towards yoga as a means toward enlightenment.

Yoga – the oldest system of personal development needs no introduction nowadays. Its popularity can be estimated by the fact that more than 15 million people practice yoga in USA alone. Almost every health club in a country like UK has yoga classes. In India where the yoga system was originated it was not practiced on mass level until couple of years ago. Of course, yoga was taught as a free service for years by organization like Bhartiya Yog Sansthan in public park but never before as an unquestionable and unsafe mass hysteria.

Recently with the help of TV channels the whole concept of Yoga has rejuvenated in India. Baba Ramdev Ji, the Indian ‘yoga guru’ has started teaching yoga to the masses to the extent of millions of people.

It is really good that now people in India are developing healthy habits by waking up early in the morning followed by energizing yoga practice, thanks to TV channels and Baba Ramdev. As Yoga exercises have tremendous physical and medical benefits which help people to get rid of various diseases, it is good that those TV channels and Baba Ramdev and others are doing marvelous work to help the nation to get rid of diseases.

However, like every other science, yoga is also a precise science. The question is: ‘Are all yoga exercises safe to teach through the TV media and can the same exercise be taught to all people with various health conditions?’

“This is the question which requires deeper digging into the subject of yoga itself otherwise the consequences of doing yoga practice could be more dangerous than beneficial” said Subodh Gupta, Yoga expert from India.

Let us understand how:

There are some breathing exercises like simple alternate nostril breathing (without holding the breath), which can be taught easily without much complications and have various benefits. However, at the same time some of the exercises, for example: kapalabhati breathing technique which is taught to the masses is quite questionable. “This exercise even though having tremendous benefits, can be equally dangerous if somebody has heart disease or problem related to hernia” said Subodh. ‘Will it help or rather make the hernia and heart problem worse?’ considering the fact that many Indians suffer from hernia and heart problem. For example, according to the ‘National Digestive Disease Information Clearinghouse’ (NDDIC), potential causes for hernia include anything that creates increased pressure in the abdomen. This includes: coughing, vomiting, straining/constipation, etc. Now considering this information what about the forceful exhalation which people do while practicing kapalabhati or other pranayama exercises and how far these can be dangerous for people having hernia? Perhaps medical expert can better answer this question in more details.

Similarly there are number of other yoga postures which require great precautions. As we all have different body structures and different fitness level, conducting same exercises (apart from very few which are comparatively safe) for 30000 people in a camp without checking their medical conditions by Baba Ramdev ji is quite questionable.

Also ‘Are the instructions about kapalabhati and other yoga exercises safely delivered by Gurus?’ ‘Are they ensuring that people are following their practices safely?’ ‘Is it really safe for the beginner to learn yoga only through the TV channels?’

“Well, it is a serious question for the swami Ramdev Ji and others who are teaching yoga to masses to answer” said Subodh Gupta.

If seems that in India there is no governing body which understands the fragility of adverse impact of yoga exercises if done in improper way. No doubt yoga is effective for treating various diseases and a noble effort has been taken by Swami Ramdev and organizations like Vivekananda Yoga Anusandhana but unless these exercises are not done in a proper system and with supervision, the whole concept of yoga teaching will become more of mockery or maybe it has already become. Perhaps in near future when the ill effect of unsafe yoga practice will come to the limelight, the media will come up with great news stating that 50 or 100 million Indians are making fun with yoga everyday in front of TV and playing with their health.

Issued in public interest by Subodh Gupta, for all those who are beginners and are learning yoga through TV, video cassette, DVD or in camps with hundreds of other people.

Yoga – the ancient art of breathing and stretching – has long been favored as a natural way to achieve optimal fitness and ward off stress. Today, more and more people are turning to yoga to help them achieve what traditional exercise has not – a mind/body connection that offers a greater level of health and inner peace.

Yoga positions consist of holding certain postures of the body while performing deep and precise breathing techniques. There are many types of yoga practice to which different people prescribe but there is a common thread that unites all sects of yoga. They all have various postures or positions that are common to yoga in general.

Some common yoga positions include:

Seated Yoga Position – Seated yoga positions often focus on learning disciplined breathing techniques. Participants sit cross legged in an erect position and learn to control their diaphragm and let their breathing work for them.

Standing Yoga Position – Standing yoga positions concentrates on improving flexibility and spinal alignment while still utilizing breathing techniques.

Supine Yoga Position – Supine yoga positions lengthen and strengthen the spinal column thus benefiting parts of the back.

Belly Down Yoga Position – Belly down yoga positions concentrate on abs and upper body strength. Participants are asked to lift themselves from the ground and perform a series of stretch positions in a fluid motion.

Balancing Yoga Position – Balancing yoga positions improve flexibility and strengthen back and abdominal muscles. Holding a particular position for an extended period of time while balancing body weight uses muscles much more then you would think.

Twisting Yoga Position – Twisting yoga positions stretch the body – most significantly the spinal column.

Yoga can be a wonderful way to tone your body, increase flexibility, improve cardiovascular function, and lower stress. Research yoga online or turn to professionals who practice and teach yoga. A local class can be just the thing to turn you on to the benefits of yoga positions.

One of the philosophies of Yoga is called Patanjali and comes from the Sanskrit for its definition of Ashtanga Yoga. Ashta means 8 and Anga means limbs and these 8 limbs are intended to help the Ashtange Yoga devotee to live a healthy life. The practice of this form of Yoga is intended to help us minimize stress in our lives, which if course is a good thing, or at least minimize its effect. It also strengthens our endurance.

Ashtanga Yoga was made popular by the Yoga guru Shri K Pattabhi Jois.
There is a different term in western Yoga to describe what is in effect a form of Ashtanga Yoga. This term is Power Yoga. Power Yoga is modeled on Ashtanga yoga.

The 8 limbs of Ashtanga Yoga are as follows:

Asana is the discipline of performing Yoga exercises for the betterment of your body and spirit.

Niyama is for taking control of your life. Control comes from personal restraint. Niyama is the combination of joy (santosh), patience (tapa), self study (swadhyaya), purity (shoucha) and love of god (esgwar pranidhan).

Yama is to enable us to dwell on the good and honorable of human behavior. This is comprised of non violence (ahimsa), truthfulness (satya), celibacy (brahmacharay), and the ability to stay clear of envy, jealousy and other possessive and destructive behaviours (aparigraha). Stealing is also resisted (asteya).

As with many other branches of Yoga the breathing is controlled and this is Pranayma.

Dharna is to help us concentrate on personal learning to improve our understanding of our place in the overall scheme of life, and to form long term goals or a firm mission for our life.

Pratyahara is to help us isolate ourselves from the hustle and bustle and background noise of the world to allow our minds to focus within and become a haven for positivity.

Dhyana is to help us concentrate on our mission and long terms goals from the pursuit of meditation

Samadhi is the attainment of a state of bliss and peace, the ability to find and focus on our life mission and to continually strive to reach the final goal of personal enlightenment.

As can be seen Ashtanga Yoga has some lofty ends. It is practiced in a series of stages where the student of progresses at their own pace to achieve their goal.

This starts with the Yoga Chikitsa which is a form of Yoga therapy which is intended to detox the body and to build strength and stamina. It takes around 2 hours to complete the 75 poses involved. The start of the exercises is the surya namaskar (the sun salutation) and then the student moves on to a series of standing exercises and sitting exercise followed by inversions and relaxation exercises.

The second set in the series of 6 is called the nadi shodana and it helps with strengthening the nervous system. These exercises follow the same sequence as the first set of exercises but with the inclusion of some extra exercises.

The final set of 4 from the series is called sthira bhaga meaning divine permanence. This the final and advanced form of the practice and is only for students who have finally mastered the intitial exercises.

The pursuit of Yoga, including Ashtanga Yoga, is a lifetime passion. It isnt easy and requires discipline, but the discipline is worth it.

Planets placed in certain particular positions which have remarkable effects on the natives are called ‘Yoga.’

Some of the special Yogas are described as follows:
1.Raja Yoga: When the lords of the ninth and the tenth house are situated in one another’s house or are in conjunction with each other in either on the houses produce the ‘Raja Yoga‘- a good luck in all the undertakings.

2.Kesari Yoga: When the cool planet i.e. the Moon is in the center i.e. ‘Kendra’ position to the Jupiter, the effects produce ‘Kesari Yoga‘. Under this yoga, the individual is blessed with a superb intellect and also acquires the capacity to speak to masses in general. He will occupy high position and fame.

3.Lakshmi Yoga: When the Venus and the lord of the ninth house remain in the fifth, ninth or in the central/ ‘Kendra’ position and at the same time in his own place, ‘Lakshmi Yoga‘ is created. As the name itself implies, with the effects of this yoga, the native is blessed with a luxurious life, happy family, health, wealth and all other comforts of life.

4.Ruchaka Yoga: When Mars occupies his own place, the native will enjoy the effects of Ruchaka Yoga and he will be blessed with wealth, fame and victory.

5.Saraswathi Yoga: With Venus, Jupiter and Mercury in the 2nd house while Jupiter in his own house, the effects of Saraswathi Yoga is produced. In this case the native will be blessed with wisdom and intellect.

6.Hamsa Yoga: When Jupiter is placed in his own house, the effect is Hamsa Yoga. Blessed with this effect, the native will enjoy great prominence in society, admiration and a commandeering position. He will also possess a beautiful body and a charitable mind.

7.Bhadra Yoga: With Mercury placed in his own house, the effect of Bhadra Yoga is produced and in this case the native will enjoy long life, keen intellect, wealth and prominence in society. He will be a good speaker in assemblies too.

8.Malava Yoga: When Venus is placed in his own house, effect is Malava Yoga. Here, the native is blessed with wealth, enormous property, posh vehicles, large family and keen intellect.

9.Vallaki Yoga: All the seven planets occupying one house each, produces the Vallaki Yoga where the native will be very talented in music, dancing and fine arts.

10.Sasaka Yoga: When Jupiter is in his own house, Sasaka Yoga is produced. The native will be blessed with great wealth and all comforts in life. But he will be a person of easy virtue.

11.Dhama Yoga: When all the seven planets occupy signs consecutively from the Lagna, the effects of Dhama Yoga of produced. The native will be a very philanthropic minded person.

12.Chamara Yoga: When a beneficial planet occupies lagna, the Charma Yoga is created. This is a highly desirable Yoga. The native will be blessed with great wealth, fame and long life.

13.Chakata Yoga: When the moon is placed in the sixth, eighth or twelfth house form the Jupiter, Chakata Yoga is produced where the native will experience misfortunes and various disappointments in life.

14.Rajju Yoga: When all the planets in a horoscope occupy the movable signs, Rajju Yoga is created. The native will be famous and will enjoy interrupted fortunes.

People start yoga for many reasons. They may want to increase their levels of health, fitness, and flexibility. Or improve their muscle tone. Reducing levels of stress and anxiety are also high on the list, as is personal development, and the desire to follow a more spiritual path. Some may have a particular medical condition or health problem they want to address.

One’s reason for starting yoga may have a bearing on both the type of yoga that makes a ‘best fit’, as well as the particular teacher chosen within a yoga discipline. Whilst the different types of yoga obviously suit some aims better than others, the teacher you practice with will also make a difference to achieving what you want with yoga. Or not.

Foe example, if you have a specific medical condition, it would be better to informally interview prospective yoga teachers beforehand. First, to find out which classes might be suitable, and to see whether that teacher has a real grasp of what the condition or problem implies for a yoga practice. Some people, whether they are yoga teachers or not, have a more rigid outlook, and may not be able to appreciate that a flexible approach in such circumstances is important. Or, they may not have sufficient training or experience. Perhaps they are even too busy to be available in a more personal way.

When choosing a yoga teacher, it’s important to use your intuition. And to understand that we, as individuals, may not find our needs met by a class even if others do. Some teachers are more nurturing than others, some are more focused on the spiritual aspects of yoga (which may or may not align with our own spiritual outlook). Some perform adjustments – which is where a teacher will use their bodyweight to help you go further into a position – without really finding out whether a person has any injuries. And some simply do it too overzealously. A student in that situation may feel that the ‘teacher knows best’. But it’s important to listen to your own body, and understand that not all yoga training is equal. And, not all teachers are equal, in all areas, either.

Some other things to consider when choosing a yoga teacher are:

• Are they dogmatic? Do they push a certain philosophical or spiritual viewpoint? Is there a subtle (or not so subtle) manipulation that implies that without their ‘guru’, your spiritual evolution is on shaky ground. In fact, do they suggest that you ‘need’ a guru (their guru) as a ‘guide’ in matters of spirituality because your own connection to Source-God isn’t good enough. In other words, are they suggesting you place your power outside of yourself, or do they reiterate that you in fact are your own guide, and can get their quite well under your own steam.

• Are they (or the prominent representatives of their yoga discipline) overly concerned with money, fame, power, the size of their organization, or their degree of influence? If they (the organization) certify yoga teachers, how long do the teachers have to train for? What are they trained in and what aren’t they taught about?

• How well does the teacher embody the basic spiritual qualities of compassion, kindness, peace, joy, and equanimity? Whilst we are all beings at various stages of the journey, it helps to look at a teacher’s character, and ethics. No-one needs to be perfect, but what qualities, of themselves, are they bringing to class.

The practice of yoga is ancient, but it could have an incredible effect for those living in the 21st century as a high blood pressure treatment. However, many people are uncertain of how (or even whether) to attempt this exercise. Here, we’ll explore some of the common myths and questions surrounding yoga, and why you should definitely pursue it if you suffer high blood pressure symptoms.

“Isn’t yoga just for young, flexible people?”

Answer: Absolutely not! Yoga can be performed by persons of all ages and abilities. Even if you are wheelchair bound, you can still practice some of the yoga positions from the waist up. And because yoga has a mental component, you can even do some meditating in bed to lower high blood pressure(http://www.mitamins.com/disease/High-Blood-Pressure.html) symptoms. All that you really need is an open mind and the willingness to try an alternative or complimentary high blood pressure treatment(http://www.mitamins.com/disease/High-Blood-Pressure.html).
“I like extreme exercises. Isn’t yoga kind of dull?”

Answer: Many people assume that yoga is just sitting on the floor cross-legged and meditating. However, there are differing forms of yoga, and some require some intense physicality. Therefore, if you’re looking to use yoga as a high blood pressure treatment, you can usually find a type of yoga practice to fit your general physical fitness level.

“I’ve heard that yoga is a religion. I’m happy with my current religion, so maybe yoga isn’t for me.”

Answer: Though yoga can be performed as a way to attain a religious state, when practiced as an exercise, it has no religious connections. Whether you are Muslim, Christian, Jewish, agnostic, or even atheist, you can use yoga as a high blood pressure treatment. Because it “centers” your body and spirit, it provides you with the means to naturally start to reduce your high blood pressure symptoms(http://www.mitamins.com/disease/High-Blood-Pressure.html).

“My doctor didn’t recommend yoga, so I’m hesitant to try it.”

Answer: By all means, ask your physician about yoga as a possibility if he or she didn’t mention it when you were first diagnosed with high blood pressure. Though most doctors will agree that it’s an excellent way to alleviate high blood pressure symptoms, they might not immediately assume it’s something in which you are interested. So the next time you have an appointment, feel free to bring it up.

“I don’t belong to a health club, and I don’t feel like I want to join. So I guess I’ll never do yoga…”

Answer: Don’t allow your lack of gym membership to stop you from getting the high blood pressure treatment advantages of yoga! There are plenty of books, DVDs, and articles describing the practice; consequently, you can lower your high blood pressure symptoms in the comfort of your living room! Best of all, yoga can be performed anywhere, so if you go on vacation, you can always do it in your hotel room or even on the beach.

It is not always necessary to use yoga supplies to practice yoga. Sometimes, however, people that are very involved in yoga may decide on buying yoga supplies to improve on their routines.Yoga Mats the Most PopularAnother part of yoga supplies is the blanket which is useful to relax in when you finish with the yoga exercises and they also come in handy while providing moderate support in a number of poses that includes the headstand and shoulder-stand. You should opt for light blankets when using them for supporting the neck while performing head and shoulder stands.Other forms of yoga supplies include props which are very useful for beginners as well as for those with a physical handicap. Props can also make a person more aware of the subtle nuances of different poses as they help to align the body properly and can be used to best effect along with belts, bolsters, chairs and other yoga supplies.If you feel the need to spend some money on yoga supplies, you will need to look for specialized props that are used while doing a headstand, or backbend. The advantage of having a good prop for your yoga routine lies in it helping to make yoga more fun, and it also improves your ability to perform different routines better. You may also consider other yoga supplies such as a hatha yoga DVD in order to gain more insight into the different yoga practices.