June 28, 2007

Yoga Techniques for Taking the Stress Out Of Vacations

window.document.getElementById(’post-128′).parentNode.className += ‘ adhesive_post’;Yoga techniques act as a stress reliever. Yoga techniques help to reduce the stress that rises from our daily activities. Even during vacations people are getting attacked with the outside stressful factors, which can damage a very good vacation period.
Vacation stress is somewhat an aggressive expression but it is real and it can cause serious disturbances and damages. The reasons for getting stress and angry during your vacation are numerous. The reasons could be poor services, awful weather, high charges, crowd, noisy tourists, irritating insects and many more.
In order to avoid the vacation stress, it is better to follow yoga techniques for stress management. Yoga techniques for stress management provides relief by making the body relaxed for the maximum flow of energy through yoga poses, breathing exercises that give energy by pranayama and peacefulness to the mind by meditation.
Yoga techniques provide numerous ways of reducing the effects of these negative elements in the form of meditation, sakshin, pratyahara and pranayama.
Meditation is a suggested practice when vacation stress factors become active and it helps to avoid these vacation stress factors. Meditation is one of the five principles of yoga. It is one of the important […]

Full Article At: KnowHow-Now.com Articles

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June 27, 2007

What Should a Hatha Yoga Teacher Know? – Part 1

Tip! Start with Firm Determination: Yoga begins and ends in the mind. Take a determination that you are going to give yoga a fair try and you are going to practice, because it is important to you.

Most of the time, prospective Yoga teachers have a very strong foundation in Yoga; but sometimes, they originally come from a related-field, such as Martial Arts, Pilates, Dance, Gymnastics, or Fitness. This is fine, but be prepared for a “learning curve” and do not expect to learn all about Yoga in one Yoga teacher training intensive course. Even if you “lock yourself up” in an ashram for months, you should realize that learning Yoga is a life-long journey and not a race.

Tip! Ashtanga or Raja Yoga 2. Bhakti Yoga 3.

Now, if you come from a related field - you have a lot more mental work to do than a long-time student of Yoga. Hatha Yoga is a physical form of Yoga, but being athletic is not as important as the knowledge a Yoga teacher should possess. So, what should you know in order to become a Yoga teacher? Below is a list of what a Hatha Yoga teacher should know in order to successfully teach Yoga classes.

Anatomy, physiology, and kinesiology should always be covered during a Yoga teacher training session. Yoga student safety is especially an important issue for those who will be teaching Yoga. Students are always physically different, and Hatha Yoga practice can be made to adapt to anyone - regardless of age or physical ability. Anyone who desires to teach Yoga should have a complete understanding of how the physical body works.

Tip! Understand the Physiology of Breathing. A large part of advanced yoga breathing techniques involves altering the inhale and exhalation speed as well as controlling the depth of breathing exercise.

Asanas are the postures held during Yoga practice. Hatha Yoga teachers do not have to know hundreds of Asanas to teach a Yoga class, but they should be very familiar with 26 to 100 different Yoga postures - depending upon the style of Yoga. Yoga teachers should be able to design a lesson plan using these postures, their variations, and the many other aspects of Hatha Yoga teaching.

Yoga teachers should know how to give Asana modifications to their students. Sometimes, this could be advising a Yoga student to use a block, strap, bolster, chair, ball, blanket, or any other prop for proper alignment and safety. Other times, this might be giving a Yoga student an alternative variation of an Asana.

Tip! Talk to your doctor and explain what type of yoga poses you intend to practice. Show your doctor pictures of the poses for illustration.

Yoga teachers should be familiar with contraindications for Asanas; which are cautions that can be related to a specific Yoga posture. This is very important when working with Yoga students who are pregnant, have high blood pressure, or have a specific ailment.

Yoga teachers should take the time to be familiar with each student and his or her particular health condition. This means researching health conditions that Yoga students have and staying on top of your own continuing education. After becoming familiar with an ailment; learn how you can help, but never give medical advice.

The Chakras Of Tantric Yoga Health, Well Being, Stress Relief and Spiritual Development can be yours by using this very comprehensive yoga program.

No Yoga teacher should ever put a student at risk. The body of a Yoga student cannot be forced into a position that a Yoga teacher feels is correct. Instead, the body is gently guided to its natural limits, without pain and little discomfort.

© Copyright 2006 - Paul Jerard / Aura Publications

Paul Jerard is a co-owner and the director of Yoga teacher training at: Aura Wellness Center, in North Providence, RI. He has been a certified Master Yoga teacher since 1995. To receive a Free e-Book: “Yoga in Practice,” and a Free Yoga Newsletter, please visit: http://www.yoga-teacher-training.org/index.html

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June 26, 2007

What Should a Hatha Yoga Teacher Know? - Part 3

Tip! Make a Regular Schedule and Stick to It: Yoga is not like tennis or some recreational sport which you will do if the sun is shining and you feel like doing it. To get the true benefits from yoga you have to do it every day.

Niyamas are the ethical observances of Yoga. Yoga teachers should know them by heart; they do not conflict with any law or religion.

Shaucha: To put it simply, be clean in hygiene, diet, and behavior. Hygiene and a Sattvic diet can become a daily ritual, but avoiding unhealthy or unclean thought is a daily challenge. This means controlling angry thoughts, angry actions, and suppressing the ego as much as humanly possible.

Santosha: This is commonly considered to be contentment, but it is also acceptance of life as it is. This is most difficult to attain in societies where material gain is the number one objective. Acceptance does not mean giving up but accepting what we cannot control. When we realize there is much in life that we cannot control, we open the door to inner peace.

Tapas: When we think of Tapas, the first word that comes to mind is austerity. This is fine, but Tapas is a way of life, based on fortitude, perseverance, dedication, discipline, and regular Yoga practice, put into action. Tapas will produce results, but may require you to practice Yoga, when it is much easier to eat a chocolate doughnut. One of the biggest problems with the world today is the lack of commitment toward goals.

Tip! Focus on both inhalation and exhalation. When I first started yoga breathing techniques, I focused almost entirely on the inhalation, making sure I was taking a truly deep breath, without focusing at all on how I was letting the air out of my body.

Swadhyaya: This is taking the time to study sacred scriptures of your specific religion. The answers to all your spiritual questions can be found within them. You do not have to change your religion, but the more you read from your own religion’s scriptures, the more ways you can learn to appreciate people who practice a different religion.

If you take the time, you will see commonality in the principles of all the major religions. Jesus said, “Do to others what you would have them do to you.” All of the world’s religions have a similar saying, but who really puts the words into practice and action? Only an enlightened person would make a statement such as: “Hurt no one so that no one may hurt you.” This statement was made by Mohammed.

Tip! Talk to your doctor and explain what type of yoga poses you intend to practice. Show your doctor pictures of the poses for illustration.

Therefore, reading and studying Holy Scriptures, mean nothing if you do not take positive action from what you learn. All of the scriptures tell us to live in peace. The worst crime against humanity is when a political or religious leader preaches hate and incites war or killing.

Ishwara Pranidhana: Acknowledge God as a supreme being by whatever name you are familiar with. Pray daily and actively participate in your religion.

© Copyright 2006 - Paul Jerard / Aura Publications

Paul Jerard is a co-owner and the director of Yoga teacher training at: Aura Wellness Center, in North Providence, RI. He has been a certified Master Yoga teacher since 1995. To receive a Free e-Book: “Yoga in Practice,” and a Free Yoga Newsletter, please visit: http://www.yoga-teacher-training.org/index.html

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