How to Stay Happy and Healthy

Being healthy and happy is a concern of everyone’s. By incorporating these tips into your everyday life, you will feel like a brand new person. Staying healthy does not have to be difficult. There is no need to worry because you don’t have to spend money on books or gym machines. Just chill out and consider the following advice. 1. Breathe! Daily stress makes people tense and they tend to hold it in. By being aware of your breath, you are able to release that stress and relax. Take slow deep breaths. 2. Get some sun. The sun is a great source of Vitamin D. It’s good... Read more »

Yoga in Practice - The Yogic Path to a Trained Mind

Within the training, practice, and scriptures of Yoga are many treasures for humankind. How many people completely understand the Yogic path toward a trained mind? How many students of Hatha Yoga call their practice a workout? It is true that physical mastery will be realized through the practice of Hatha Yoga, but the mental benefits are usually not realized within an exercise class. If a student is not made aware of the true value of mental attention during practice, the mind-training benefits will still trickle through. Let’s look at daily steps you can... Read more »

Restorative Yoga - A Low Impact Solution For Middle-Aged Spread

Does Yoga have solutions for middle-aged spread? Are your knees, back, hips and shoulders begging for mercy? Restorative Yoga is a complete health maintenance system, and a low impact form of cross training, that will not cause premature wear in your joints. Let’s be honest, have you noticed a spare tire around your mid-section? You could justify it by looking at teenagers. After all, it took you nearly 50 years to become overweight. Then, one day, you saw that spare tire in the mirror or a photograph. Walking is a wonderful form of cross training, but if you carry a pedometer, you know that 10,000 steps per day is a “mission.”... Read more »

Hatha Yoga Solutions For Your Hips

When we consider Yoga solutions for our hips, we often think in terms of physical tightness, which occurs over time. Our hips are largely ignored until we feel pain in them from excessive sitting, trauma, arthritis, or gradual joint wear. Yet, the hips are also a storage area for stress, anxiety, and emotional turmoil. Many different Yoga postures work toward releasing tension from within the hips. Due to differences in our body types, alignment, and joint wear, over time, the best postures for one person may not suit another. The posture’s level of difficulty is also a consideration. With that said, almost every posture can be modified if a Yoga teacher has the compassion,... Read more »

How Should the Topic of Asana Be Covered in a Yoga Teacher Certification Course?

If you are going to teach Hatha Yoga classes, there are many subjects to cover, but asana (posture) is often the starting point of most Yoga teacher training courses. It could be debated that we should follow the Eight Limbed Path, as explained by Maharishi Patanjali, by reviewing the first two limbs (Yama and Niyama) before asana. However, let’s put this debate aside and discuss the details of teaching asana to the public. In the average 200-hour Hatha Yoga instructor training program, more than half of the course time is spent covering the intricacies of asana and pranayama (Yogic breathing techniques). When a student is young, asana can change the body’s... Read more »

Introduction to Yoga: For the Rest of Us

Yoga in Sanskrit stands for union and it denotes a union or balance between the spirit, body and mind so there is a state of harmony. This is an ancient holistic method of individual improvement practiced for years. This age old science and philosophy treats the person by looking at him as a whole so there is the physical, the mental and the spiritual that comes up for making better and strengthening. Any man that practices Yoga is known as a Yogi, and any woman that practices Yoga is known as a Yogini. Indian philosophy has six orthodox systems, of which this is one and is considered an applied science... Read more »

Get Your Work-Life Balance Back With Yoga

With stressful working environments and hectic schedules, many people struggle with the negative impact of their busy work lives. Those who have difficulty managing their personal and work lives in balance with each other are increasingly turning to yoga. Yoga gives them peace of mind so that they can achieve a perfect work-life balance. The mind-body connection is piquing interest in this ancient practice, and research shows that it can indeed reduce blood pressure and stress, improve your work performance, and even make you age more slowly. Although the focus on yoga may be different depending on the environment, its basic premise is to relax the body while keeping the mind focused and alert. For example,... Read more »

Get The Abs You Have Always Wanted

Often times to get those toned abs you have always wanted you undergo a number of difficult exercises like sit ups and crunches. These exercises can be very painful, especially in your back and results are often times not seen for a long time. Although many times we sometimes undergo these painful exercises, there are other exercises that can offer the same six pack results, but are so much easier to perform and less intense. The results are also beneficial that can be seen almost immediately. Pilate Abs are these exercises. In fact, in one month, you can see the results you have been working towards. It is much more fun and does not cause that back pain. During World War I when the influenza plagued Germany, Joseph Pilates invented an exercise that helped those patients to recover. These exercises, which... Read more »

Yoga in Practice - The Secret Arts of Yoga and Meditation

Would you like to learn the secret arts of Yoga? The real truth is - there is no secret to: “Study, practice, study more, and practice again.” Yoga is a lifelong journey, which for some Hatha Yoga students may start much like a gymnastic event. Then, over years of study, Yoga training evolves into self-realization and transformation. Below is a question and answer session, with a student, who is seeking to find the answers to the mysteries of Yoga and meditation. Q: Is doing meditation by oneself safe? A: Yes, meditation alone is fine, provided you receive some basic foundational instruction from a teacher or Guru. Books and DVD′s can also be very instructive. Please... Read more »

Karma Yoga For Complete Happiness

Karma Yoga is often overlooked by all of us. In most Hatha Yoga teacher training programs, we tend to highlight it, but move on toward the concepts of physical mastery. Yet, physical mastery alone does not deliver complete happiness. In fact, happiness occurs when our Yoga practice becomes part of our life off the mat. We know that Karma Yoga is mentioned within the Bhagavad-Gita and the Ishavasya Upanishad, but many students outside of India are barely familiar with it. If you ask a class full of students about the meaning of Karma Yoga, you would... Read more »