How to find the right Yoga teacher?

By : Paul M. Jerard Jr
I am often asked by beginners about how to evaluate a Yoga Teacher?

The following is the "CALM check list." These factors are basic criteria that your Yoga Instructor should meet before you continue on to a second Yoga class.

CALM gets it name from four main factors: Communication, Assist, Listen, and Modification. For the right Yoga teacher, you should be answering with a "yes" to all questions.

• Communication: Does your Yoga teacher talk to you, and other students, in a manner of mutual respect? Can you ask a question during class time?

Does your teacher show compassion for you and other students? Does your Yoga teacher take the time to lead you through a guided meditation or relaxation? Meditation and relaxation are major aspects of Yoga practice.

There are Yoga teachers who just want to get "their workout" done. Beware of Yoga teachers, who are so important, they don't have time for you.


Some students love this air of superiority and, unfortunately, some people love abuse. If you want to learn Yoga, you need an open line of communication with your Yoga teacher.

• Assist: Does your teacher care about your form? Will your teacher give you a verbal or physical assist during your Yoga class? Are props encouraged in your Yoga classes?

Some students never have major problems with alignment and some do, but if your teacher doesn't give verbal cues, what does that tell you?

• Listen: Does your Yoga teacher take the time to listen to your feedback? Is your teacher "in the moment" with the class?

Once in a while, there is a Yoga instructor who runs, "The-it's-all-about-me-show." You are not going to learn anything from this type of teaching. Beginners will be put at risk, trying to keep up with a seasoned Yoga teacher who doesn't explain anything.

• Modification: Does your Yoga teacher allow modifications and props? If your teacher discourages props, you are in the wrong place.

Some students will need props for life depending upon their range of motion. Just because a teacher can do a posture without props, doesn't mean every student can.

Summary: Stay away from abusive Yoga teachers, and if you are attracted to abuse, there is always professional help. Some students crave "the stern, but loving parent" types. They will push you harder, but how much pushing do you really need?

Respect is a two way street, and you deserve as much respect as your Yoga teacher does. Let common sense be your guide. You should feel good after a Yoga class, and you might even feel muscle soreness days after a vigorous class.

Make sure your Yoga teacher meets the above criteria before making a commitment.

Yes,There Are Benefits to Practicing Yoga

By : Jude Wright
Your body needs exercise to stay fit and healthy. Even though all forms of exercise will improve your health, none have the mental and physical benefits that the practice of yoga provides.

Yoga is not only beneficial to the physical but it is also beneficial to spiritual and mental health.

One of the most important physical benefits of yoga is how well it tones the body. Many people believe that because yoga is a low-impact stretching exercise, that it really doesn't tone your body or make you any stronger. Well, yoga does make you stronger.

Unlike in workouts like weight lifting, yoga is causing a resistance - which makes your body work in a different way. If you are looking to build a lot of muscles, yoga won't help, but you can improve your muscle strength even if it doesn't make muscles larger.

If you use yoga in combination with other exercises, you will get a workout that will really benefit your health. So if muscle bulk is what you are looking for, can use yoga along with weight lifting to build muscles. Use yoga in combination with strength training and cardio routines to really get the best workout for your body.

The poses in yoga are done very slowly and held for several breaths. This resistance makes your muscles stretch and strengthens them. This stretching also stretches the fascia - the protective sheath that covers muscles and muscle cells in the body.

The stretching of the fascia allows the muscles underneath it to grow more and gives the muscles greater shape. This also allows for a more well-defined physique.

When practicing yoga you are using your whole body. You are not toning isolated groups of muscles. This is a very effective way to keep your body fit and healthy.

Yoga also improves blood circulation and respiratory health through the breathing exercises that you must do while practicing yoga.

Yoga improves joint flexibility and helps to relieve the pain of arthritis and other joint pain.

The mental benefits of yoga are well known. Yoga is said to improve memory and helps you to focus. It also has the benefit of clearing the mind of stressful thoughts. Increased oxygen flow to the brain from yoga helps the brain to function at its fullest capacity.

Finally, there is a spiritual benefit to practicing yoga.You will find an inner tranquility that helps you to more effectively perform the breathing exercises as well as other physical exercises.

It is this spiritual element that relaxes you and allows a full melding of mind, body and spirit.
Author Resource:- Visit BeginnerYogaPoses.com for more information and tips on the practice of yoga.

The Purpose of Yoga: Solutions for Depression

Coping with depression is not easy, and severe depression is truly a "tough road to travel." Yet, Yoga contains many alternative methods to lift your spirits beside "Laughter Yoga." Hatha Yoga has many aspects, which will aid anyone in times of depression. A Yoga teacher is not a substitute for a psychiatrist, but Yoga practice is beneficial for a holistic approach to mental, spiritual, physical, and emotional health.

One way to lift your spirits is to practice Yoga postures (asanas), which will raise your endorphin levels. Endorphins are hormone-like substances. Endorphins naturally occur, within your body, containing amino acids, which attach to receptors, and stop pain signals to the brain.

Chocolate could also raise your endorphin levels, but chocolate should be consumed in moderation. Otherwise, over consumption of chocolate, which contains plenty of fat, may result in taking on the shape of a truffle.

Attending regular Yoga classes will keep your mind, body, emotions, and spirit, occupied, while doing constructive tasks. This will draw the positive energy of your Yoga teacher and the class into your being. If you cannot find a Yoga class with the level of positive energy you desire, keep looking because there are many different types of Yoga.

The socialization factor, which occurs before, during, and after a Yoga class, will also take your mind off your problems. Many people benefit emotionally through social activities. The entire structure of a Yoga class allows you to purge negative energy from the core of your being.

If you feel depressed often, self-analysis may not be in your best interest. Your therapist, close friends, and family will most likely be your best "sounding boards." It is very unhealthy to keep your emotions "locked up."

Therefore, you may have to allow yourself to cry. Believe me - it is not comfortable for any of us to cry, so you may want some solitary time to purge your body and mind by crying. When we lose a loved one, most of us cannot stop crying. Regardless of the problem, crying is a temporary release. We cannot cry forever, but crying can help.

In Bhakti Yoga (Union by devotion to God), we learn to open the connection to God. There are sectarian Yoga classes for every religion on earth. Regardless of your particular religion - prayer, devotion to God, and giving to others, will help you.

When you feel sorry for yourself, look at the poor, and see what you can do to help. Even if all you can give is your time, you are helping someone who needs it. You will suddenly feel better because your acts of kindness are appreciated.

You can visit a temple, shrine, church, mosque, synagogue, or "Holy Ground," to realize how you might be able to help others. Helping others is one of the most uplifting tasks you will ever do, because you will feel self-worth and gratification.

Copyright 2007 - Paul Jerard / Aura Publications
Author Resource:- Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500, is a co-owner and the director of Yoga teacher training at: Aura Wellness Center in, Attleboro, MA. He has been a certified Master Yoga teacher since 1995.

The Purpose of Yoga - Overcoming Fear

Could Yoga really empower you enough to conquer your worst fears? Very few people are able to overcome fear, without a serious effort. Fear holds us still, stifles our progress, and distorts our view of reality. Worse yet, some of our fears stem from childhood - whether they are rooted in reality or not.

Yoga offers every practitioner the gateway to self-realization. This newfound awareness allows anyone the opportunity to help focus his or her mind. In turn, a focused mind can separate fact from fiction - much easier than a confused mind.

This Yogic formula is a logical and rational method for determining imagined fears from justified fear, but fear can take on many different forms. Phobias, panic disorders, and anxiety attacks, are various types of fear, which are commonly stress related.

Every day, we fear poverty, the loss of a job, or the loss of a relationship, but sometimes there is no real danger or logical reason for feelings of intense fear, which can take a toll on our health. Our imagination can be a powerful tool toward success in life or the creator of panic attacks, without reason.

Yoga offers many solutions for stilling the mind. The first of these is Pranayama (Yogic breath techniques). Breath is the primary link between mind and body. One of the first techniques Yoga students learn in a class is natural breath.

For adult Yoga students, this means unlearning the short "half breath," which most adults unconsciously practice from the diaphragm to the mouth. Natural breath can be started as an inhale (through the nose), at the bottom of the lungs, expanding upward through the chest, and finally finishing as an exhale through the nose, while the stomach collapses, at the same time.

This same breathing technique can be commonly observed in infants. During natural breath, the stomach expands during an inhale and collapses during the exhale. When adults relearn this breathing technique, the positive result of tranquility is often felt within minutes. Some adult Yoga students start to feel consistently more relaxed after a short session of natural breath.

This is just one of many Yogic methods, which can be practiced for better mental focus and to still the mind. The benefits of focusing the mind, through Yoga practice, are unlimited. Yoga offers a "chemical free" option for people to empower themselves and move toward accomplishments, success, and achievements.

However, the origin of a solution, to overcoming fear, lies in the individual's desire to take action in his, or her, best interest. If a person chooses not to help him or herself, no solution, not even Yoga, will help.

Worry, fear, stress, and anxiety, are ingredients which work together to drain life energy from all of us. If we allow worry, fear, stress, and anxiety, to control our lives, we can create a negative cycle of energy which will shorten our life spans. Yoga offers solutions to all of these problems - without side effects.

Copyright 2007 - Paul Jerard / Aura Publications
Author Resource:- Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500, is a co-owner and the director of Yoga teacher training at: Aura Wellness Center in, Attleboro, MA. He has been a certified Master Yoga teacher since 1995.
http://www.riyoga.com

The Purpose of Yoga - Taking Control of Your Life

By : Paul M. Jerard Jr.
Yoga teaches us how to make life changes from within. Within all Yoga styles are the tools of self-realization and transformation. Once a Yoga practitioner has managed to empower him or herself, a positive direction will become the easiest path to follow.

Everyone is subject to outside pressures, even adults. There is always somebody who is willing to give you advice you did not ask for. When we are children, we think that outside pressure will stop, when we are "grown up;" we will be independent and in control of our lives.

As young adults, we soon find out that we have limited control of our lives, when there is always someone to answer to, in the form of a parent, college professor, supervisor, customer, drill sergeant, or someone else. In fact, we have limited control because we do not control nature.

How can Yoga empower you to take control of your life? How can you stop others from attempting to control your life? Let's look at how Yoga can help you to create your own manifestations and change your destiny for the best.

Do you ever have a co-worker who enjoys making others feel inferior? Consider this: We have to give permission to those who insult us, in order for them to make us feel less worthy. Without our permission, they hold no power over us.

If you believe that your existence is a problem, mistake, or error, then you really do have troubles. Self-doubt leads to self-defeat. Yet, all is not lost - because, in this case, the trouble can be found and purged from within you.

The solution to this problem is also within you. Once you understand that you have to respect your own self-image at all times, you will manifest positive energy from within. You must forgive yourself for past mistakes, make positive changes, and never speak poorly of yourself. You will receive nothing by thinking less of yourself, and you will leave the door open for those who feel gratification in your unhappiness.

About people who want to control you: Remember the saying, "Just say, No." Many people feel that life is not so simple, but "No" can be a powerful word, which prevents complications and trouble. You do not have to feel obligated to every request - just because somebody asks you.

This is not a "free pass" to refuse people in need, but you should use your best judgment about how you will spend your time and energy. Yogic philosophy teaches us to live in the moment, while performing acts of mindfulness, loving kindness, and forgiveness.

It is easy enough to waste time and energy, without experiencing peer pressure along the way. The correct path is universal, and your heart is your best guide.

Copyright 2007 - Paul Jerard / Aura Publications
Author Resource:- Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500, is a co-owner and the director of Yoga teacher training at: Aura Wellness Center in, Attleboro, MA - Just 20 minutes north of Providence, RI. He has been a certified Master Yoga teacher since 1995.

The Purpose of Yoga - Motivation for Better Health

By : Paul M. Jerard Jr.
Yoga, in all of its forms, creates positive energy. Positive energy will cause you to become successful, and live a life where powerful visions become reality. Your complete health will improve exponentially, as a result of regular Yoga practice.

Yoga has so many good health aspects for a person to benefit from. Yet, some people see it only as a "workout," and as a result, Yoga has become classified, in the west, as an exercise. Although Hatha, Kundalini, and Raja Yoga contain many breathing exercises (Pranayama) and postures (Asanas), Yoga is not merely another physical exercise system.

Hatha Yoga is the most popular form of Yoga outside India. Hatha Yoga is also known as the unity of mind, body, and spirit, through physical mastery. The initial results of regimented Hatha Yoga practice are physical fitness, motivation, clear thought, and increased energy.

There are many more benefits from long-term Hatha Yoga practice. If I could make a "Hatha Yoga Pill," I would be a billionaire! When some people hear the words, "physical fitness," they think of torture, so they avoid Yoga of any kind.

Yet, the masses will gladly spend billions of dollars on ineffective, over the counter drugs, fad diet products, ineffective exercise gadgets, and life endangering pills, to try to manage their body weight.

So, a Hatha Yoga pill, with no side effects, would "sell like hot cakes."

However, the Hatha Yoga pill is only part of my imagination and the dream of "couch potatoes." Yet, couch potatoes do not have to worry because Yoga is not physical fitness, but it is complete health on the physical, mental, spiritual, and emotional planes of existence.

The benefit of motivation from Yoga practice is what makes Yoga so different from all other health maintenance systems. Yoga can become a lifestyle because there is no torture.

Why do most diets fail? Why do most exercisers quit? Lack of motivation is the reason for diet and exercise failure. People already know they should eat better, walk more, exercise, and drink more water, but they need to maintain their level of motivation, without "burning out."

In Yoga practice, positive energy is all around the classroom. Positive energy creates motivation and creates powerful visions of success. The next step is to believe the powerful visions of success, which you see.

Some people have a fear of success. Maybe they inherently feel a lack of self-worth, but Yoga also works on improving this aspect of life. It is normal for people to feel apprehensive about change, but change is often one of the gateways to success.

Lastly, regular Hatha Yoga practice will lower stress levels, allowing you to sleep better, and feel energized the next morning. No wonder Yoga teachers and students are so full of motivation.

Copyright 2007 - Paul Jerard / Aura Publications
Author Resource:- Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500, is a co-owner and the director of Yoga teacher training at: Aura Wellness Center in, Attleboro, MA. He has been a certified Master Yoga teacher since 1995.
http://www.yoga-teacher-training.org

The Purpose of Yoga - Spiritual Health for All Faiths

By : Paul M. Jerard Jr
Recently, a Christian-based Yoga class, taught by Sylvia DiLorenzo, was banned from a Roman Catholic Church, in South Fort Myers, Florida. Based upon a story by "The News-Press," it seems that Yoga classes were taking place in an adjoining chapel, which was going to be converted to an activity center at Blessed Pope John XXIII Church.

The following is an account, which was posted by The News-Press, on March 31, 2007.

"In the past few weeks, a couple of people have accosted the yoga practitioners, accusing them of evil-doing, and the leader of the Catholic Church in Southwest Florida has banned the classes.

An unidentified woman stumbled upon a Friday morning class and was incensed to see Yoga in a church, DiLorenzo said.

The woman returned the next Monday, armed with holy water that she sprinkled on the participants, as they started their class."

Before the Yoga class, the woman with the Holy Water, and her companion, handed out leaflets to inform parishioners of how Yoga is "Anti-Christian." Strangely, none of the 65 parishioners, who attended Yoga classes, knew this woman.

Well, that gives a new spin on the concept of Christian Yoga. Would you think that giving, loving kindness, and forgiving, could be banned?

Think again - There are some interesting, but intolerant descriptions of Yoga, which religious fundamentalists use to describe it. The words they use to describe Yoga are: Cult, occult, and evil.

Based upon differing accounts of the same story, the Bishop's reasons for banning the class remain unclear. He may have wanted to diffuse a volatile situation or he may have objected to the exact location of the classes. We may never know his exact reasons.

So, this looks like a clear victory for religious fundamentalism. All you have to do is make a "scene" at somebody else's church, and you can have their activities banned.

Wrong - According to The News-Press: "Gateway Trinity Lutheran Church invited DiLorenzo to expand the Yoga program, she was teaching there, by bringing her Blessed Pope John classes."

Apparently, this leaves the door open for these Roman Catholic parishioners to join the Lutheran Church. Open minded people see the benefits of Yoga practice. If you are not sure about your religion, I guess you could blame it all on Yoga.

It gives you something to think about, on many levels.

Long-term Yoga practice will result in good health, ethical behavior, giving, and a deeper spiritual connection with God, but Yoga practitioners come from all religions. If we condemn every thought, which does not agree with strict dogma, we can start "Witch Hunting" again.

Since I am a practicing Christian: Will somebody tell me where the real Anti-Christian Yoga class takes place? I have yet to meet the evil doing Yogis.

Copyright 2007 - Paul Jerard / Aura Publications
Author Resource:- Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500, is a co-owner and the director of Yoga teacher training at: Aura Wellness Center in, Attleboro, MA. He has been a certified Master Yoga teacher since 1995.
http://www.yoga-teacher-training.org