If a student is seeking Yoga instruction for an ailment – where is she or he to go? Yoga instruction comes in many varieties. Some schools focus on fitness, heat, children, moms, gentle classes, seniors, spiritual growth, and the therapeutic application of Yoga. When you combine the differences, in emphasis between styles and teacher personalities, the possibilities are endless.

Some schools have a mix of these objectives within the same classes. Therefore, not all Yoga teachers are equal when a student is in need of special care. For example: An adult student, with high blood pressure, would be wise to avoid “extreme” fitness-oriented Yoga classes.

Who are the “care givers” of Yoga? When considering the definition of a care giver, we may think about a person who attends to the needs of students. Yet, this could also mean those who address the special needs of the elderly or dependent adult Yoga students. There are care givers who specialize in the needs of children, as well.

At this time, disabilities are still being classified and some care givers are specialists. For instance: Some care givers may specialize in helping people with Parkinson’s disease, physical rehabilitation, and working with special children.

Where there is a disability, there is a need for those who mindfully give care. Initially, those who teach Yoga to students with special needs, must have a deep sense of compassion. The next step to becoming a care giver is specialized training. It is true that innovation is useful, but it should be based upon strong foundational training.

Practical therapeutic applications of Yoga, anatomy, physiology, and kinesiology are solid aspects of foundational training for teachers who desire to meet the needs of special students. This may require additional specialized training on the part of Yoga teachers.

At times, there is too much focus on the body – when we consider Yoga as a form of therapy. It should be noted that meditation is an extremely valuable tool for calming and training the mind. Meditation is a good practice for stress relief. Meditation is also good for finding solutions to problems without worrying.

Chronic stress is often overwhelming, and it can cause serious problems such as: ulcers, high blood pressure, narrowing of the arteries, and elevated cholesterol levels. This is just a short list. The multitude of problems chronic stress can cause is worthy of a book. We cannot live without stress, but therapeutic forms of Yoga can teach our students to manage it.

Copyright 2009 – Paul Jerard / Aura Publications

Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500, is a co-owner and the director of Yoga teacher training at: Aura Wellness Center in, Attleboro, MA. To receive Free Yoga videos, Podcasts, e-Books, reports, and articles about Yoga, please visit: http://www.yoga-teacher-training.org/index.html

Yoga has been known to be an effective treatment for several physiological and psychological problems. There are several postures and poses that can be practiced according to the needs of the practitioner. The benefits of yoga are many, because of which the discipline is fast gaining popularity.

Yoga poses may vary widely in both application and style depending on the discipline of yoga that you are practicing. Since yoga is a holistic therapy which not only strengthens the body, but also calms the mind and brings furthers your quest towards spirituality, it is highly recommended for everyone in any state of health.
Seeing the benefits of yoga, pregnant women too have begun turning towards it as an effective prenatal workout. The postures that are recommended for pregnant women typically stretch the body gently and allow you to tone and strengthen the various muscles of your body, without putting any stress.

During pregnancy, the mother is expected to take good care of herself and the baby. Since the woman is carrying a child, physical workouts may not always be possible. Exercises which involve a lot of exertion or jumping and sudden movements are not recommended for pregnant women. Therefore, yoga presents the perfect solution.

Yoga poses and postures help you stretch your muscles, allowing the body to become more flexible. This not only ensures healthy weight gain throughout pregnancy, but also helps control excessive weight gain and facilitates easy weight loss after you have delivered your baby.

Certain poses in yoga are especially beneficial in pregnancy as they help increase the strength of the pelvic floor, allowing the pelvis to open up. Practicing these poses can help you become more prepared for your labor, making for an easier delivery.

Some of the other symptoms of pregnancy, like edema, constipation, backache, depression, and heartburn can also be treated by practicing yoga.
Some of the stretching exercises allow all the muscles in the body to stretch so that you do not experience painful cramps. Yoga can also help remove water retention from the body, making you feel lighter and less bloated.

There are postures which can help stimulate the abdomen so that there is proper bowel movement. This can relieve constipation. You can also reduce nausea, morning sickness and mood swings by practicing breathing techniques known as pranayama. Meditation can help you control your mood swings,giving you positive energy and allowing you to overcome prenatal depression, if you are suffering from it.

Kevin Pederson, authors web content for http://www.yogawiz.com a complete online resource featuring yoga poses, breathing and cleansing. This article offers tips on the Dos and Donts while practicing Yoga. Kevin Pederson also writes for other health sites such as home remedies and hair-n-skin care.

Even though the discipline of yoga is thousands of years old, it has not lost its relevance in this day and age. Thousands of people practice yoga all over the world today. This in itself is a testament to the popularity of this discipline. The basic aim behind the practice of yoga is to reconnect all the different parts of the body to the mind and soul.

Practicing yoga can help improve your overall health and well being. If you learn how to do yoga, you can create a healthy balance in your life and will be able to lead a healthier and happier life.

Here’s what you need to do to learn yoga:
1.Yoga requires you to focus your energies into certain constructive channels so that you are able to gain maximum benefit out of your situation. There are several different types of yoga disciplines and the first step to learning yoga is to get a basic understanding about all these disciplines and choose one that you would follow. For beginners, hatha yoga is considered most suitable, since it is one of the gentlest forms of yoga. As you progress and become more confident about yourself, you can progress to Vinyasa yoga or Power yoga.

2.It is important to realize that yoga is not for everybody. If you begin practicing yoga and feel that it’s not doing much for you, or you get bored and think that it is not worth your time and money, you should back out. The entire system of yoga is spiritual and a belief in the discipline is a prerequisite in order to reap the most benefits. If you are not able to create that belief, it is better that you withdraw.

3.Give a consideration to your lifestyle, health, and budget before you commit to yoga lessons. Certain medical conditions may become aggravated through the practice of yoga.

4.There are two ways to approach a yoga lesson. Many people join yoga studios and get trained under the watchful eye of a trainer. However, there are also those who prefer doing yoga at their own pace and in the privacy of their home using books and videos. Choose what suits you the best.

5.If you are signingup for a class, you will be able to learn many of the positions by watching your instructor perform it. One of the advantages of taking a class is that your instructor can correct you if you are going wrong.

6.Once you have begun practicing some of the basic poses, the next thing is to incorporate meditative techniques of Kundalini yoga and pranayama into your routine. This will help you gain a higher spiritual consciousness.

7.Even when you have begun practicing, it pays to read about yoga. The more you read, the more you will know about the philosophies and the principles on which yoga has been founded.

8.Once you are confident about practicing some of the poses on your own, buy yourself some DVDs so that you can practice alone at home too.

9.You can plan a yoga retreat for yourself and your friends.

10.Keep practicing yoga even when you stop taking classes. This will help you to continue on the path to good health and spiritual consciousness.

Kevin Pederson, authors web content for http://www.yogawiz.com a complete online resource featuring yoga poses, breathing and cleansing. This article offers jump start advice for practical yoga. Kevin Pederson also writes for other health sites such as home remedies and hair-n-skin care

Bikram Choudhary, an Indian yoga guru, has founded a style of yoga named after him. Bikram Yoga, or Hot Yoga, as it is popularly referred to, has a series of 26 poses, ideally performed in a hot room, where the temperature is more than 105 degrees Fahrenheit. Bikram Choudhary has copyrights to all of these 26 poses.

Bikram Choudhury – Yoga And Controversy
Bikram Choudhary was born in the year 1946. He was a disciple of Bishnu Gosh, a guru who focused on translating ancient Indian texts and philosophies into practices that can be readily adapted into the cultures of the west. A single session of Bikram yoga usually includes about 27 postures and 2 breathing exercises, and lasts for approximately 90 minutes.
Since Bikram Choudhary has a U.S copyright on the poses he has founded, anyone who wishes to teach this style of yoga has to first undergo training and certification from him at the Bikram’s Yoga College of India, in Los Angeles. The training and certification can also be obtained at any of the 500 studios that he runs all over the world. It is estimated that he has already trained a number of instructors, all over the world. This training is very expensive, and starts from $9000 per person. There may also be some additional charges involved which one may have to incur during the tenure of the training.

It is believed that Bikram Yoga, which is performed in a hot and humid environment, encourages profuse sweating, thinning of blood and natural expulsion of toxins. The flexibility of the body also increases by practicing these poses. All the poses aim towards improving the general well being of the practitioner, restoring health and rejuvenating the body. There are also specific postures to practice, for improving the heart, lungs, muscles, mental capacity, blood circulation and the health of joints.

There has however, been a raging controversy over copyrighting of the poses as, ‘Bikram yoga’. Numerous historians and yoga practitioners have claimed that Bikram Choudhary’s style of yoga draws heavily from other ancient forms of yoga and therefore, a copyright is not valid. He has attempted to copyright the poses several times and every time he does it, he has met with strong resistance and protest from yoga practitioners all over the world, especially those in North America. In the year 2009, he tried to legally force instructors into teaching agreements, which were considered to be largely one sided. Thus, Bikram Choudhary’s attempts to copyright, trademark and franchise yoga, for his own personal profit, have not been well received by yoga practitioners the world over, as it goes against both yoga tradition, and its philosophy. Bikram Choudhary has come under severe criticism for a highly materialistic lifestyle that is in complete contradiction of the values of yoga that he preaches.

Kevin Pederson, authors web content for http://www.yogawiz.com a complete online resource featuring yoga poses, breathing and cleansing. This article focused on Bikram Choudhary’s discovery of Bikram’s Hot yoga.

Many of the alternative therapeutic techniques are based on the revival of the life force or energy that flows through the body. Ancient Chinese and Indian healing techniques are all based on the principle that this vital force that runs its course through the body, allows the body to remain healthy. If at all there is an obstruction in the channels through which this energy flows, the body will begin to ail.

‘Prana’ or life is the force that yoga acknowledges. It is believed that this life force is in all the things that surround us. We can get the life force from the food that we eat and the water that we drink. However, the most accessible form of this ‘prana’ is through the air we breathe. If we increase our aerobic capacity, we will also increase the amount of life force that we draw in from the environment.

Anuloma Vilom Pranayama is done by closing one of your nostrils and breathing in with the other. Here’s how you can perform this technique: with your thumb, shut the right nostril and breathe in from the left. Gently open the right nostril and close the left nostril with your middle finger. Now exhale from the right nostril. After you have exhaled, breathe in again, from the right nostril, then using your thumb, block the right nostril once again, exhaling from the left nostril. Continue inhaling and exhaling through alternate nostrils in this manner.

This exercise should be repeated for at least ten minutes. This process helps remove any blockage in the nasal cavities. This can also help massage the lining of your nasal cavities and the organs that are involved in the process of respiration.

When you practice this technique regularly, you will be able to cleanse all your energy hot spots or ‘nadis’ in the body. Diseases like gout, rheumatism, urinary tract infection and ailments of the reproductive organs can be cured by anuloma vilom. Respiratory disorders like sinus can also be cured using this technique. Cataracts and common colds can be prevented by regular practice of anuloma vilom.

This exercise is also excellent for those suffering from heart conditions. With the help of anuloma vilom, blockages of the arteries can be removed, leaving the circulation unimpeded. In just about 3 to 4 months, you will be able to dissolve about 30% to 40% of the blockage in your arteries. The exercise will also help you control cholesterol, and remove negative thoughts from your mind to make you feel more positive. In all, anuloma vilom helps you in a holistic manner.

Kevin Pederson, authors web content for http://www.yogawiz.com a complete online resource featuring yoga poses, breathing and cleansing.Here’s how you can perform Anuloma Vilom Pranayama techniques.

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder is also known as, “OCD.” As many of you know, OCD is often classified an anxiety disorder, in which the person affected is plagued by unwanted, intrusive thoughts. Yoga is designed to help reduce anxiety and stressful thoughts.

It should also be known that, when someone has OCD, visiting a doctor, therapist, or counselor is a step that should be taken. The time spent receiving professional counseling, and a plan of action, will be beneficial to the person, who suffers from OCD, and to their family members.

Below is a Yogic approach to lower the anxiety levels associated with OCD. The results of Yoga practice are a reflection of the time spent practicing. Usually, people take medication once a day, but practice Yoga less often. If one practices Yoga once per day, one can expect to feel positive results.

1. Asana (Yoga posture) practice is an extremely popular form of physical exercise. As Hatha Yoga and its many sub-styles have grown globally, asana practice benefits have become widely known. The type of movement can be adjusted to meet the age and fitness level of the participant.

Younger people can perform flowing movement, which causes the body to stretch and strengthen. Extreme forms of balance and muscle control help purge the body from tension, which can be caused by stress and anxiety. At the same time, Yoga practice can be modified to help a person who is in a wheelchair.

2. Mantra is sometimes forgotten, but let’s look at one purpose of mantra. If you close your eyes, close your ears, and make a sound, what are you thinking about? You can only think about the sound. This is an effective method for training the mind.

Mantra and pranayama (Yogic breathing) can be combined for maximum results. Initial suggestions, for working with mantra, are classic pranayama techniques such as: Udgeeth (Omkar japa) and Brahmari (bumble bee breath).

3. Meditation allows an OCD sufferer to train the mind to recognize unwanted, intrusive thoughts. To see the true value of an unwanted thought is to see it as insignificant. The mind processes many insignificant thoughts throughout the average day. Meditation teaches us to focus on reality.

There are many forms of meditation. One of the easiest to learn is breath awareness meditation. New students find it much easier to focus on their breath because it is the first thing they notice when they begin to sit still.

4. Yogic Relaxation techniques, such as: Stage-by stage relaxation, body scanning, relaxation through visualization, and Laughter Yoga are extremely useful for lowering stress levels and controlling anxiety. The choice of which relaxation technique to use is entirely up to the individual.

For example: Although Laughter Yoga may be very effective, some people may feel uncomfortable with it. In this case, it would be best to choose a relaxation technique that suits the personality.

Copyright 2009 – Paul Jerard / Aura Publications

Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500, is a co-owner and the director of Yoga teacher training at: Aura Wellness Center in, Attleboro, MA. To receive Free Yoga videos, Podcasts, e-Books, reports, and articles about Yoga, please visit: http://www.yoga-teacher-training.org/index.html