...ell.

The initial benefits of physically-oriented classes are balance, muscle tone, improved circulation, and a sense of well being. These are the most basic benefits of Hatha Yoga practice, and they yield a sense of harmony with the world around us.

So, when do you tell them about all the other fantastic benefits? Please let your students "enjoy the ride," as you did. Just because you can show them the deeper aspects, does not mean it is time to do so. Let them develop a sense of self-observance, bliss, wholeness, and tranquility, without all the dogma.

The Yoga teacher's mission is to guide students, when they need our help. We can accomplish this by letting them breathe and practice beyond the classroom. This is the only way a student can become self-sufficient. We cannot hover over our students like concerned foster parents, becaus...more

What Should a Hatha Yoga teacher Know? Part 5

...Competent Yoga teachers should have enough knowledge to work with special populations; this includes handicapped students, seniors, and many more specialized groups with physical limitations. The reason is that Hatha Yoga is a health maintenance system, but some people only look at the superficial aspects.

If a Yoga teacher is only capable of instructing elite athletes, who are 16 to 25 years of age, thats wonderful. However, such a Yoga teacher should accept the title of Yoga coach, as this is a limited method for teaching Yoga students.

As Yoga teachers, we always remember the students who can turn their bodies into pretzels, but that is not all there is...more

Yoga for Kids - The Benefits That Keep on Giving

..., children learn poses through imagination. They are asked to be animals, plant, warriors, and insects. The skill of visualization is encouraged, imagining parts of the body from the inside out. They make sounds. They move the poses. Sometimes storytelling or music is incorporated.

While the children are learning about themselves in a non-competitive atmosphere, they are also encouraged to co-operate with each other through partner poses. They are asked to bring awareness to the world around them, and see how all things are connected. This encourages respect for others and the environment as well.

When to Start

Introducing yoga in early childhood is very beneficial. At younger developmental stages, before school age, children may have difficulty focusing. Short periods of exposure encourage an increase...more

Should an Obese Person Become a Yoga Teacher?

...are sensible, safe, and proven, in comparison to the many fad diets that come and go.

Over the years, I have seen people lose weight from a Yogic lifestyle change, but it is a very gradual process. Lifestyle changes, like Yoga, also result in weight loss that stays off.

Getting back to an obese person becoming a Yoga teacher; does the public feel that he or she should go on a diet first? We are all guilty of classifying and itemizing, until it affects our perception of reality. Tolerance is a daily challenge for all of us.

There are many good Yoga teachers who carry a few extra pounds due to any number of different reasons. The idea that a Yoga teacher should only be a young, thin, very flexible, super model, with a background in gymnastics, is a pure myth.

Copyright 2006 Paul Jerard / Aura Publications

...more

Yoga And Pilates In