Teaching Hatha Yoga – Safe Yoga Class Openings

By Sanjeev Patel, CYT 500

Sometimes the opening of a Yoga class is very much like a brief blip on a radar screen. Some Yoga teachers are in a big rush to get going with the class, but where are they going to? As a Yoga teacher, you must have an intention to make your class the best and safest experience your students ever encounter.

Based upon student feedback from over 650 classes, which I have already instructed, I have come to realize that it is the physical and relaxing aspects of Yoga that most appeal to westerners. With that in mind, among the many steps which I would suggest teachers incorporate into a Yoga class would include an initial period of relaxation.

Here you could introduce diaphragmatic breathing and invite students to continue, throughout the practice, inhabit their bodies, practice present moment breath awareness, and maintain a mind-body connection, while using their breath as the vehicle for this connection.

You would then lead them through a series of limbering and warming up postures, however I may not use all of the same warm ups suggested by a typical Hatha Yoga teacher training, since I have found that most students prefer more active postures even for limbering up and warm up.

I did find my foundational teacher training useful in regard to warm ups very effective for a beginner’s class as long as modifications are included for those students that are stiff, out of shape or older. Since the classes that I am instructing at the present moment are all levels classes at local health clubs and morning classes at the beach, I have found that modifications, which also make the postures more possible or more challenging, make the classes themselves more interesting, engaging and appealing to a wider range of students.

I have yet to introduce beginners to any of the muscle controls or bandhas into any of the classes. Although I do practice bandhas myself, I also teach advanced students the same techniques and find them complimentary to the postures. I also include a few basic balancing postures in all of the classes that I instruct.

In general we start with the centering, setting an intention, and relaxation (Yes, relaxation). After that we move on to warm ups, then sun salutations, and limber ups. This is followed by all body stretches, standing poses which would include forward bends and minor back bends and some minor twists, sitting poses which would also include forward bends, deeper back bends and deeper twists, kneeling poses, and basic inversions.

© Copyright – Sanjeev Patel / Aura Publications

Sanjeev Patel is a certified Yoga teacher and an exclusive author for Aura Wellness Center.

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Yoga Training: Yogic Fitness Classes

By Lisa Beasley

It doesn't matter what you are taught during your Yoga instructor certification course, some people will always see Yogic practices as a form of exercise that is used to achieve different goals. Some people use it as their main form of exercise. There are numerous types to choose from, ranging from the gentle stretching and low impact of Hatha to the very intense and invigorating Power Yoga. Athletes often rely on Yogic methods as part of their training regimen and as a way to increase flexibility and strength. The bottom line is that anyone, regardless of fitness level, (or lack thereof) can benefit from doing Yoga. A certified Yoga teacher will be able to communicate with his or her class to see what the students are expecting, as well as offer variations on different poses.

Exercising the body, as well as the mind, is a key element in staying healthy. Yoga is a way to combine what is good for the body and connect it to the mind in ways that other forms of exercise simply can’t do. Physically, it can help you to improve your posture and alignment, which can help to reduce aches and pains throughout the body. It can also help to improve balance and flexibility. Yogic techniques are also known to reduce stress levels and contribute to better sleep. Taking care of your body by practicing regularly can help enhance your life in a number of different areas that you may not even be aware of yet.

We already know that fitness and great health cannot be achieved by simply taking a pill or some other type of “quick fix.” Being healthy requires regular exercise and a well-rounded diet, as well as trying to maintain a positive attitude. Yoga training is a simple yet powerful tool that can be used to tie all of that together. Whether you are looking to boost your energy levels, increase your strength or contribute to a positive mental outlook, Yoga can help you achieve many of those goals and more. You can decide on specific goals or let your practice guide you toward what you need. Since there are so many variations within Yoga, there is always room to evolve and grow, physically, mentally, and emotionally. From the meditative low impact forms all the way through the challenges of Hot Yoga, there are certainly enough physical styles to cater to anyone’s fitness needs.

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Become a Yoga Instructor as a Lifestyle

By Rachel Holmes

Although the last ten to fifteen years has seen an explosion in the number of yoga teacher training intensives around the world, many of these interns began studying yogic methodology as part of an exercise trend that has swept across world since it started to become popular. Yogic exercise was praised for being a low-impact physical activity and marketed to people across various demographics that needed something less cardiovascularly demanding than an aerobics class or a long morning run. People began to understand yoga training as an activity that would help them lose weight and relax at the same time, and many became avid practitioners who soon advanced to more complex and demanding sessions.

It is true that with this popularization of yogic practices, many gyms and studios began to offer sessions strictly for exercise, adapting some of the Ashtanga style sequences to create a more generalized form of power yoga. But even these students soon realized that yogic methodology is not simply an exercise routine, it is a lifestyle.

The Lifestyle

Physical fitness is one of the most popular parts of the yoga lifestyle. The promise of increased bodily health has been one of the main reasons yoga has become so accessible to such a wide range of students. The asana sequences practiced in classes strengthen muscles while increasing flexibility and cardiovascular health, an attractive combination to young and old alike who are looking for ways to get active.

A calm interior is another attractive promise yoga training gives to its students. The breathing and focus strategies introduced in even the most basic classes allow students a way to calm their minds and relax their bodies. In a stressful, fast-paced world, this is becoming ever more necessary.

Healthy diets seem to be an offshoot of regular practice. Gurus attribute this to the fact that students become more in tune with their own bodies, and they begin to actively seek out the nutrition their bodies crave. Another positive associated with a healthier diet is increased physical fitness and mental alertness.

Ethical living is another important idea that anchors the practice of yogic methods to daily life. Yoga's code of ethics include ideas about honesty and nonviolence along with contentment and self-discipline - These principles, known as the yamas and niyamas, guide practitioners toward ethical living.

Attainment of wisdom is associated with yoga's ancient practices. The connection of the individual to the universal through stronger mind-body awareness is a primary tenet of yoga wisdom, going back through the centuries. Practitioners use meditation combined with asanas and ancient knowledge to achieve personal transcendence.

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Yoga Teacher Training: Anxiety Relief

By Kimaya Singh

Once in a while, you meet a person who refuses to see the value of pranayama. When you finish yoga teacher training, you have an arsenal of stress reducing techniques, but the public has a right to choose to do them, or not. Doctors, nurses and therapists are also amazed at the mindset of their patients. The point I’m diving at is nothing works, if a person refuses to put the effort into it.

“Just Breathe.” How many times have you heard someone say this when you are anxious or stressed to your maximum capacity? Isn’t it funny that at the base of yoga, which has been around for centuries, is pranayama? It should not come as any surprise that using yoga techniques for anxiety relief is one of the top methods. I find it incredibly sad that people today tend to turn to prescription medication to calm down. I have countless friends and family members that take something for stress, and as you can guess I am constantly dragging them to yoga with me. No one should have to depend on medication to live a full life, if they have a choice.

How Yoga Kicks Anxiety

Studies over the years have concluded that yoga practice, which involves, of course, meditation and pranayama technique modulates stress response systems. Not only that, it increases the heart rate variable which allows the body to respond to stress in a positive way. Also, because stress has been proven to cause pain, and vice versa, the slow and effective stretches that yoga is made up of relieves pain and in turn, reduces stress. All of the elements of our lives are intertwined so when one is aided and soothed, it tends to relieve the others. Amazing, isn’t it? When you become “in tune” with your body through yoga training and then you can recognize when your anxiety is rising in order to tackle it before it begins.

The following is a sample yoga training routine that can help students suffering from stress and anxiety. As always be sure to guide them into focus on breathing and finding their center. Meditation is key for this ailment and many new students are not skilled in this area yet.

• First take a few moments to breathe and focus on the anxiety they are trying to relieve. Guide them into letting go of whatever it is that they are holding onto.

• Slow Sun Salutation – This is always a nice, slow asana sequence to stretch the entire body and come to a place of complete focus.

• Downward Dog – Give time in this pose to relax, stretch the spine, and release tension.

• Half Moon – A perfect pose to find balance and demand focus on something other than the stress.

• Seated Forward Bend – Guide the student farther and farther down through breaths to relieve tension in the neck.

• Camel Pose – This asana is perfect for releasing tension in the front of the body.

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If you are a Yoga Teacher, studio manager, blogger, e-zine, or website publisher, and are in need of quality content, please feel free to use my blog entries (articles). Please be sure to reprint each article, as is, including the resource box above. Namaste!

Yoga Teacher Training: Heart Health

By Faye Martins

Of all the ailments we cover in yoga instructor training, cardiovascular disease and cancer are two that most of us know a little about.  In many families, one of those two ailments has claimed the lives of family members.  You can’t ignore the importance of preventative maintenance, when it comes down to your family medical history.

Yoga is an ancient healing art based on seven major chakras that correspond with various parts of the human body. The fourth chakra, also known as the heart chakra, includes the heart, upper back and upper chest. The middle chakra, it represents love and compassion, acting as the “center” or point of integration for our physical and emotional experiences.

Even medical science now recognizes a condition called stress cardiomyopathy, or “broken heart syndrome,” that stems from sudden, extreme emotional trauma. Other ailments resulting from a blocked heart chakra include feelings of loneliness or the inability to forgive and empathize with other people. Physical manifestations include breathing-related disorders, high blood pressure and heart disease.

Back bending asanas literally “open the heart,” both physically and emotionally. While practitioners teach that self-acceptance and compassion are universal healers, they also recommend asanas to keep the heart healthy. For maximum benefit, any Yoga training session should include pranayama and meditation in addition to physical exercise.

Asanas for a Healthy Heart

• Lying stretches that arch the back over a support, such as a folded blanket

• Arm and shoulder stretches, such as Child’s Pose or Upward Facing Dog

• Backbends that lower the heart and encourage deep breathing, such as Cobra Pose

• Forward bends, such as Big-Toe Bend

• Poses that release pent-up emotions, such as Warrior, Camel or Pigeon Pose

• Seated twists that stretch the spine and rid the body of toxins and tension

In 2004, Yale University School of Medicine released data showing that Yoga lowers pulse rate, blood pressure, and risk of heart disease. Other experts agree. According to authorities at the Institute for Behavioral Medicine at Ohio State University, these benefits may result largely from the meditative component of Yoga.

More recently, however, “Harvard Health Publications” cited evidence that the actual routine of getting in and out of asanas gently exercises the body’s muscles. Anything, they say, that benefits the muscles will also improve the function of the heart and blood vessels and helps to control insulin too. Besides, yogic breathing is deeper and slower than normal breathing rates. As a result, it temporarily lowers blood pressure and halts the release of stress hormones.  While more research is needed, the use of asanas for heart health looks promising.

Side notes for Yoga Teachers

If you didn’t cover this in your yoga teacher training, be prepared for students who have heart conditions to come to your classes.  Many of the precautions are similar to high blood pressure and stroke.  Therefore, make sure your yoga student’s have their physicians approval to begin taking classes.  As a Yoga teacher, you have the right to insist on a doctor’s note.  Make sure you add a warning to your waiver form.  

Some of our students ignore medical advice, but if you decided to become a yoga instructor you want to gently point students with pre-exising medical conditions in the right direction.  As Paul has often mentioned: “We safely guide our students with yoga instruction, but if they don’t want to listen, show them the door.”  That may sound harsh, but who is to blame, if a person with a pre-existing medical condition is hurt in our class?  Do you feel like the law is unclear?  You might think people should be responsible for their own health, but the law is never clear.  Needless to say, heart patients should be in Restorative classes and stay out of the hot Yoga classes.  

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Yoga Teacher Training: Hangovers

By Gopi Rao

You might wonder what in the world hangovers would have to do with yoga teacher training.  After all, very few people in a yoga certification course would overindulge in alcohol consumption.  In fact, too much of anything tends to be unhealthy.  Paulji once mentioned how too much air (hyperventilating) can cause you to pass out and consuming too much water can cause your potassium levels to drop, which can put you at risk for a stroke.  Obviously, we aren’t going to push the limits, but many people do and alcohol consumption is more rampant than some of us care to admit.

Although I am not an avid drinker and have never personally suffered from a hangover, I have been surprised on occasion by students who regularly attend my classes while struggling through the after effects of a night’s overindulgence. Because I had always believed that physical activity makes hangover symptoms worse, I finally asked one of my students, who I’ll call Jamie, why she still came to class. Her answer surprised me.

Jamie regularly practiced yoga with me an average of four times a week, and attended my mid-day class on the weekends. More often than not, she’d walk in with her head down and sunglasses on. After awhile, I could tell when she had a hangover by how still she kept her body before we began.

When I asked her why she came to class even though she was clearly afraid her head was going to explode, Jamie laughed, grabbed her head with a cringe, and explained herself by moving her mouth as little as possible to avoid further jarring. “I am almost always tempted to stay in bed the day after,” she said, “but I’ve learned by experience that the hangover lasts much longer if I don’t practice yoga.”

Yoga for Hangovers

There are some excellent ways to use yoga to help relieve hangover symptoms. Although sun salutation series can be a good way to get your body warmed up in a low-impact way, sometimes it can be tough to do. After working with Jamie, I discovered that keeping your head raised above your heart during asana practice will prevent excessive and excessively painful blood flow to the head. Props like bolsters can be an effective way to keep the head raised.

Relaxation poses also tend to go over well for those with hangovers. Seated forward bends or the corpse pose can help relieve some of the symptoms, and there is little movement involved.

Some practitioners also recommend twists, which they say helps wring the poison out of the body a little faster. Twists are also gentle and low impact, which are definitely positives in a hangover situation.

Yoga Practices to Avoid

1. Avoid hot yoga training. When you have a hangover, your body is dehydrated and in need of replenishing fluids. This is why even the most avid Bikram enthusiasts stay away from the heated room after imbibing too much alcohol.

2. Avoid inversions. Lowering your head below your heart can increase throbbing, and inversion poses like head or shoulder stands can make this much worse, even prolonging the hangover’s symptoms.

3. Avoid berating yourself. Mindfulness in yoga necessarily means you have to be present in the present, rather than focused on the past or the future. So hone in on improving your technique or relieving neck tension or keeping your head from falling off, rather than running over last night’s events or making promises to yourself about next Friday night.

Opportunities for Yoga Instructors

Although there isn’t much specialized yoga instructor training for helping people with addictions or overindulgence, many yogic practices can help people recover from negative side effects and addiction.  In every community, there are rehabilitation clinics and the need for compassionate yoga teacher who are willing to help.

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Yoga Instructor Training: Body Image

By Faye Martins

There is a yogic myth created in commercials about what a practitioners should look like.  People who are blind, obese, in a wheel chair, and have heart conditions practice Yoga, but you’ll never see them in a commercial.  Some people who would be perfect instructors avoid yoga teacher training; even though it is a life-long passion.  I’ve heard, “I’m too old, fat, stiff and tired, to become a yoga instructor,” every week.  However, most of these people criticize themselves worse than anyone ever could.  If the only person who attends yoga instructor training is a retired prima ballerina, who is going to follow her lead?  Will she understand or bother to listen during lectures on modification, props, anatomy and adjusting?  My bet is she puts on a show for students to follow and doesn’t bother to watch their form. 

The way you see yourself affects the way you interact with people on a regular basis. Confident people have an inner calm that shines through when they speak and act with others. How you perceive yourself in relation to others affects your personal beliefs about your body also. Whether they intend to or not, many people compare their selves with others. When you have a poor body image, you find yourself never matching up to others. When you have a positive body image, you are able to feel good and strong in your own body. Yoga training helps instill a positive body image by allowing you to find inner peace while strengthening the entire body.

When you engage in an asana practice, it becomes a quiet time to reflect and get to know your entire body better. You can push yourself to stretch a little deeper, hold the pose a little longer and breathe deeply to release negative thoughts and emotions. Yoga helps you become comfortable with the body that your were given at birth. It allows you to appreciate your body for its positive attributes and to be grateful for health and wellness.

Today’s media bombards us with images of beauty and fitness that many of us strive to achieve. This causes us to feel inferior to the models with perfect bodies and flawless faces. When surrounded by perfection at every turn, it’s not hard to become doubtful about our selves. When you practice yoga, you can remind yourself on a regular basis that those images don’t matter. What matters is what’s inside of each person. A regular yoga training practice gives you the time to sit and reflect on what is truly important in life.

Asanas are designed to stretch and strengthen the entire body. After a vigorous routine of postures, it’s not hard to feel strong and confident about your self. Asana teaches you to reach places you never thought you could go. With practice and determination, you can almost achieve any posture you desire.  With guidance, props, modification and adjustment, you continue with your yoga training, little by little, you begin to realize that whatever body you were given is the perfect body for you.

© Copyright 2012 – Aura Wellness Center – Publications Division

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If you are a Yoga Teacher, studio manager, blogger, e-zine, or website publisher, and are in need of quality content, please feel free to use my blog entries (articles). Please be sure to reprint each article, as is, including the resource box above. Namaste!