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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.

About The Author

Paul Jerard, is a co-owner and the director of Yoga teacher training at Aura Wellness Center in North Providence RI. He has been a certified Master Yoga teacher since 1995. He is a master instructor of martial arts. He teaches Yoga, martial arts, and fitness to children, adults, and seniors in Providence. Recently he wrote: Is Running a Yoga Business Right for You? For Yoga students, who may be considering a new career as a Yoga teacher.

AURAPublications@yahoo.com

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If you love to do yoga for exercise, you may want to consider obtaining a yoga exercise ball. This ball can assist you with your poses. It is user friendly to everyone, beginners and long time yoga practitioners. If fact, for experts, the yoga ball can make the exercise more advanced.

Why is the Yoga ball so great? The yoga ball makes you use your core muscles more than before. You will increase your balance and will be able to perform poses better. Your stability will increase as well, causing you to be able to hold your poses longer.

Other exercise gear only work major muscle groups. Your body has tons of smaller muscles groups that the body needs just as much as the larger ones. Working on all muscles will be more of a benefit to your health. With the yoga ball you remove a solid surface to workout on. The ball engages every muscle in your core. After a while, you will notice that you appear more toned. You will look and feel better about yourself.

The yoga exercise ball places a lot less stress on your body than exercising without it. People with back problems can still use yoga balls without hurting themselves. Prolonged use of the ball may even help reduce back pain. At first, sitting on the yoga exercise ball will feel a little uncomfortable. Continued use will remove the uncomfortable feeling. The yoga exercise ball is the perfect companion equipment to get you into shape.

Learn More about Yoga Exercise Balls

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For information of all types of exercise balls come to Exercise Balls

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Yoga is an amazing practice that will give you benefits far beyond what regular exercise brings. Yoga does improve your muscle tone and overall fitness, but it also relieves stress and can give you a sense of well-being and health that regular exercise does not. A yoga practice consists of asanas (physical postures) and pranyama (breathing exercises). These two components, (more…)

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Ok so you might find the next few links interesting. These are from around the web, just random snippets that I’ve picked up in my reading, but I found some very cool information in them. You might too. Here goes…

yoga Pilates Exercises – Can They Give You The Body You’ve Always

Pilates exercises focus on muscle balance and coordination. – Many people who do weight lifting have muscle imbalances. Strong muscles get over trained and weak muscles get more strained. That is because muscles are worked in isolation. …

Back Pain? Yoga May Help More Than Physical Therapy « Working Well …

Further, participants in the study of yoga for back pain reported that the mental focus and relaxation induced by yoga helped relax tense muscles and relieve stress, both factors in exacerbating chronic back pain. …

WHEELCHAIR YOGA | Yoga Teacher Training Blog

Yoga is well suited to assisting all these individuals. Its non-competitive atmosphere, gentleness on muscles and bones, and overall lifestyle of health and cleanliness make it useful for persons partly or completely confined to …

Hope you enjoy the read as much as I did and please if you have something to say, use the comments form below to let everyone know your thoughts.

Have a great day!

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Yoga – 5 Yoga Habits To Better Health

Yoga is of the mind as ayurveda is of the body. As the mind is being constantly bombarded with information and going through thoughts, we have created many more diseases which we have to contend with. To live a happier existance and understand ones purpose in this life time, the mind needs to be calm and come under the control of the individual. The mind and body need to be fully connected and functioning together to be able to live in harmony and be disease free. Here are a few simple discipilines which if followed will have a major affect on a person’s whole being.

1- Practice some postures on a daily or weekly basis to help the body stay igile and flexable. As the body consumes more physically and mentally, stiffness and rigidity set into the bones and muscle. Yoga postures will keep the body supple so you will be able to sit quietly for meditation. In today’s age this is a fundemental necessity to be flexable.

2- Concentrate on your breathing to see what kind of rhythm is ‘normal’ to you. Do you take short breaths or do you stop breathing at times? Start to take a full breath as your stomach protrudes and your chest expands. When exhaling the chest relaxes and the stomach is sucked in a little. The breath should be through the nostrils and in a calm, deep and meditative manner to bring balance to the male/female or the hot/cold energy in our being. Breath is life so watch your breathing at all times.

3-Avoid overloading the senses by excessive behaviour and habits. Once the senses are over stimulated with too much food, drink and thoughts they disrupt the balance and harmony of the mind/body where a person finds it difficult to function naturally. The best way to control the senses is to avoid any excess and to also refrain from indulging in all activities, talk or desires which come to mind or are presented by others. This will cultivate discipline and help lower a person’s ego mind and out of control desire of ‘wanting.’

4- Be in silence some part of the day without noise or talking. Once the environment is quiet the mind will be more alert to what is going on in the body. Silence is necessary for us to be able to digest food and to digest information which comes invisibly through higher awareness. We connect to a higher level of consciousness once the noise pollution
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has been lowered. This is wonderful also for the nervous system which controls most of the body and mind.

5- During the day periodically watch your thoughts to identify what is entering your mind and which thoughts are more dominant and repetitive. Once you see a pattern, think back to the origin where and from whom this way of thinking came about. Move away from any judgement or expectations and just observe each thought to see its origin. Through the practices mentioned above the mind and thoughts will eventually be under your command.

Start to practice as no one can do this for you. A yogi or guru can guide but can never do the work which is up to each individual. The change you are looking for is in your control but first through choice one must take action.

By: Yogi Cameron

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Cameron Alborzian – Yogi Cameron is an ex super model turned Yogi offering Ayurvedic Treatment and Yoga Therapy – Please visit my Blog www.Yogicameron.com or for information about my Services and Treatments please visit http//www.camerongoodhealth.com or email yogicameron@gmail.com

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Yoga – Power Of Mind Or Body Fitness?

Practicing yoga is a great way to enhance your flexibility – if you do lots of stretching; to find your balance – by controlling your breath; to keep straight posture – when you engage your core and to tone your muscles – by overall dynamic yet controlled movements.
You can choose from yoga classes designed (more…)

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All The Reasons To Practice Yoga

Yoga is gaining importance recently over the world as it includes mind and body fitness. Yoga offers a holistic approach to the body health and mind, as it views both, mind and body as inseparable. The reasons worth considering doing yoga as a routine is because it trains the body and the mind through asanas involving poses as (more…)

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Muscle Fitness – Can Yoga Make You Stronger?
 by: Della Menechella

Many people wonder if yoga can improve their muscle fitness. They recognize that yoga can help reduce stress and increase flexibility, but when it comes to increasing muscle fitness, they think it might be a little too ‘weak’ to do the job. The fact is that yoga can definitely make you stronger. (more…)

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Select Yoga Classes Suitable To Your Health Needs

Yoga is becoming quite popular and is practiced by millions of people worldwide. Wherever you go, chances are pretty good that your local gym or nearest health centre offers yoga classes. It has emerged as a very popular discipline among wellness seekers due to its comprehensive approach and easy techniques.

If you are new to Yoga, choosing an appropriate yoga class can be puzzling. There are many yoga types in practice today. Each one has a different focus and different set of procedures.

While choosing the right Yoga class you should first determine your goal. Is it fat reduction or weight loss? Do you need to correct body posture? Or Are you interested to derive the spiritual benefits through yoga? There are different Yoga exercises that aim to improve your body strength and flexibility. Some exercises are more meditative, aiming to develop your concentration and to smooth mind functioning. Depending upon your goal, choose a yoga type for you. Do not follow random suggestions by anyone.

There are a few yoga exercises that are physically exhausting and more difficult than others. Hence, your current physical condition is quite importance in your selection of yoga class. For example, some asanas would require you to do inverted postures like headstands. If you suffer from an ear problem or hypertension, doing such exercises can be harmful to your health.

Selecting a good yoga instructor also needs to be done very carefully. The instructor should be sensitive to your limitations. But you need to tell your instructor about any health problems that you are suffering from. On the basis of that information, your instructor would devise a special program involving only the exercises that are suitable for you.

By: Gaurisharma

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At Divine wellness, we provide interactive Yoga classes, videos and information on Yoga exercises to treat common ailments like depression, blood pres
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Yoga is certainly a unique art form with many beneficial values. There are many who have practiced yoga for hundreds of years and are able to attests to its healing and health values. As an art form of exercise, yoga has strengthened and toned the muscles of many practitioners thus giving them more strength and the ability to experience more vitality from life.

The practitioner is able to derive strengthening of the muscles from yoga based on the consistency of practice. Daily practice allows the muscles to be awakened and used in such a way as never before. Ordinary exercise does not allow the training, flexibility, and strengthening of the muscles as yoga does. The daily stretching of the muscles based on a variety of yoga positions eventually brings flexibility to the muscles. Additionally, daily practice strengthens the muscles in a different way unlike doing every day chores which does not.

Toning of the muscles is also achieved from the strengthening practice of yoga. One of the great aspects of yoga is that it is gentle. Unlike the lifting of weights in the gym and punishing of the body, yoga has a tender spot which motivates the practitioner to appreciate the ease of practice without any straining, grunting, or excess physical exertion. Yoga does not produce masses of muscles as one would find in Mr. World Body Builder; however, it works with the muscles in a natural way thus producing normal perfection in toning and conditioning.

Finally, yoga allows the practitioner to appreciate a better quality of life based on the benefits derived from strengthening and toning the muscles. The person is able to feel better, sustains a more active posture, and feels more alive on a daily basis. The flexibility achieved from the strengthening and toning of muscles by yoga, allows better range of movement, more ease of efficiently in movement, and a quality of appreciation which comes with the streamlining of the body.

Joseph S. Spence, Sr. (aka “Epulaeryu Master”), authored “The Awakened One Poetics” (2009), published in seven languages, “A Trilogy of Poetry, Prose and Thoughts for the Mind, Body and Soul,” and “Trilogy Moments for the Mind, Body and Soul.” Joseph is a Goodwill Ambassador for Arkansas, and is a US Army veteran. http://www.TheAwakenedOnePoetics.com/

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The Many Styles Of Yoga

Dating back many centuries, yoga isn’t only a matter of stretching and flexibility training. It is a philosophical technique that intends to get rid of poisons from the body, open up space for God to come in, bring the mind and body together, and bring peace and relaxation into your lifestyle. One should consider the various styles of (more…)

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Benefits Of Yoga – Why Yoga Exercise Is Good For You

Yoga books tell us that Yoga, as we all know, is aimed to unite the mind, the body, and the spirit. Yogis view that the mind and the body are one and that if it is given the right yoga kit and tools and taken to the right environment, it can find harmony and heal it. Yoga therefore is considered therapeutic. (more…)

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Join Yoga Classes To Get A Healthy Body, Mind And Spirit

Yoga is an ancient practice designed to unite mind, body, and spirit. It is based on the principle that the mind and body are one, and by regular practice of yoga it is possible for the body to maintain a perfect balance amongst its part and heal itself. One can pursue different yoga classes suiting the (more…)

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