Yoga Articles

Fitness » Yoga | By Jim Ada @ Wednesday, 20th August 2008 @ 6:29 AM

As I was learning about Yoga I read that Patanjali said: "Dormant forces are awakened and you find yourself to be a better person than you ever imagined." I thought that this was a great statement and I really wanted it to refer to me. These are some of the things that I found that awakens the dormant forces in your body. In Yoga you stretch and breathe deeply and your airways are opened up as more oxygen gets into your brain. The life blood of your brain is the oxygen in the b... more...

Fitness » Yoga | By Paul M. Jerard Jr. @ Thursday, 14th August 2008 @ 6:53 AM

When teaching Pranayama (Yogic Breathing Techniques), to a student who is new to Yoga, you realize that beginners take their breathing for granted. It is natural to take breath and life for granted. Breathing happens naturally, or conditionally, without giving it a thought. At the same time, breathing makes life, itself, possible. In the Yoga Sutras, Maharishi Patanjali mentions pranayama as the fourth limb in the Eight Limbed Path. Pranayama has therapeutic value, and it is the mo... more...

Fitness » Yoga | By Paul M. Jerard Jr. @ Thursday, 14th August 2008 @ 6:52 AM

The beginning of September is a busy time for Yoga teachers and Yoga studios in North America. This is the time of year when children go back to school and parents make decisions about activities for the next nine months. Whether there are more resolutions, made during September or January, is a subject for debate. Bearing this in mind, many Yoga studios design advertisements, flyers, brochures, mailers, and web sites for prospective students' needs. In this time of plenty, after the... more...

Fitness » Yoga | By Paul M. Jerard Jr. @ Tuesday, 5th August 2008 @ 10:23 AM

When we consider Yoga solutions for our hips, we often think in terms of physical tightness, which occurs over time. Our hips are largely ignored until we feel pain in them from excessive sitting, trauma, arthritis, or gradual joint wear. Yet, the hips are also a storage area for stress, anxiety, and emotional turmoil. Many different Yoga postures work toward releasing tension from within the hips. Due to differences in our body types, alignment, and joint wear, over time, the best postur... more...

Fitness » Yoga | By Paul M. Jerard Jr. @ Tuesday, 5th August 2008 @ 7:51 AM

If you are going to teach Hatha Yoga classes, there are many subjects to cover, but asana (posture) is often the starting point of most Yoga teacher training courses. It could be debated that we should follow the Eight Limbed Path, as explained by Maharishi Patanjali, by reviewing the first two limbs (Yama and Niyama) before asana. However, let's put this debate aside and discuss the details of teaching asana to the public. In the average 200-hour Hatha Yoga instructor training progr... more...

Fitness » Yoga | By Paul M. Jerard Jr. @ Tuesday, 5th August 2008 @ 7:47 AM

Within the training, practice, and scriptures of Yoga are many treasures for humankind. How many people completely understand the Yogic path toward a trained mind? How many students of Hatha Yoga call their practice a workout? It is true that physical mastery will be realized through the practice of Hatha Yoga, but the mental benefits are usually not realized within an exercise class. If a student is not made aware of the true value of mental attention during practice, the mind-training... more...

Fitness » Yoga | By Paul M. Jerard Jr. @ Tuesday, 5th August 2008 @ 7:19 AM

Does Yoga have solutions for middle-aged spread? Are your knees, back, hips and shoulders begging for mercy? Restorative Yoga is a complete health maintenance system, and a low impact form of cross training, that will not cause premature wear in your joints. Let's be honest, have you noticed a spare tire around your mid-section? You could justify it by looking at teenagers. After all, it took you nearly 50 years to become overweight. Then, one day, you saw that spare tire in the mirr... more...

Fitness » Yoga | By David Taggart @ Tuesday, 29th July 2008 @ 3:45 PM

Often times to get those toned abs you have always wanted you undergo a number of difficult exercises like sit ups and crunches. These exercises can be very painful, especially in your back and results are often times not seen for a long time. Although many times we sometimes undergo these painful exercises, there are other exercises that can offer the same six pack results, but are so much easier to perform and less intense. The results are also beneficial that can be seen almost imm... more...

Fitness » Yoga | By Paul M. Jerard Jr. @ Wednesday, 23rd July 2008 @ 2:51 PM

Within Patanjali's Yoga Sutras, you learn many things, such as the Yamas and Niyamas. Yet, the moral ethics found within the Yamas and Niyamas are not always easy to apply to your daily life. The following is an example of using one Yama and applying it to your life. Some of us may work, socialize, or live with people who have very difficult personalities. For example: How do you handle someone, who sees compassion and a willingness to negotiate, as weakness? If you are trying to neg... more...

Fitness » Yoga | By Paul M. Jerard Jr. @ Wednesday, 23rd July 2008 @ 1:29 PM

Ishvara Pranidhana is sometimes referred to as the last Niyama (restraint or moral observance). Ishvara Pranidhana means to surrender to a "Higher Power." Some Yoga teacher training courses skim over this subject to avoid potential conflicts. Why should the concept of surrender to a higher power be a potential source of conflict? If you look at the principle closely, this is to put your faith and trust in a higher power's hands. At the same time, there is a problem with descr... more...

Fitness » Yoga | By Paul M. Jerard Jr. @ Wednesday, 23rd July 2008 @ 1:25 PM

There are so many traditional and contemporary styles of Yoga, that it is hard to keep track of them. Yet, each of them shares, at least, one aspect in common. Each style of Yoga will help the practitioner to find happiness and prosperity by finding oneself, and by truly understanding the depth of Yogic teachings. It is interesting to note - some teachers feel Yoga has spread too far and too fast. No matter how much people try, Yoga cannot be controlled by humankind. Yoga is an evolving s... more...

Fitness » Yoga | By Paul M. Jerard Jr. @ Wednesday, 23rd July 2008 @ 1:06 PM

Karma Yoga is often overlooked by all of us. In most Hatha Yoga teacher training programs, we tend to highlight it, but move on toward the concepts of physical mastery. Yet, physical mastery alone does not deliver complete happiness. In fact, happiness occurs when our Yoga practice becomes part of our life off the mat. We know that Karma Yoga is mentioned within the Bhagavad-Gita and the Ishavasya Upanishad, but many students outside of India are barely familiar with it. If you ask a clas... more...

Fitness » Yoga | By Paul M. Jerard Jr. @ Wednesday, 23rd July 2008 @ 12:54 PM

Much like any other subject, there are three basic ways to learn Hatha Yoga. In order to effectively process information, it is best to understand our strong or weak points. Each of us learns Yoga in a different way, but it all comes back to the senses of sight, sound, and touch. Some students may have a dominant sense or two, but rarely are we attuned to all three. It is important for Yoga teachers to reach out to all three groups - even when he or she also has one or two senses that are... more...

Fitness » Yoga | By Paul M. Jerard Jr. @ Wednesday, 23rd July 2008 @ 10:25 AM

Would you like to learn the secret arts of Yoga? The real truth is - there is no secret to: "Study, practice, study more, and practice again." Yoga is a lifelong journey, which for some Hatha Yoga students may start much like a gymnastic event. Then, over years of study, Yoga training evolves into self-realization and transformation. Below is a question and answer session, with a student, who is seeking to find the answers to the mysteries of Yoga and meditation. Q: Is doing medit... more...

Fitness » Yoga | By Paul M. Jerard Jr. @ Tuesday, 22nd July 2008 @ 8:29 PM

In Yoga meditation, we look for answers within, and open our self-awareness, but we still have to relate to those around us. Relationships are a mystery to some of us, while others handle relationships like an art form. This is not to say that quantity makes up for quality relationships. For example: It is possible for a social butterfly to have a large quantity of dysfunctional relationships. On the other hand, it is possible for someone else to be an introvert and have healthy relations... more...

Fitness » Yoga | By Dan Boyle @ Tuesday, 22nd July 2008 @ 7:23 PM

I wanted to comment further about Yoga because I have been doing it for almost a week... twice a day and already feel a lot better about my progress. Although I still feel stiff and wake up stiff, I instantly get a loose feeling when I start a 15 minute workout. I feel like I don't have to worry about the majority of the women because they are probably already into yoga or would really like to be. The majority of the guys on the other hand probably think this is a waste of time and ... more...

Fitness » Yoga | By Paul M. Jerard Jr. @ Friday, 18th July 2008 @ 10:34 AM

When you mention mental health, most people envision behavior problems, treatment, and counseling. In Yoga, mental health is approached from a pro-active mindset. Optimum mental health is the gateway to learning, self-worth, emotional stability, and communication with others. Let's look at Yoga's approach to getting the most out of our minds. In order to improve our mental functions, we must first see if the value of mental health is equal to, or greater than, physical health. M... more...

Fitness » Yoga | By Paul M. Jerard Jr. @ Friday, 18th July 2008 @ 4:42 AM

Yoga has similarities to many other philosophies in regard to humility. However, Gurus and Swamis traditionally chose their students. In fact, much like traditional martial arts students, Yoga students traditionally saw training with their teacher as a privilege. Prospective students would seek out a Yoga teacher, begging to be accepted for instruction. Now, we have the age of entitlement. No matter how many signs you put up, cell phones ring off in Yoga classes. No matter how many rules ... more...

Fitness » Yoga | By Paul M. Jerard Jr. @ Friday, 18th July 2008 @ 4:38 AM

Organizing the mind is just one of the many wonderful benefits of Yoga practice. Long-term students, of Yoga, manage to get the most out of each day, but is there a "system" to it? Yes, there is, and it requires clear thinking to determine a constructive course for the following day. Let's look a little bit closer at Yoga's approach to daily life. Have you ever awaken to a sluggish day? For some people, this is a continuous cycle in life. Their minds might be "jump s... more...

Fitness » Yoga | By Paul M. Jerard Jr. @ Friday, 18th July 2008 @ 4:37 AM

Students come to Yoga classes for a variety of reasons, but many are seeking some form of tranquility. Luckily, Yoga has many methods, which reduce stress levels and bring about inner peace. Let's look at some methods you can practice to relax and live in tranquility. 1. Set and schedule a daily Yoga routine. Most people start to give me resistance on this, but anything worth doing requires practice. Everyone has ten minutes per day, which can be spared for Yoga or meditation. Look a... more...