Yoga Articles

Fitness » Yoga | By Paul M. Jerard Jr. @ Wednesday, 23rd January 2008 @ 12:22 PM

Within the practice of Yoga are the keys to happiness. Daily life is filled with what we think about. If we imagine a difficult day filled with problems, challenges, and obstacles, we will find what we seek. We are not in complete control of the universe, but our frame of mind has much to do with our happiness, and even more to do with the outcome of daily situations. Consider this: What we perceive as problems, challenges, and obstacles, are life's lessons - if we are willing to lis... more...

Fitness » Yoga | By Paul M. Jerard Jr. @ Wednesday, 23rd January 2008 @ 12:21 PM

Yoga often helps us to carefully examine logical and illogical mind chatter. Fear can be caused by either, logical or illogical, thoughts. Sorting out our fears, and categorizing them, will give us a rational view of, an often, irrational emotion. Logical thoughts, which strike fear into us, have been learned over time, such as: Putting our hands into a fire. We have all learned to respect extreme heat, because of our life experiences, but this is a logical reaction. Illogical thou... more...

Fitness » Yoga | By Paul M. Jerard Jr. @ Wednesday, 23rd January 2008 @ 12:17 PM

Those, in search of the latest weight loss secrets, have started to look deeper into a 5,000 year old science of life (Yoga) for solutions to obesity. Does Yoga really have solutions for those in search of a remedy to lose weight, or is this all just a bunch of "hype?" Firstly, Hatha Yoga was not designed for an inactive culture. Thousands of years ago, most people worked very hard to survive. Physical labor was a regular part of daily existence. People gathered, hunted, and culti... more...

Fitness » Yoga | By Paul M. Jerard Jr. @ Wednesday, 23rd January 2008 @ 12:09 PM

What is the method used by veteran Yoga instructors to reach their highest potential? Some teachers joke about it by saying, "Practice, practice, study, and practice again." While this is partially true, there is also a step-by-step process to reaching your full potential as a Yoga teacher; but some people claim we should never be attached to outcome. Otherwise, we will never reach the highest states of meditative absorption (Samadhi). Let's be honest: If you were never attached... more...

Fitness » Yoga | By Paul M. Jerard Jr. @ Monday, 21st January 2008 @ 10:21 PM

Every yoga instructor certification course is run a little different from the other. How many certification programs teach interns about finding the teacher within each of us? Many do, but some do not. In fact, some Yoga teacher certification programs do teach, "Guru worship." The principles of guru worship do not blend well with Christian, Jewish, or Moslem cultures. Within these religions, and the societies they influence, worshipping another human is forbidden. This is why the... more...

Fitness » Yoga | By Paul M. Jerard Jr. @ Monday, 21st January 2008 @ 8:58 AM

The higher value of respectful and courteous communication, between a yoga teacher and his or her students, cannot be understated. A harmonious classroom is the ultimate learning center for all students, as well as teachers. There are rare moments when yoga instructors refuse questions, but let's look at a possible reason. Perhaps a teacher was once "mentally tested" by a student during class time. Some students have no respect for their teachers, because they see no value in... more...

Fitness » Yoga | By Paul M. Jerard Jr. @ Monday, 21st January 2008 @ 2:27 AM

Once you have become a certified yoga instructor, there are a number of ingredients involved in your class presentation and future growth. Any person, who teaches any subject, must have good diplomatic skills. The leap from student to teacher is a large one, and it comes with newfound responsibilities. You must make it a point to learn your student's names and mentally retain them. You will want to greet each student by name with a smile. You must be prompt for class, happy, calm, he... more...

Fitness » Yoga | By Paul M. Jerard Jr. @ Sunday, 20th January 2008 @ 11:06 AM

When teaching students about "living in the moment," where do you begin? When a student has just come into your class from work, he or she may still be stressed out over commuter traffic, deadlines, quotas, or a family crisis. All of the talk about finding pure consciousness "goes in one ear and out the other." On top of this, some of your students are worried about tomorrow. There are plenty of reasons for people to worry, with the present state of relationships, job secu... more...

Fitness » Yoga | By Paul M. Jerard Jr. @ Sunday, 20th January 2008 @ 10:03 AM

Yoga has been shrouded in mysticism for thousands of years. This is not a bad thing, as the goals of yoga are far beyond the pictures you see on the covers of yoga magazines today. So, what are the real goals of yoga? Should you go into a long speech about "atman" (the soul or true self), and the divine cosmic being (Brahman) becoming one? To be honest, I did once see a yoga teacher go into an "elevator speech" about the union of self and the "absolute," but he suc... more...

Fitness » Yoga | By Paul M. Jerard Jr. @ Sunday, 20th January 2008 @ 10:02 AM

The typical 200-hour yoga instructor certification course contains ten hours of ethics discussions, but how many adults really need to hear it? Apparently, anyone who is in a position of authority must be reminded of guidelines for proper conduct. In any academic atmosphere, the student / teacher relationship must be reinforced with courtesy, respect, and dignity. This behavior should be mutual, but Yoga teachers should clearly understand that the integrity of a student is not to be compr... more...

Fitness » Yoga | By Paul M. Jerard Jr. @ Sunday, 20th January 2008 @ 3:58 AM

There are many myths which surround yoga. Most of them are circulated by people who have never practiced yoga of any kind. Yet, there are some myths about yoga, which have been accepted as fact, by yoga practitioners. It is difficult to shatter an "urban legend, but let's look at one of them. "An advanced yogi can perform amazing postures and feats of physical prowess." While this can be true, and Hatha yoga practice can lead to physical mastery, feats of physical ... more...

Fitness » Yoga | By Paul M. Jerard Jr. @ Sunday, 20th January 2008 @ 3:56 AM

Once an intern graduates from a yoga teacher training course, there are many high expectations. Within each of us, these expectations will differ, because we do not all want the same thing. There are many different fields for Yoga teachers to pursue. Physical, mental, spiritual, and emotional health will not be addressed equally by any two yoga teachers. One yoga teacher might focus on yoga as an exercise, while another will address the therapeutic aspects of Yoga, and yet another will ad... more...

Fitness » Yoga | By Paul M. Jerard Jr. @ Thursday, 3rd January 2008 @ 3:34 AM

At this point in time, yoga has gone "global." Most Yoga students, outside of India, have heard of three of the nine main types of yoga; the most commonly known are hatha, raja (ashtanga), and kundalini yoga. Of these three, hatha yoga, and its many sub-styles, have received the most publicity. In general, the public perception of Yoga is classified as a "mind and body exercise." When you ask the average person what that means, he or she will respond by saying, "Some s... more...

Fitness » Yoga | By Danette Hibberd @ Thursday, 3rd January 2008 @ 2:58 AM

Yoga is a wonderful form of exercise and assists in controlling and balancing various aspects of the body and mind. Yoga helps you in the control of your Central Nervous System and more. Enjoying yoga will promote many positive changes including a boosted self-esteem, a reduction in stress levels as well as discovering strength in your body and improved overall health. For more than 5000 years, people have enjoyed yoga. Yoga derived from the Indian nations, and through time has now allowed many ... more...

Fitness » Yoga | By Paul M. Jerard Jr. @ Sunday, 30th December 2007 @ 12:04 AM

When teaching Yoga classes to the public, there are certain components, which separate some teachers "from the crowd." Luckily, all of these components can be learned, but what qualities should a Yoga teacher learn to develop? According to one survey, two thirds of all adults had never taken a Yoga class. If we ask the non-participating public to tell us what a good Yoga teacher should be, we usually hear answers like: Athletic, thin, vegetarian, flexible, strong, and the ideal bo... more...

Fitness » Yoga | By Paul M. Jerard Jr. @ Sunday, 30th December 2007 @ 12:03 AM

Practicing Yoga, in the form of Pranayama, meditation, Asana (Yoga postures), and Mantra, allows us the time to find the source of panic attacks from within, while taking preventative action. This does not mean you should avoid visiting your family physician, or a professional counselor, when you need help. Standard western medicine has many solid solutions for panic attacks, anxiety, and stress. Many physicians and counselors will gladly refer you to the nearest competent Yoga teacher. T... more...

Fitness » Yoga | By Paul M. Jerard Jr. @ Saturday, 29th December 2007 @ 12:08 AM

The longer we practice Yoga - the more we will see the meaning in the concept of uniting the mind, body, and spirit. No matter what our religion is, or if we practice Yoga, many of us ask the same questions regarding our spiritual, physical, and mental existence. Ever since humans learned to communicate with one another, there have been three common questions people ask. (1) Where are we from? We know that each of us is an energy field, and the same atoms and molecules, which make us up, ... more...

Fitness » Yoga | By Paul M. Jerard Jr. @ Saturday, 29th December 2007 @ 12:03 AM

During traditional Yoga practices, students were taught to create positive thought with the power of affirmations. Saying, and thinking something, as simple as, "I am happy," can have such a positive impact on your day. Over the centuries, Yoga teachers realized the value of affirmations, because of the way affirmations changed their lives and the lives of their students. So, how do Yogic affirmations work? Words of encouragement are thought and then spoken. This is much similar t... more...

Fitness » Yoga | By Paul M. Jerard Jr. @ Saturday, 29th December 2007 @ 12:00 AM

The following statements are excerpts from my talks with Yoga students, who have questions about Prana, Energy, Creation, and Life. When, and how, does Prana (energy) enter into our body? The energy fields, which are within each of us, have existed since the beginning of time. Energy (Prana) exists throughout the universe. If the "Big Bang Theory" is correct, Prana was once very condensed, but then exploded to be scattered throughout the universe as we know it. Yet, ... more...

Fitness » Yoga | By Paul M. Jerard Jr. @ Friday, 28th December 2007 @ 1:37 PM

Among the many purposes of mantra, japa, affirmations, or prayer, is to keep the mind under control. When left unattended, the mind can travel to many random thoughts, at the same time. It is guaranteed that an unattended mind cannot be fixed upon positive thoughts all the time. For some of us, the mind is programmed to default to negative thoughts automatically. This can be a result of past experience, conditioning, heredity, or, possibly, this is an organic problem. In the case of an or... more...