Archive for May, 2010

Naturally Increase Your Height by Doing Yoga

Saturday, May 29th, 2010

By Wadlow Chris

Are you the shortest person in your circle of friends and in your work place? Are you determined to look for a solution to your height problems? If you go to your doctor, you might get advised to go in for hormone injections, but this option is expensive and also has many side effects. It makes far more sense for you to opt for ways to naturally increase your height.

You will be surprised to learn that there are lots of techniques that you could use in order to naturally increase your height. Yoga is one of them and it has been gaining prominence over the past few years because of its ability to help rectify many issues that affect people’s bodies and minds.

Yoga is an ancient system of exercises that involve a lot of stretching and breathing control techniques. It can sometimes be likened to meditation. There are lots of ‘asanas’ or positions in Yoga that are excellent ways to stretch out your back bone and gain a better posture.

One asana that you should certainly try out is the Chakrasana or the wheel pose. Another very effective position is the Tadasana. Sukhasana and Trikonasana are also very powerful exercises and they can naturally increase your height by giving strength to your vertebral column.

Yoga is a very specialized set of exercises and you do need help to get started. What would be best would be for you to join a Yoga class in order to get the hang of it. You could as your Yoga teacher to help you with these asanas that naturally increase your height in addition to any others that have the same effect.

The breathing exercises in Yoga also help to reduce your stress levels and focus your mind. It is believed that you have greater control over your body when you have control over your mind. Studies show that people who truly believe that they can grow taller actually do so if they take the right steps. On the other hand, people who exercise without really believing that they can succeed are bound to fail.

In case you wish to discontinue the classes once you have gained some proficiency in Yoga, you could buy videos on this subject, so that you can do the exercises at home. Once you have started this program you should stick with it and you will be rewarded with increased height and you will also lose weight in the process.

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Yoga Props Today

Wednesday, May 26th, 2010

By Gaylene Thoeny

Yoga props can be expensive and confusing. But are they necessary? No, yoga props aren’t necessary but they can make life a little easier.

To do yoga really all you need in yourself. No special clothes, fancy props or expensive instructors. There are a few things that can make yoga a little easier and a lot more enjoyable.

The Mat

If you are going to purchase one prop a yoga mat would be the first thing to look into. When I started practicing they were expensive and far between. Now you can get a mat pretty much anywhere but before you buy one do a little of research. There are standard sizes of mat’s but they work for standard size people. If you are taller, look for a longer mat. If you have sensitive knees or back look for a thicker than average mat, I always use two mats stacked together and find that most comfortable. A newer development in mat’s is the material. The price range and material vary. There are mats made artificial products, which can off-gas so make sure to be careful of the content if you are allergic to rubber and or latex. There are now recycled mats, eco mats and many others. Evaluate your needs, wants, money and priorities before purchasing.

The Strap

Depending on your age this one could cook up some scary images! After the mat I would rank the strap as 2nd most important. Lots of poses can be broken down into smaller steps, we are not all pretzels. A strap is useful for all levels of users, to helps use reach our toes or to aid us into getting into poses easier. Depending on your budget an old neck-tie can work just fine. Not all facilities have props to borrow.

The Block

I’m ranking the block third most important yoga block. There is a wide range of materials used for blocks, dense foam, cork, fiber, bamboo and I’m sure some others. A phone book works great when practicing at home but if you’re traveling anywhere to practice you may want something a bit lighter. I find the cork and wood a bit hard, but the dense foam isn’t the best environmentally friendly item. Try out a few and make this call for yourself.

Comfortable Clothes

You don’t need expensive and fancy clothes for yoga but you do need comfortable, breathable clothes. For women it’s best to have a well fitting top so that when you are hanging out upside down you keep your dignity. I would advise against short shorts just for everyone’s piece of mind. Avoid ties, belts, zippers, snaps or buttons would be advisable.

There are other props such as bolsters, blankets, sandbags and more but the above are the basics.

This article by Gaylene Thoeny, a 500hr Registered Yoga Teacher, Personal Trainer, Lifestyle Manager, Yogi and mom. Go to http://www.groundinglifestyle.ca for more information. Gaylene specializes in creating a grounded life on and off the mat. You can also follow her at gaylenet on Twitter and on Facebook.

Yoga and Dance Expression For Children

Tuesday, May 25th, 2010

By Mata Jaya

Yoga and dance expression classes for children are a fun and creative way to develop psychomotor, cognitive and social affective skills in children.

Through yoga, children learn to be aware of their own body and natural breathing. By way of the yoga postures, called asanas, presented trough imitating animals, objects and forms, they practice concentration and physical discipline in a fun way. They also learn mudras, mantras and pranayama, which are great tools for mental concentration and relaxation.

Using dance expression as an extension of the yoga class increases the possibilities for play, imagination, (self) expression and creativity. The practice of dance expression provides us some additional topics such as body awareness in relation to dimensional and spatial awareness, choreography, rhythm and music.

Part of the classes are dedicated to game assignments in group dynamics, stimulating the ability to participate and collaborate for a joint project. Encouraging respect, understanding and interaction with others.

As children are practicing for some time, they can increase their capacity to concentrate, anxiety and nervous disorders are being removed and aggression is being reduced. It can also increase strength and elasticity of the muscles. The practice of yoga and dance expression helps to relax physically and mentally, and helps to get rid of excessive energy. Creativity is encouraged, as well as self-confidence and self esteem, which adds to a balanced growth process.

Through the practice, children can learn how to cope with stress, conflict situations and everyday problems, which are frequent in today’s society. Yoga and dance expression can be a wonderful support for children in their long road to physical and mental mastery, helping them to develop themselves as a positive and balanced, self-conscious person.

http://www.yogashanti.net/

Enhance Your Yoga Experience With These Tips

Monday, May 24th, 2010

By Ntathu Allen

Are you interested in yoga? Has your partner recently started yoga lessons? Maybe your doctor has suggested you take up yoga as a form of stress management.

Yoga, is a holistic health care system. It consists of a series of yoga stretches, known as asanas or poses, meditation techniques, breathing exercises and relaxation. Together, these techniques give your body a complete overhaul and calms and clears your mind. At the end of a yoga lesson you are blissed out, chilled and relaxed.

Yoga clients love the post yogic glow. Because of this I am often asked for tips and advise to improve their yoga experience.

Here are seven key things you can do, which will help to deepen your yoga experience.

Enhance Your Yoga Experience With These Tips

1. Relax. Take two-five cycles of deep breathing between poses. This allows your body to fully absorb the benefits of each pose and prepares you for the next pose.

2. Practice. Practice makes perfect. When you get home, make a note of any tips or techniques you learned in your lesson. Maybe your yoga teacher reminded you to lengthen up through your spine before twisting in the Spinal Twist. Little pointers like this help you to get the maximum benefit from your lesson.

3. Conscious Breathing. Stay focused on your breathing as your body moves and stretches into the poses. Deep breathing helps to keep you focused during your lessons; relieves tension in your body, and brings calmness to your mind.

4. Wear clean light colored clothes. If possible, set aside a few light colored outfits to wear when you practice or attend lessons. Everything in life is energy. The clothes you wear for practice will, over time, become energized and attuned to your body ‘s subtle energetic qualities. When you put on your “yoga clothes” your mind becomes attuned and prepared for practice.

5. Give Thanks. The art of appreciation and gratitude underpins all yoga practices. During your yoga lesson spend a few minutes in silence to give thanks for the teachings, your body, your health and well being. This opens and deepens your connection to spirit.

6. Listen to your Body. During your practice take time to listen to the sensations and movements you can feel in your body. Yoga encourages body awareness and alignment. During the course of your day you may not be aware of your posture, aches and pains. When you become more aware of what is going on inside your body, it is easier for you to adapt and adjust to the poses.

7. Look back and remember how far you have come. Yoga is a journey. Each time you practice, your body and mind becomes stronger and more flexible. Take time every now and then to reflect and look back on how far you have come. Do you remember how stiff or inflexible your hips and shoulders were when you first started, or how you struggled to get into the Tree pose? It is easy to forget just how well you are doing and how far you have come.

Learning yoga is a lifetime journey. Whether you are a complete beginner or seasoned yogi, the seven tips above – relax, breathe, practice, wear light colored clothing, give thanks, listen to your body and remember to acknowledge how far you have come, are useful strategies to adopt to help you enhance and deepen your yoga experience.

And now I’d like to invite you to claim your Free Instant Access to “Wake-Up With A Smile – Simple Yoga Stretches To Do In Bed To Get You Fit And Ready For The Day” when you visit http://www.yogainspires.co.uk

From Ntathu Allen, The Yoga For Stress Management Consultant

Yoga – Eccentric Mechanism For Replacing Drugs

Saturday, May 22nd, 2010

By Charu Mehta

How about beginning a day with the blessings of ancestors? One biggest gift and blessing to the new generation is the art of living with Yoga. This ancestral and traditional way of exercising is not only making the body free from various diseases, but is also making it possible for the people to avoid drugs and other medicines. The universally accepted benefits of this art form is making it popular and is also being recommended by the medical professionals for minimizing the use of medications in curing diseases.

Yoga! It is not just a way to exercise, but it helps to improve immune system too. This fact is known since ages. The exercising techniques and the various postures used to perform this kind of art are externally easy and can be done anywhere anytime. Some efforts to learn such exercises can actually pay in the long run. It helps to maintain body weight, body shape, decreases the probability of heart diseases like stroke and blood pressure and also helps in curing diabetes and asthma.

Health Benefits of Yoga

Among so many disorders affecting people worldwide, blood pressure, increased cholesterol and heart attack are very common problems. It has been found that people suffer from such troubles due to multiple factors like unhealthy eating habits, environmental factors or may be due to stress. Performing some basic exercises of this art can reduce cholesterol and prevent blood pressure and heart attacks.

It has been medically proven that Kapalabhati Prayanam helps to strengthen the diaphragm and due to its extensive breathing techniques, it purifies blood and increases blood circulation all over the body. It works like a magic for asthmatic and blood pressure patients.

Obesity

Obesity! It surely scares everyone globally now. Yoga mountain pose is a complete set of postures from standing to sitting and involves all muscles of the body. It tightens the thigh muscles, stiffens up the knee caps and calf muscles of the body. This can facilitate people in keeping their body toned up and free from extra fat.

Poor Concentration

People who often complain about poor concentration, lack of interest and stress can now benefit from these yogic exercising principles. The art of deep inhalation and exhalation in numerous postures helps to meditate and keeps away all those negative symptoms and distractions.

Personality Development

A hump back and lean body often reflects a non-confident and inferior structure. People who lack tone and confidence in their work often feel depressed which enhances a great inferiority complex in them. Practicing such art form can help them in building confidence and making their body immune against various diseases. This can even assist them in handling extreme work pressures, thereby performing better in the professional fronts.

Diabetes

Diabetes is another ailment that is affecting every second person, even the children. Yoga acts as miracle for the patients of diabetes. It helps to regulate the release and production of many hormones like insulin and thus regulates the blood sugar levels. So, when a simple art form has so much to offer, then why not introduce this effective technique in the daily schedules from today.

Charu Mehta is a free lance content writer from past two years and has written almost 3900 live articles for different clients. Her experience in this industry has helped her to sharpen the skills and expertise in this field. She has the potential to write on any subject or theme and endow clients with all what they want.

Personal URL: charu.freelancer@gmail.com

How Yoga Can Help You Get in Shape

Wednesday, May 19th, 2010

By Ntathu Allen

When was the last time you looked in the mirror and felt good, real good about yourself? When you looked did you take time to smile and admire your figure, your womanly curves and lustrous lips? Or did you tug the spare tire round your waist and suck in your cheeks in the vain hope of looking “thinner”?

How about your thighs? Or your ankles? Are you happy with the shape of your legs? Do you wear clothes which flatter and enhance your figure? Or do you think you are too fat, too unfit, too old or even too ugly to wear stylish, colorful clothes?

Like most of you, I am aware of the effect stereotypical images of women have on our minds and bodies. Every where you look there are images of women, who look young, youthful and dazzling. Success is equated with being young, slim and beautiful. If you don’t shape up then you are considered out of the race.

How does that make you feel? How can you possible feel good about yourself if you think you do not match up to the “typical view of women-hood?” How can you stand tall, be proud and happy if your body shape, race or religion is not represented in mainstream society – do you feel ashamed and embarrassed or are you able to hold your own and be happy with the way you look?

Sometimes life sucks and no matter how much you diet, change your hairstyle or even stay at home and hide yourself away, there comes a time in your life when you want to shine, feel happy and glad to be recognized for who you are.

How Yoga Can Help You Get In Shape

Yoga is coming to be considered as a modern day remedy for many of society’s ailments.

It is my belief that the practice of yoga offers you a set of tools – yoga asanas, meditation techniques, breathing exercises and a healthy attitude to eating – which enables you to get in shape from the inside out.

Learning to love and accept yourself – as you are- not as you think you should look like – is one of the most important life lessons you can learn. It is good to “look good” on the outside. For some people, ‘looking good and in good shape’ means looking radiant and healthy, for others, this means being a size 8 and wearing designer clothes.

Yoga is about balance – to feel good and look good on the inside and outside. To be in shape, means to be happy and contented with yourself on a physical, emotional and spiritual level. As a holistic health care system, yoga equips you with all the tools and mindset needed to achieve this state of being.

Yoga Inspires You To See Your Inner Beauty

Meditation helps you to see through the illusion portrayed by the media and amplified through your mind to the ideal view of women. Regular practice of meditation supports your desire to accept your present body shape whilst working to improve your health and well- being.

Yoga exercises give your body an internal stretch, helps to realign and rebalance your energy. Yoga postures improve your sense of body awareness. So you feel lighter, your posture is enhanced, you become more flexible and more in tune with what your body needs in the present moment. All necessary life skills to support you feel good and in love with who you are.

Yoga breathing exercises helps to calm and focus your mind. A few rounds of deep yogic breathing shifts your focus and puts you back in the zone, your higher creative way of being. This technique is particular useful if you are having a “bad hair day” or “feel fat and ugly”.

Yogis traditional eat wholesome, natural and animal-free diets. A healthy yogic diet, one that is rich in seeds, nuts, fresh fruits, vegetables and easy digestible foods all help to keep your body nourished and your brain hydrated and healthy.

When you eat well, meditate and exercise regularly, you shine. Your skin glows, people are attracted to you. You radiate positive vibes. You are in good shape and feel good from the inside out.

So rather than trying to conform to societys’ worn-out view of what it is “to be in shape” – practice yoga. The mixture of yoga poses, deep breathing exercises, meditation techniques and emphasis on wholesome healthy eating all help to make you healthier, happier and best of all love the shape you are.

And now I’d like to invite you to claim your Free Instant Access to “Wake-Up With A Smile – Simple Yoga Stretches To Do In Bed To Get You Fit And Ready For The Day” when you visit http://www.yogainspires.co.uk .

From Ntathu Allen, The Yoga For Stress Management Consultant

Aura Yoga Teacher Training Announcements

Monday, May 17th, 2010

Important Announcements:

Aura On-line Store: Aura will be upgrading its Online Store, today, to the new look of AuraWellnessCenter.com. This should not cause any interruptions in service and will improve the appearance, showing the store in a wider viewing format and making it easily readable.

This will not change any user account or affiliate account information. All accounts will use the same user IDs and passwords as before, as well as all store links remaining the same.

Newsletter Upgrade: The appearance of this “Yoga Teacher Training Newsletter,” brought to you by Aura Wellness Center, will be changing within the next week.  Please be advised that the look will be changing to one resembling the look of AuraWellnessCenter.com and the New Yoga-Teacher-Training.org (when the new site is completed, within the next month).

Video Testimonials: If you are a graduate of our online or onsite Yoga Teacher Training, and would like to submit a video testimonial, yoga-teacher-training.org is being upgraded to be able to handle a New video testimonials section.

Aura will provide its Yoga teacher graduates with video editing for submission of video testimonials.

You can submit your video either though the mail, MobileMe, or YouSendIt.com. Please contact me, Paul Jerard III, at pjerardiii@yoga-teacher-training.org before sending your video.

Exam Grading: Please be certain, when submitting your practical exams, Not to put them in HI-8 or Mini-DV formats. We do not have the equipment to read these formats.

Presently, we are 2-3 weeks backlogged on exams. This grading service is at no additional cost; however, if you need your exam grading expedited, we do offer a new service called, “White Glove Grading Service.”

Please note, Dr. Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500’s new email is posted in your step-by-step instructions. This email is for student services only. Any general questions about courses and pricing can be directed to info@yoga-teacher-training.org. You will receive a reply within 24 hours (excluding weekends and major holidays), from an Aura Staff Member.

Thank you for your time.

Namaste,

Paul M. Jerard III
General Manager
Aura Wellness Center
pjerardiii@yoga-teacher-training.org

Yoga For Busy Moms – 5 Top Tips For Making Yoga Poses More Effective

Friday, May 14th, 2010

By Ntathu Allen

Your time is precious. We live in a fast paced life. Every second counts. Yoga is designed to create space and openness in your body, and ultimately give you back your sense of time and perspective. To practice yoga can be seem as a luxury, another demand on your time. However, the way we live our lives, the time you spend practicing yoga also has to be an effective use of your time. Otherwise, why do it? Why would you do something, if you were not getting something back, seeing a result?

I believe yoga is a personal journey. It is an inner and outer expression of your basic needs to be fit, feel happy and be healthy. In fact, the more you practice yoga and make it part of your lifestyle, the more you realise just how powerful a system of change and transformation yoga is. I have seen students lives turn around by practicing yoga.

This transformation does not happen over night. It requires time, patience and energy. The very things which seem to be in short supply in today’s world.

In view of this, what can you do to make your yoga time more effective? What steps can you take to ensure you see a result, a positive change when you practice yoga?

Here are five tips for you to consider.

Five Tips To Make Your Yoga Poses More Effective

1. Respect your body. Recognise that your body is unique. No one else can do exactly what you do and how you do it. This applies to yoga poses. Your body may be more flexible in certain parts than others. This will effect how easy and comfortable you feel doing certain poses.

2. Nurture yourself. Use your yoga time as a time to nurture yourself. Yoga is a spiritual practice and a way for you to reconnect with your inner beauty and radiance. Each pose offers you a chance to get to know and love yourself on a deeper more intimate level.

3. Set the intention that you will be kind, loving and care for yourself whilst you practice. As you stretch and relax into the different postures, explore what is going on inside your body. What do you feel, what sensations are you aware of? If something negative, or unpleasant crops up, acknowledge the energy, and then lovingly let it go and refocus on your yoga pose.

4. Observe your thoughts. As you become more attuned to your energy, what thoughts, words do you say to yourself? Yoga encourages mindfulness. A feeling of being in tune and more aware of what is happening, in the here and now. Do you get frustrated, angry, upset, when you “can’t” get into a pose? Or do you have a attitude of curiosity and wonder at the shapes and movements your body makes?

5. Be open. You may arrive at your yoga lesson feeling tired and jaded – all you want to do is rest. The last thing you want is to do a energising yoga session. Be open. You may be tempted to go home. However, a strong yoga lesson may just be the tonic you need to revitalise and energise your system.

As you can see, yoga poses are more than just physical exercises. Each time you move your body into a different pose, you give yourself time and space to explore, reconnect with yourself on a more subtle energetic level. By taking time to incorporate any of the five tips – Respect your body; nurture yourself; set your intention; observe your thoughts and be open – you enable yourself to go deeper and get more out of your yoga practice. So next time you are in a pose which you may find challenging, or even in your favourite pose – breathe, take your time and remember to follow these tips.

And now I’d like to invite you to claim your Free Instant Access to “Wake-Up With A Smile – Simple Yoga Stretches To Do In Bed To Get You Fit And Ready For The Day” when you visit http://www.yogainspires.co.uk

From Ntathu Allen, The Yoga For Stress Management Consultant

Yoga Exercise For Healthy Joints

Thursday, May 13th, 2010

By Bernard H Y

Joints are the connections between bones. Primarily consisting of fibrous tissues and cartilage, joints help you move your fingers, bend your knees and elbows, and stretch your back among many other functions that make you an active and mobile human being. Exercising your joints is important to having a healthy and pain free body. Yoga offers several exercises that help you to keep your joints healthy. The various asanas help your joints to stretch which releases a lubricant known as synovial fluid. This fluid keeps the joint of your bones healthy and lubricated and also helps prevent arthritis. Here are some yoga exercises you can follow:

Basic Movements – These simple yoga workouts are for beginners as well as the sick or elderly. The neck exercises are called the Kanthasnachalana and help to increase stamina and flexibility of neck muscles. The shoulder asanas are called the Skandhasanchalana which help the shoulder and back muscles. The hand workouts are called Hastasanchalana and help in maintaining healthy joints in your arms and shoulders. Lastly the leg movements, called the Padasanchalana help build strength and flexibility of hips and arms. These basic movements can be performed by anybody without supervision of any experts.

Back asanas: There are several back exercises in yoga which help you relax your spine and helps it make supple, strong and healthy. These exercises are called Tadagasan, Swastikasan and Januhastanasa. These are not basic exercises and you would need an expert to help you perform these.

Asanas Involving legs: The leg drills in yoga help you stretch your leg and hips muscles and joints, thereby helping you prevent joint pains and keeping them healthy in the long run. These exercises are called Pavanamuktasana and Ekpad Sahajasta Bhujangasana.

The yogic exercises stated above are some of the many which help you to keep your joints healthy and prevents any degeneration and other problems till old age. However, Yoga like any other form of exercise, when done incorrectly can hurt you. Therefore it is very important that you consult a physician and a reliable Yoga instructor before you start.

Bernard H Y invites you to http://www.newhealthliving.com dedicated to sharing useful information on healthy living, exercise tips, workout plans, diet, nutrition, and health insurance. Come on by for more great updates on Eating Healthy Food.

Yoga Business Marketing 101

Wednesday, May 12th, 2010

By David E Morgan

Many yoga teachers do not like to do any form of marketing for fear of seeming pushy.

That is all well and good, but here are a few things to consider:

Expecting classes to fill with no outreach is arrogant, even if you polish your attitude with a spiritual veneer…

Guilt over charging money for yoga means you may not value what you do, so why should anyone else…

And not letting the community know about the many ways you can improve their lives is simply irresponsible!

Consider your marketing efforts as a form of service work

If teaching yoga is your career, then you are in the solutions business — you have answers for stress relief, weight loss, fibromyalgia, you name it!

But can the people who need you even find you?

As yoga teachers, it is our job to make yoga available. It is our responsibility to share our knowledge and skills to help others. And, with a little marketing, you can do just that! Reach the people who need you. And let the money be their way of thanking you. There has to be an exchange of some kind, or you will burn out from playing the martyr.

After all, even the most selfless swamis in India are supported by their communities — they may not be paid by check or credit card, but all their needs are provided for. Your job now is to build a community to nurture with your skills — and be nurtured in return.

Traditional advertising no longer works for the yoga business

Very few people use the phone book to look for yoga. Same goes for print ads. They simply are not cost effective. Most people will look for the services you offer on the Internet. The trick is to help them find you!

I know I have wasted a lot of money on yellow pages ads, advertising in local alternative health magazines, newspapers and so on. The ad representatives who call on you promise results. But results are usually nil, and you get stuck with a huge advertising bill.

Sometimes you might think that if you had a bigger advertising budget, you wouldd get more students. But the simple fact is, traditional advertising does not work.

Well here is good news for you. There are cheaper, easier, and much more effective ways to attract new yoga students than using print advertising. Some are completely free, and work like gangbusters.

Your best advertising is word of mouth, and your location — both your actual address where you have a street sign (if you have a studio), and your location in Google searches.

Even if you do not own a website, there are still ways for your offerings to be found on the Internet.

Here are five free ways to attract more yoga clients from the web

Write press releases for your events and services and distribute them on press release distribution sites.

Create a Facebook Page for your yoga business. Invite friends to join your page, then post your yoga classes and workshops. This is a great way to get word out about your events.

Post your classes, events, and therapeutic sessions on Craigslist.

Write yoga articles and distribute them through article directories like EzineArticles.

Create a YouTube account and post videos about your yoga expertise.

Get started with these free online marketing tools, and you are certain to attract new clients to your business, make more money, and enjoy a great yoga career.

David Morgan is a yoga webmaster and experienced teacher. See his site for a complete online yoga marketing plan.