Archive for August, 2009

   By Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500

What is Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)? What is the primary form of therapy for OCD? In what ways can Yoga help as a form of therapy? Which combination of therapeutic methods would be most beneficial?

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is classified as an anxiety disorder. OCD is also classified as a psychiatric disorder. Either way, the person suffering from OCD experiences involuntary, intrusive thoughts. When a person begins to take these intrusive thoughts seriously, anxiety grows – based upon exaggerated internal fears, which are not based upon reality.

OCD can also cause compulsive actions. These compulsive rituals may include excessive hoarding, counting, cleaning, or checking. If OCD is allowed to persist without therapy, it can become a disabling condition, which could continue throughout one’s life.

In most cases, where professional help is sought (for any form of anxiety), a person experiencing the above-mentioned symptoms will benefit from medical or psychiatric counseling. In western societies, psychiatric counseling is usually the primary form of therapy for Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.

The medical or psychiatric objective is to find a cause and a solution for compulsive behavior through forms of therapy, medication, or balancing a nutritional deficiency. The Yogic approach is also based upon finding a cause and a solution to suffering.

Pranayama, mantra, asana, meditation, and relaxation techniques are all useful. Although the Yogic diet runs parallel to Ayurvedic recommendations, it would be wise to consult directly with an Ayurvedic doctor. In order for patient and doctor to get the full picture, it is always good to have a direct consultation.

In the west, Yoga tends to be an adjunct therapy. Doctors recommend Yoga sessions for a variety of anxiety disorders. The reason being – there will be no ill side effects, from Yoga practice, while a patient is working toward a recovery.

This is a key issue: The person suffering from OCD must completely want a recovery and develop the internal power to prevent a relapse. Yogic methods teach one to train the mind. The truth is – we all have fears and intrusive thoughts. Therapeutic forms of Yoga teach us to prioritize and eliminate intrusive thoughts.

Yoga teachers should be prepared for the needs of students who need help with mental and emotional health. Yoga schools should also be familiar with competent counselors and other holistic services in their local area.

Students sometimes ask for a variety of recommendations concerning holistic, medical, and counseling services. Help for an OCD recovery may require a variety of professional services. It is wise to point needful students toward the best professionals in their area.

© Copyright 2009 – Paul Jerard / Aura Publications

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FREE CONTENT: If you are a Yoga Teacher, Yoga studio, 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, Paul

  By Diane M. Cruz

I used to think that in order to teach yoga I had to know everything there is to know about yoga. How limiting is that? That assumption overwhelmed me so much that I almost gave up on the whole idea of teaching in the first place. The big huge world of yoga knowledge was just too vast, and sometimes confusing that I wondered how many teacher trainings I would have to take before I “felt” ready. Yet this is not something that can be taught in teacher training. You decide when you are ready, you decide when you are a teacher. The door was wide open and I was too timid to walk through even though I was fully equipped.

Then one day I wasn’t afraid. I don’t remember what changed, but I “felt” ready. I knew I would never know it all and that the knowledge I have come across so far was plenty to at least start teaching. So I stepped boldly on the teacher’s path and never looked back.

I do the best that I can studying on my own and with constant contact with my yoga teacher who lives on the other side of the states. My own yoga practice, students and class teach me daily what I need to learn.

To not know it all is o.k., to pretend like I know it all is NOT o.k. Some of my favorite yoga classes have been from teachers who are honest, open and love yoga. Should it be anymore than that?

Diane M. Cruz is an inner-preneur, Yoga Teacher and Life Coach in San Diego, California. She believes in cultivating a strong body and mind to keep you moving on your life path. Her classes and coaching sessions will empower you by providing life-enhancing tools to apply immediately to your life. Visit her website http://www.thebijacenter.com.

   By Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500

Within the Bhagavad-Gita, Karma Yoga is mentioned as a spiritual discipline, which is based upon giving and service without the desire for rewards. We might also say that Karma Yoga points us toward supreme consciousness through selfless service and actions of giving.

The concepts of Karma Yoga should not be so difficult to practice, yet many people who understand the principle, still struggle with giving. There are many reasons for this. Therefore, let us take a look at the reasons why Karma Yoga may be difficult, and some of the inner workings within this discipline.

1. “How can I give to someone who is selfish?” 

Some of us may have people around us, who would take everything we have, without acknowledging our actions of giving. These are difficult circumstances, but there are some solutions.

If your circle of friends is collectively selfish, you may be wasting your time, and it might be time to find new friends. When we are children, we might learn hard lessons about the children with whom we associate. We learn about being “guilty by association.”

If we are friendly with a band of thieves, we are presumed to be a thief as well. This is unfortunate, but if you constantly give to a person who does not appreciate your good intentions, you are likely wasting your time. Unless, you are a very forgiving person, it may be difficult to be a “fountain of unlimited giving.”

There are only a few souls, per century, who can manage to master the complete extinction of desire and suffering. To give is one thing; but to give everything you have is impossible for the vast majority of humanity.

Therefore, look inside of yourself and see what actions of giving you can live with. We know that giving is good, but we may not be one of the few enlightened souls of this century.

2. “When I give, how do I know it is going to a good cause?” 

The act of giving is in itself a good cause. We do not know how services and funds of a charity are distributed.  In fact, if you walk outside of any public place, where people are soliciting for a charity, you don’t know if those people are working for a legitimate charity.

However, your giving of funds should be done with the best of intentions and should make you feel better. This brings about states of happiness. When you perform selfless service for a good cause, you most likely know much more about the legitimacy of that particular cause.

In summary, the act of giving, or performing selfless service, such as we know in Karma Yoga, creates inner happiness. At the same time, giving without pursuing a reward always comes back to you – even if it was done in secret. If you are concerned with the legitimacy of a cause, you may want to inquire further so that your time and efforts are not wasted.

© Copyright 2009 – Paul Jerard / Aura Publications

Yoga Teacher Training

FREE Yoga Report. FREE Yoga Newsletter. FREE Yoga Videos. Free Podcasts. Bonus: Free Yoga e-Book, “Yoga in Practice.”

FREE CONTENT: If you are a Yoga Teacher, Yoga studio, 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, Paul

   By Kathi Duquette

While I am sure that the philosophy of yoga will vary according to who you speak to, my basic version can enhance your life. The simple philosophy of yoga can be applied even in our lives over 3000 years after yoga was documented. Yoga is a practice of developing your mind and body’s energies to produce a happier and healthier lifestyle. My philosophy? Be good to yourself and share the good with others.

People will have various versions of being good to themselves. Gifts, money; what is your version? What if we pay attention to physical and mental gifts that we can give to ourselves over and over? And what if these gifts can positively enhance our quality of life? Give yourself a gift: Have an open mind when you practice yoga and let the healing begin. You may think you don’t need any healing, but if you live in today’s society – there is stress.

We know that stress relief is a huge benefit of practicing yoga. The physical poses combined with the breathing practice ensure that you focus on yourself for a little while ~ allowing you to take a break from the turmoil of everyday life. This little break leaves you feeling relaxed and lighter.

What other advantages does the practice bring? Anger, frustration, and jealousy are all negative emotions that arise from stressful situations. We can get past the stress that promoted the negative emotions and let the negativity go. Holding on to negativity is not good for anyone – physically or mentally.

Physically, yoga can reduce high blood pressure, relieve arthritis and fibromyalgia pain, increase respiratory health and the list goes on and on. Even if we don’t deal with any of the above, the physical aspects of yoga urge us to treat our bodies better. When we feel physically healthy we can focus more on the advantages of the practice. Most people find they eat healthier and stay more active once starting a yoga practice.

‘Breathing’ during yoga practice is thought to bring ‘life force’ or ‘energy’ into our bodies. Hopefully you know, breathing is a natural reflex that supplies fresh oxygen into our bodies. While we can’t live without that breath it is important to note that most people don’t breathe correctly. Upper chest breathing only utilizes part of our lungs. Breathing practices in yoga allow us to make use of our lungs in their entirety. Inhaling and exhaling deeply can release toxins that we may be breathing in and holding onto every day.

Consciously breathing in to our bodies is a practice that enables us to focus inside. That focus helps us to clearly see and feel which muscles hurt, or which thoughts hurt for that matter. We can then adjust a pose physically and/or let go mentally. The release is liberating.

When you start paying attention to yourself, I mean really tuning in to how you feel physically and mentally, it is only natural to want to make things better. The clarity that yoga brings to your mind may allow you to see that you could be a healthier person by getting rid of unhealthy habits or unfriendly character traits.

Sometimes the hardest person to forgive is yourself. The ‘be good to yourself’ attitude of yoga can help you to let go of old mistakes and move forward in your life. Everyone makes mistakes and everyone deserves a chance to learn from those mistakes. We don’t’ need to dwell on the past; we need to acknowledge, learn and move forward with a positive mindset.

I often ask my students to let go of any negativity they are holding on to at the end of any practice. During the resting pose, we allow our bodies to melt by relaxing all of our muscles. Our physical body absorbs all the strength and flexibility benefits. We then allow any negativity to release from our minds and our hearts. We simply breathe in all of the positive energy that we can. And it is therapeutic!

My yoga philosophy is: Practicing yoga promotes peace. When you slow down and tune in to yourself, you feel more confident, less stressed, stronger, and free from negativity. It truly is being good to yourself; it is your gift to yourself. Take that feeling and share it with others. It is easier to be nice to people when you feel good, physically and mentally.

We need a lot more peace in this world. Practice yoga and pass the peace along to others.

By Kathi Duquette

Certified Yoga Instructor

Certified Personal Trainer

http://www.basic-yoga-information.com

   Written By Gina Lombardi

The beauty of Yoga is that once we begin practice we begin to realize the joy that is something inside of us and once we begin to live in joy, we begin to live in good health. One begins to abandon those things in life that have brought us pain and suffering. We begin to eat healthier and practice our other daily activities in a more present and mindful experience. Although many of us will experience this happiness, joy and good health slowly and sometimes only at brief times, it will continue to grow with patience and self- discipline to practice.

Yoga is not about self-improvement or making ourselves better, it is a process of deconstructing all the barriers we may have made in order to prevent us from having that true connection with ourselves and our world. We cannot strive toward something that we already are. The recognition that each individual can achieve understanding only through his own exploration and discovery, and that all of life is a continual process of refinement which allows us to see more clearly, is obtained by a commitment to practice yoga over a life- time.

In Yoga there is no reward to strive toward, for the practice is the reward. Every moment you focus your attention on your breath, coming back to your body and your immediate reality, you will experience the deep sense of stillness. This feeling brings so much joy and revitalizes the whole of you that you cannot help but be drawn to practice yoga and better healthy choices to nourish your entire being.

The seed of all that is possible begins to unfold like the petals of a lotus flower budding effortlessly out of the murky water. The union is found again and again, until the union speaks louder than the ego that has bound you. Finding yoga is finding your true self or atman, and uniting with Brahman will thus bring you closer to Samadhi, in which the masters have realized is our goal. Remembering that this is what we already are.

  Written By Noel Halpin

This article gives you all you need to know if you wish to make yoga a major part of your life.

Yoga is for every man, woman, and child on this planet, regardless of age. In fact it seems to benefit the elderly as much as it does the younger people.

It is probably the only activity which is so beautifully designed that there is no stress on the body , because everything is done at the individuals own pace. You can be very selective as to the exercises you wish to perform, and you can ease into every movement without causing any pain.

The most enjoyable way to learn yoga, is to take one or two movements each day and practice them until you feel you are ready to take on another move or two.

Remember there is no stress or pressure on you to keep up with anyone else. You do it at your own pace.

Yoga, as most people know is an ancient tradition going back thousands of years. It was used as a means for those who wished to practice it to find enlightenment.

Yoga was always deemed to be esoteric and spiritual. It is regarded as the only path to self realization.

It is said that the true yoga master can find the answers to all the mystical questions in the Universe.

This is because he, or she, are at one with their spirituality. They have found peace in the inner depths of their mind. They are at one with the Universe.

In yoga all the techniques are designed to enrich the health of the physical body, to improve the mental, and emotional state of the practitioner, eventually reaching the spirituality where inner peace is the ultimate goal.

Most yoga students practice to develop flexibility in their limbs and joints, to develop their posture and strengthen their body.

There are immense benefits to ones breathing, and the more one becomes proficient at the movements the more the lungs expand and the heart pumps purer oxygen around the body. This gives a feeling of exceptional well being and self confidence.

There is no doubt the ancients knew more about how to look after themselves than we do.

Yoga is for everyone, there are no exceptions, whoever wishes to learn are welcome. It is the modern way of going back to the future for our health and well being.

As a black belt third degree master of Kenpo Karate, I would like to say that Yoga has been my inspiration and guide through all my active sports life. I am now getting on in years, but I would not go one day without practicing my yoga combined with my karate katas.

It is never too late to change your way of life. Do it now. Find your real self, CLICK BELOW NOW.

http://www.squidoo.com/yoga-for-runners-and-joggers