The difficulty and complexity of Yoga techniques can range from quite simple to potentially complex. One of the tasks of a Yoga instructor is to simplify the process of executing the postures. It takes a bit of practice to be able to lead the students into a more complex pose or pranayama technique, step-by-step. You want the movements to be smooth and easy, the verbal cues to be concise, and your physical demonstration to be accurate.

When you demonstrate Yoga techniques to your students, it is often beneficial to give a bit of background information, such as the history of the technique, the purpose of a posture, or defining the precision of a pranayama technique. It is also important to let your students know about the benefits of each technique, as well as the potential risks or concerns. When introducing new Yoga poses or pranayama techniques, let the students watch you first, as you verbally explain it. Then, let them try it while giving verbal cues. Practice new Yoga poses a few times before adding them into a specific sequence or flow of poses.

Liability is part of the responsibility of being a Yoga instructor. In order to make sure each of your students is safe, you must know your students. Yoga teachers need to be aware if a student has a health problem, injury, or some other area of concern. When you know your students, you can give specific advice, props, and modifications to them for postures that may pose a risk. It is also beneficial to break down more complex Yoga poses into steps. Demonstrate each step, and how to progress to the next step, until the posture is complete.

Make sure you are easily visible to all of your students. This can pose a challenge when you are teaching a large class, with limited space. When the instructor is at the front of the room, facing the students, this could limit visibility for students on the fringe of the class, or students in the back. Avoid potential problems by setting up the class in a way where mats are staggered, or by forming a semi-circle around you. Be aware of the students who might not have the best visibility, and communicate with them to make sure they are with you during the entire class. You might also change the position of your mat from time to time, if it will give the students a better view of the pose.

Demonstrating can also be difficult, when you are walking around the room making physical assists and adjustments. When you are walking around the room, there are times, when it is best to briefly demonstrate in an area where students who do not usually have the best angle can see you. As your Yoga classes expand in size, it is wise to have other teachers in the room to help with adjustments. This extra attention from an assistant provides each Yoga student the optimum learning experience.

© Copyright 2012 – Aura Wellness Center – Publications Division

By: Paul Jerard

About the Author:

Living in a fast-paced, stress-filled society, most people find that they are anxious even while trying to rest and sleep. Anxiety and stress have become an accepted part of life, although they can both be unhealthy for the mind and body. Yoga can help a person eliminate or reduce the chronic stress and anxiety that one feels so that he or she can begin a journey toward complete holistic health.

The postures practiced in Hatha Yoga, as well as the controlled breathing exercises (pranayama) and meditation employed in its practice, are perfect for helping the body eliminate anxiety and stress. Yoga works both the mind and the body, seeking balance and peacefulness in both. Yoga poses help to increase flexibility and strength while teaching the body to push to its limits and relax at the same time. As a Yoga practitioner follows a series of poses, this is a form of teaching the body to expel all tension and relax.

Controlled breathing teaches the practitioner to control the internal energy, since breath and energy are intimately tied together. When a person has control of the breathing, one also has control of the mind and body, making it easy to fall into a relaxed, meditative state.

Since the goal of meditation is to clear the mind so that it can become alert and present in the moment, one of the things a person must do during meditation is to identify the thoughts that are causing worry, fear, and concern. At this point one learns to let go of these thoughts. As a person learns to empty the mind of these thoughts and to turn negative thoughts into positive ones, he or she begins to relax and fall into a deeper meditative state.

Practicing Yoga helps to eliminate the constant stress and anxiety most people experience because the Yoga poses demand complete focus and concentration. To achieve each pose correctly and hold it, a person needs to stop thinking and worrying about outside things. For the moment, the only thing that matters is the balance of the pose.

The meditative aspect of Yoga is also vital in providing relief from stress and anxiety. A mind that is struggling with anxiety and stressful ideas cannot be fully at rest. Since meditation seeks to clear the mind of all negative ideas, the person who is successful at this practice achieves inner peace during relaxation. This inner peace, however, is not limited to the moments set aside for meditation. It actually affects the person’s whole life, since one becomes able to deal with worrisome situations in a calm manner. That balanced, peaceful mind allows each of us to remain still and quiet within – even during emotional situations that might usually be upsetting.

Yoga allows us to become aware of the way thoughts and feelings impact us on a mental, emotional, and physical level. Yoga drains the stress away from the mind, and it also eases the tension resulting from stress from the body. Breathing meditations performed three times a day will help the practitioner maintain inner balance and peacefulness.

© Copyright 2011 – Aura Wellness Center – Publications Division

By: Faye Martins

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The practice of yoga is not usually associated with practicing in the all-together but naked yoga is now becoming surprisingly popular. There are regular classes springing up across America although it still seems to be a fairly well-kept secret.

Those who attend are matter of fact about the whole process and essentially naked yoga probably isn’t anything new, many people may have practiced at home without wearing the usual yoga garb, but it’s the concept of a class full of naked people practicing yoga, which seems to be causing a stir.

If the thought of naked yoga is appealing and you are tempted to search for a local class, take a moment first to consider some of the benefits that you might experience:

o Feeling of freedom for those participating

o Feeling of being less inhibited.

o Being more in touch and comfortable with their own bodies

o Connecting on a more intimate level with other students

Classes can be any size and groups are often mixed. Whilst on paper this may seem to have some sexual connotations, this is not the aim of many of those who attend. Naked yoga provides a freedom of movement and increases the ability to be able to focus on the postures and the correct lines without being hampered by restrictive clothes and in addition, it enables the practitioner to be able to view their actual positions in the mirrors and so they can self-correct if the pose is not as it should be. Naked or not, yoga poses are important and it is vital that the postures are accurate.

Teachers also are able to see much more clearly if a final position is not quite right and can help the student to realign their position thus increasing the benefits of the posture.

Whilst initially there may be some embarrassment whilst removing clothes, once the practice sessions start, and the students focus on the task at hand, the embarrassment begins to fade. As yoga is non-competitive, there is little use trying to focus on others, attention is turned inward, students reconnect with their inner feelings and what their bodies are trying to tell them.

Many of those who study naked yoga feel that they are somehow reconnecting with nature, even if much of their practice is done indoors and away from scrutiny.

Practicing yoga outside whilst not wearing any clothes takes the practice a step further, but again practitioners feel that it enhances their individual session allowing them to reconnect with their body in a way that they would not be able to if wearing any sort of clothes.

Of course, naked yoga is not for everyone, and it is unlikely that the craze will see the demise of more traditional yoga groups, providing those who attend benefit and feel relaxed and comfortable in their environment, maybe there is something to be said for the back to nature theme.

By: Bernard Matthews

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Cassie was eager to take yoga, but she simply didn’t know where to get clothes for yoga at an affordable price. Everyone loves taking up a new sport and getting to buy all of the fun equipment and clothing that you need, but when it comes to clothes for yoga, buying them can be a little more difficult. After all, these aren’t the kinds of clothes that most sporting goods stores carry, even the very large ones. So if you are looking for affordable women’s yoga clothing where do you go?

- There is no one type of yoga clothes for women, as Cassie soon found out. All you have to do is look into any yoga studio and you will see a wide variety of women, wearing all kinds of different outfits. That is one of the reasons why it is so hard to find what you are looking for.

- Some people feel that you can and should be able to do your yoga in a T-shirt and shorts, and although no one will argue with that, it is a lot more effective if you are actually wearing clothing that is not restrictive but still covers up all of your body parts when you are stretching and bending.

- Most clothes for yoga generally come in two different styles – tight-fitting and fashionable or loose-fitting and comfortable. The kind you choose will likely depend on the type of yoga you are taking, where you are taking it and your personal style.

- Going online, you will find that you can get all kinds of clothes for yoga at very good prices. You don’t have to pay as much as you would in the high-end stores, and you will get a much bigger variety. In fact, there are some yoga websites for people that offer free yoga lessons, yoga equipment and more, in addition to great-looking clothes.

- Your last stop for any type of yoga clothes or equipment should be your gym or yoga studio. They will probably only have very high-end clothing at matching high-end prices.

The other advantage of buying clothes for yoga online is that you really can shop around. Because there are several very good websites, all of which are priced better than a yoga studio’s prices, you will be able to get much more for your money than you would if you shopped in town.

By: Carla Y. Faulkner

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Walking meditation is more difficult for most Yoga students, than breath awareness meditation, but it is very beneficial to those students who have difficulty sitting still. Some Yoga practitioners are more restless than most of us, so this is when walking Yoga meditation comes in handy, but we should all give it a try. You will find walking Yoga meditation to be a very rewarding practice for your mind, body, and spirit.

When you first start practicing walking Yoga meditation, you should set a steady pace and breathe naturally. Once you have established your pace, you should then try to focus on your breath without controlling it.

The first exposure I had with walking meditation was in Kundalini Yoga practice. We would establish how many foot steps per inhale and how many foot steps per exhale. This is your own natural breathing pattern and it may be difficult to get the typical Yogic breathing – One part inhale to two part exhale ratio.

An example of the one to two Yogic breathing patterns would be: You inhale for three steps and exhale for six steps. Please bear in mind that each of us will breathe differently. Some of us may find the one to two Yoga breathing to be a strain, so your natural breathing pattern is important to establish.

It will take a while to focus on your natural breathing pattern and determine what the correct ratio is for you. Whatever you do, it should be easy and this should not be a strain.

Later in life, I learned Sanchin Kata. Sanchin is an Okinawan Karate form that may seem simple from the outside looking in, but is, in fact, a form of walking meditation.

The breathing is different in Sanchin practice, but the movement is repetitious enough to qualify for an example of meditation in motion. This exercise can teach you many things, but one valuable component is not to worry about your breathing, or anything else in life, if possible.

When you decide to try walking Yoga meditation, you should choose your location carefully. Choose a course that you are familiar with. This must be a safe place for walking Yoga meditation. During day light hours a local park is a safe place you could try a walking Yoga meditation session. Walking across or through traffic would not be recommended.

Although, it is very beautiful up north, during the foliage season, you would want to keep your awareness very keen. Bears, bucks, moose, mountain lions, wolves, coyotes, and some people, do not have the same appreciation for walking Yoga meditation and you want to be careful about what you stumble across. You should also be aware that people do hunt in season, or out, and are not always where you expect them to be. Once I ran into a hunting party, with a complete entourage of dogs, in a wildlife refuge.

Therefore, carefully choose a walking course that will keep you out of harm’s way. Morning hours are always my favorite. Take the time to develop mindfulness of each step and each breath. Try to walk without talking, when you have a companion with you. This silent walking will keep your mind in the moment and you will be able to take the surroundings in, without disrupting your meditation.

Yoga and Yoga meditation can be carried into many aspects of your life. Walking Yoga meditation is just one example of this.

Yoga Insights: Walking Yoga Meditation