...Hatha Yoga instructors must learn to adapt their teaching styles to accommodate students with a variety of health conditions. Obesity is a common, but serious, health risk factor, which has to be addressed by teachers, in a compassionate way.

Any student who walks through the door of your studio is taking a pro-active stance toward his or her health. Compassion and mutual respect are the foundation of the student / teacher relationship. Therefore, adapt and modify to meet any student's needs.

If you are a student, begin your yoga practice with a knowledgeable yoga instructor, who is familiar with your goals. Learn the proper ways to breathe and do the yoga postures. Proper yoga breathing, or pranayama, decreases stress and increases the efficiency of all bodily systems.

Circulation is improved by the breathi...more

What is Patanjali's Ashtanga? Yoga Part III

...As described earlier, Ashtanga Yoga has eight limbs or parts. So far Yama, Niyama, Asana, Pranayama has been described. In the present article Pratyahar, Dharana, Dhyana and Samadhi shall be described.

Pratyahar(withdrawal)

Before Pratyahar one should lie in Sukhasana comfortably and motionlessly. Then one should practice Pranayama by keeping mind on the movements of breath across the nostrils. After half an hour in Pranayama, there is cut off in inhalation and exhalation. Mind and Pranabreath for practical purpose) become one and motionless. In this state one should practice Pratyahar.

Patanjali describes - when senses leave their objects of enjoyment and get engaged in realising true self(svarup), it is called Pratyahar(II>54). So far Yoga is concerned, there are two directions - one is outside and the other is inside. Outside there is enjoyment(bhoga) and enjoying(ahara) and inside there is Yoga and Pratyahar(withdrawal from enjoyment). So long as senses are fixed on the objects of enjoyment, there is enjoying(ahara); but as soon as senses withdraw from them, there is Yoga and...more

Yoga: When Should You Consider a Private Lesson?

...Shouldnt Yoga should be easy for everyone to understand? There are so many Yoga books, containing detailed, full color pictures and loaded with content.

At this time, it is easy to find audio books, DVDs, and various video formats made by world famous Yoga teachers. The world of Yoga has changed from small classes, in a Yoga teachers home, to gymnasiums full of eager Yoga students.

This is a good thing - so who needs a private lesson when you can buy a Yoga video and learn from the masters? learning Yoga should be a piece of cake, right? Wrong; as a matter of fact Painfully wrong.

Yoga videos are great learning tools for Yog...more

How to Stay Motivated in Your Yoga Practice

... enthusiasm and plateaus of their practice. Below are some ways to help you maintain your motivation for yoga or any other fitness program.

To stay motivated in yoga:
1)Vary your classes. Try new instructors and new places. Add new postures to your home practice. Keep the tried and true postures, but add something new each week.
2)Use different props for familiar poses. This is another way to create variety. Learn different ways to use yoga straps, blocks and bolsters. Be creative and try new things.
3)Involve your friends. Human beings are social creatures. Youre more likely to go to class if you have a friend meeting you there. Get to know some of the other people in your yoga class. Having friends in the class will motivate you to kee...more

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