...I remember how intimidated I felt the first time a friend of mine invited me to take a yoga class with her. It was all so mysterious to me. I was sure I would look foolish trying to twist myself into a variety of shapes and configurations. My ego and I imagined all sorts of ridiculous scenarios. Being a rather shy personality type, I was worried I would commit a horrible faux pas and stick out like a sore thumb or offend someone. I had no idea of what to expect, what was expected of me, or what the proper etiquette was for taking a yoga class. As I look back on all the insecurities I had, it's a wonder I ever made it through the door to my first class. Thankfully, I did. That was many years and many yoga classes ago. Over time and several different yoga teachers, I truly fell in love with yoga and wanted to share it with everyone I could. I became a certified yoga instructor and opened my own studio, Lights of Yoga, in 2000.

Yoga is a beautiful practice unlike any other form of fitness program I have ever tried. I encourage anyone thinking about including it in their life to find a yoga class ASAP. First, find a yoga teacher you can connect with. Every teacher has their own style of teaching and, although I believe we learn from all of our teachers, even ones we don't connect with well, in the beginning it is very important to have a teacher who does not make you feel uncomfortable or embarrassed while you are under their tutelage. Once you have found a teacher to start your yoga journey with, here are a few points t...more

Practical Information on How To Open Your Yoga Studio

...ga studio is to start assisting a well-known yoga teacher in conducting his/her courses. This will give you an in-depth understanding of how to handle a group of listeners, or yoga aspirants.

It will develop your skill to successfully organize your own classes later on. Successfully assisting a competent teacher also clarifies numerous doubts regarding the subject matter of yoga. Moreover, to say the least, it will also develop your wisdom and intellect to appropriately direct the many soul-searchers who will come to you, in future.

One common belief amongst yoga enthusiasts is that since yoga talks about the path of non-attachments to material belongings, it is not good to make...more

The Most Common Types of Yoga

...e modification of poses, these types of yoga is often a good form of exercise for people with back pain or neck pain, as they are likely to benefit from the random alteration to the poses.

Practicing these types of yoga will give you a good knowledge on the classics in yoga poses so that whatever other style you practice, you will have the basic fundamentals on how to do each position.

In iyengar yoga the teacher focuses more on alignment and inner awareness. This awareness starts with the body and expands to other parts of the self as one continues with the regularity of practice.

2. Ashtanga Yoga

These types of yoga are commonly called power yoga because it is focused on a powerful flowing movement.

Such movements include pushups and lunges, which deals with strength and stamina. These types of yoga are best for people who...more

Designing a Plan to Become a Yoga Teacher, Part 1

...munication, marketing, and Networking.

How, in the world, can someone expect that kind of knowledge to be transmitted and processed in a weekend? There is a logical reason why 200 hours has become the Level 1 minimum international Yoga teacher training standard.

There is an unforeseen problem for Yoga interns, who desire to take a weekend certification course, in order to open the door to Yoga teaching as quickly as possible. This creates a dilemma of not having enough knowledge to be a safe Yoga teacher and not having the knowledge to stay in the Yoga teaching business.

Copyright 2006 Paul Jerard / Aura Publications<...more

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