Learn About Yoga

Within the average Yoga class, or ashram, the principles of mindfulness are mentioned for the benefit of Yoga students, their friends, and the people they associate within the course of a day. Mindfulness is living in the moment, and putting the wisdom you have learned, during Yoga class, into practice.

Therefore, mindfulness is carried into everyday situations. What good is learning Yoga, if you cannot apply it to “real life?” If all you learn, in your Yoga class, is postures, then you have missed out on the vastness of Yoga and its many aspects. With that said, we will discuss the aspect of mindfulness, as it applies to our communication with others.

Whenever, you engage another person in conversation, always think before talking. This may sound simple, but everybody knows someone who does not think before talking. Hence the saying, “Putting his/her foot in his/her mouth.” Children do this, but it is innocent, and they do not yet understand all the rules of etiquette.

Your mind has many random thoughts, and there is no need to expose them to the world. Good politicians, sales people, and diplomats are masters at saying enough to stay out of a conflict, but still manage to get a particular point across. What is the technique they use? In a “nut shell,” it is mindfulness.

Try to avoid conversation when you are not focused, tense, or not in the present moment. If a situation seems potentially volatile, you should pick the time to engage the other party in conversation. Set the tone of the conversation by using a relaxed approach and listen carefully.

When you maintain an air of good will and positive thoughts, it becomes difficult to pursue a conflict with you. Be aware that when you slow down and relax, most people will respond the same. Therefore, you can control a meeting by radiating thoughts of kindness. You do this by showing respect and thinking positively about the other person, despite your differences.

There are exceptions to every rule, and I do not endorse complete surrender, unless you are wrong. However, when you listen emphatically and are fully present for the other party, you will most likely resolve, or avoid, a conflict.

All of us need to learn to laugh at ourselves and develop a sense of humor. This will give you a completely different perspective of yourself, and you won’t worry about feeling embarrassed or making a mistake. This perspective will also allow you to be mindful of yourself and your words.

If you take the time to speak with gentleness, mindfulness, and loving kindness, the world will respond in kind. At the same time you won’t waste energy defending your ego. Always remember the old saying, “Life is too short to waste time fighting.”

Copyright 2005 – Paul Jerard / Aura Publications

About the author:

Paul Jerard is the director of Yoga teacher training at Aura in RI. He’s a master instructor of martial arts and Yoga. He teaches Yoga, martial arts, and fitness. He wrote: Is Running a Yoga Business Right for You? For Yoga students wanting to be a Yoga teacher. http://www.yoga-teacher-training.org

Written By: Paul M. Jerard Jr.

After five thousand years of written documentation, Yoga may well be the oldest self-improvement system that ever existed. We don’t know what Yoga knowledge may have been lost before man started to record it. In the time period beyond 5,000 years a fair amount of knowledge would have been passed on by word of mouth, and as a result, some of it would be missing.

There are many different types of Yoga, but all of them contribute to mankind’s self-improvement. So, mankind has been a work in progress for thousands of years and has organized systems to constantly improve. Let’s look at some Yogic principles that are often recognized as “modern” self-improvements.

Activate your mind and body together through daily Yoga practice. The mind is more powerful than the sum of its thoughts and it must be controlled. The mind that is allowed to wander usually produces random and unproductive thought.

In varying degrees, most styles of Yoga tie the physical postures, proper breathing, and focused concentration, together, in one single session. This constant bonding of mind and body creates inner harmony. This in turn, results in a productive mind-set. This gives the average Yoga student an advantage in productivity, organizational skills, creativity, and self-preservation.

You can enhance positive energy with daily Yoga practice. After each Yoga session, many students commonly mention how good they feel. Yoga classes, or Yoga sessions, give the practitioner a chance to discard negative feelings, worries, tension, and stress. This gives the average Yoga student a simple way to prioritize life’s daily problems.

As a result of this, the Yoga student is able to set and prioritize goals. Whether it is a serious goal or a whim, ideas that produce seeds of thought become reality, especially when followed by action. This formula will produce even more bursts of positive energy within the mind, resulting in a productive and positively charged mind-set.

Yoga students should be taught to identify, and when possible, remove negative energy from within the mind. Negative thinking is contagious and should be purged or quarantined, just like a disease. Identify those people who have it. If possible help them, but if not, avoid or isolate them. Negative thinking produces nothing of value and contributes to self-destruction. Therefore, you should learn to identify or leave negative surroundings that will stifle your self-improvement efforts.

Finally, listen to your heart and this will tell you if a decision is right or wrong. Some people call it a “gut feeling,” but you can feel it, “in your heart,” if a decision is morally correct, and know, if you can live with your actions.

About the author:

Copyright 2005 – Paul Jerard / Aura Publications

Paul Jerard is the director of Yoga teacher training at Aura in RI. He’s a master instructor of martial arts and Yoga. He teaches Yoga, martial arts, and fitness. He wrote: Is Running a Yoga Business Right for You? For Yoga students wanting to be a Yoga teacher. http://www.yoga-teacher-training.org

Written By: Paul M. Jerard Jr.

Chair Yoga has become more popular in senior centers, but can also be found in nursing homes, physical rehabilitation units, adult day care centers, and some Yoga studios. However, the vast majority of us will attend a Chair Yoga class in a senior center.

You should consult your family physician and get the “go ahead,” before starting any exercise program. If possible, visit, or call the senior center, to find out about their policies and general guidelines. When it is your first class, it is a good idea to get into the front row, so you can clearly see and hear your Yoga teacher.

When you need extra advice, or have a particular health condition, you should talk to your teacher before, or after, the class. Your Yoga teacher will give advice and show modifications, throughout the class, but when you have questions that concern your safety and health, you should ask right away. This is not something that should be put on the “back burner.”

Within the senior center staff structure, there are volunteers, paid staff, and management. They are all extremely helpful. Seek help and you will find an abundance of it. If the business world ran like this, we would all be happy customers.

You don’t have to bring any special equipment to a Chair Yoga class. Most senior centers have more than enough chairs to accommodate everyone. Some Chair Yoga classes do use mats, as well as chairs, but this is more the exception than the rule. If the center uses mats, in part of the class, you will have to take your shoes off.

Most senior centers have hard floors with tile over cement. In this case, you should wear good sneakers, tennis shoes, or aerobic shoes. This will allow your shoes to grip the floor, to prevent potential slipping accidents. It also gives your feet and joints some cushion from the hard surface.

There is no need to buy special clothes. You should wear comfortable clothing that does not restrict your movement. Don’t wear anything tight around the waist. This will bother your stomach during some of the bending or twisting movements.

You should never push or strain into a Yoga posture. This can cause a variety of injuries from very slight to serious. Therefore, stay in the “comfort zone.” No one really knows how your body feels, except you.

If the class is large, it will be held in a large room, like a dining hall. Expect some distractions, with people coming, and going, from different activities, within the senior center. This is not ideal for meditation, but the physical rewards, and new friends you gain, will make up for it.

About the author:

Copyright 2005 – Paul Jerard / Aura Publications

Paul Jerard is the director of Yoga teacher training at Aura in RI. He’s a master instructor of martial arts and Yoga. He teaches Yoga, martial arts, and fitness. He wrote: Is Running a Yoga Business Right for You? For Yoga students wanting to be a Yoga teacher. http://www.yoga-teacher-training.org

Written By: Paul M. Jerard Jr.

Though there are most likely at least half a dozen yoga studios and gyms that offer yoga classes in your neighborhood, finding the one class and the right teacher to suit your needs is not always easy. Start at the beginning with these steps and when you have completed all of them you are sure to have located the best yoga class and teacher combination for your schedule, location, interest, and temperament.

* What are your choices? The telephone book, the internet, community newspapers, ad boards at your local health food store or organic grocery store – all of these are great ways to find out what is available to you. Spread the word that you’re looking for a good class. Your dental hygienist may turn you onto a class you’ve never heard of or your librarian may moonlight as an instructor on the weekends. You never know until you start looking.

* When would you like to take your yoga class? Some people prefer to start their day very early with an energizing yoga class. Others like to wind down after work with a long, relaxing class and still others prefer to pop in a 20 minute yoga class every day during lunch or once a week on Saturday mornings. Determining when a class will best fit into your schedule will help you narrow down your choices.

* Which yoga classes are most convenient to you? After you have chosen the best time for you to take your class, consider where you will be just before then. Are you coming from home or work? Do you need something to fill the time while your youngest takes his gymnastics class and therefore need a class near there? Finding one that is close to where you are at the time that you want to take the class will help you maintain an effective, consistent practice.

* What type of yoga is taught at the schools that are close to where you want to be when you want to take your class? If you’re a beginner, you may not want to jump into a dynamic Ashtanga yoga class. If you’re more advanced, then a mild Kripalu yoga course may not be what you’re looking for to push your limits. Call the schools and centers that are left on your list and ask them to send you a list of classes they have available. From these, you will be able to see what is available during the time slots you have open.

* Try them out! Most yoga schools and centers allow you to take one class without signing up for 10 weeks worth of practice. Experiment and try out all the classes that interest you. If you find more than one that appeals to you, maybe you can switch back and forth. If none are what you’re looking for, then go back to your original list and expand your parameters or see if there are any yoga schools that you’ve overlooked. Soon you’ll find the perfect class and the perfect teacher for your yoga practice.

About the author:

Stephen Kreutzer is a freelance publisher based in Cupertino, California. He publishes articles and reports in various ezines and provides yoga tips on www.justyoga.info.

Written By: Stephen Kreutzer

Here is an oxymoron for you: Some of the best Yoga teachers are great listeners. This is a general guideline for Yoga students who aspire to teach some day. Listening skills, in Yoga, start when you take your first class, as you learn by hearing, watching, and doing.

The Yoga student who learns predominantly by listening will be able to verbally communicate the finer techniques to others in the future. This is not to say that other methods of learning have less value, but a skilled Yoga teacher must be a communicator and be able to reach into each individual student’s mind.

Therefore, not all Yoga students can learn from you in the same way. Some will learn by listening carefully to your cues, others will gain more from an assist, and some will be able to copy just by watching. As a Yoga instructor, you still have to be a good listener when it comes to all of your students’ questions.

Most Yoga teachers do a good job with handling student questions. However, here is something to think about: Do you try to clarify why a question is being asked? Consider that your student may not be clear in his or her communication skills and you need to “get to the heart of the matter.”

The motivation behind a question is more important than the question itself. You don’t want to waste your time giving unrelated information before, after, or during a Yoga class. So, get a clarification about what you are being asked, and learn why your Yoga student is truly asking you this question. This will benefit the both of you and avoid wasting your student’s time, as well.

If a student asks you a simple question, with a “yes” or “no” answer, you can still find out the motivational source by saying, “Yes, but why do you ask?” This technique is really that simple, and you may find the question is much deeper than you originally perceived.

Another mistake some Yoga teachers make is handling a question defensively. Your student thinks enough of you to ask for your opinion and is interested in your answer. If he or she had no respect for you, your opinion would not be important. Now, whether you perceive an objection or not, you should ask for a clarification before answering.

There is a positive side to all of the questions your Yoga students ask, but you must clearly see the motive behind the question in order to give the best answer. The bottom line is: Even though you are now at the front of the Yoga class, your listening skills must be better than your best listeners in your class.

About the author:

Copyright 2005 – Paul Jerard / Aura Publications

Paul Jerard is the director of Yoga teacher training at Aura in RI. He’s a master instructor of martial arts and Yoga. He teaches Yoga, martial arts, and fitness. He wrote: Is Running a Yoga Business Right for You? For Yoga students wanting to be a Yoga teacher. http://www.yoga-teacher-training.org

Written By: Paul M. Jerard Jr.

Happy Birthday Mum

Of course, you practice Yoga with the best of intentions. Now, your thinking, doesn’t everyone practice, learn, and teach Yoga with the best of intentions? In a few words: No, they do not.

Some Yoga teachers over-step their boundaries. We have Yoga students who were abused verbally and physically, before they came here. Some were picked on for being overweight, insulted for their lack of flexibility, and one of my current students had her back jumped on by her former Yoga instructor, while holding Downward-Facing Dog (Adho Mukha Svanasana). By the way, this student had told this Yoga teacher, she had back problems, before she took her first Yoga class.

We’ve all heard stories of different cases of abuse, by anyone in authority. The problem is not the training – it’s the inherent lack of common sense and compassion. Most people grow into a Yoga teaching position just fine, while a rare few develop “petty dictator syndrome.”

It’s amazing what people will justify, and then, insist their acts were done with the best of intentions. My Grandfather used to say, “Hell was made with good intent.” Ponder that for a while, and you will come up with many ideas.

If you think of the worst atrocities known to man, you will find someone who can justify them. Do you think Idi Amin, Pol Pot, Hitler, and Stalin thought they were wrong? They would all justify their intentions. Now, on a much smaller scale, going into your Yoga class, with a competitive mind-set, is not the best of intentions. You will eventually injure yourself. All of us age, and we will not get the same results, from our body, every day. Your body is not a machine and if it were, a machine would show signs of wear too.

A competitive mind-set will bolster your ego and that has nothing to do with Yoga. Your mind, body, and spirit cannot become healthy, when your ego is in “the driver’s seat.” There is no tranquility, harmony, peace, mindfulness, or loving kindness within the ego. To the ego everything is a perceived threat, to its existence.

Leave your ego at the door, with your shoes, before going into Yoga class. When you practice Yoga, savor each lesson, and take it out into the world, for practice. When you leave the ashram or Yoga studio, practice is applying what you learn to real life. So, it does not end, when you roll up your Yoga mat.

Be courteous to everyone all the time. You are projecting loving kindness and being mindful of life in the present, and practicing the unity of mind, ody, and spirit.

About the author:

Copyright 2005 – Paul Jerard / Aura Publications

Paul Jerard is the director of Yoga teacher training at Aura in RI. He’s a master instructor of martial arts and Yoga. He teaches Yoga, martial arts, and fitness. He wrote: Is Running a Yoga Business Right for You? For Yoga students wanting to be a Yoga teacher. http://www.yoga-teacher-training.org

Written By: Paul M. Jerard Jr.

Chakras are vortices located in the subtle body. Ajna 1chakra is located between the eyebrows. The existence of chakras is a point of contention to some. Yogis, and Yoginis, may practice balancing their chakras, while some religious fundamentalists feel this practice borders on witchcraft. However, let’s discuss one chakra that most everyone can identify with.

Ajna chakra is referred to as the “third eye” and is sometimes called, “the mind’s eye.” Whether you believe in the existence of chakras, or not, most of us accept the concepts of intuition and insight. These concepts enable us to use self-reflection for our own advancement.

Most Yoga practitioners think only in terms of physical Yoga (Hatha Yoga), only. Yet all Yoga practitioners are aware that Yoga involves physical, mental, and spiritual aspects. Therefore, let’s use the “window of your mind” to your advantage. Visualization is commonly used by successful people to turn thoughts into reality. Although this is a mental exercise, it is a form of spiritual innovation. This is also a formula that will continually yield success in your life.

By steadily practicing positive visualization, self- analysis, and meditation, any Yoga student should be successful within any chosen path taken during the course of his or her life. You will notice that I mention “positive” visualization. Do you think that Tiger Woods ever focused on missing a putt or losing a golf tournament? Whatever you envision, can easily become your reality.

Therefore, always focus on achievement and success. You cannot afford to think of anything else. See yourself overcoming obstacles and living your dreams. This is what all achievers do.

Now, let’s take a closer look at intuition. If you are not an intuitive person, you should work on enhancing this quality. Balancing Ajna chakra might help you, and if this is not a possibility, you should keep a trusted intuitive person around you, when it is time to make important decisions.

This is not to say that intuition is the overriding factor in your decision making, but intuition always has weight. Intuition will help us seek and find the deeper truth in all matters. This allows us to develop our personal awareness of what is, what is not, and what could be.

As we continue our journey to find the deeper truth, we become much more aware of the many possibilities and opportunities we have to contribute to the common good of all.

About the author:

Copyright 2005 – Paul Jerard / Aura Publications

Paul Jerard is the director of Yoga teacher training at Aura in RI. He’s a master instructor of martial arts and Yoga. He teaches Yoga, martial arts, and fitness. He wrote: Is Running a Yoga Business Right for You? For Yoga students wanting to be a Yoga teacher. http://www.yoga-teacher-training.org

Written By: Paul M. Jerard Jr.

Are you looking for a healthy mindset, fitness, spiritual guidance, holistic health, self-improvement, success, or just more oxygen? Yoga can deliver all of these, but I doubt you find all of this “under one roof.” The reason is that there are many kinds of Yoga, and some ashrams, or Yoga schools, will address some of the above-mentioned needs as priorities.

Do you ever wonder why some people are so successful in life? I am not talking about someone who has “everything handed to them.” What I am referring to is someone who has taken the time to know what they want from life, pursues it, and then attains it. This comes from self-analysis, meditation, and goal setting skills.

Do not confuse yourself with someone else’s dreams or expectations of you. You must know your particular strengths, weaknesses, passions, and desires to move forward in your Yoga practice. Remember when you were a child and adults asked you, “What do you want to be when you grow up?”

If you are not sure, you should compile a list of ideas. Here are some things to consider when deciding “how to find yourself” and “where to go from here.”

What is your concept of happiness?

Please be honest with yourself and go after your dreams. You cannot abandon responsibility, but you can make small changes in your lifestyle. Wake up each day and pursue your goals with happiness in your heart.

What are your real passions, obsessions, and desires?

These are ideas you think about all the time. Listen to your heart; the answers are within. They should not cause harm to anyone and should be morally sound. Whatever they are, they will keep you going when you have any doubts. This is your fuel for daily motivation.

What does any of this have to do with Yoga?

Everything – Yoga is a daily path of self-discovery and self-improvement. Yoga literally means “Unity,” and applies to all things. If you know yourself, you can help yourself. Help usually starts from within. Most of us have to ask for help, and you must know when, and who, to ask.

Seek and find the Yoga that will help you find yourself. Yoga’s many branches are over 5,000 years old. They are the origin of many self-improvement and health maintenance systems. Achievement is realized by habits. You alone, have the power to create or change your habits.

About the author:

Copyright 2005 – Paul Jerard / Aura Publications

Paul Jerard is the director of Yoga teacher training at Aura in RI. He’s a master instructor of martial arts and Yoga. He teaches Yoga, martial arts, and fitness. He wrote: Is Running a Yoga Business Right for You? For Yoga students wanting to be a Yoga teacher. http://www.yoga-teacher-training.org

Written By: Paul M. Jerard Jr.