Articles in Yoga Works

A good, regular yoga practice will go far in relieving the stress and tension that sometimes cause mild back pain, and in fact,studies have shown that yoga is the number one most effective exercise for low back pain relief. Here are 6 yoga poses for low back pain relief.Each pose should be held from five to ten seconds, depending upon your level of comfort, and should be done on a mat or other soft, supportive surface. Low back pain relief pose #1: the corpse Lie flat on your back in a relaxed position, armsresting at your sides, palms down, and legs lying naturally, with knees turned

Yoga is a very common style of exercise that is practiced by people all over the world. These exercises help to build strength and flexibility in our bodies by creating a balance. Yoga is derived from ancient India and is still going strong in its beliefs and practices. If you are just starting your yoga training or are curious about some basic postures for yoga, then perhaps this article will be of some benefit to you. We will discuss a few of the basic postures that are easy to do. The first posture that we will discuss is called The Cobra. When doing this posture, we want to do this in

More and more people are starting to understand how important a role yoga plays in living a pain free and healthy life. Yoga has been practiced for centuries to promote both physical and mental well being through exercises, stretches, and meditation. The meditative, or spiritual side, of yoga also has components that are not always practiced by westerners. Some more trendy "types" of yoga, have emerged that leave out the traditional spiritual components. To really grasp the full benefits that yoga has to offer, however, it is best to follow a traditional method from India. But from beg

While there are no set regulations on what level of training is necessary to teach yoga, choosing to pursue teacher certification, demonstrates a commitment to yoga. CYT certification reveals that a yoga instructor has pursued a certain level of education in yoga techniques. There are many different programs offering certification to yoga instructors, and it is up to individual organizations to decide what the appropriate professional requirements are. Globally, there is very little regulation of yoga. There are some registries, in different countries, which work to set standards for yoga t

With all the endorsements Hatha Yoga gets, you would think that new students might know the benefits of the practice. In fact, some surveys indicate that the majority of adults have never attended a Yoga class, in their lives. With that said, most teachers should have a prepared handout for new students, who arrive, and do not know what to expect in the different classes offered. Usually, new students have no idea about the differences, features, and benefits, which can be gained by attending Yoga classes. They might have heard about Yoga from a friend, co-worker, family member, their famil

When teaching students about "living in the moment," where do you begin? When a student has just come into your class from work, he or she may still be stressed out over commuter traffic, deadlines, quotas, or a family crisis. All of the talk about finding pure consciousness "goes in one ear and out the other." On top of this, some of your students are worried about tomorrow. There are plenty of reasons for people to worry, with the present state of relationships, job security, finances, health care, raising children, and more. So, where do you start to explain or demonstrate living in t

The typical 200-hour yoga instructor certification course contains ten hours of ethics discussions, but how many adults really need to hear it? Apparently, anyone who is in a position of authority must be reminded of guidelines for proper conduct. In any academic atmosphere, the student / teacher relationship must be reinforced with courtesy, respect, and dignity. This behavior should be mutual, but Yoga teachers should clearly understand that the integrity of a student is not to be compromised, at any time, in the relationship. With this said, all yoga teachers are expected to be living

Once an intern graduates from a yoga teacher training course, there are many high expectations. Within each of us, these expectations will differ, because we do not all want the same thing. There are many different fields for Yoga teachers to pursue. Physical, mental, spiritual, and emotional health will not be addressed equally by any two yoga teachers. One yoga teacher might focus on yoga as an exercise, while another will address the therapeutic aspects of Yoga, and yet another will address the spiritual aspects of "union." These are just a few of many potential possibilities, but there

The following statements are excerpts from my talks with Yoga students, who have questions about Prana, Energy, Creation, and Life. When, and how, does Prana (energy) enter into our body? The energy fields, which are within each of us, have existed since the beginning of time. Energy (Prana) exists throughout the universe. If the "Big Bang Theory" is correct, Prana was once very condensed, but then exploded to be scattered throughout the universe as we know it. Yet, the energy around you was not in the particular form of your being before. Many people believe the energy within each

The longer we practice Yoga - the more we will see the meaning in the concept of uniting the mind, body, and spirit. No matter what our religion is, or if we practice Yoga, many of us ask the same questions regarding our spiritual, physical, and mental existence. Ever since humans learned to communicate with one another, there have been three common questions people ask. (1) Where are we from? We know that each of us is an energy field, and the same atoms and molecules, which make us up, are also part of the stars, planets, moons, etc., which make up the universe. Even after we die, the ene