...I feel like Ive just had my first yoga class, says Fran, a mom of three and a well-toned yoga practitioner of some experience. I feel great. Fran is sensing the immediate benefits of her yoga practice, currently based at park Cities Yoga on lovers Lane.

As a mother of three, Fran is like a lot of people. Working moms juggle getting their kids to school on time, meeting deadlines, business travel, soccer practice, ballet, groceries, visits to the vet and dentist . . . you know the routine. All this running around doesnt mean simply that theyre busy; it means that their minds are racing ahead or behind nearly constantly. It means worrying about the cascade of events triggered by your first grader forgetting his lunch. It means anticipating the necessary daily care for your invalid mother. It means fighting to maintain an even keel in the face of overwhelming demands and information.

For more than 16 million Americans, yoga is their not-so-secret weapon to help them do what needs to be done. Whether you are a working mom or a working man, whether you drive a Benz or a bus, whether you perform surgery or Beethoven, yoga is a way to simplify your life. For yoga devotees, yoga is the tool to transform regret and worry into the comfort of the here and now.

Take Elaine, also a park Cities Yoga client, as another example. I was a triple-A personality type. Now I handle situations differently. I take a conscious breath and I focus on the moment, not the what-ifs. Yoga has helped me be gracious in stress.

One misperception about yoga is that you already need to be flexible and athletic to do it. That is not the case. Start with what youve got. Cant touch your toes? Just reach for them and breathe. Cant do a backbend? Place a small pillow under your back and breathe. Or just start with meditation coupled with conscious breathing. You can start with easy poses progressing to challenging feats of flexibility a...more

Designing a Plan to Become a Yoga Teacher, Part 1

...rtifications. These programs may teach you a few postures and breathing techniques, but you will likely know little more than the average Yoga student.

Having a complete syllabus is important. A complete Yoga teacher training program should contain information about: Asanas, Modifications, Contraindications, Proper use of props, Yoga Philosophy, Yoga Methodology, Anatomy, Physiology, Kinesiology, Assisting with Posture Alignment, Working with Special Populations, Insider Yoga Teaching Tips, Yoga Teacher Ethics, Chakras, Bandhas, Mudras, Doshas, Yamas, Niyamas, Pranayama techniques, Meditation, Relaxation, Yoga Business Development, Com...more

Yoga Instructor Training - Cultivating the Orator Within

...e comfortable talking at the front of your Yoga class.

Mentally connect with your class by looking each student in the eyes. Observe all of them as individuals and scan the room. Start to become conscious of each student as a separate individual. Address their needs and problems, with each individual in mind.

Talk to your students as if they were guests in your living room. You want to establish trust and a rapport in your classes as soon as possible. Make them aware that class time is their time.

If you practice speaking at home, look at yourself in the mirror. What is your facial expression? Do you move your body as yo...more

Yoga Instructor Training - Yoga for Sciatica

...More and more people are seeking out yoga for relief from their pain and ailments. Yoga has become a real option to the doubting public. This will result in yoga instructors seeing more students, in their classes, with disorders, such as sciatica.

Sciatica is the name of a class of symptoms, which result from compression of the nerve roots of the sciatic nerve, or the sciatic nerve itself. The symptoms that result from this compression are most often pain, numbness, or tingling. These sym...more

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