Friday, April 16, 2010

Teaching Hatha Yoga - Creative Networking

For Yoga teachers, who work as independent contractors, this economy is a test of creativity. Although there may be class cutbacks, at your local health club, a local chiropractic clinic may be searching for a Yoga instructor to work "in house."

Alexander Graham Bell stated, "When one door closes, another opens; but we often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door that we do not see the one which has opened for us." We wait for things to happen, and when they do not fall into place, we dwell on the negative outcome.

We practice preventative health methods and teach others to be pro-active toward health, but we neglect being creative about networking. Some of us are entirely content to teach Yoga in isolation. There are many reasons for this, but most of us, who teach Yoga, tend to be very independent in our thinking.

In the words of John Donne: "No man is an island entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main; if a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe is the less, as well as if a promontory were, as well as any manner of thy friends or of thine own were; any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind. And therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee."

This does not imply that you should give up your own free will, but feel free to "test the waters" of networking. Opportunities are good only when you recognize their potential. Everyone needs to consider opportunities in this economy.

Please consider your viewpoint in all matters. Are you optimistic, middle of the road, or slightly cynical? At this point, I have never met a pessimistic teacher of Yoga, so that option has been by-passed.

If you are optimistic or cynical, you need to hear the opposite opinion from a trusted friend. Even if you do not agree, a logical and honest opposing opinion can help you make a sensible evaluation.

Now, let's get back to the heart of networking your Yoga teaching services. An independent contractor can afford to take his or her time making a decision. There is usually very little overhead to worry about, no employees to pay, and creative independent contractors are in a strong position in any economy.

However, if you are a Yoga studio owner, you must move forward now. You must network to find services that your students are seeking. Therapeutic massage, Ayurveda, Tai Chi, Chi Kung, Reiki, and Pilates are examples of services that your students may desire.

If you have the space or time frames available, you might find the networking opportunity of a lifetime. Many of these networking opportunities come and go, but some of them are perfect long-term matches.

© Copyright 2008 - Paul Jerard / Aura Publications

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Thursday, April 15, 2010

Reducing DOMS

Delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) is caused by accumulated lactic acid in the muscles after they have been worked out very hard. For some, DOMS is only experienced at the start of a new workout routine. For other people who are more prone to muscle soreness, it is important to discover ways to reduce the symptoms. Otherwise, exercising will not be enjoyable, and walking around all day stiff as a board, is inconvenient and even embarrassing.

Five ways to Reduce DOMS:

1. Break up your routine

If you know multiple barbell squats, weighted lunges and leg curl machine sets are going to leave you incapacitated for days, break up the workout. Instead of doing an all legs day, add in a few sets with every upper body workout. If it is a matter of doing too much in a day, such as a weight routine followed by yoga, learn your limitations and if necessary, scale back the amount of time you exercise in a day.

2. Protein powder and Glutamine

Both of these supplements promote healing, repairing and muscle building. If you do not wish to use supplements, simply eating a meal high in protein after a workout will do the trick. If using protein powder and glutamine, try a protein shake made with water, juice or skim milk mixed with the recommended doses of both supplements soon after your routine.

3. Take a bath

This is especially helpful for long distance running. Personally speaking, the day after a race my legs are toast! After an intense workout, or long run, take a dip in cold (yes, cold!) water for 5 minutes or so. This technique is much better than taking pain relieving medications, which only disguise injuries instead of treating them. Ice baths reduce inflammation and increase circulation. Nobody wants to hear that they should take a cold bath but it really works!

Bonus Tip

How about getting a massage? They promote circulation, relaxation and they feel really nice! Unfortunately it will not prevent muscle soreness, but if you already have it, then it is a nice way to go.

4. Stretch after workouts

A lot of the time exercisers experience muscle soreness because they thought they were doing the right thing by stretching before a workout. This technique is a little antiquated, and by doing this, you are stretching out "cold muscles." This leads to pulls and tears that create muscle soreness. Instead, stretch after a workout, when muscles are warm. This technique is also beneficial as a way to relax after a routine and to feel light and limber for the rest of the day.

5. Do not exercise on sore muscles

This will not toughen you up, or make recovery any easier in the future. This is actually a very counterproductive thing to do. Muscles require 48 hours after strength training to rebuild, grow and repair. Working out on sore muscles will decrease result progress and increase the time it takes the soreness to go away.

DOMS is not too bad once you know your body well enough to identify what causes it, and then to make these small changes to overcome the inconvenience and discomfort of muscle soreness.

Lift Smart!

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Wednesday, April 14, 2010

Yoga Bolsters

Being new to the practice of Yoga, it is always a good idea to give your body an opportunity to adapt to unusual positions that one has to go through. Always remember not to push your body beyond what it is capable of. The art and practice of Yoga was never intended to harm the practitioner's body in any way. Without slowly adapting to the processes, one might end up pulling muscles, stretching ligaments, tendons, or even ripping them, though the latter of the four is extremely rare.

One such helpful item that some advanced practitioner's even use is that of the Yoga bolster. A bolster is a cotton-filled cushion that comes in a variety of sizes and shapes. It is generally either round or square, round being the most common. The purpose of the bolster is diverse. However, it is mostly utilized as a cushion for the head, neck, or lower back. When considering the human posture, the head is the least likely use.

When performing Yoga, the practitioner generally does so on a hard surface, such as a hardwood floor, linoleum, or similar unyielding surface. It does not denote weakness to utilize cushions to make it less painful. The words Yoga and pain were never meant to be interrelated in any way.

When deciding upon the best type of Bolster for you, the best tactic to utilize is a simple one. Just lie down flat on whatever surface that you will be practicing Yoga on. Lie there until you start to relax. Let your body naturally sink into the floor. Now, take close note of what part of your body is not touching the bare floor once you are totally within a state of relaxation. This is your body taking its natural form. Wherever these points are that aren't in contact with the floor is where you will get the most benefit from a bolster.

As for where to get a bolster, you can do a simple internet search of the words "Yoga Bolster" and you will literally find hundreds of thousands of results. One thing to keep in mind when purchasing a bolster is that you generally get what you pay for. If you purchase the cheap generic brand, you will get cheap and generic results. It is best to pay a little more for something that will last longer and be more effective.

Another thing to be wary of are Yoga bolsters that are filled with anything but real cotton. Other fillers that are often used instead will eventually begin to lose their shape and become virtually useless.

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Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Yoga For Losing Weight

With America tipping the scales on obesity, and weight-related health problems, it is more important than ever for all of us to stay fit. Many of us have already gone past the ideal weight category. We need to find our way back to a healthy, fit form. Yoga cannot entirely replace the benefits of regular aerobic activity, such as walking, but yoga can provide the basis for a healthier lifestyle.

What Hollywood and the "get skinny quick" master minds of modern marketing would have you believe is that rapid weight loss is healthy. The reality of the world we live in is that gradual weight loss of one pound, or two, per week is healthy. Gradual weight loss has the best chance of becoming permanent.

Holistic health has everything to do with balance in the body and all of the body's systems. Crash dieting and excessive / obsessive workouts only create further imbalances of the body and mind. The best way to reach a truly healthy state is to eat life-giving foods, strengthen and sooth the body, and renew the mind and spirit.

This may not be what you want to hear if you're coming here for advice on weight loss. Yes, if you are overweight or obese, now is the time to lose the weight. Extra weight increases the risk for nearly every disease, including heart disease, cancer and stroke. The simple fact of the matter is that being overweight puts stress on all systems of the body. Stress, in turn, creates imbalance, lessens immunity, and increases cellular oxidation. This is all the more reason to seek balance in the body.

To begin, make a concerted effort to increase your activity level in your everyday life. Pay close attention to what you eat and follow the yoga diet as closely as possible. By eating foods as close to their natural state as possible, you absorb the most nutrients, and gain the most positive effects from your food choices. The yoga diet is also high in fiber, which will aid in digestion from beginning to end. Once again, here we are on the topic of complete balance.

© Copyright 2008 - Paul Jerard / Aura Publications

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Monday, April 12, 2010

Bikram Yoga DVD - Learning the Basics in Your Home

Normally, in this kind of physical activity, there are studios that are designed purposely for it. The place is spacious enough, so that students will not look crowded during the exercise. But, learning Bikram Yoga can already be done in your home. You can now find Bikram Yoga DVDs out in the market. These DVDs are perfect for those people who have hectic working schedules.

In general, when you want to learn to do the Bikram Yoga, you attend classes. You will get a certain schedule of sessions that will fit into your daily schedule. However, if you happen to own a Bikram Yoga DVD, you would not have to go through all of these. You just have to watch it in your home, and begin to do it alone. In this manner, you can perform it anytime of the day. You need not to miss any class due to unavoidable circumstances. 

If you are still a beginner, the DVD is very useful. There are people who are hesitant to attend the class because they are still new to it. This is because executing the different postures of Yoga seems to be awkward if you are not used to them. If you happen to own a video of Bikram's method, you can try doing the positions in your home. In this case, you will not have any qualms performing them. You can even have a practice, so that once you attend the class personally, you do not look naive about what is happening in the studio. You already have the idea how it goes.

Practicing Yoga in your home is an advantage to you. This type of Yoga is considered to be very intense. You expect the level of difficulty of the succeeding postures increases. Thus, constant practice will aid you in familiarizing them. You have to remember that, Yoga instructors can not fully focus on teaching all of their students one by one. They might be checking you from time to time but they do not give their complete attention exclusively to you. There is a need for you to learn the steps alone. This Bikram Yoga DVD will serve as your guide in learning the whole method.

There are a lot of shops that sell Bikram Yoga DVDs. These discs are very informative. They present other necessary links for a better understanding of Hot Yoga. They do not just show the different body postures, they also have Bikram Choudhary's life and his other related experiences. It shows the evolution of Yoga and the different methods. Songs that are played during the session are included as well. These DVDs come at a reasonable price. With all these features, you will definitely have no regrets getting one for yourself.  

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