Finding Balance through Yoga

Author: Darius Herrera

Yoga is an ancient science that aims to create a balance between the body, mind and soul, thereby curing physical mental and spiritual disorders that are caused by this imbalance. In common language, yoga means union; it's a union of the individual consciousness with the super-consciousness. To be exact, yoga aims at reminding the individual of this union that already exists and has merely been forgotten. To put it simply, yoga is experiencing and knowing what already exists, not inventing anything new.


At the physical level, yoga can create a balance and harmony among the various organs and systems of the body, allowing the healing powers inherent in the body to work and cure physical ailments. At the mental level, yoga is the harmony between mind, heart and hands or between thought, speech and action. At the spiritual level, yoga aims to destroy the individual ego that stands between the individual and the cosmos, thus attaining to the ultimate truth.


Yoga is basically a set of systematically devised physical exercises that lay emphasis on balance and posture. Combined with breathing exercises they have the capacity to cure almost any ailment of the body and mind. The underlying concept of yoga is to create the situation in which the human body can function at its optimum capacity.


Yoga Asanas or positions are simple and effective body movements that massage the muscles lubricate the joints and tone the whole body. Yoga postures help to keep the body healthy and the mind peaceful. Asanas exercise the nerves, glands, ligaments, and muscles. These exercises increase flexibility and balance in the body.


Yoga poses refer to the sequence of exercises which is extremely important to get the best results. They are scientifically graded to move from the simple to the complex, to cure the body first and then move on to mental and spiritual goals.


Though it is best to begin yoga practice under the guidance of a trained yoga teacher, you can now learn to do these exercises at home with the help of videos and yoga software. Once you have learned the basic exercises you can make it a part of your daily routine. It's best to fix a time and place for doing yoga so that you can be regular and reap rich benefits from it. After some time you will see a sea change in yourself. Your body will become shapely, attractive and healthy; you will have a positive attitude and your worldview on life will become beautiful. You will feel blessed!


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Yandara Asana Yoga for the Aspiring Yogi

Author: Alex Mc Stafani

As a yoga practitioner, you are already familiar with the body, mind, and spiritual benefits of yoga. It's likely you have experienced revitalization and lifestyle changes whether you have practiced for only a short time, or have been an avid practitioner for years. Yoga is growing in popularity in the Western world because of its physical and spiritual benefits and many people new to the practice seek out qualified instructors to guide them in self-practice. If you have ever aspired to share the benefits of yoga with others as a certified asana yoga instructor, the Yandara Yoga Institute provides the training you need to become Yoga Alliance Certified. You can become a confident and inspiring teacher in the art of yoga while attending either a 16- or 21-day training retreat.


Yandara Yoga Teacher Training emphasizes teaching methods that focus on becoming a safe, effective and inspirational yoga instructor. With expert training in teaching skills, including effective communication skills, posture correction and demonstration skills, students will learn the basics of practicing and teaching yoga. Learning to perform and demonstrate the asanas with precision and alignment is essential to successful yoga teaching, as is the ability to effectively communicate with others. Yandara offers this training and more to help future yoga instructors successfully teach the practice of yoga to other students.


Yandara yoga teacher training retreats comply with the 200-Hour Level of the Yoga Alliance Standards for registered yoga teachers with 180 hours of contact instruction with a teacher trainer and 20 hours of non-contact, independent study. Successful completion of the program will result in the award of a teaching certificate issued by the Yandara Yoga Institute. Upon certification, you are then qualified to teach yoga in a variety of community settings or independently.


The course is broken down into techniques, teaching methodology, anatomy and physiology as it pertains to the practice, philosophy, ethics, and lifestyle, practicum, and electives drawn from categories such as natural diet and health. Participants are immersed into the yoga lifestyle with many hours spent perfecting the precision of asanas, as well as the inclusion of quiet reflection time.


Yandara Yoga Institute is a beautiful oceanfront retreat located on the Pacific side of the Baja Penninsula in Mexico. Meals and accommodations are included in tuition. Anyone interested in yoga is welcome to attend teacher training, providing they have at least six months of yoga practice. Yandara encourages people of all ages, body types, and walks of life to attend, as the practice of yoga is not selective. Becoming a yoga instructor can enrich your life while enriching the lives of those you teach. No further experience or education is required other than the desire to make a difference. Bringing inner peace, relaxation, and self-confidence to others is a very rewarding endeavor.


Yandara also offers shorter retreats for yoga practioners with a desire to reconnect with their inner self, rather than intensely studying and training to become an instructor. Week-long retreats that include accommodations, daily yoga practice, breathing workshops, and spa services are on-going. If you've never experienced the benefits of yoga or are just beginning to explore yoga, and would like to take the opportunity to revitalize your inner spirit, a Yandara retreat is the perfect way to show yourself love and liberate your spirit.


All teaching staff at Yandara are committed to the yogi lifestyle and possess years of experience and practice. The goal of Yandara is to completely immerse students into the natural lifestyle and benefits that come from practicing by promoting inner peace. Mastery of the principles and practice of yoga, as well as the ability to effectively communicate them to others is required for successful yoga instructor certification.


Learning the proper techniques, the principles and practices of yoga, and the ability to inspire others is just the beginning. You could be looking for personal fulfillment or even a career change, in which case Yandara Yoga Institute is fully committed to supporting you and your endeavors. The combination of nature, seclusion, and expert support make an ideal environment for learning and self-exploration. Training programs are offered year-round but don't wait to fulfill your goals. The experience could be life changing for you and for others.Yandara.com offers yoga certification emphasizing yoga practice, teaching skills, organizing a class, creating confidence and making postural corrections. Visit us online to learn Hatha Yoga with Iyengar-based precision alignment, emphasizing heart-felt energy.

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Using Yoga Techniques to Cure Insomnia

Author: healthinfo

Insomnia is a condition characterized by an inability to fall asleep or stay asleep and receive decent quality rest. It can develop at any time during a person's life and will either fall under the primary insomnia category whereby it occurs on its own with little known cause, or under the secondary insomnia category whereby it is a result of another condition (such as arthritis) because they cannot sleep through the symptoms.

In the 1960s, the ancient Indian practice of yoga spread throughout the Western world. It was popularized by the Beatles and over the next forty years its many health benefits would become common knowledge. Yoga involves combining calm thought and specific breathing with certain bodily movements and held poses to bring the body into union. Most of us know that yoga relaxes the mind and makes the body more flexible, but many remain unaware that it can also be beneficial to insomniacs.

You see, yoga as a whole stimulates the brain and can improve cognitive functions such as memory and concentration. It does this by improving circulation to, from and around the brain which also improves the function of the part of the brain that controls sleep. It improves our circadian rhythms (natural biological processes that occur over a 24 hour period) and helps to define them, so we feel sleepy when it's time to sleep at night, and awake during the day. Yoga poses also cause the body to flush out toxins that might be keeping us awake, such as an excess of caffeine, or even something as simple as a cold virus that has our nose blocked, making it hard to sleep comfortably.

Yoga is the perfect choice of exercise for an insomniac, because it doesn't require raising the heart rate or getting out of breath. Doctors recommend you don't do any exercise in the three hours before going to bed because it will wake your body up, but yoga will not do this. If you are considering taking up yoga then there's no need to consult your doctor, but you should try to find a reputable yoga class and qualified teacher to learn how to do it properly. This will also allow you to personalize your yoga experience and ask your teacher to teach you the poses and breathing exercises that specifically help with insomnia, rather than following a generic yoga DVD. Just some of the poses and exercises that could help you to get a better night's sleep include:

- The Sukhasana: a yoga pose which is done cross legged to promote healthy breathing

- The Ananda Balsana: a pose which relaxes the hips and lower back

- The Halasana: perhaps the most relevant to insomnia, this pose involves deep breathing and concentration

- The Three-Part Breath: a breathing exercise that is beneficial when done right before attempting to sleeping

Although it may not be obvious at first, many people will find that their insomnia is caused by an underlying factor such as stress, anxiety or depression. Yoga has been shown to have a positive effect on all of these conditions. Therefore, rather than going to your doctor for stupefying sleeping pills and addictive beta-blockers it's a much better idea to improve your posture and flexibility at the same time as your insomnia, with a natural approach such as yoga.



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