As recently as a century ago, when the average life expectancy throughout the Western world was less than forty years, people gave little thought to keeping fit. Life was simply not long enough. The few men and women who lived into their eighties and nineties were thought old souls of whom it was said that they were so mean nothing would kill them.

Perhaps yoga certification is something you've often dreamed of. For those who dream of it, many don't pursue it because they think it isn't feasible. The combination of cost plus the time it takes to complete training may be discouraging. However, many people don't realize that yoga instructor training can be completed in a home study course. This

Many people compare the Yoga teacher certification process to a big hurdle in life, but the day an intern receives his or her diploma, for teaching Yoga, is only the beginning of the journey. The day of graduation, from student to Yoga teacher, could be compared to a butterfly coming out of a chrysalis. For a new Yoga teacher, this is the beginn

In ancient times yoga was all about physical activities which had no relation with any props or equipments. This was at the times of the ancient sages. But with the passage of time many people have become aware of the effectiveness of yoga and this is the reason why yoga is being practiced by the people of all pages. Yoga classes are being cond

There is plenty of competition to go around in this world. If you are a Yoga teacher, you should not encourage competition within a Kids Yoga class. This is not easily done. Each child wants praise, but this can be accomplished by making your Yoga class a nurturing event, where every child who participates, can feel a sense of self-worth. This a

Yoga was a big thing during the 60s. However, it soon began to drop in popularity. People undertaking yoga as an exercise soon lost patience with the activity, due to its slow but steady results, and turned their interest to a faster pace of exercise such as aerobics. However, yoga has turned once again in the popularity ratings and become a ver

When you leave your Yoga class, you go out into the real world. Maybe someone says something rude, you get cut off on the highway, or you feel someone is taking advantage of your good nature. It is only human to feel a need for retribution, if an injustice has been done to you; but at what cost to you? The cost of carrying a grudge causes you st

Recognizing your own destiny, through self-realization, is a foundation of Yoga. We often hear terms such as: "I need time to get it together," or "I need to find myself." This is the beginning of self-realization and the recognition of a need to find solutions. Now, what if you find your environment is full of negative energy and the source is

Yoga has been helping people take control of their lives for 5,000 years, and counting. Taking control of your life is a daily obstacle, but you can easily start, right now. How do you envision your life today, tomorrow, or next week? If we ask one hundred people, we will receive one hundred different answers. Yet, we can classify the resulting

There are many methods for organizing thoughts, but the oldest of them is the science of life, which we call Yoga. The mind could be easily compared to any other structure or machine. For example: Have you ever tried to work in a messy office or operate a machine which is not maintained? The clutter within, and around it, creates a lack of producti

Yoga often helps us to carefully examine logical and illogical mind chatter. Fear can be caused by either, logical or illogical, thoughts. Sorting out our fears, and categorizing them, will give us a rational view of, an often, irrational emotion. Logical thoughts, which strike fear into us, have been learned over time, such as: Putting our hand

Non-practitioners often accuse Yoga practitioners of too much self-indulgence. The common concern is that too much self-awareness will cause the Yogi, or Yogini, to worship the inner being. Before you get too excited - you and I know this is not true, but the world needs some time to adjust to Yogic philosophy. You are thinking: "How can the wor

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 id

Yoga has been able to help many of mankind's ailments, but what about anger management? How can Yoga prevent rage and the burning desire for revenge? Many people say: "Don't get mad, get even." Is this what we are talking about? As any Yoga practitioner knows, Yoga has nothing to do with "getting even." However, revenge has become "the special o

The next obstacle is self-righteousness or delusion. This is the belief that you are right, even though the universal laws of morality say you are wrong. How can genocide be justified? How can one race, or religion, justify alienating another? How can innocent civilians be slaughtered for retribution? Sorry to bring up such extremes, but self-ri