The benefits of Hatha Yoga: Courses

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2012年10月6日星期六

Hatha Yoga Certification Home Study Courses

Let's say you have decided to become a Yoga instructor, but you do not have weeks or months, of free time, to spend away from your family, friends, and obligations. You have researched Yoga certification classes from NYC (New York City) to Sacramento, CA. The typical training course for Yoga instructors will also require you to pay fairly large sums of money, which creates another hardship.

Are there any other Yoga instructor training options for the working person, with family obligations and a budget? Yes, there are - and a Hatha Yoga certification home study program meets the needs of many practitioners who aspire to teach Yoga. With Internet technology, we also have online Yoga instructor training study programs.

Hatha Yoga Certification home study courses, correspondence courses, and distance learning courses, have existed for decades. Not everyone has the financial resources, or free time, available to "fly off" to Tibet or India.

In an ideal world, it would be nice to have the time, and money, to attend a Yoga teacher certification class in Honolulu, but maybe it's just not realistic thinking at this time. Is a Hatha Yoga certification home study course starting to sound more realistic?

What should you be looking for in a home study course designed for Hatha Yoga instructors? What material should a Hatha Yoga home study course contain? Will there be Yoga certification videos or DVD's. Should the whole Yoga instructor's training course be designed for online learning?

A Yoga instructor's training course and certification should consume a minimum of 200 study hours. This 200 hour standard has become the generally agreed minimum requirement for most Yoga teacher certification organizations.

There are some Yoga teacher certifications that require less than 200 hours, but will you learn about modifications, contraindications, anatomy, physiology, the subtle body, chakras, mudras, bandhas, doshas, kriyas, asanas, meditation, and Pranayama in less than 200 hours? Remember that 200 hours is the generally agreed "minimum" number of Yoga teacher training study hours.

DVD has become the most popular international format for video, so Yoga certification videos should be in DVD format. If you have previous experience as a Yoga student, and had, or have, a Yoga teacher for guidance; your Yoga instructor internship will be a smooth process. Experienced Yoga practitioners can easily grasp the concepts presented within Yoga certification videos.

However, if you have no previous experience, as a Yoga student, you can make life easier on yourself by seeking the guidance of a competent Yoga teacher in your local area.

Lastly, the ability to turn in written assignments by Email speeds up the Yoga instructor certification process, but it also helps to get tutoring by Email or phone. These are options to consider when choosing a Hatha Yoga certification home study program.

Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500, is a co-owner and the director of Yoga teacher training at: Aura Wellness Center, in Attleboro, MA. http://www.riyoga.com He has been a certified Master Yoga teacher since 1995. To receive a Free e-Book: "Yoga in Practice," and a Free Yoga Newsletter, please visit: http://www.yoga-teacher-training.org/index.html

2012年9月30日星期日

Tips For Choosing Yoga Training Courses

Yoga in Western countries may have started life as a something of a hippy niche, but over the last 20 years, it has entered the mainstream at a phenomenal rate. With this popularization of an ancient Indian tradition, there has been a huge growth in organizations offering yoga teacher training. Gone are the days when students had to travel to India to gain qualifications. But the plethora of courses has created its' own problems - not least in the question of quality and whether a course is recognized by the appropriate local and international associations. The prospective student must also ask themselves a number of important questions, the most fundamental of which is the type of yoga they wish to be trained in. But also, the wider question of what direction they wish to take their training in once completed. This article will address all of these points, and help provide a framework with which students may better choose amongst the many courses offered.

There are more styles of yoga available today than there has possibly been ever. Some represent a continuation of older traditions, that are relatively unchanged. This includes hatha yoga, and styles by Desikachar and Iyengar. Others represent a synthesis of different methods, even whilst being shrouded in mystical origins. For example, some have suggested that Ashtanga yoga is not derived from the yoga Korunta, but from a synthesis of traditions that may have included early acrobatics!

Some styles of yoga are very modern, and evolved more out of an adaptation to the West. Bikram yoga is a good example of this - and perhaps a very extreme one, given that Bikram copyrighted 'his' yoga poses and they way they were taught, despite yoga being essentially in the public domain.

Most people who train as teachers in yoga do so in a discipline that they have been practising already. This does make logical sense, as it's important to be passionate about what you do for a living. There is the additional experience that people will have with a particular style of yoga that no doubt makes it easier than starting from scratch in a different style.

But other issues may come into play when choosing a yoga school. Is the style of yoga you like well supported in your area? Is there sufficient demand for that style? Understanding who these particular styles of yoga appeals to will help later on when you set up your own yoga business, as it will guide your marketing, choice of location, logo, and business identity. It's worth thinking a little bit about these things before you make a time and financial commitment to getting qualified.

Finding out whether your course is accredited nationally and internationally is an important step. There are various governing associations at different levels around the world. For example, in the UK there is the British Wheel Of Yoga. In Australia, the government keeps a list of accredited training courses through the Australian National Training Authority. For a yoga specific association, try the Yoga Teachers Association of Australia. Globally, there is the International Yoga Teachers Association, which is available in many countries. There is also the American Yoga Association, Yoga Scotland, and the European Union Of Yoga.

Each of these organizations may have different standards by which they measure courses. But they do provide a good guideline for selecting providers with a minimum level of professionalism, integrity, and quality. You could look at contacting teachers who have gone through their training to find out what they thought of the course, and perhaps go to a few of their classes to get a feel for what is being taught.

Before going into any course, it's a good idea to have some sense of the bigger picture. For example, are you looking at combining yoga with other healing modalities, such as massage, nutrition, meditation, or some combination of all of these. There are some teaching colleges that integrate yoga with other modalities, both locally and abroad in India. For the sake of continuity, and ease of integration, it may be easier to look at this before any study is actually done. It may prove easier to study with an all-in-one provider who will provide a clearer way to integrate these different aspects of health.

In some ways, this broad integration of yoga with health is more closely aligned with the true nature of yoga, according to some teachers such as Desikachar. But Indian style yoga is not the only one that offers this approach, with the Japanese ki, or Ki yoga often integrated with macrobiotics and shiatsu.

If you're interested in going more deeply into yoga training for your own personal practice, as opposed to a prelude to teaching, studying abroad can be a truly rewarding experience. If you're looking for teaching qualifications, it may be wiser to choose an institution in your own country, at least initially. Because it should be adapted to Western learning styles, the structured environment it provides will be easier to learn in.

Yoga training can be intensely rewarding, and life changing in many ways. Provided you choose a course that is accredited, in a style of teaching you like, and that has good community support, it could be the start of a great new career.

If you'd like to explore the option of studying yoga in an Indian school, click here. If you'd like to read more yoga articles, click here.

2012年8月23日星期四

Yoga Instructor Certification Courses: How Important is a 200 Hour Certification for Yoga Teachers?

When choosing a Yoga instructor program, you have to determine what it is that you want to get out of it. Do you want a comprehensive Yoga instructor's course or a quick Yoga instructor diploma to teach Yoga classes?

Are you looking for continuing education credits for the Yoga Alliance -The Yoga Register, British Wheel of Yoga, The International Yoga Federation, or another registry of Yoga teachers? Do you want to enhance your knowledge and teach Yoga to your friends?

It is really all about evaluating what your primary motive is to teach Yoga. You should be aware that many places, which hire Yoga instructors, are requiring a Yoga teacher's diploma from a 200 hour certification course.

The Yoga 200 hour certification for Yoga instructor training has become a "bare minimum" standard for teaching Yoga. What is the reason for this? In a nutshell, it is liability. Liability has become a potential issue in every field, including fitness, weight loss, health, wellness, and Yoga.

Therefore, a Yoga teacher's diploma from a 200 hour certification course; would be a prudent first step. A liability insurance policy for Yoga instructors would also be a wise precaution. Injuries in Yoga class are very rare.

However, injuries can occur when a Yoga student has been inactive and develops the impulse to jump into a vigorous Yoga class. Yoga instructors should speak with potential students prior to their participation in a first class.

In this way, Yoga teachers will be aware of pre-existing conditions, within their students. Yoga teachers should establish communication at the initial meeting with any potential Yoga student. If a Yoga instructor course does not cover communication, contraindications, modifications, and some assisting, what good is it?

This is why a Yoga instructor's diploma from a 200 hour certification course has become the minimum International hiring requirement for Yoga studios. Regardless of how you choose your certification course, for teacher training in Yoga, you want to be prepared for a variety of circumstances.

Hatha Yoga certification home study has become popular with many interns, who have family and work obligations. Some interns have expenses at home and do not have the luxury of $10,000 in spare cash to spend on a certification for teaching Yoga.

This is fine, but make sure the course is a 200 Hour Certification for Yoga teachers, and you will receive a diploma to teach upon successful graduation.

There are continuing education certificates for Yoga instructors, which are for short courses. These make beautiful "wall paper," for established Yoga teachers, but these are not Level 1 Yoga instructor certifications, which should state that you participated in a minimum 200 hour program.

2012年10月6日 星期六