A personal practice is incredibly important as it is where you maintain your base level of skills and connect to the reason you teach. Taking the time to yourself is useful for so many things and can help you become an excellent teacher.

Unfortunately, as teachers we often let our personal practice slip for any number of reasons. Whether you are experiencing an injury or are lacking in inspiration or motivation, it is vitally important that you keep up with your personal practice. As a teacher, we only have the ability to teach what we know, which means that we have to practice in order to be a better teacher.

Here are 7 tips to stay inspired in your personal yoga practice.

The post 7 Tips To Stay Inspired In Your Personal Yoga Practice appeared first on YogaClassPlan.com.

Fitness is among the most popular industries taking advantage of the massive audience on Instagram, ranking among the 75 most-used media tags worldwide. Happy, smile, beautiful, and fun are also on that list, demonstrating the overall positive vibes held by most users. Not surprisingly, posts about yoga, meditation, and mindfulness are a perfect fit for this social media audience.

Now, yoga professionals can take advantage of a new feature offered by Instagram: Instagram Stories. With the help of this new function, yoga instructors, studios, and students have the ability to share their experiences with fun, informative, and thought provoking posts. In addition to spreading the ideals and practice of yoga, Instagram Stories presents a powerful opportunity for savvy instructors to build and nurture student relationships like never before.

The post How to Use ‘Instagram Stories’ to Connect with your Students appeared first on YogaClassPlan.com.

Laughter Yoga was first developed in the mid-1990s by Indian physician, Madan Kataria. The practice is based on the fact that voluntary laughter can provide the same effect as a spontaneous laugh; and ever since, the practice has become widespread all over the world.

In research carried out at Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Iran, on the effect of Laughter Yoga on the general health of nursing students, the results showed that there was a significant positive difference in the general health of the participants. They experienced improvements in signs of physical and sleep disorders, lower anxiety and depression, and a better social function.

The Kyungpook National University Hospital, Korea, also looked at the effects of laughter therapy on depression, cognition and sleep among the elderly living in the community. The result revealed that laughter therapy had a positive effect on depression, insomnia, and sleep quality in the elderly.

These studies have therefore shown that adopting laughter as a form of exercise can be highly beneficial.

How does Laughter Yoga Work?

The sessions in this form of Yoga are initiated by a form of warm up with participants engaging in clapping, youthful playfulness, jokes and so on. The essence is to make the participants relax and get in the mood.

This form of Yoga combines breathing exercises with laughter to relax the bodies and minds of participants. When you take deep breaths, it calms your body and with a calm body lies a calm mind. It is impossible to be physically relaxed and stressed up mentally. The two parts work in unison. A calm body and mind are open and ready to receive happiness, which is triggered by voluntary laughter.

What are the benefits of Laughter Yoga?

There are several areas of our lives that can be transformed via laughter therapy. These include our health, personal life, business life, as well as social life. Here are the top 5 benefits of Laughter Yoga:

The post What’s all the fuss about Laughter Yoga? appeared first on YogaClassPlan.com.

Horseback yoga: The Lone Ranger and Tonto have nothing on equestrian yogis. Horseback yogis practice standing balances, backbends and twists from the back of a horse (hopefully standing still). No horsing around, this style yoga is said to improve balance, flexibility and holistic union with your horse.

Specialist teacher training priced at $1,555 and upward is available at com/teacher-training–programs.html .

Yoga & Kitties class: Looking to purrfect your Purrior II pose? Strut on down to the Meow Parlour, located on Hester Street NYC. Yoga and kitties classes are 75 minutes and include 30 minutes of playtime, 45 minutes of Vinyasa Flow yoga and 15 minutes cool down with kitty time.  The $22 class price includes a mat and access to the adorable yoga kitties, all of whom are available for adoption. Because some yog kitties can be catty – no personal pets are allowed in class. You might also want to leave your mat at home too as yoga kitties just love a good scratch.

No specialist teacher training is required, just an RYT and love of all things feline. Turtle Flow Yoga in LA offers similar sessions. 

Doga: Do dogs have karma? Kari Harendorf owner of East Yoga in New York City and star of Animal Planet’s K9 Karma believes they do. East Yoga is one of the first studios to offer doga: a partner yoga class that people do with their dogs. To downward dog with the canine masters, nee inventors of that delicious back stretch, see Arizona Yoga (Scottsdale, Ariz). Barking Buddha Doga, (Seattle, Wash) Bideawee Animal Shelter (Long Island & NYC), Doga Dog (Jacksonville Beach, Fla.) East Yoga, (New York City) or Wiggles ‘n’ Wags (Lombard, Ill.)  Most doga classes run about $15-25.

In addition to an RYT yoga certification, dog training and/or animal handler qualifications are highly recommended.

Broga: Broga is “a yoga-based fitness program taught from a man’s point of view”. Strickly sweaty yoga classes for guys who are fed up with pretty lady yoga. According to the website, Brograms are “geared for men (where it’s okay if you can’t touch your toes)”.  The fine print also adds, that means no chanting, binding or fancy yoga pants. Broga’s mission “to get more men practicing yoga”. Broga provide their own teacher training programs online and face-to-face.

See brogayoga.com/get-certified. Similar programs include Jock Yoga and Yoga for Men.

Beer Yoga: Get your Budda Belly on yogis! Beer yoga, the latest craze to hail from down under is gaining popularity around the world from New York breweries to the Burning Man Festival in the Nevada desert. sweeping across the world with events in Berlin, NYC and Nevada. Absolutely no yoga experience required. If you can stand on one leg and hold a bottle of beer over your head for 5 breaths, you’re good to go.  Standing beer yoga poses include beer salutations – holding your beer in the air while lunging forward, beer bottle tree pose –holding tree pose whilst balancing a bottle of beer on your head, giving gratitude to beer pose – take first appreciative sip!  After the first bottle, I’m assuming the sequence moves to seated beer pose or late night facedown asana. If this sounds like your idea of enlightenment, it’s time to get the party started. BYOB yourself down to the beer yoga garden.

Ganja Yoga: Ganja yoga has its “grass” roots in the ancient hippie-yogi traditions of the nineteen sixties. Though many of the original practices have been lost over the decades, the art of sitting cross-legged and inhaling is experiencing something of a California revival thanks to Dee Dussault, founder of Ganja Yoga.  The “unique fusion of ganja and yoga”, is described on her webpage as “less physically intense, but more relaxing than most yoga styles”.  Brazilian Yoga and 420 Remedy.  Offer similar yoga classes.  All are L.A. based, where the rules on ganja are more relaxed than most cities. Still, they advise yogis to smoke before you come.

Instructors are yoga certified, but there are is currently no “official” teacher training programs being offered.   

Laugha Yoga: LOL, laugha yoga is no laughing matter. Seriously, if this article hasn’t already given you the giggles, yoga teacher, then you need a course in Laugha yoga.  The three day Yoga leader Certification is taught by Bharata Wingham, E-RYT 200, CLYT concept is described as “a fun way to awaken yourself and others” Laugha Yoga techniques include Laugha Nidra (deep relaxation followed by laughter) and Pranayama. I am guessing that is teaching people how to catch their breath when trying not to laugh too hard.

If all else fails, you can read this blog to your fellow teachers as a form of laughter therapy or as to brainstorm some new marketing ideas. When you really think about it, even the quirkiest yoga styles are a testament to creative yogapreneurship.  There are so many more styles; I haven’t even touched on, such as karaoke yoga (sing your way through the asanas), nude yoga (in the buff), tantrum yoga (scream and stretch) and every possible variation and combination of styles from warm vinyasa to fusion yoga (mixes Ashtanga, Vinyasa, Iyengar styles). Maybe, these is the right time to dub-step out of your comfort zone and throw a yoga rave or just have more fun.

The post 7 quirky Yoga Styles and how you can teach them appeared first on YogaClassPlan.com.

In fact, the 2016 Yoga in America survey, found that men account for 30% of the nearly 30 million Americans taking yoga classes. That’s 10 million and counting. Of course, this should not come as a surprise to anyone familiar with the history of yoga.

The ancient Vedic yogis were without exception, men. They practiced chanting, meditation and alchemy in secret ceremonies. Rituals and chants were passed from master to student. Women were rarely included. If truth be told, the feminisation of yoga is a contemporary invention, bearing little resemblance to the actual history of yoga.One of the earliest sacred yoga texts called The Yoga Sutras was written by Patanjali, commonly known as the father of modern yoga. His epic poems dating back to 400 CE include stories of war and heroism that would not be out of place in a Hollywood action hero movie. The Hatha Yoga Pradipika on the other hand written sometime later in the 15 th century was authored by Svatmarama, a yogi Master who put Sanskrit to papyrus to explain the fundamental principles and practices of yoga in the day. These include illustrations of the 12 fundamental yoga poses underpinning every postural yoga styles including Ashtanga, Iyengar and Bikram styles (all named after the men who popularised them).

More recent examples of celebrity yoga teachers include Rodney Yee, Russell Simmons, Jason Campbell and Baron Baptiste. Yee and Campbell are regularly featured in Yoga Journal. Men’s Health and Men’s Fitness have also begun to take notice, running features on the benefits of men’s yoga. Baron Baptiste, former coach with the Philadelphia Eagles and founder of Baptiste Power Yoga, in a recent interview with Men’s Fitness, described yoga as a full body work-out with four key benefits for men including building muscle, flexibility, energy and relaxation. These are detailed below:

The post Yoga for Men – 4 reasons to unroll your Yoga mat.  appeared first on YogaClassPlan.com.

As yoga teachers, we encounter people from all walks of life, sexual, gender and cultural/racial identities, in much more intimate circumstances than social media. This puts us in a unique position to promote positivity and generate good thoughts in our classes and communities. Recent statistics estimate that 80% of all American women suffer from body dissatisfaction. Body dissatisfaction is a subjective and negative view of one’s body shape, size and muscular structure (Grogan 2008). Body dissatisfaction is associated with low self-esteem and body image (the view people have of their bodies) Often this is tied up with unrealistic ideals and media stereotypes. It is estimated that eighty-one percent of fourth grade girls are afraid of getting fat.

Body image advocates such as Melanie Klein and Anna Guest-Jelley believe the transformative benefits of yoga can empower, leading  to improved body image. This is supported by researcher Sara Elysia Clancy at Washington State University who measured participants’ responses to body image questions before and after a ten week yoga treatment. Class themes included, Acceptance, Awareness and Spirituality, Mind- Body Connection, Body Compassion, Mindfulness of the self, and Physical and Functional Body. The results showed a significant improvement in body satisfaction.

Positive Body Image – Living a richer life by loving the body you are in.

To begin incorporating some of these techniques into your own practice, teaching and training begin with a short dharma talk on body image.  Don’t be afraid to open the conversation out to students and clients with a few humorous examples such as ‘Does my butt look big in these yoga pants’ or ‘Why don’t I look like Shiva Rhea in that pose?’ Whatever your approach, carry it through the practice with affirmations, mantras and resolves such as ‘I feel alive in my body’, ‘I express myself in my body’, ‘I feel comfortable in my body’.  Positive reinforcement works to generate good feelings.

The practice of diversity is another important demonstration of your values that will empower your students with confidence. Include classes for yoga with curves and impaired on your timetables. Be certain that your promotional materials, brochures, website include images of diverse body shapes, colours and sizes.  Use positive praise and mindfulness throughout the practice. Remind students to humour their bodies, practicing ahimsa (non-violence) towards their own bodies as well as others. Try an inspired mantra such as ‘Yoga is for every body’s body’ and tell them they look ‘beautiful’.

Lastly, but not least, promote a mindful practice of awareness, acceptance and compassion. I once attended a class, with an instructor who spoke about the wisdom of her knees and the ‘issues in her tissue’.  Yoga is a somatic therapy for healing trauma and injuries in both mind and body.  Releasing tension into the lower back for example, helps to relieve anxiety and stress.  Reinforce yoga breathing exercises with visualisations such as ‘inhale let and  ‘exhale go’. To carry that through the practice, remind students to inhale into the muscle stretch and exhale with its release. Finish the practice with a yoga nidra relaxation sequence, checking it with the body after practice and taking notice of the positive changes taking place.

The post Yoga and Body Image: Teaching to Empower appeared first on YogaClassPlan.com.

The word Yoga comes from the Sanskrit word “yuj”, meaning “unite” or “yoke”.  So whether on the mat as we yoga, unite or yoke, with the Self or off the mat where we yoga, unite or yoke, with another human being the end goal is the same, achieving optimal alignment with your truth within the body and mind. Yoga2Life coaching is where the marriage begins. It’s where you are handed a road mat to unleash your true potentiality to honor your soul and the souls around you by helping cultivate true moments of co-creativeness and seeking truth within the Self.

Now, there are more then five ways that Yoga 2 Life Coaching has rocked my world, but for the moment we’ll start with the following five…

Written by-

Jes Dory has studied over 18 years in the Arts (Modern Dance, Ballet, Musical Theater, and Design.) She has practiced yoga since the age of 10 and now is a 200 hour RYT Certified Power Flow Yoga Instructor. You can find her teaching and holding workshops in her local community of Fort Collins, CO. Dory is also a CTA Certified life coach and Ambassador for Yoga2Life. www.jesdory.com

Carrie Martello is the Program Coordinator and Admissions Director for Yoga2Life, and a Certified Yoga Instructor who has been teaching multiple styles of yoga for the past 14 years. Recently, she has been trained as a Certified Life Coach through Coach Training Alliance and has taken on instructing others about how yoga helps to heal and transform lives through principles for effective change.

The post Top 5 Ways Yoga and Life Coaching Rocked My World appeared first on YogaClassPlan.com.

The piece by artist and Yogi Aurel Schmidt, features a strange mutation of Santa Claus and Lakshmi (Hindi goddess of wealth and prosperity). Santa, cap jauntily cocked to the side and winking is morphed onto the body of Lakshmi, arms held in mudra and seated in half-lotus, on the back of giant pink flamingo, a serpent entwined around its standing leg.

The figure, inspired by the artist’s experience of a yoga studio – where classes ended with a closing ‘OM’ chant, and a sales pitch for their ‘spiritual tote bags’ – should represent an alarm bell for all yogaprenuers.

This month, I have been offered everything from strip mall yoga groupons to $10 off on Yoga Christmas calendars – yikes – was that a promos for the infamous  #yogiselfie.  The offer for the Christmas yoga mats, while tempting, really made me feel compromised.

The extent to which yoga has become commercialised and westernised is also the subject of an internet television series called ‘Namaste Bitches’.  The show parodies the many contradictions of the yoga business. For example, in one episode, the studio owner applauds a yoga teacher who tears up the promo-leaflet for a studio of a rival studio.  Of course, what else can a yogi do but laugh at the absurd and tragic nature of a job that values abhyasa (nonattachment to outcome) in the same breath as entrepreneurism.

Let’s be real.  Yoga is a $5.7 billion business.  What’s more, yoga paraphernalia makes up more 70% of the income gained by most yoga studio or businesses.  Let’s face it, this is the means by which many yoga teachers and studios survive.  Still, there must be a better way to market essential oils and yoga pants, than the creepy  ‘yoga inspired retail’, ‘eco chic’ ‘extend the yoga experience’ style of adverts that make their way into my inbox, via the green tab.

Yoga’s new consumer identity crisis is the subject a new book by Andrea Jain, The Selling of Yoga: From Counter Culture to Pop Culture. In it, Jain considers the diffusion of yoga from a ‘spiritual tradition’ to a ‘commodity’ in the pop culture marketplace.  As the love child of a mid-western American and a Hindi (of the Jain Yogi tradition), Jain is well placed to take on the debate, but she stops just short of taking a side.

Strip mall yoga for all its faults, is where Jain and some twenty million other Americans practice and teach yoga.  That the type of yoga practiced is postural rather than spiritual or lifestyle rather than religious is a non-starter.   For those who practice yoga, issues of authenticity versus commodity do not exist.

The post It’s only Yoga! appeared first on YogaClassPlan.com.

If you have not seen this yet, please check it out… Wow… I mean WOW!!!!

The post Very inspirational video – Yoga Heals appeared first on YogaClassPlan.com.

Yoga Cat – Watch MoreFunny Videos

The post Yoga for cats? appeared first on YogaClassPlan.com.