These are my personal recommendations in finding a yoga school that is right for you.

Rather than simply going to the studio closest to your home or taking classes from a teacher whose schedule fits yours, it is worthwhile to look for the right school and the right person to train you. You need to find someone who is experienced and well trained and whose teaching style and personality you find inspiring.

It really depends on what you want out of yoga training. If your interest lies in getting into teaching as fast as you can with limited focus on the eight limbs of yoga, anatomy, physiology, kinesiology, asanas adjustments, pranayama, mediation, philosophy, Koshas, etc. then choosing a weekend program may be right for you. However, if you want an in-depth understanding of the yogic process, a well accredited school is worth every penny spent.

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The Peacock is known as the bird of 100 eyes. Imagine that you could have the ability to see your yoga practice with different eyes whenever you choose. Each time you opened your feather plume, you would see the world around you in countless different ways. Sometimes in our yoga practice, we become so aware of the familiar that we lose sight of the qualities of our breath, poses, sensations and practice.

Using the metaphor of the peacock in your class encourages students to open up to seeing with fresh eyes. Invite them to explore their poses from different angles, their breath with new wonder, widen their perspective on their sensations and their practice may unfold as something entirely new, unclouded by the familiar.

Exploring poses from different angles and movement helps each student feel the pose as if it were entirely new. Experiment with Baddha Konasana (cobbler’s pose) from a supine position. From the static position, float just the right knee up to center, then lower to the left side coming into a twist. Return to the starting position, repeating several times before shifting to the opposite side. A simple variation to the pose invites students to live in a beginner’s mind. As the instructor, seek out the many ways a pose can be adapted to keep the practice fresh.

In every senior yoga class, we discover the breath in an entirely different way, using hand mudras, partners, props, and shifting focus. All of these help to cultivate a spirit of curiosity.

You can also shift your language often to deepen the student’s awareness. For example, in a pigeon hip sequence, encourage the student to let go of their memory of the pose and experience it as if it were the first time they were entering it. Have them visualize each layer of muscle, tissue, tendon, etc. opening. Invite them to notice what effect the movement is having to other parts of the body, their pelvis, low back, arms and shoulders. Where else in the body is this hip movement creating sensations? Are those sensations positive or negative?

Using the metaphor of the peacock can inspire you, your next class and your students to a whole new way of seeing, not just the practice but perhaps, even the world.

©NamasteWorks Yoga + Wellness, LLC, http://www.namasteworksyoga.com, by: Nancy Levenson

The primary health benefits of yoga are communicated as reducing stress, relieving pain, increasing flexibility and strength or improving one’s balance. But, yoga’s health benefits far exceed this limited Western view.

Dr. Timothy McCall, a board-certified internist has compiled a list of the top 50 “conditions” benefited by yoga based on scientific studies. Click here to see that list. Conditions cited range from; Asthma, Multiple Sclerosis, Osteoarthritis (Degenerative Arthritis), Scoliosis (Curvature of the Spine), Migraine and Tension Headaches to Post-Stroke Rehabilitation. Each condition includes its corresponding references.

As East and West modalities converge, more doctors are seeing the benefits of yoga in helping clients achieve overall optimal health. As an advanced teacher of yoga therapy, I have worked with many clients suffering from the above conditions. The tools of yoga help to bring any imbalances back into balance and work to support conventional treatments.

©NamasteWorks Yoga + Wellness, LLC, http://www.namasteworksyoga.com, by: Nancy Levenson