Universal Principles of Yoga, Part 5

Kundalini Yoga: Is unity through awakening psychic nerve force, which indicates the depth of this Yoga style. Kundalini Yoga is sometimes referred to as the ?Mother of all Yogas.? On the surface Kundalini Yoga might resemble Hatha Yoga, but the emphasis on the subtle body, chakras, mantras, meditation, and Pranayama is presented in a uniquely powerful way.

Kundalini Yoga was cloaked in secrecy until Yogi Bhajan gave a lecture in Los Angeles during January of 1969. Until that time, most information about Kundalini Yoga had been exchanged verbally from teacher to student. So, this was the beginning of Kundalini Yoga teaching ?going public.?

The awakening of Kundalini energy starts with focusing on dormant energy at the base of the spine within the first major Chakra; also known as the Muladhara Chakra. Through asanas, coordinated Pranayama, Japa (repeating mantras), and meditation, the Kundalini energy is sent up the spine to the Sahasrara Chakra at the crown of the head.

Samadhi, also known as intuitive enlightenment, is one of the most sought after results of Kundalini Yoga practice. Therefore, Kundalini attracts a much different type of student and Yoga teacher from what is most commonly found in a Hatha Yoga class. This is neither right, nor wrong, but most Hatha Yoga students are not usually pursuing a spiritual transformation process.

As a side note: Kundalini has taken a few verbal assaults, from religious fundamentalists, for being a bit mystical and a little harder to understand. Based upon my own experience, Kundalini Yoga sessions will purge negative energy from your mind and body. Only positive results can be gained in the study of Kundalini Yoga, under the supervision of a competent Kundalini Yoga teacher.

Mantra Yoga: Is unity through sound. Mantra Yoga is also referred to as Japa Yoga and the repeating of particular Mantras will cause sensory withdrawal (Pratyahara). This is, in fact, easier for most people to accomplish than meditation and it allows the Mantra Yoga practitioner to remove negative energy from the body, mind, and spirit.

In Sanskrit Mantra literally means ?tool for thinking? or ?tool for thought.? The purpose of Mantra Yoga is to achieve salvation through unity with the supreme consciousness, which you many people refer to as God, Brahman, Yahweh, Jehovah, or Allah. The repeating of Mantras, which is also known as Japa, is in fact prayer. So, Mantra Yoga may not look like much ?from the outside looking in,? but it is a deeply spiritual, powerful, and rewarding Yoga practice, in its own right.

? Copyright 2006 ? Paul Jerard / Aura Publications

Paul Jerard is a co-owner and the director of Yoga teacher training at: Aura Wellness Center, in North Providence, RI. He has been a certified Master Yoga teacher since 1995. He is a master instructor of martial arts, with multiple Black Belts, four martial arts teaching credentials, and was recently inducted into the USA Martial Arts Hall of Fame. He teaches Yoga, martial arts, and fitness to children, adults, and seniors in the greater Providence area. Recently he wrote: Is Running a Yoga Business Right for You? For Yoga students, who may be considering a new career as a Yoga teacher. http://www.yoga-teacher-training.org/index.html

Insider Secrets to the Business of Teaching Yoga, Part 4

The authors, previously mentioned, have more than one motivational audio book out on the market - and this is only the ?tip of the iceberg.? Some of their stories will entertain you and give you insight to success. Every Yoga teacher, who succeeds, learns from past failures. It?s less painful to learn from other Yoga instructor?s failures and much less expensive, too.

If you brainstorm with successful Yoga teachers, or people in general, you will find many of them read or listen to inspirational material. They don?t participate in, or listen to, much negative talk, and you can?t afford to either.

As a Yoga teacher, you have to be positive when teaching every Yoga class. Your students will feel negative energy from you, and it is hard for any Yoga teacher to help others if he or she is ?feeling down in the dumps.?

Some negative thinkers will tell you to resign yourself to teach Yoga as a hobby. This is what each Yoga teacher should do if he or she doesn?t believe in success. Forget about your dreams, and believe in doom and gloom. You learn worthless concepts like:

?That will never work.?

?You have to be born with money.?

?Life sucks and then you die.?

Enough already! Stay away from these people, who want to shatter your dreams, of being a successful Yoga teacher, and believe in yourself. If you need more audio book or e-Book recommendations; send me an Email. When you develop a positive outlook, you will find yourself surrounded by positive people.

When each of us chooses to study Yoga, and then to teach Yoga; we learn about the many positive components of Yoga. Go back to the basics and cultivate prana. Practice positive meditation and positively visualize your future every day.

Eat a sattvic diet or eat as close as you can to sattvic. In truth, all Yoga teachers must ?walk the talk.? When we decide to become a Yoga teacher, we are supposed to be examples of good mental, physical, and spiritual health.

This does not mean we have to have perfect bodies, but all Yoga teachers should be in the best health possible. Otherwise, what kind of a message are we sending to the public at large? Being a good example of health is part of the job description if you decide to teach Yoga.

? Copyright 2006 ? Paul Jerard / Aura Publications

Paul Jerard is a co-owner and the director of Yoga teacher training at: Aura Wellness Center, in North Providence, RI. He has been a certified Master Yoga teacher since 1995. He is a master instructor of martial arts, with multiple Black Belts, four martial arts teaching credentials, and was recently inducted into the USA Martial Arts Hall of Fame. He teaches Yoga, martial arts, and fitness to children, adults, and seniors in the greater Providence area. Recently he wrote: Is Running a Yoga Business Right for You? For Yoga students, who may be considering a new career as a Yoga teacher. http://www.yoga-teacher-training.org/index.html

What Is Hatha Yoga?

‘Ha’ means sun and ‘tha’ means moon so in a simple language ‘hatha’ would mean the union of opposites. It can also be stated as a very forceful yoga. It deals mostly with the poses and basically more into the physical exercises in this type of yoga.

It is the best of exercising and stretching yourselves in the entire manner and provides you the best platform for making your life very beautiful and enhanced. It is the way for your spiritual realization and the important of making it an integral part of your life.

The whole meaning of this word is harmonizing your body or soul. The principle on which hatha yoga works is feeling, thinking, willing and acting. These all when come in perfect balance which makes it a perfect eternal bliss. It is a cleansing process and which helps in removing the blockages of your body and soul. It is a source of energy to remove the repetitive and constant negative energy. It purifies your mind and soul making it very important part of your cleansing.

It describes the Mudras and mental state of mind which results in the level of concentration. It also provides freedom from all the unnecessary worldly choices which would create the right impact on your body and would indirectly be positive for your soul too. This is also a state of withdrawal and the spontaneous state of meditation. Some of the several mudras in Hatha yoga are Vajroli Mudra, Sahajoli Mudra, Khechari Mudra, Shambhavi Mudra, Virpri Karani.

Kevin Pederson, the webmaster for Yogawiz ,and learning about the usefulness of yoga in office and knowing about the different types of yoga.

http://www.yogawiz.com