Secrets of Successful Yoga Studios

What will happen if you are a competent, talented, and compassionate Yoga teacher, without enough dedicated students? Here is a simple answer: Don?t quit your ?day job? and don?t open a Yoga studio of your own. Sorry to be so blunt, but you need time to grow your following.

When, or if, you develop a following as an independent contractor, then and only then, think about opening a Yoga center. This is not meant to be harsh, but there are enough Yoga centers with poor business skills to go around, and you don?t need to lose every penny you saved without developing sound business plans.

Therefore, please take time to develop a Yoga business plan with goals and estimated time frames. Unfortunately, I have seen too many Yoga studios open with a ?one month plan.? Can you imagine opening an ashram without a telephone, getting caught up in zoning board complications, or just hoping for the best? One poorly organized Yoga studio makes all Yoga teachers look bad, and leaves the public thinking every Yoga studio is like that.

How do you feel when you go to a deli for the 20th time and the counter help tries to avoid you? Do you feel like going back again, when, half the time, they get your order wrong? Where am I going with this?

Every Yoga studio should have an appointed person for customer service and public relations. Yoga teachers should know all of their students? names ?by heart.? If you ignore your Yoga students, there is no reason for them to stay. They will feel unwelcome and unworthy. One of the worst ways to handle a student / teacher relationship is to ignore a Yoga student.

Be careful of perceptions that make you feel like you are better than your Yoga students. Remember that your students pay you to teach Yoga. You should treat them like your best friends. How many of your friends are paying for your meals, car, mortgage, or your vacations? Your Yoga students are ?number one.?

Doing the ?little extras,? keeps Yoga students. When a student has a question, it is your job to give an informed answer; and if you do not have one, consult with a senior or master Yoga teacher. If you are not a ?people person,? do not become a Yoga teacher.

Make sure that the person who answers your phone loves people. You can?t keep a Yoga studio open with a grumpy receptionist. The receptionist is the initial ?gate keeper? of a Yoga studio, and for Yoga students, that gate should be held open with a wide smile.

Each Yoga studio should be a haven for students to find what they seek, without putting up with inferior service. They face far too much of it, outside the Yoga class. You should know the needs of your students and promise only what you can deliver.

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

Polarized Sunglasses Fun Practical and Needed!

When people see sunglasses advertised as polarized sunglasses they usually do not understand exactly what this means. If you are like me, you probably think that ordinary sunglasses are just as good, so why bother paying the additional cost to have polarized lenses in your sunglasses.

It is a fact that polarized sunglasses are better for your eyes and do help you to have clearer vision when you are out in the sun. They also offer protection that normal sunglasses do not, from the harmful sun rays.

If you spend any amount of time out of doors in direct sunlight, then you are able to really take advantage of the benefits create by having polarized sunglasses.

If you play a lot of sports, for example, golf, tennis or fishing polarized sunglass can help you both see what you are doing better as well as protect your eyes from the harmful UV rays.

We always hear about wearing lots of sunscreen to protect our skin, however there exists incredibly little said about wearing polarized lenses in sunglasses to protect your eyes. Over a period of a normal humans lifetime damage to your eyes from over exposure from the sun can occur.

Polarized sunglasses make use of a wonderful technology that helps to neutralize the glare you get when the sun reflects off flat surfaces. While this can include scientific terms, the most important thing is that when you put on polarised sunglasses.

This allows you to no longer have to squint when you look at a surface that is in direct sunlight. The polarized lenses in the sunglasses neutralize the horizontal rays with vertical polarizers making it possible for you to see clearly.

Even though virtually all of the designers of sunglasses advertise their products geared towards certain groups of people, like those considering camping or even baseball sunglasses, anyone can have on polarized sunglasses and reap their benefits. Many truck drivers utilize polarized sunglasses for those long driving runs, they have reported less eye fatigue and headaches.

Getting the ultimate in protection from UV rays and however maintaining true color when you look at objects is the goal behind the designer sunglasses containing polarised lenses. Buying quality brands will ensure that you get quality lenses with very little object or color distortion.

Try out the designs of all the major lines of sunglasses. You will find that almost all of them have polarized sunglasses. The polarised sunglasses on the market come in all different colors of lenses and in incredibly fashionable designs that many Hollywood stars use. Oakley, Hobie, Arnette, Costs del Mar ? all of these famous corporations develop sun glasses with polarized lenses.

When you decide to go on that weekend fishing trip do not forget to take along a quality pair of sunglasses to help protect your eyes and make seeing into the water easier.

Polarized sunglasses are here to stay so if you are still using those thrift store sunglasses it is time to change.

http://www.everythingsunglasses.com

Everything you would want to know about sunglasses. Including discount sunglasses and polarized sunglasses.

Listen To Your Body Don't Shout At It!

As a sometime Masters Athlete, I have learned that my body lets me know when its a bit 'down'- a touch of tinea; the tickle of a possible cold sore; the feeling of being 'run down'. These are signs that my immune system is depressed, and that putting in a hard session today will lead to a cold or sore throat tomorrow. The body's talking, and I've learned to listen. If I'm sensible, I'll also try for an early night, eat some good food, and take some extra vitamins- especially C.

As I've learned about health and nutrition, I've not only learned to listen to my body, but I've come more and more to respect traditional remedies and wisdom. Many traditional sayings are proving to have a scientific basis. Take these few examples;

- Eat up your carrots -it really DOES help you see in the dark.

- Fish is brain food -takes on new credibility as we learn about Essential Fatty Acids.

- Drink tea with lemon for a cold- works, although it's probably the bioflavonoids in the tea, not the vitamin C in the lemon!

Not only do many old sayings have validity, but so do many old remedies. Numerous traditional herbs have 'given birth' to modern drugs. To name just a couple...

- Valerian led to Valium

- Willow Bark led to Asprin

In fact, Nuturopath Chris Wainwright tells me that about half of the pharmaceutical drugs around are derived from natural sources. So we invented drugs thousands of years before we invented pharmaceutical companies! Grandma and natives in the Amazon DID have some idea of what they were saying and doing!

As well as a tendency to disregard 'old-fashioned' knowledge, we have an unfortunate tendency to react to symptoms, rather than trying to understand why we are feeling the way we do. Today, happily, modern science is catching up with the fact that we shouldn't always resort to modern science when the body does something different!

Coughing, pain, fever, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, anxiety, fatigue, sneezing and inflammation are standard defences used by the body. We mask them at our peril. Here are a few examples.

- Coughing clears the airways.

- Fever raises the body's temperature to help destroy pathogens.

- Pain is there for good reason. As someone pointed out, Pain isn't nature's way of telling us that we have an asprin deficiency!

While I'm not suggesting that every occurrence of these symptoms should be ignored, and assumed to be no risk to our health, we have a pathetic tendency to rush out for the latest product advertised on TV to cure the symptom. Or to ask the Doctor to prescribe antibiotics!

A new field of study in medical science has developed in recent years. This field, of understanding how the body evolved the way in which it operates, is called Darwinian Medicine.

Having respect for a couple of thousand years of accumulated wisdom, can help us enhance our body's ability to maintain good health.

A greater understanding of why our body is acting the way it is, will help all of us to respond more appropriately to the symptoms our body develops from time to time.

To repeat the title of this article- LISTEN to YOUR body.

John Payne is a successful Masters Athlete, and formerly worked at the Australian Institue of Sport.

Today, John is the Founder of the fast-growing business, Enviro-Friendly Products

Body Building For Beginners

How many people are there that would love to add some muscle to their skinny frame? Or maybe you're carrying some extra weight around that you would like to get rid of and tone up your body at the same time. A lot of people would love to get started on a strength training routine but they don't have the necessary information to do so. Hopefully after reading this you'll have the information and confidence to give it a try.

The first rule to abide by when you're beginning to train is to only train each body part once per week. Many new trainees are so eager to get going that they often over train and instead of maximizing their muscle gains they actually lose muscle. It's often viewed as too little work to only do each body part per week, but as a new trainee it's more then enough. When training, another rule of thumb to go by is to train each body part in the order of largest to smallest. A good example of a routine that follows these rules would be something like, Quadriceps and hamstrings (legs) on Monday, Back on Tuesday, Chest on Wednesday, shoulders on Thursday and biceps and triceps on Friday. By using this sample routine for a while you will be able to see how much rest each body part is getting and change the days around if need be.

It is best to choose a compound exercise for each body part that you can use to track your progress. This would include exercises such as the squat or dead lift for your legs, weighted chin-ups or bent rows for your back, bench press for your chest, barbell military press for your shoulders and close grip presses for your triceps and barbell curls for your biceps. The key is to do these exercises at the beginning of your workouts so your energy levels are at 100 % which will make it easier for you to monitor your progress from week to week. It is also advisable to keep these lifts pretty heavy, which in return will tell you that you're progressing every time you can add some weight to them.

Now that you have the exercises we need to put them into a workout for you to get going. A great basic starting point is to do every exercise for 3 sets of 8 repetitions. You should also precede each initial set with 2 light warm up sets. For your first real set you should try to go as close to failure as you can, (complete the sets with enough strength to do 1 or 2 more reps) the second set should go fully to failure (unable to complete even one more rep) and the third set should utilize at least one forced rep (another rep completed with the assistance of a partner).

If you're willing to stick to the above prescribed routine and give it all that you've got, I guarantee you that you will start to see a noticeable difference in your musculature and overall well being. Take the plunge and create the body you've always wanted.

Michael Russell Your Independent guide to Body Building.

Childhood Epidemic Rises 6000% What Can Be Learned About Autism?

The latest tallies show that over three million people in North America alone carry some type of autism diagnosis. With this increase the biggest question people are asking is why. Over 20 years ago the incidence was estimated to be 1 in 10,000. Now it?s a whopping 1 in 166 according to the U.S. Center for Disease control and is still expected to rise. With the life long care of someone with autism costing approximately 2.2 million per person according to the MIND Institute, we need to start committing proper resources to early intervention now to enable this population to lead fulfilling and productive lives as well as contribute to society

The frustrating point in the above scenario is the lack of interest and resources allocated through government and other agencies towards a solution. This includes actively determining the cause and implementing adequate research towards curative and helpful measures. The US Government will happily spend 1.9 billion dollars for a single Trident nuclear submarine in a fleet of around fifty, yet is only spending 66 million on the entire special education area, which includes special teachers, training and proper equipment and supports.

While hosting an autism conference in Hawaii last month I received a call from a grandmother asking if I could help her thirteen-year-old autistic grandson who was still in diapers. This just shouldn?t be happening in this day and age. Whether there is a cure for autism or not, there are programs and interventions that help all children with autism grow up to be productive community citizens especially through early intervention practices as mentioned earlier. This can happen when parents put their own egos aside and recognize very early that their child has autism, accept the diagnosis and get the treatment the child deserves allowing them to use their inborn strengths and talents to live to their fullest.

Methodologies also need to be more visible and understood. Yes there are successful ways to approach autism like Applied Behavioral Analysis, Greenspan, Daily Life Therapy, Miller Method, the SCERTS method and Relationship Development Intervention which may all sound Greek to some, however, most parents just hear of one and go with it. This could be due to the nature of the beast so to speak, in that many parents of children with autism even show signs of autism themselves such as structured, literal thinking. This forces them to have limited beliefs and be less willing to consider other options in a more abstract manner. Many of these methodologies and belief systems have become rigid and unchanging even though many more options are now available and even more are on the horizon.

As to the cause, many speculate that mercury in addition to other heavy metals could be a strong culprit though the proof is not in the pudding yet. Books like ?Evidence Of Harm? by David Kirby, a New York Times writer clearly organizes all the facts for others to draw their own conclusion surrounding the issues around immunizations. Perhaps it?s in the dental amalgams, the fish we eat or other environmental surroundings.

Then still others are pointing to the gene pool saying it is passed on from one generation to the next. I know in my case, I believe my Aeronautical Engineer father has a high functioning form of autism and I grew up thinking he was ?normal?. I was therefore attracted to someone who also has many symptoms of autism such as the lack of social skills in certain situations, an egocentric focus, and perseveration (doing the same thing over and over again), especially when it comes to working 7 days a week 12 hour days. And then, there?s me. The more I learn about autism, the more I certainly can see signs in myself.

The best, most proven hope of helping children with autism to lead fulfilling and productive lives I know of, is early intervention. Also, many experience reduced symptoms in their children with autism when gluten and casein are removed or reduced from their diets. Other dietary strategies are being successfully implemented such as a modified Atkins type diet or even sugar and milk free diets. Even if it isn?t perfect, it?s a step in the right direction. Others are having luck by adding vitamins, minerals and glyconutrients back into their systems. Glyconutrients are the sixteen essential sugars missing from our diets due to the poor cultivation processes with our natural fruits and vegetables.

Our Sherwood Park, Alberta based firm, Autism Today is Western Canada?s leading provider of autism conferences. Parents, teachers and professionals can go to: www.keystotreasures.com to learn about our upcoming ?Keys To The Treasure Chest? conferences and workshops. Upcoming speakers include: Dr. Lori Ernsperger and Nick Martin, March 2005, Stephen Shore, June 2005, Dr. Steven Gutstein, October 2005, and Dr. Temple Grandin, Dec 2005. Autism Today also hosts online education and Tele-classes as well as a broad selection of books, videos and other learning material.

To wrap up, more studies need to be in place to prove the validity of certain hopeful interventions. Parents need to know what options are available to them instead of hopping on the first methodology train that comes along. Through autismtoday.com we are implementing two such programs. The first is an unbiased study for glyconutrients in a predetermined group of children with autism. The second part of the effort involves devoting a portion of our site, which will be geared to offering a way for parents to sample some different methodologies for their children before deciding on a particular approach of treatment for their child.

Karen Simmons, known to many as ?The Autism Lady? is the mother of six, one of which as autism, author of ?Little Rainman?, ?The Autism Experience?, ?Artism?, ?Surrounded By Miracle?s and ?Peace of Mind for Autism? (CD). She has been featured in local media as well as Woman?s World Magazine, CBC Radio, The Donna Seebo Show and The Vicki Gabreau Show. Also she is the CEO and founder of Autism Today Online Magazine at http://www.autismtoday.com, which is host to the top autism experts in the field today.

Never Fear Phobia's 'ere!

What is the difference between phobias and fears? Well the distinction generally made is to say that a fear is rational and when fear becomes irrational it is a phobia. In reality the difference is mainly one of degree and the handiest way to distinguish what is a phobia is by saying that a phobia is different from a fear by being more irrational; because, having being fuelled by our imagination, every fear will have a degree of irrationality to it, but it is more reasoned. Phobias need to be de-conditioned in order for a cure to be established. Put simply a persons phobic stimulus has to be reversed when coming into association with the trigger.

Cognitive anxiety management techniques, ongoing relaxation and gradual exposure to the problem situation, can over time ease the causes of phobias. What are the causes of phobias? Well, over time, We have evolved with the ability to become phobic. In today?s complex world our learning mechanism often works in an inappropriate ways and can be held responsible for the causes of phobias. Unconscious or emotional learning takes place to keep us safe. In primitive conditions when coming into contact with something dangerous, the mind/body would create the optimum state for survival - a panic attack. This type of learning is not of the intellectual, or rational type. This type of learning takes place at an emotional level so that the response can bypass the ?thinking brain' and can be attributed to the causes of phobias.

To become phobic, all you need is a high anxiety state paired with an object. The causes of phobias are basically the misuse of the imagination. Non-specific phobias can come about either through a 'spreading-out' of panic attacks, or through a person's levels of general anxiety becoming so high that panic is easily triggered whenever stress levels are raised even slightly. There are several different types of phobia, but all of them can make life miserable, cause embarrassment and undermine self confidence and self esteem. There are simple phobias, which are fear of a single stimulus such as fear of heights, ladders, snakes, rats, frogs, enclosed places, etc. More complex phobias involve a fear of a number of stimuli, such as flying, whereby an individual phobic may be afraid of crashing, being enclosed in the plane, losing self control etc.

Mick Burrows writes for http://www.find-your-phobia.info

http://www.find-your-phobia.info have no fear at exploring this site to discover more about phobias!

South Beach Diet Or Another Fad Diet?

I have thoroughly researched this diet and am giving you every detail of south beach diet for information.

South beach diet book is founded on the premise that switching to good carbs stops insulin resistance and curbs appetite which leads to weight loss. Also, good fats protect the heart and prevent hunger.

But this is hardly true as you will learn after reading this article.

South beach diet book offers a simplistic solution to weight loss. All you need to do is eat good carbs like whole grains, vegetables and beans instead of eating bad carbs like sugar white breads and potatoes.

South beach diet says, fast sugars are worst for dieters and slow sugars are good.

And how are these foods classified as fast or slow? The Glycemic Index.

According to south beach diet, the food having a high Glycemic Index causes the blood sugar to spike (go up) immedietly after having the meal,whereas the food with a lower GI does not drastically shoot up the blood sugar levels.

But this theory is only partially true. Yes, the foods with high GI are good for diabetics in helping them to keep their blood sugar levels in check, but contrary to popular belief, the glycemic index of a certain food is not the same.i.e. it depends on how the food is processed, stored, ripened and cooked.

Further, south beach diet is formulated on the premise that good carbs like whole grains have a low glycemic index and bad carbs like sugars, white flour and refined grains have a higher GI.

BUT THE TRUTH IS....

Bread is high GI whether whole wheat or white because it is made from finely ground flour.

Pasta is low GI, whether whole or white(thin languine has a high GI as compared to the thick one)

Instant white rice is low GI whereas Uncle bens converted white rice is high GI.

Take the case of sugars...Glucose is high GI, Sucrose is medium GI and fructose is low GI

This illustrates that recommending foods based on GI is confusing as well as misleading. On top of it all, there is no research to support the claim that the rise in blood sugar by eating high GI foods leads to high blood insulin levels, and that this leads people to overeat.

To summarise...there is no evidence to suggest that eating low GI foods leads to weight loss.

Now lets have a look at the south beach diet menu.

South beach diet book claims that you won't feel hungry while on this diet. This is impossible considering the fact that some of the menus average only 1200 calories, which is too low not to feel hungry.

The diet encourages you to eat seafood, chicken breast, lean meat, vegetables,whole grains, some fruits, beans, low fat cheese, nuts, oils and whole grains. fatty meats, high fat cheese, refined grains, sweets, juice and potatoes.

The choice of foods in this diet plan are somewhat healthy compared to other leading diet plans like ATKINS but restricting the consumption of carrots, bananas, pineapple and watermelon is the worst part of south beach diet.

The meal plan consists of three phases :

Phase 1 of south beach diet :

You are allowed to eat normal size helpings of chicken, meat, turkey, fish and shellfish, vegetables, eggs, cheese and nuts. You can have three meals per day. Desserts, coffee and tea are also allowed.

But for the first 14 days you are not allowed to eat bread,rice,potatoes,pasta or baked goods and even fruits!

Phase 2 of south beach diet :

You can slowly begin to reintroduce carbs into your diet again. The diet advices you to take all the forbidden foods in phase 1 like bread, pasta, fruits etc. in moderate quantities but at the same time not as much as you were having before.

Phase 3 of south beach diet:

This part is the most relaxed. Dr.Agastson says that you can now forget that you are on a diet. He says that now onwards it is just a healthy lifestyle you are used to, and going to adhere for the rest of your life.

All in all, south beach diet is one more money spinning fad diet for the creator of this weight loss program and a phsychological prop(support) for people who are allways hopping from one diet to the other in search of a hollywood like sexy body.

The initial weight loss caused by this diet is on account of calorie restriction and not because of low Glycemic Index or an invisible switch as Dr. Agastson's marketing language wants you to believe.

Your health could be 100 times better without south beach diet weight loss program,if you choose healthy foods like green vegetables,whole grains,fiber rich foods and vegetables.

And if you are eager to lose those extra pounds,why not do it the most natural way with the weight loss principles of Ayurveda medicinal science?

This is the most effective long term,scientifically proven solution to excess fat.

You can get real cutting edge fat burning secrets of Ayurveda in my Free 5day email ecourse by subscribing to my newsletter at: www.eweightlosstips.com/weightlossltr.htm

Rajesh Shetty

Expert in weight loss principles of Ayurveda Medical Science and Author of the Best selling book, Proven weight loss secrets revealed. http://www.eweightlosstips.com/weightlossltr.htm