| Yoga provides great stress relief and other health | | | | teacher in that teaching style for advice. |
| benefits. The Mayo Clinic recommends yoga for | | | | QUESTION 4: WHAT TYPE OF YOGA TEACHER |
| stress management and relaxation, and medical | | | | TRAINING HAVE YOU HAD? |
| journal articles have proven yoga's effectiveness | | | | IDEAL ANSWER: I HAVE COMPLETED (OR AM |
| in treating serious medical conditions such as | | | | CURRENTLY ENROLLED IN) A 500 HOUR |
| arthritis, back pain, carpal tunnel syndrome, | | | | TEACHER TRAINING PROGRAM WHICH |
| depression and multiple sclerosis. | | | | INCLUDES CLASSES, EXAMS, AND APPRENTICE |
| How do you make sure that you get the great | | | | TEACHING. |
| stress relief and other benefits of yoga? Easy! | | | | Suppose a pipe burst in your house and sent a |
| Ask any yoga teacher the questions listed below. | | | | fountain of water gushing through your kitchen. |
| If the teacher's answers closely match the ideal | | | | Uh-oh, you need a plumber! There are two |
| answers, you have found a great teacher. | | | | plumbers in your neighborhood: Plumber Smith and |
| QUESTION 1: DO YOU PRACTICE YOGA NOW? | | | | Plumber Jones. Plumber Smith used to be an |
| IDEAL ANSWER 1: YES, I PRACTICE YOGA | | | | electrician but took a one weekend plumber |
| EVERY DAY. | | | | certification course and is now a plumber. Plumber |
| If you wanted to learn to ride a bicycle, would | | | | Jones enrolled in a year long plumbing certification |
| you take lessons from someone who wrote a | | | | course at a special plumber training school, passed |
| book about bicycles but had never actually ridden | | | | the plumbing certification exam, and apprenticed |
| a bike? Only if you wanted to find the quickest | | | | for one year under a master plumber. Which |
| way to fall off the bicycle! No amount of reading | | | | plumber would you choose? |
| or theoretical knowledge will enable you to | | | | Since yoga can have an enormous impact on |
| understand how to ride a bicycle. Sooner or later | | | | your health, shouldn't you take as much care in |
| you have to get on the bike. The same is true of | | | | choosing a yoga teacher as you would in choosing |
| yoga. Only someone who is currently practicing | | | | a plumber? Your yoga teacher should be enrolled |
| yoga can safely and effectively teach you how to | | | | in or have completed a yoga teacher training |
| do yoga. | | | | course that lasts at least one year, and includes |
| QUESTION 2: ARE YOU CURRENTLY TAKING | | | | classes on how to do yoga, classes on how to |
| LESSONS WITH A YOGA TEACHER? | | | | teach yoga, apprentice teaching under a certified |
| IDEAL ANSWER: YES, I STUDY WITH A | | | | and experienced teacher, and certification exams. |
| QUALIFIED TEACHER IN A RECOGNIZED YOGA | | | | One of the most comprehensive yoga teacher |
| TEACHING STYLE. | | | | training programs in existence is the Iyengar Yoga |
| Even your yoga teacher needs a yoga teacher. | | | | Teacher Certification Program. If you are new to |
| Why? Yoga is a process, and there is always | | | | yoga, or suffer from a disease or injury, I |
| more to learn. Everyone learns more about yoga | | | | strongly recommend that you seek out a certified |
| by getting feedback from a great teacher. You | | | | Iyengar Yoga teacher. |
| want your yoga teacher to be aware of the | | | | QUESTION 5: DOES YOUR YOGA TEACHER |
| latest discoveries on how to teach yoga. The | | | | HAVE A KIND AND EMPATHETIC HEART? |
| best way for your teacher to do this is to take | | | | IDEAL ANSWER: YES. |
| lessons with another yoga teacher. | | | | Only you can determine if the answer to this |
| QUESTION 3: WHAT TYPE OF YOGA DO YOU | | | | question is yes. |
| TEACH, AND HOW DID THAT STYLE OF | | | | A kind yoga teacher really cares about his or her |
| TEACHING YOGA DEVELOP? | | | | students. |
| IDEAL ANSWER: I TEACH "Y" STYLE OF YOGA | | | | This doesn't necessarily mean that a teacher is |
| WHICH HAS EXISTED FOR AT LEAST 10 | | | | quiet or a pushover. A teacher may speak loudly |
| YEARS. | | | | because your attention has wandered off and he |
| If a yoga teaching style has existed for at least | | | | or she is trying to get your attention back. A kind |
| 10 years, the teachers in that system know the | | | | yoga teacher will carefully watch what you are |
| best ways to teach and the pitfalls to be avoided. | | | | doing, and guide you into doing yoga more |
| In addition, if a situation comes up that your | | | | correctly. Find a great yoga teacher, follow his or |
| teacher does not know how to handle, your | | | | her instructions, and the health and stress relief |
| teacher will be able to ask a more experienced | | | | benefits of yoga will be yours! |