Lessons learned from my first year as a yoga teacher in Rishikesh - India

 This is my story during a 200hr Yoga Teacher Training in Rishikesh, India. The purpose behind Yoga practice is to achieve balance. Before I started learning to teach yoga, I assumed that I’d learn a lot about yoga poses, the human body, some Sanskrit, deepen my knowledge about meditation… What I hadn’t expected were all the ongoing lessons beyond the yoga teacher training. They say you never stop learning and nowhere is that truer than when it comes to teaching yoga. I’m coming to the end of my first-year teaching and here are just some of the (many) things I’ve figured out in year one.

You are your own biggest critic

The pressure we put on ourselves is huge, and it can be so easy to fall into the comparison trap: Why can’t I do that pose? Why aren’t my classes always full? Why aren’t I doing x, y and z to develop my yoga business?

As a brand-new yoga teacher, it can easy to assume all your plans will immediately come to life — but good things take time. Having a lot of drive is great but I’ve come to realize I have to give myself a break — I’m doing pretty well.

Teaching yoga changes your relationship with yoga

Most of us will have started teaching yoga because we adore practicing it so much — but what happens when every time you hit the mat you’re thinking, ‘this would be great in class’? It certainly changes things.

I love my personal practice but it has changed over the last year. I now try and keep class planning completely separate from my personal yoga practice. Going to other classes and learning from other teachers will never bring you so much joy as when you are a teacher yourself.

Connection is everything

Ironically, since teaching yoga is all about being with other people, it can be a bit isolating being a teacher. You’re on your own when it comes to class planning, marketing, setting up your classes and schedule, and while you’re with people in class it’s not often you get huge amounts of feedback (especially after a long Savasana).

Connecting with other yogis is amazing — I have made some amazing new yoga friends online, at trainings and from going to local classes, and that sense of community makes life as a teacher so much more fun and rewarding.

You have to say no

Being a new teacher doesn’t mean you have to jump headfirst into every single opportunity that comes your way. Looking after yourself is important and that doesn’t just mean keeping up your practice or eating well (although of course, that is pretty crucial).

It also means being realistic about what you take on, and scheduling your diary so you don’t end up burned out or rushed off your feet. Don’t be afraid to say no to things that don’t completely work for you.

Read Self-care for yoga teachers

Running a business and being a yoga teacher are two very different things

Being a great yoga teacher does not make you a great business person. Money makes lots of yogis feel awkward and figuring out what to charge is hard as a new teacher. I felt guilty charging a certain amount because I felt I was ‘new and inexperienced’.

But remember all your hours of practice, all your knowledge and the time you spent in teacher training…Money is like energy and you are giving a lot of yours. Undercharging is no good for anyone and devalues yoga for everyone, so know you are awesome and charge accordingly!

Likewise, it’s scary to put yourself out there and advertise your class or workshops in case no one comes — but you have to separate your work from your ego. If no one comes, then it may just be that the time / format / venue perhaps isn’t the best for you to pursue going forward.

You will find your people

Fresh out of teacher training, I assumed I would be teaching a completely broad range of people from the get-go, and everyone would completely understand what I was trying to teach. In reality, much of the last year has been about me figuring out my niche, identifying who my target market is, and refining my teaching style. It’s impossible to please every single person and that’s okay — but I’ve learned to stay solid in what I’m doing rather than try and change to suit particular people.

Social media is a blessing and a curse

Instagram is full of people doing unrealistic versions of asana but if you see these things all the time (and nothing else) you will start thinking it’s normal. Realistically, most of the people coming to my class aren’t interested in learning to do a Handstand so I started to question what value this content was giving me.

I’ve learned to unfollow accounts that make me feel bad and instead discovered other amazing resources (on and offline) that add a huge amount of value to my life and teaching.

You will figure out what’s important to you as a teacher

I learned so much during yoga teacher training but I have learned so much more this past year. Only experience can help you realize what your core values and focus as a teacher are. I am slowly uncovering who I really want to be as a teacher and figuring out where I ‘fit’ in terms of style, spirituality, alignment is a constantly evolving process.

No one knows everything, and that is totally okay. Wisest are they who know they do not know. I am sure the years ahead will have infinitely more lessons for me. It’s all a journey after all, but what a fun one to be had.

Here I suggest all yoga lovers to came Rishikesh and join Yoga Temple India, one of the best Yoga Teacher Training School in India. Expand your yoga horizons with articles on yoga, meditation, philosophy, recipes and anatomy.

Yoga for stress management, how to do?

 Stress is universal. It affects unconditionally everyone, knowing no boundaries. While a small amount of stress can actually motivate you to take positive action in your life, too much stress can weigh on you like an illness. In fact, stress does contribute to several types of mental health disorders, including anxiety and depression. And if left unaddressed, too much stress can actually cause physical health concerns, even increasing your risk for heart disease.

Stress in the modern world:

No one likes being stressed; it’s just the way we humans are designed to be. So, it’s obvious that just like we feel happy, we feel stressed too.

And it’s not only you; almost all of us feel stressed at least once a day. You can be a student who is stressed for his results or a Teacher who is stressed because you have got a lot of copies to check. Stress is a part of our lives, or wait — an ‘unlikely’ part of our lives.

The urban existence and work culture have surely transported about a great impact on the individual economic status, but it has grossly reduced the quality of life. Moreover, people now have to deal with stress in dissimilar forms in their everyday lives.

It nearly seems like there’s nothing that they can do to combat stress. The bills won’t stop showing up, the day will never have more hours, and your household and work responsibilities will always be demanding.

If you still think it’s okay to be stressed, hear me out: studies find that long term stress could lead to fatal health problems like heart disease, cancer, lung disease, accidents, cirrhosis of the liver and suicides.

Too much stress causes the body’s defence system — known as “fight-or-flight” — to kick in. The nervous system releases a flood of stress hormones that include adrenaline and cortisol. This emergency stress response causes the heart to pound faster, blood pressure to rise, muscles to tighten, and breathing to become more rapid.

Frequent stress can cause the body to be in a heightened state of stress most of the time, which leads to suppressed immunity, digestive and reproductive problems, increased aging, and a greater risk of heart attack and stroke. Stress can also leave you more vulnerable to mental health concerns, such as depression and anxiety.

Stages of stress:

· Stage 1: You will experience changes in your mental stability. You’ll be more anxious and will experience a lack of sleep.

· Stage 2: You will notice changes in your body like a spike in blood pressure, increased heart rate, and similar symptoms.

· Stage 3: The frequency of the symptoms that you experienced in step 2 will increase.

· Stage 4: You will face serious physical and mental issues that will either require surgery or long-term management.

Getting stressed now and then isn’t a serious issue. But in our day-to-day lives, we often become so used to stress that we do not notice that it is crossing the line. By the time we realise it, unfortunately, it’s too late.

When you feel that stress is getting the better off you, it might be the perfect time to hit the Yoga mat and take charge of your life back.

Wait, Yoga to reduce stress?

Why not? Psychology Today states that more than 85% of people who incorporated Yoga into their day-to-day lives agreed that it helped them counter stress. They also reported that they were happier, more energetic and focused at work.

Yoga for stress management and health:

In a study conducted by The American Council on Exercise (ACE), it was conclusively proved how yoga helps beginners to counter stress. After eight weeks of observing Yoga practitioners they observed there was a fundamental improvement in their physical and mental health.

Yoga to relieve tension:

Yoga is a mind-body exercise that includes physical poses, controlled breathing, and meditation. As I stated above, when you make Yoga as a part of your life, it enhances your physical, mental, intellectual, and spiritual health.

The best part of Yoga is that it has many ways of doing it. From complex moves for experts to basic poses for beginners, it suits everyone. Hatha pose is one of the most common forms of stress-relieving Yoga for beginners because of its slow pace and simple movements.

But Yoga isn’t limited to Hatha, you can start with any pose that suits your preferences.

Having said that, let’s see what the 3 core components of Yoga are:

· Asanas (poses):

A pose or posture in Yoga is a combination of movements targeted to enhance your strength and flexibility. They are also called Asanas. These Asanas differ. For beginners, they start from simply lying on the floor, whereas for experts, such Asanas mean stretching their body beyond physical limits.

· Breathing:

If you think breathing is just taking in and letting go of air, the yoga gurus would disagree. Controlled breathing is a core element for an effective Yoga session. When you control your breathing, you actually take control of your mind and body.

· Meditation:

The core purpose of Yoga is to calm your otherwise anxious body through relaxation. Through meditation, you discover yourself and feel more refreshed and energetic. Not to forget, the process of discovering yourself is magical!

So, which pose from the above list do you find the easiest? Do you think I missed mentioning something? Do let me us know in the comments. You are welcome to join our stress management yoga teacher training in Rishikesh to develop your mind body and soul.

How to care your student’s wellbeing during COVID-19 in Yoga

 Yoga is life. If you want to healthy in your life, then practice yoga every day in your routine. About 1 in 4 people suffer from a mental health disorder. Couple this with recent research suggesting that 300 million people practice yoga worldwide, and it is realistic to undertake that somebody in your yoga class has knowledgeable, is experiencing or will experience a chapter of poor mental health. Given our current circumstances, this probability is significantly higher, as mental health charities have described an increase in cases of anxiety, OCD and depression due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Yoga Teacher Training in India

Yet for all this, yoga teachers are not therapists, nor would they be dealt with the accountability of counselling their students. Mental health is a gentle stuff that involves a unique kindliness and education, knowledge not obtained in a groundwork teacher training.

What yoga teachers can do is take steps to ensure their students feel safe and supported in class. Below are some suggestions on how to do so.

“How are you, really?”

Ask your students how they are. It is a simple question, and yet one that is charged with meaning. These four words create an opportunity for your student to open up, to put into words thoughts or feelings that may have felt unspeakable. Conflicting to what you may imagine, you do not need to provide life-changing advice, the mere act of taking an interest and hearing to your students is enough to show your support.

While studying Yoga in India, we often ask students to check in with themselves or pay attention to our thoughts and feelings. For some, this self-examination can stimulate an expressive response. While guiding a class through the physical practice, it is important we are sensitive to the emotional reactions. Checking in with your students at the end of a class allows them the space to verbalize their experience, and in doing so, perhaps identify something that needs exploring/greater attention.

Pay Attention

Unlike the plain cast signaling a broken arm, mental health conditions are not so obviously visible. Since of this, it is all the harder to approach/address. In presence of props, a shoulder sling or dressing, it is all the more significant to pick up on subtle signs: missing a regular yoga class, entering the class late, seeming distracted or leaving a class immediately.

It is well recognized that physical activity is good for mental health, as is possession up a regular monotonous. Of course, you cannot force your students to attend weekly yoga classes, however helpful it may be to their wellbeing. However, you can make doing so more reachable. Monthly packages encourage a sense of responsibility and commitment to screening up each week, even if that is so not to lose out financially!

Create a Yoga Community

In lockdown we have a heightened consciousness for the importance of joining, but community and social support has always been crucial/fundamental to our sense of wellbeing. As yoga teachers we have the chance to connect like-minded individuals, whether that be through weekly “challenges” to build group spirit/solidarity, or separate means of communication through Facebook or WhatsApp groups. Being part of a group can combat feelings of isolation that so often arise in those struggling with their mental health. While we are not able to physically attend classes, virtual groups serve to foster this element of belonging and community.

Direct Them to Resources

As mentioned above, yoga teachers are not counsellors. It is a division that is often blurry by those employed in the industry, their vocation choice motivated by a craving to help others. Yet, while it may be attractive to share particular involvements and guidance, such advice can be misunderstood or even destructive by those in a defenseless position.

It is, consequently, more practical and helpful to guide your schoolchildren toward professional support. We are here now to help all yogis to explore their yoga skills to next level. A special COVID 19 discounts for 200hr Yoga Teacher Training in India, available now. Book before 31st December 2020 to get this offer.

Role of Naturopathy and Yoga in Fighting COVID-19 by Yoga Temple India

 We hope you all are fit and healthy in this COVID-19. Practicing yoga every day is good idea. Yoga Temple India is one of the best Yoga Teacher Training school in Rishikesh, India describes how you will improve your immunity and maintain a good health. Despite a variety of preventive measures, such as social distancing, covering face with mask etc. adopted by the general public, the population across the world continues to suffer severely from the coronavirus pandemic. However, comorbidities, diet, fitness levels, sleep hygiene and lifestyle play a big role in shaping our immune response.

Naturopathy is a system of alternative medicine that follows a therapeutic order that is effective in modulating these factors, improving the body’s ability to heal itself. Naturopathic treatments are unique, provided one follows them religiously with faith and patience. These are simple like mud therapy, hydro-therapy, cleansing the system, nutrition, diet, exercises, consumption of herbs and spices. All these will help improve the immunity in our bodies. Let us look at some simple and effective preventive care measures as far as naturopathy is concerned.

· Improving mucosal immunity and reducing the reactivity of the airways — Gargle with hot saline water when you wake up and before you go to sleep. Perform jalneti, steam inhalation followed by kapalbhati. Neti is an important shatkriya and is effective in managing upper respiratory tract diseases and reducing the reactivity of the airways. Perform yogic exercises under the guidance of a trained instructor for 30 minutes, followed by pranayama for 5 minutes and Suryanamaskaras for 5 minutes.

· Improving innate immune responses — Make sure you have a healthy and balanced diet, consisting of whole grains, fruits, vegetables, plant-based proteins, and healthy fats. Detoxify your body once a week. Start by applying a cold mud pack to the abdomen for 20 minutes. Drink a glass of warm water with lemon followed by an Enema of warm neem water. Fast for a day with a diet consisting entirely of fruits and liquids like coconut water, lemon water, and hot herbal drinks 3 times a day.

· Reducing stress and improving sleep — Excess stress can make you more susceptible to infections. Practicing Suryanamaskaras every morning, followed by pranayama and yogic kriyas can help you combat stress. Poor sleep hygiene also leaves you more vulnerable to respiratory infections. Make sure you get at least 8 hours of sleep every night. If you are battling insomnia, take a hot foot bath and apply a cold compress to your head before sleep.

· Improving physical fitness and respiratory health — Get at least 30 minutes of moderate exercise/walking every day. It helps prevent the incidence of respiratory infections. Endurance training increases stamina improves balance and coordination, and optimizes the function of the immune system. Do pranayama daily for at least 10 minutes. It improves lung function in both healthy people and patients with asthma and chronic bronchitis.

Managing symptoms

If you exhibit symptoms of an infection and are home quarantined, then supportive care and dietary modifications will limit the severity of the infection. Let us take a look at some home remedies to manage symptoms of COVID-19 infection.

· Coryza, running nose, congestion, sneezing, and feverish feeling — Perform jalneti with warm saline water. Steam inhalation with peppermint, tulsi or eucalyptus oil aids decongestion. Drink a decoction made of black pepper, cinnamon, pipli, ajwain, tulsi leaves and cloves twice a day. Keep your head and feet warm throughout the day.

· Sore throat — Gargle with hot saline water or neem water and honey. Make a decoction of turmeric, black pepper, ginger, cloves, pipli, ajwain and cinnamon and drink it thrice daily.

· Expectorant cough — Chew ginger and mulethi five times a day and drink the aforementioned decoction twice daily.

· Dry cough — Prepare a decoction of ginger, cloves, cinnamon, tulsi leaves, turmeric, black pepper and pipli and drink it thrice daily. You can add milk and honey for sweetness.

· Headache and insomnia — Take a hot foot bath and apply a cold compress to your head for 10 minutes before you go to sleep.

· Fever — Apply a cold compress to bring down the temperature and a cold pack to the head, changing it every five minutes. Fry raw ginger, mix it with honey and lemon juice and drink it frequently. Consume hot liquids like tulsi and ginger tea frequently.

· Wheeze and chest congestion — Apply a cold pack to the chest and a moist hot pack to the chest and upper back. Perform kunjal followed by jalneti for three days. Steam inhalation with eucalyptus oil or tulsi, followed by kapalbhati aids decongestion.

· Malaise and fatigue — Make sure your diet is rich in plant based proteins, natural sources of vitamin C (amla juice), glucose (honey) and vitamin D (sun bath). Drink warm lemon water with honey to boost your immunity and drink coconut water at least twice daily.

· Stress, anxiety and depression — Do steam inhalation and perform yogic exercises, pranayama, Suryanamaskaras and meditation.

If you are new to yoga, make sure you practice these poses under the guidance of a trained and experienced yoga instructor making yoga a part and parcel of your daily activities will boost your immunity and make your body’s defenses stronger against pathogens.

To conclude, drink plenty of warm water, herbal tea, lemon/fresh citrus juices, amla juice with honey. Consume spices and herbs in your daily food such as jeera, turmeric, ajwain, pepper, cloves, cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, garlic, onion. Have a balanced and protein rich diet — dal kichidi, boiled legumes and fiber rich foods, millets, sprouts. Take plenty fruits. Have zinc and selenium rich foods like oats, spinach, beans, milk, cheese, nuts etc. Wear mask, wash hands with soap thoroughly and use sanitizer.

Avoid — cold beverages, aerated drinks, coffee, refined sugar, confectionary/bakery products, sweets, ice cream, junk foods, oily foods, smoking, alcohol. Reduce salt intake. Don’t visit relatives, friends, don’t attend any functions or any type of gathering, don’t neglect your regular medication for problems like hypertension, diabetes, asthma etc.

Why I Choose Rishikesh for My Yoga Teacher Training?

I do yoga every day for my health. One day I was sitting and thinking, I am doing yoga every day and what about others are they doing yoga every day. I called one of my friends and what she is doing for her health. She told me she is sleeping until 10:00 am. She doesn’t do any yoga. I think it will be a Yoga Teacher then I can teach my friends to be fit. Then I search on google Yoga Teacher Training. On my first choice was India. I read many blogs Rishikesh is called “World Capital of Yoga.” Then I search yoga schools in Rishikesh. I found Yoga Temple India one of the yoga school, which have some unique feature i.e Detox practice with yoga. Then I choose Yoga Temple India as my Yoga Learning School in India. On a random search, I also found “Yoga Teacher Training in India” one of the best 200hr Yoga Teacher Training in Rishikesh.

6 reasons to join multi-style yoga teachers training course.

 

In our average life we always research and practice different set of solutions to our countless questions. Once you have not strained or tasted the dissimilar fruits you would not be able to choose which one is your favourite. Similarly, in yoga every expert should at least have a brief kind of the different array of styles and choose the best suitable for their mind, body and soul. And strong the conflict arising in the mind as to which style to choose for their practice and learning. Is a Yoga Teacher Training in India change your life in these days?

Those who enjoy physical challenges go for Ashtanga or vinyasa flow. Those who prefer to have soft and simple practice and to meld their practice towards spiritual seeking choose Hatha yoga. Those who want to experience the meditation or passive state of their body in a posture prefer restorative yoga. Those who practice yoga for therapeutic purpose choose Iyengar yoga to get better understanding of their body and posture. But the one who has just began this journey doesn’t know which style of yoga to choose, and that’s the reason why multi-style yoga is always a good to start for beginners. Yoga Temple India, is one of the best Yoga Teacher Training in Rishikesh definitely help you to build your yogic career in a brighter way.

1. One can get benefited by all styles of yoga:

Hatha yoga, Ashtanga yoga, Ashtanga vinyasa yoga, Restorative yoga, Iyengar yoga; no matter which style you practice, multi-style yoga teachers training gives you a glimpse of all the different forms. Students can engage these practices through the month and get advanced by their significant effect. Practicing on your own body first, learning the key orientation points, understanding the passive state and getting mastery over the asanas (postures) is a greater attribute of multi-style teachers training course.

2. One can choose their favourite style after finishing the course:

Once the course is finished the students could choose which form of yoga they would like to practice and teach. This is the forte of the course that the students have knowledgeable certain styles and they pick or choose a style which outfits them the best.

3. Greater attainment of knowledge:

Through multi-style, one gets the basic information of all the dissimilar forms of yoga. They are not just limited to one style but it is helpful in gaining a clear thoughtful of the various forms. It also builds on the confidence to teach in the outer world. As students receives not only the physical part of yoga but the brief introduction and the history of yoga philosophy and the applied anatomy of the postures.

4. A good exposure to conduct a yoga class:

The students can start their yoga journey by leading drop-in classes by combination of unique patterns and creating new sequence which would then make the class more stimulating and enjoyable. Through multi-style one can attain a balance in their practice and teaching. For example, after finishing one week of Ashtanga, one can decrease the strength of their practice by practicing either Hatha flow or Yin yoga. Or present the class in such a way that gives full power and intensity at the beginning, slow down the pace towards the finishing sequence in order to experience the state of meditation at the end. This way the ultimate aim of yoga can be fulfilled from pose to pause as described by B.K.S Iyenger.

5. Helps in understanding one’s body type.

One can appreciate their body type finished this course. After completion the student will be clever to comprehend what kind of yoga suits their body. After realizing the student can make their call and practice the form of yoga which is suitable for their body type. Through the opposite use of various props and the important moralities behind their use one can achieve great results. The speed involved in Ashtanga for example would help to grow stamina and understand the basic alignment of the specific asana through which one could gain valuable results. The body converts calm while practicing healing yoga and also gives the same results like Ashtanga in a passive state.

6. Every person regardless of their age, size and the beginners can take part in this course.

As it is defined in one of the sutra from Hatha Yoga Pradipika,

पुष्टं सुमधुरं स्निग्धं गव्यं धातु-प्रपोषणम् ।

मनोभिलषितं योग्यं योगी भोजनमाचरेत् ॥ ६६॥

“Pushtam sumadhuram snighdham Gavyam dhātupraposhanam Manobhilashitam yoghyam yogī bhojanamācharet’’

Whether young, old or too old, sick or lean, one who rejects idleness gets success if he practises Yoga. You are welcome to join a 200hr Multi-style Yoga Teacher Training in Rishikesh, India.

Is Meditation an Essential Part of Practicing Yoga?

Do you need to meditate? Can you achieve all or most of the same benefits from just practicing asana, restorative yoga, Savasana, and/or pranayama? Is it worth even trying if you feel like you’re no good at it? We get questions like these at the blog from time to time, so I figured I’d tackle them today. I have joined a peaceful Yoga Teacher Training in Rishikesh, India to explore my Yoga & Meditation practice in a better way.

I can’t help but notice that people often talk about yoga and meditation as two separate practices. But according to Patanjali, the great codifier of yoga, meditation was an integral part of the practice. By yoga, of course, most people in the U.S. mean asana, which is why people say yoga and meditation. And since most asana classes don’t include any meditation, many yoga practitioners have looked outside of yoga, often to Buddhism, if they’re interested in learning more. There’s nothing wrong with that, but I think people forget that the Buddha was a yogi before he became the Buddha! A meditation Yoga Teacher Training in India might be a right choice for you.

Meditation gets a lot of press as an effective tool to de-stress, to calm the mind and the nervous system. That’s certainly true, but if that were all meditation had to offer, you could hardly view the practice as vital, since we’ve got so many tools in yoga that can foster relaxation: asana, breathing practices, chanting and restoratives to name a few.

To many dedicated yogis, still, meditation is the crown jewel of the practice. They recommend asana mostly because it fixes the body for meditation, to sit up straight comfortably for long periods of time. All the high levels of samadhi — absorption as it is sometimes translated — the eighth of the eight limbs of yoga that Patanjali describes in the Yoga Sutras, are said to happen only in meditation. And, more specifically, from its long-term practice over the course of years, even decades. Yoga Temple India in Rishikesh is one of the best yoga school in India for Yoga and meditation for all age yogis.

I have been meditating for a long time, and it has become in many ways the most delicious part of my practice. It didn’t start out that way. My mind was very busy when I began, and it was extremely difficult for me to keep my attention from flitting from idea to idea. And it was hard to find comfort sitting in one place, without frequent position adjustments and fidgeting. Many people who try to meditate get discouraged at this point and give up. That, I believe, is a mistake. As with a lot of other areas of yoga, hanging in when things are challenging, even discouraging, can bring rewards. Yoga teaches that it is by strengthening our weaknesses that we become more balanced.

Meditation can be a fabulous tool to study your mind and slowly gain more control over it. (I’m not just talking about the conscious mind, which is mostly what gets dealt with, often quite helpfully, in psychotherapy, but the unconscious mind, which hugely impacts our behavior and happiness.) The first lesson for most of us on the meditation cushion is just how unruly our minds are, and how hard it is to maintain our focus for more than a few seconds. Seeing that reality may be uncomfortable, but it’s the first step toward eventually changing it.

And there is real benefit in feeling your mind running all over the place, wanting to get up and move, and continuing to stay seated anyway, trying to bring your attention back to whatever you’re focusing on, whether that’s your breath, an image, or a mantra. Studies of the Relaxation Response, which were performed on people practicing a demystified form of yogic mantra meditation, have shown that even when practitioners don’t feel they are doing it well, they gain the physiological benefits of lower blood pressure, heart rates, etc.

Even after years of practice, some days my mind is still all over the place. But usually, if I stay at it, things eventually settle down. One reason why some experts recommend 20 minutes of meditation daily is that it often takes about that long to settle down. But the more you practice the easier it gets.

You might wonder where you will find the extra time to add a 20-minute practice to your already busy schedule. Well, first off, you don’t need to do it for that long. Even a few minutes in the beginning starts to build up the habit. Over time you can slowly increase the time you sit. Interestingly, about a decade ago when I upped my practice to an hour a day, I discovered that I began to need about an hour less sleep each night, as if the meditation were giving me some of sleep’s restorative effects. It felt like I was getting to meditate for free, without carving any time out of my day!

In my yoga therapy work, I often recommend meditation, but not always. Sometimes when someone is very anxious or seriously depressed, if they attempt to close their eyes and go inward, they may go into an unpleasant — and potentially counterproductive — state of mind. But if we can use other tools, like breath and asana, to improve the acute situation (along with whatever medication, therapy or other tools they are employing), I will often try to add meditation later. I have come to believe that for the long-term care of anxiety and depression, meditation may be the most powerful tool we have. It gets to places that asana simply can’t, as powerful as asana can be. But unlike a lot of meditators, I don’t think you should give up your asana practice once you get into meditating. Because asana also gets to some places that meditation can’t, like your hip flexors, for example!

The bottom line is that the different yogic tools appear to work together in a synergistic fashion. Meditating can make you a better asana practitioner, and doing asana can help deepen your meditation. And regular pranayama can help both of them!

In our next post, we’ll give more specifics on how to begin a meditation practice. If there are particular themes, you’d like to me address, please let us know.

Yoga in India: 7 Differences Between Eastern and Western Yoga

 Yoga in India and in the West is very different, and as I came to explore it more it’s something I really wanted to share about on the blog. Before India, I took hot yoga in the US and loved it as a hard-core workout. I was pretty sure all I lost was water-weight, but I liked the feeling of sweating that much. In India, I was really surprised to find out what the “birthplace of Yoga” considered “real” yoga. A 200hr Yoga Teacher Training in India really changed by life.

Yoga Temple India is a peaceful, quiet (sometimes the teacher didn’t speak one word) place, where we meditated for 20–30 minutes before and after, and held positions much longer, so long in fact, that I thought my arms would fall off! I was taught one-on-one yoga many times and told by my emaciated-looking 50-year-old Indian teachers that I should eat once a day, never take a group class, and make yoga my life.

Clearly, the East has a different take on the “yoga lifestyle” than the West. We know yoga came from the East, but when you pinpoint it down, they say probably Rishikesh, India. There’s a reason the Beatles chose Rishikesh to come to relax and write music with their guru. Most of the students choose Yoga Teacher Training Rishikesh in their first chose when choosing a Yoga Course in India.

Yoga in India: Differences between the West and East

Before we get into it, I want to share a few other articles that you can open in new tabs and read. I have been living in India for nearly six years and wrote up lists of the top places to learn yoga in India for travellers based on location. I have prices and what’s included for all of them.

· Top 5 yoga retreats in India

· Best places to do yoga teacher training in India based on reviews and popularity

· Top 5 yoga retreats in Goa

· Top yoga teacher training in India straight from my reader’s opinions and experiences (this is such a great post with insight from people who have recently stayed at the locations)

What I learned from practicing yoga teacher training in India, which I wouldn’t have learned from the West.

It is 5 am, the crows are crowing, the cockerels are singing their morning wake up song and the dogs are barking. The sun hasn’t risen yet, but you can feel the heat in the air. Welcome to India, the origin and home of yoga, where else would I do my yoga teacher training. Not only is India the sacred land from a yoga point of view but Goa where I trained also offered me sunshine, a beach and the ability to train with local Indians who dedicate their life to yoga. This is not just a form of exercise in the East. Our day would start with two hours of morning practice with empty stomachs, ending as the sun started to rise; we would cover traditional Eastern yoga, philosophy and adapt our western lives to a totally eastern practice of yoga, worlds apart from the fitness style class in the west.

1. Our food affects our emotions

It was a culture shock to start with. Being encouraged to live a full yogi life didn’t just include engrossing ourselves into yoga practice it also included eating a vegan plain diet. The meals were designed from the Ayurvedic philosophy. The food was plain with limited spices because we learned that food has a big impact on our emotions, plain food doesn’t play with emotions and also caters for vegans, vegetarians and people with food intolerance. Being plant-based it was easier to digest and it made me feel guilty for all the times I over ate in the West and did not listen to my body when it was hungry; I would eat for the sake of it and because there is an abundance of food.

2. More than just an exercise

In the western world, we have just taken one part of a whole yoga lifestyle. It is mainly used as a form of exercise. However, yoga is a whole practice of life and living, how you treat others, the respect you have for your body and the world around you. Trying to be non-judgemental.

There are 6 branches of yoga with the practice in class just being one of these. Along with that Yoga is an integrative eight-step (limbs) system recorded in the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali and comprises ethical guidelines and observances (yamas and niyamas), postures (asanas), breath work (pranayama), ability to turn inward (pratyahara), concentration (dharana), meditation (dhyana) and the state of fulfilment, freedom, bliss and contentment (samadhi — the ultimate goal of yoga).

3. You need to still your mind

Yoga in India has a lot more meditation but it doesn’t mean it is a cult or a religion. I was very privileged to have had a Brahman teach me yoga philosophy. What the western world do wrong in some styles of yoga is missing the ability to be mindful and still your mind. Yoga can change your life, it helps us to sit still, be non-reactive to emotions such as sadness, possessiveness or anger and similar. The yoga practice has to occur off the mat just as much as whilst you are doing the physical poses.

4. Learn to remove the ego

Too often yoga in the west is portrayed with a thin girl in a very unusual position which would be impossible to achieve as a beginner, wearing the latest body-hugging lycra outfit. The images on social media and in magazines pictured in these desirable locations of beautiful beaches or rolling hills makes yoga seen unaffordable and not accessible to the average person. There is little interest in weight loss as our bodies are just a machine to get us through life. It is about working on what’s inside, which is why food becomes a focus.

Ultimately, what we aim to do in yoga is to develop ourselves from the inside, gaining body intelligence on the mat will start to move your practice off the mat and encourage you to have more awareness of what you are putting into the body. Yoga is designed to cleanse your body and mind of physical and emotional blockages, develop a stronger sense of connection of the two, promoting better awareness and mindfulness of the choices we make in life whether it is about the way we treat ourselves or others, or attitudes we express. Yoga is a union of your body and your mind, not about how you look in the mirror.

5. Being spiritual doesn’t make you religious

I learnt that being spiritual was just about trying to be happy. Yoga is just a road to happiness, some people see it as enlightenment but this it is just trying to allow you to lead your life as easily as possible, removing the stress and strains of day to day living so you can be as happy as possible.

Our practice would always start with an Om channelling the vibration from the sound and our intention for the day into the universe; this would follow breathing exercises to cleanse out body and meditation. We tuned into our body and we learned that yoga is a method to prime your body so it is comfortable when meditating. In the East, the ultimate aim of Yoga is to experience the Truth, by realizing the true nature of ourselves. It is not religious.

6. Lifelong learning

Many people think yoga is like a gym, or like going to a work-out, but that is not yoga

In Indian culture, you go to a teacher and learn from him. It is a lineage and it is lifelong learning. You are taught to have patience and take your time over years not weeks and months like you are taught in the West. It makes me sad that in 4 weeks you can become a fully-fledged yoga teacher. My yoga teacher spent 10 years dedicated to his own self-practice before he even thought about sharing these finding with others, there are limited teachers in the UK which can claim the same. You have to be a student and know that you will be a student your whole life. Yoga is never ending. It’s like the ocean and what we have learned is like a small drop. There’s a lot to learn and for our whole life, we keep learning.

7. There is no avoiding the silence

Many people have come to me and said, “I started practicing yoga and my life has been changed.” People can improve their whole lifestyle. You cannot separate the exercise from the traditional philosophy. I started out in the mindset of doing yoga to prevent injury in sport. Now yoga is my only exercise and I crave to still my mind in myself practice. I notice in my body and my mind if I haven’t practiced. Yoga is more than just an exercise for me. There is no avoiding it because the movements work with the breath they become a form of meditation.’ The continued practice of the exercises will, whether you intend it or not, eventually influence you toward wanting to understand more and wanting to develop yourself outside the practice on the mat.

Booking Yoga Retreats and Yoga Teacher Training in India is a good choice if you want to give a certification to your yoga practice and help others in their life.