Dr. Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500, YACEP, Author at Aura Wellness Center

The Benefits of Yoga Props For People Over 50

April 5, 2024January 13, 2010

When I began teaching yoga in the early 1970’s, the term, “yoga props,” was practically unheard of. When we sat on the floor to practice seated forward bends, people who could not touch their toes simply held onto their lower legs. Then someone had the bright idea to wrap a sock, towel, belt or an old neck tie around the foot to hang onto while stretching forward. While not as versatile as the modern prop known as a yoga strap, these early around-the-house props actually worked quite well!

Spirit Quest – YTT Ultimate Journey

December 6, 2023January 12, 2010

All forms of yoga come from the same root and are, therefore, relatively interchangeable, so an hour-long class once or twice a week in any of the disciplines will quickly start to work wonders on both your physical and mental well being.

Yoga for Families At Risk

August 19, 2022November 13, 2009

As a capstone to the program, participants were invited to two yoga workshops each, in which they explored practices for stress reduction, back health, emotional regulation, and relaxation. Activities were taught in a way that encouraged participants to take ownership of the practices they deemed most helpful and continue practicing them at home. At the end of the second session, each family was awarded a yoga mat, strap, and photo-guide to take home. As one participant commented after her first session, “Yoga is really good because we feel a lot of stress. Yoga helps us alleviate the pain we feel, and we feel better mentally too.”

How to Do the Yoga Pose Downward Facing Dog

August 19, 2022November 6, 2009

There are some contraindications to doing Downward Dog. If you have a wrist, shoulder elbow or neck injury it is better to modify it or skip the pose if you don’t know how to modify. During a head cold, sinus or ear infection, eye problem or after recent dental work it’s advisable to avoid the full pose because it puts your head upside down and increases swelling and inflammation and may decrease healing time.

Designing a Hatha Yoga Class or Session

August 19, 2022October 4, 2009

Let us look at some ways to group techniques, within a Yoga class, and keep them interesting for each session. Please keep in mind that there are thousands of ways to design lesson plans. The only time a lesson plan is wrong is if it can potentially hurt a student.

Your Yoga Routine

December 10, 2023October 2, 2009

Practicing something as simple as ‘easy seated pose’ (comfortable seated cross legged pose) can cause an imbalance. Consider if in your easy pose you always keep the same leg crossed in front. One hip will be more open than the other. Conversely, if one hip is more open than the other, it is easier to sit that way. If you can work the other leg gradually into the front position you can balance out the hips. You really need to focus on working on specific areas like these gradually, over time.

Understanding a Good Yoga Class

November 28, 2023September 23, 2009

Patanjali Yoga Sutra explains Raja Yoga. The Gheranda Samhita and Hatha Yoga Prathipika advocate Hatha Yoga before Raja Yoga. The reason for this as explained in the Gheranda Samhita, is that a person should attain control of the body, before he or she can begin exercises in control of the mind.

Chair Yoga – Can it Help You?

June 17, 2023September 16, 2009

Practicing chair yoga can bring the same benefits as a full yoga practice. The idea is that the breathing and awareness practice is the same; we are simply adjusting the poses so that we are more comfortable in them. You can’t really pay attention to your body and connect with your muscles stretching if you are unsteady and afraid to fall over or if you have chronic pain and that is all you can think about

Yoga For Chronic Pain

August 19, 2022September 2, 2009

Chronic Pain sufferers deal with pain most of the time with no relief. With awareness, the gentle movements of Yoga can relieve some of that pain. Studies have shown that a Yoga practice can reduce the amount of pain in people who suffer from fibromyalgia, arthritis, chronic back pain and many other painful ailments.

Many Paths of Teaching Yoga

August 19, 2022August 21, 2009

I used to think that in order to teach yoga I had to know everything there is to know about yoga. How limiting is that? That assumption overwhelmed me so much that I almost gave up on the whole idea of teaching in the first place. The big huge world of yoga knowledge was just too vast, and sometimes confusing that I wondered how many teacher trainings I would have to take before I “felt” ready. Yet this is not something that can be taught in teacher training.