...d Choudhury for his special hot yoga. Nixon was supposedly so impressed with the treatment that he gave Bikram an open invitation to come and live in the U.S.

Choudhury has recently been granted copyright protection for his Bikram yoga sequence. In order to guarantee the teaching quality standard, only certified Bikram yoga teachers who have graduated from the 600-hour intensive training course at Bikram yoga College of India in L.A. are allowed to teach or obtain a franchise to open a studio. As a result, up until now only two Bikram studios existed in Asia, namely in Tokyo and hong Kong.

Putting Bangkok in the forefront of the Asian yoga movement Thailand has now become the third milestone of yoga in Asia by the introduction of Benjaporn Karoonkornsakul, an ex-investment banker who's been attracted to the Bikram yoga circle since her first Bikram hot yoga experience in hong Kong. Wanting to stay fit during her travels, Koon Karoonkornsakul agreed to take a Bikram yoga class recommended by a friend.

Having no idea it was going to take place in a hot room, Benjaporn was surprised to find herself sweating profusely. As she said, it's difficult for Asians to sweat, herself in particular, so this one time adventure was highly rewarding. So much so that she decided to enroll in Bikram's training course and has now been practicing yoga for 25 years. This interest has brought her hometown, Bangkok, the first certified Bikram yoga facility, Absolute yoga.

For Benjaporn, yoga is a serious workout without the dangers that tend to limit the range of other fitness programs. With running one usually tends to turn on a music channel and say, just give me five songs then I'm done." Many people like yoga for the same reasons as Benjaporn: a 90 minute yoga workout entails a lot of stretching and focus you can't look around or let your mind wander, you just do it and you're done. 90 minutes have never gone by faster for me, ...more

Modern Benefits from the Ancient Practice of Yoga

...n a decrease in blood pressure, stress, and heart rate, in regular practitioners. Other reported benefits are decreased arthritis pain and increased bowel performance.

From Iyengar to Bikram, there are yoga styles for everyone. By providing an understanding of how the body works, this ancient art has enabled people, of all shapes and sizes, become healthier. Become a yoga instructor and join millions on the path to self-aware health.

Copyright 2008 - Paul Jerard / Aura Publications<...more

Why Zen Yoga Poses Can Improve Your Health

...a exercises for your own specific problems. Masunaga offers this useful guide: "first find the exercise which is hardest to do... and then look for another one which is the easiest... If doing the easiest exercise causes an improvement in the performance of the most difficult one, or relieves a ... symptom, it is effectively reinforcing the Ki [energy] in the Kyo [deficient] meridian".

Masunaga was a leading shiatsu teacher in Japan who organized meridian exercises into a system that people could use themselves. He actually wrote that the best way to learn about zen yoga poses, was to practice them! Zen yoga seems more difficult in theory than it is in practice. It's actually a very fun, playful and gentle style of yoga that can readily be adapted to any level of fitness and health. Like tai chi, it has great health benefits, which can be explored in more detail through classes or publications.

References: Zen Imagery Exercises by Shizuto Masunagamore

Yoga Teacher Certification or Registration - Part 2

...What about established Yoga teachers who dont have a diploma? Yoga teaching credentials are a relatively new concept. Many seasoned Yoga teachers have suddenly found themselves in need of credentials.

Most of the certified Yoga teachers are from Hatha Yoga, one of Hatha Yogas many sub-styles, or Kundalini Yoga. This may be due to the physical aspect of these Yoga styles. Yoga teachers, who are without credentials, should contact a certifying body to inquire about recognition or credit for past experience.

What is the right Yoga credential to have? There really is no right or wrong Yoga credential. A Yoga teacher sh...more

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