Teaching Hatha Yoga

Hatha Yoga for Teachers and Practitioners is a must-read if you want to derive maximum benefits from your yoga practice and master the art of comprehensive sequencing. You will be presented with powerful tools to classify yoga poses and instantly create customized sequences for different levels, themes, and goals. Starting from the traditional approach to yoga, you will discover how yoga poses affect the internal body and how systematic yoga sequencing can increase your holistic health and well being. You will also understand the medically-proven benefits of yoga and you will learn the ancient principles of sequencing asanas according to their corresponding chakras (energy centres). Esteemed yoga teachers and trainers of more than 2000 yoga teachers, Ram Jain and Kalyani Hauswirth-Jain describe how to create safe, fulfilling, and holistic Hatha Yoga practices. Ram and Kalyani provide you with practical descriptions of over 200 asanas, with their respective instructions, alignment cues, contraindications, and modifications - which will bring your yoga classes and practice to a whole new level. Ram Jain Ram is Founding Director of the Arhanta Yoga Ashrams (India and The Netherlands). Within the last 10 years, the Arhanta Yoga Ashrams have become renowned internationally for their professional yoga teacher training courses, and have up to present trained over 1,500 yoga teachers from all over the world. Born in New Delhi, India, in a traditional and spiritual family, his yoga and Vedic philosophy education started at the age of eight years as a part of his primary school education. He has in-depth knowledge of classical Hatha Yoga and is also well versed in ancient Indian scriptures. During his 19 years of teaching career, he has worked with various anatomy and physiology experts and has developed unique teaching, adjustment, and modification techniques. Presently, he is the lead teacher for various teacher training programs, ranging from Hatha Yoga, Yin Yoga, Vinyasa Yoga, to Meditation and Yoga Nidra. He teaches for several months a year in India and the rest of the year in the Netherlands, where he also lives with his wife and two children. Kalyani Hauswirth-Jain Kalyani was born and raised in Switzerland. Since early adolescence she has been fascinated by art, bodywork, the body-mind connection, and alternative therapies. Following her strong inclination for art and physical expression she emigrated to the Netherlands at the age of 19 to study Modern Dance. Soon after she was exposed to the teachings and practice of yoga and was immediately mesmerized. The mother of two children now, she has been teaching yoga for 10 years, training yoga teachers for more than six years at the Arhanta Yoga Ashrams in India and the Netherlands. Starting off with physical challenges, she transformed her body, mastering many advanced asanas with her regular practice and discipline. By following a diligent self-practice, working with many different teachers, styles, and techniques, she gained a profound understanding of physiology and movement techniques. This, in combination with her extensive teaching experience, gave her an understanding of the importance of structure and sequencing for a holistic yoga asana practice.

Now in its second edition, Instructing Hatha Yoga is a comprehensive guide to developing the knowledge and qualities of a confident and truly qualified yoga instructor. The updated edition includes revised poses complete with instructions, a web resource, and sample children’s and prenatal classes.

The first comprehensive guide for new and experienced yoga teachers—featuring an exhaustive overview of yoga philosophy and history, yoga poses and styles, plus breathing practices and meditations. The author of Yoga Sequencing and Yoga Adjustments offers an “authoritative and engaging” guide that “will help instructors fine-tune their classroom skills and empower their personal practice” (Yoga+Joyful Living Magazine). Drawing on a wide spectrum of perspectives, and featuring more than 150 photographs and illustrations, Teaching Yoga covers the fundamental topics of yoga philosophy and history, including a historical presentation of classical yoga literature: the Vedas; Upanishads; Bhagavad Gita; Yoga Sutras of Patanjali; and the main historical sources on tantra and early hatha yoga. Each of the 11 major styles of contemporary yoga is described, with a brief history of its development and the distinguishing elements of its teachings. Exploring traditional and modern aspects of anatomy and physiology, the book provides extensive support and tools for teaching 108 yoga poses (asanas), breathing techniques (pranayama), and meditation. Teaching Yoga also offers practical advice for classroom setup, planning and sequencing classes, as well as the process involved in becoming a teacher and sustaining oneself in the profession. Addressing 100% of the teacher training curriculum standards set by Yoga Alliance—the world’s leading registry and accreditation source for yoga teachers and schools—Teaching Yoga is also ideal for use as a core textbook in yoga teacher training programs. It includes over 200 bibliographic sources, a comprehensive index, and a useful appendix that lists associations, institutes, organizations, and professional resources for yoga teachers.

his book combines the perspectives of a dedicated yogi with that of a former anatomy professor and research associate at two major American medicine schools. He has set himself the ambitious goal of combining the modern scientific under- standing of anatomy and physiology with the ancient practice of hatha yoga. The result of an obvious labour of love, the book explains hatha yoga in demystified, scientific terms while at the same time honouring its traditions. It should go a long way in helping yoga achieve the scientific recognition it deserves. Useful as both a textbook and a reference work, this is a book that all serious yoga teachers and practitioners will want on their shelves.

The world of yoga has exploded since the first edition of Instructing Hatha Yoga was published in 2006. Millions more enthusiasts worldwide are experiencing the physical benefits and mindful awareness of yoga in gyms and spas, the training rooms of professional sport teams, prisons and hospitals, and even classrooms. With the increasing demand for qualified yoga teachers who can meet the needs of a diverse group of students, this updated edition of Instructing Hatha Yoga could not have come at a better time. Featuring detailed instructions on teaching 68 yoga poses and more than 200 photos showing the postures, the text covers all aspects of safe and confident hatha yoga instruction. The second edition is enhanced with the following features: • Updated verbal and visual cues to use in teaching each posture • Sample children’s and prenatal classes • 75 new video clips that demonstrate yoga poses and modifications and instruct on physically assisting and adjusting students • New online teacher resource with self-inquiry questionnaire, class evaluation, chapter review questions, and other printable instructional resources Master teacher and author Diane Ambrosini retains her original emphasis on simple cues for bringing students into proper alignment and deeper mental focus and detailed instructions for making safe and effective hands-on modifications and adjustments of yoga poses. The book highlights issues of importance to even the most experienced instructors, including creating a safe and comfortable learning environment, structuring a class, teaching pranayama (breath work), and handling personal integrity and ethics. Developed in line with the New Yoga Alliance Standards and the Yoga Teachers’ Registry requirements, Instructing Hatha Yoga is a comprehensive and user-friendly guide to becoming a confident and qualified yoga instructor. Students and teachers not only will learn how to teach yoga poses, but they will also know how to direct students toward deeper self-awareness to positively affect their lives for years to come.

The classic Hatha yoga manual for a strong, vital, beautiful body and a balanced, harmonious, happy mind • Includes instructions for many advanced Hatha yoga exercises to build strength, stamina, and good posture, the necessary basis for spiritual development • Provides detailed exercise plans to help you develop your personal weekly practice • Explains traditional yogic methods of fasting and internal cleansing, practices to strengthen the endocrine system, methods for advanced sexual control, breath control practices, and concentration exercises to improve mind power Based upon ancient Sanskrit works on yoga as well as thousands of years of oral teachings, this Hatha yoga classic moves beyond the introductory level of yoga and provides illustrated instructions for many advanced asanas and other yogic techniques to build strength, stamina, and good posture--a necessary prerequisite for spiritual development. Offering detailed exercise plans to help you develop your personal weekly yoga practice as well as techniques to target specific areas of the body, such as the abdominal muscles, this book also contains detailed instructions on many forms of prânâyâma (breath control), including alternate nostril breathing, kapâlabhâti, and sahita, as well as meditative methods for developing your powers of concentration and mental discipline. With instructions on diet, fasting, internal cleansing, advanced sexual control, and strengthening the endocrine system, Sri S. S. Goswami’s classic text presents the complete picture of an advanced Hatha yoga lifestyle for a strong, vital, beautiful body and a balanced, harmonious, happy mind.

The yoga teacher’s guide to planning and sequencing yoga classes—with over 2,000 instructional photos and 67 yoga pose sequences for students of all skill levels. Also features additional resources, including yoga class planning worksheets, comprehensive glossaries, and much more! Addressing one of the most popular topics in the yoga profession, this book offers 67 model sequences of yoga poses (asanas) that cover the broad range of yoga student experience. Inside, established and aspiring yoga teachers will find: • Over 2,000 instructional photos and guide to over 150 yoga asanas • Multiple sequences for beginning, intermediate, and advanced students • Yoga sequences for kids, teens, seniors, and women across their life cycle • Yoga classes designed for relieving depression and anxiety • Sequences for each of the major chakras and ayurvedic constitutions • Guidance for teaching breathing (pranayama) and meditation techniques • Glossary of terms and alphabetical asana index with thumbnail photographs • Yoga class planning worksheets • Representative sequences from several popular styles of hatha yoga • And many more resources for further reading! Drawing on ancient yoga philosophy and contemporary insights into functional anatomy, biomechanics, and kinesiology, Yoga Sequencing is the ultimate guide teachers looking to bring the transformative power of yoga into their practice and classes.