Sara's website: www.fourmermaids.com. Download Sara's Everyday Yoga for Beginners Practice from the iHanuman Store: ]]> http://www.ihanuman.com/index.php?pageId=2314 en-us Tue, 28 Nov 2006 14:37:36 EST Tue, 01 Apr 2008 20:49:14 EDT Tue, 28 Nov 2006 14:37:36 EST http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Bluewallllc.com Content Management System peter@bluewallllc.com, sara@bluewallllc.com 180 yoga, women's health, thai massage, ayurveda, thailand, teacher training sarastover sarastover http://www.ihanuman.com/pdsFiles/P1040491.JPG http://www.ihanuman.com/index.php?pageId=15423 Find out why gender-specific classes can provide an inspiring teaching experience while attracting an appreciate audence.

As teachers, we can be artists who sculpt experiences for our students through words we use to teach a pose, the music we play during class, or even the ways we decorate our studios. We can also create a more meaningful experience by opting to teach to targe audiences.

This is not a new concept. A glance at any studio's schedule offers us plenty of options: Basics, Level 2/3, Hot Yoga, Prenatal Yoga, Mysore, Meditation. Rarely, however, do we see options such as Women's Yoga or Men's Yoga listed.

Yes, yoga offers freedom to everyone, regardless of age, gender, ethnicity, or religion; but are there times when it would be more effective to teach to men or women only? And if so, is such an undertaking financially viable?

Let Personal Experience Guide You

Teaching to a target audience isn't for everyone. And the maxim of "teach what you know and what inspires you" applies to gender-specific classes, too. For Janice Gates, author of Yogini: The Power of Women in Yoga and owner of the Yoga Garden in San Anselmo, California, the inspiration to teach women's-only yoga retreats arose out of her personal practice.

"In the early '90s, when I was practicing and teaching Ashtanga Yoga," she explains, " I kept bumping up against the reality that the practice was designed by and for men and had a very masculine flavor to it. Meanwhile, most of my women at that time were women."

Gates then began exploring other styles of yoga and applying her findings to her teaching. "The response was overwhelming," she says. "women were hungry for a safe and sacred space to voice their personal challenges, discuss what was and what was not working for them, and explore alternative ways of practice."

"The response was overwhelming," she says. "Women were hungry for a safe and sacred space to voice their personal challenges, discuss what was and what was not working for them, and explore alternative ways of practice." Bruce Brassock, founder of Elements Yoga & Wellness Center in Darien, Connecticut, teaches a popular Yoga for Men program. Like Gates, this arose out of personal interest and perceived need.

" I decided to teach a men's-only class because yoga changed my life," he says. "I truly wanted to share this with others. I suspected that there were a lot of men in town who could greatly benefit from yoga if they'd just try it."

For Women Only

Angela Farmer, who teaches worldwide and runs a retreat center in Greece with with her partner Victor van Kooten, celebrates the opportunity to teach her women's retreats. "There is definitely [a need for] a place in our busy lives and competitive society to come back to the beauty of just being a woman, " she says.

"When I teach only to women, it is more intimate," she continues. "I feel less like the teacher and more there to inspire, encourage, and support. Having 'sisters' is so ancient, and yet deeply needed in this present time."

Women Wired for Connection

Gates notices that she can place a greater emphasis on the mind and emotions when she teaches her women's only retreats. Women establish bonds of trust and intimacy very easily during these times, she says, thus creating a "sacred container" in which to unravel deeply held emotions.

"It is no secret that women are wired for connection," she says. "There is much more of an opportunity to share, connect, laugh, cry. Connection, resonance, and community-building have immense power for healing and empowering women."

Gates emphasizes meditation and personal reflection, with less emphasis on technique in poses.
Farmer applies a similar approach. As a result, she says, "The classes become more playful, creative, and exploratory."

You can download the entire Yoga Journal article here. ]]> http://www.ihanuman.com/index.php?pageId=15423 ihanuman, sara avant stover, gender-specific yoga classes, janice gates, angela farmer Mon, 04 Aug 2008 11:43:16 EDT http://www.ihanuman.com/index.php?pageId=14384 Teaching to nonnative English speakers is challenging, but these tips will help you make sure your teaching transcends all language and cultural barriers.

Once, while teaching in Paris with a translator, Nischala Joy Devi, international teacher and author of The Secret Power of Yoga and The Healing Path of Yoga, was asked by an English-speaking student if she would return to teach there again. "There are certainly worse places I could come back to
than Paris," Devi replied, smiling. The translator delivered her response to the group and, upon seeing the ensuing sea of horrified faces, Devi stammered to the translator, "What did you say to them?"
"That Paris was the worst place you could come to," the translator answered with a grimace."

Devi is not alone in her miscommunication conundrum. Today many yoga teachers jet around the globe, teaching to diverse audiences. And in the melting pot of the modern world, one need not even leave her hometown to encounter class audiences that include nonnative English speakers. As teachers, we need to ask ourselves whether our teachings touch the hearts of all our students—regardless of culture, ethnicity, or native language. How can we hone our skills so that students can receive the essence of yoga most potently and effectively?

"In any teaching situation, communication with the student is most important," Devi explains. "This principle is especially poignant in teaching students with English as their second language. We cannot depend solely on words," she says. "Rather, add gestures, drawings, or other means of nonverbal communication."

Patrick Creelman, faculty member of Evolution: Asia Yoga Conference, learned the importance of nonverbal communication while teaching his first classes at Pure Yoga in Hong Kong. "When I first began teaching here, I found my jokes flopped, and the music I played was way off," he reminisces. "I was coming from the social influences of Canada and California, and it didn't make sense to many people [in Hong Kong].

Standing in front of a room full of students and saying, ‘Hello everyone, how are you today?’ pretty much left me in a space of silence every time." When faced with the reality that his Asian students were more shy and reserved than their North American counterparts, Creelman had to find new ways to communicate.

"My facial expressions and body language speak much more loudly and clearly," he explains. "Because our language communication is limited, my gestures carry more power." The result? "This has made me smile much more, and move more slowly and with more grace," he says.

The Upside of Language Barriers

Despite its challenges, teaching cross-culturally can be rewarding. Jonas Westring, an international teacher of Thai Yoga Bodywork and Anusara Yoga, finds that when he teaches yoga in Asia, the students, while initially
shy, display reverence and discipline. "While this limits the amount of class discussion and dialogue, it has its
benefits," Westring attests. "I need to get very clear in what I want the students to learn. My awareness of the delivery is increased; and I also have to be vigilant of the students' expressions to make sure that they are actually ‘getting it.’."

Download the entire Yoga Journal Article.
]]> http://www.ihanuman.com/index.php?pageId=14384 ihanuman, nishala joy devi, sara avant stover, jonas westring, teaching, english as a second language Wed, 09 Jul 2008 15:01:25 EDT http://www.ihanuman.com/index.php?pageId=12898 Lull your students into deeper relaxation by integrating singing bowls to your teaching.

I sank into Savasana, wholeheartedly melting into stillness. Eyes closed, the once-distinct boundaries of my skin
dissolved while thoughts evaporated into a sleepy haze. Post-asana energy hummed and whirled through my limbs. My teacher sat in the front of the room, quiet, erect, cross-legged. With a singing bowl in hand, he circled the wooden wand around the bowl's rim, radiating a lullaby to the blissful yoginis in the room.

Those moments always felt like magic to me. Somehow the all-pervading sound of the bowl, like the mysterious
embrace of a whale's song, never failed to seduce me into deeper surrender.

Now, as a yoga teacher myself, I too look for ways to help deepen my students' engagement with yoga. Sometimes I do this by playing calming music during Savasana, leading a full-body relaxation technique, or simply letting students rest in the silence of meditation. But what they love most are the times when I pick up my Tibetan singing bowl, rest it in the palm of my left hand, and serenade them into vibrant stillness.

The Lure of Resonance

Traditionally used throughout Asia to enhance Buddhist and shamanic rituals, today singing bowls are ubiquitous.
Around the world, many use these healing instruments to enhance meditation, relaxation, or religious practices.
Jeannine Dietz, a yoga instructor, Reiki practitioner, and vibrational healer of Om on the Bay in Annapolis, Maryland, specializes in incorporating crystal singing bowls into her work. Like many, her inspiration arose from experiencing their power for herself.

"I first was introduced to singing bowls during a yoga teacher training," Dietz remembers. "One evening we did a
chakra meditation accompanied by a frosted crystal singing bowl. The first sounding of the bowl had me hooked. It resonated with the deepest part of me, and I immediately knew my path."

Since then, Dietz has researched the interrelationships between yoga, singing bowls, chakras, chanting, and
affirmations. As a result, she developed a workshop that incorporates all of these components into a full-spectrum therapeutic experience.

The Healing Power of Sound

"We are all vibrational beings," Dietz declares. "The vibration [of singing bowls] heals not only on a physical level but also on mental, emotional, and spiritual levels. The sound they produce is ethereal, haunting, and magical—probably like nothing you have ever heard before."

Frank Perry sounds the same note. Based in the United Kingdom, Perry, an accomplished musician with more than 30 years of experience working with singing bowls, now owns nearly 250 of them.
"Sound transcends words and can allow us to enter our higher mind and receive spiritual teaching," he maintains. "As we listen to the bowl, we can more easily enter the world of stillness and silence deep within."

Download the Entire Article through Four Mermaids.com.
]]> http://www.ihanuman.com/index.php?pageId=12898 ihanuman, yoga, sara avant stover, meditation, singing bowls, the healing power of sound Sat, 31 May 2008 11:17:57 EDT http://www.ihanuman.com/index.php?pageId=9347 How to work with, not against, your fellow yoga instructors

Many of us turned to yoga for its promise of happiness. The four walls of a studio and its community of like-minded Sun Saluters offered solace from the rat race outside. When we stepped onto our yoga mats, we stepped intoa world where joy and harmony reigned.

Later, we became yoga teachers. Sometimes this entailed leaving behind careers that brought big paychecks (for some) an even bigger burnout (for most). Ready to serve students by offering them the scrumptious fruits of yoga, we were bright-eyed, enthusiastic, and, in hindsight, naive.

Now we know that our egos follow us to the yoga mat, especially because yoga today means big business. The competition for students, prime-time slots, fame and simply earning a living can be fierce.

So can we bid the rat race farewell once and for all? Despite the frenzy of yoga's big boom, can we be humble and harmonious within ourselves and with each other? Anyone who practices yoga knows that ultimately this i what it's all about. Yet it's easier said than done.

Accepting Human Nature

"Competition is inherent in our genes," explains Eileen Muir, director of Karuna Centeer for Yoga and Healing Arts in Northampton, Massachusetts. "It is highly reinforced by our culture.

"The nature of the mind is to divide, compare, and judge, and the nature of the ego is to identify with this process. However, yoga is the antithesis of separateness and competition."

We can use yoga first to become aware of those parts of ourselves that are competing with others, and then we can investigate, accept, and work with them skillfully.

"The unpleasant reactions, the pangs of threat, and the potential for feeling inadequate that surround competition are all great excuses to look more deeply at our true selves," says Amy Ippoliti, a world-renowned Anusara Yoga teacher based in Boulder, Colorado.

Transform Negative Emotions

Zack Kurland, a yoga therapist at New York City's OM Yoga and author of Morning Yoga Workouts, recalls how he used his own feelings of inadequacy as catalysts for personal growth. "A couple of years into teaching yoga, I used to get anxious when reading Yoga Journal. There were all of these teachers in the magazine, with articles and photos. They were teaching at conferences, producing books, and DVDs, running successful studios."

"I was jealous and insecure. I became jaded. I would say that I really didn't experience joy in being a yoga teacher for a good long while." To liberate himself from this unhappiness, Kurland took an honest look at his feelings, relationship to yoga, and finances.

"I realized that these feelings had nothing to do with the magic I had experienced through my practice," Kurland continues. " I needed to reassess my relationship with yoga."

As a result Kurland stopped teaching full-time and resumed a former career of website production and freelance design. This, Kurland says, " took the financial pressure off the yoga and let it breathe. I could rediscover yoga as a gift that brings me light and levity and allows me to share that," he says.

Praise Yourself and Others

Yoga's popularity has seemingly reached its zenith, bringing streams of teacher training programs - and their graduates. The abundance of talented teachers (and sometimes not-so-talented teachers) can make us feel catty, insecure, and judgemental. "The waive of popularity of yoga in our contemporary culture, " asserts Muir, "brings with it the very limitations and obstacles from which we are trying to free ourselves.

"The real issue for us, as teacherss, to embody the teachings of yoga in our inner and outer lives, so that we and our students an be inspired to move beyond ignorance and to trust in our true natures."

To download the original Yoga Journal Article, click here.

]]> http://www.ihanuman.com/index.php?pageId=9347 ihanuman, yoga, sara avant stover, yoga journal, amy ippoliti, zack kurland, eileen muir, OM Yoga, Sun, 09 Mar 2008 14:29:45 EDT http://www.ihanuman.com/index.php?pageId=6824 When and how can you get your students to commit to one practice- and should you even try?


Walk down the street and witness the shapes and sizes of pedestrians, the colors and makes of passing cars, and the dazzling array of merchandise in shop windows. Abundance bombards us from every angle.

This smorgasbord of options also seeps into yoga. Ashtanga, Anusara, Bikram, Iyengar, Sivananda - the list goes on.

At a certain point you need to make some important decisions. Just as you determined whether of not you would be a vegetarian, how you would earn a living, or in what neighborhood you'd live, must you also settle on one style of yoga?

Does dabbling in a medley of teachings support your journey to fullness or dilute it? At what point does all this shopping stop making you more savvy and start making you more confused?

The Power of Diversity

Stephanie Snyder, a yoga instructor in San Francisco, finds cross-disciplinary studies beneficial. "Adding as many tools as I can from various styles enables me to be of utmost service to my students," she explains. "This is my primary purpose as a teacher."

World-renowned Ashtanga yoga instructor David Swenson also appreciates fresh perspectives. "It is best for students to pursue whatever approach inspires them to practice, " he says. "One does not have to take a vow of practicing only one method. Just as a musician may wish to learn more than one instrument, follow that which makes the heart sing and brings joy into life."

Confronting Confusion

Such exploration can, however, unearth contradictory information and generate confusion. "confusion is not a bad thing," Swenson persuades. "There is life in the questions." Snyder agrees. "A profound and beautiful gift of this practice of yoga is questioning. I ask students to find out what is true for them. This applies to asana as much as to every other facet of our lives."

Instructor to the Yoga Journal staff Sarana Miller reveals how she resolved conflicting approaches in her own practice. "I have studied both Forrest Yoga and Anusara Yoga, " she says. "These styles have different views on shoulder placement, and this was confusing for me. I tried the different styles with my students and found that some shoulders worked better with one method and some with the other. If the method I showed them did not work, I looked at their individual bodies and helped them find a shoulder placement that felt comfortable."

Digging the Well Deep

John Scott, an Ashtanga teacher who teaches worldwide and codirects the Stillpoint Ashtanga Yoga Retreat Center in New Zealand, the disadvantage of having too much choice is that it "unsettles the mind and gives it an excuse to make preferences when there should be no preferences."

"What is yoga?" he asks. "Becoming one with the object. If we split ourselves between two or more systems, then it is impossible to achieve yoga."

Through his own commitment to the teachings of K. Pattabhi Jois, Scott has not been distracted by conflicting methods. "I have been able to remain focused on the practice, which is difficult to do," he attests.

Download the Full Yoga Journal Online Article Here.]]> http://www.ihanuman.com/index.php?pageId=6824 ihanuman, yoga, commitment, students, sara avant stover, yoga journal online, david swenson, john scott, Fri, 18 Jan 2008 17:19:25 EST http://www.ihanuman.com/index.php?pageId=5159 Discover how using themes can turn your yoga class from mundane to memorable.
We all have yoga classes that stand out in our minds. Perhaps we found ourselves in a puddle of cathartic tears durning Savasana (Corpse Pose) or euphoric after rising into an unassisted Sirsasana (Headstand) for the first time. Something that the teacher said, or simply her way of being, can stick with us for years. As yoga teachers, we all want to deliver such classes. We want to touch our students' hearts, even long after they leave their yoga mats.
So, then, what is it that sets an exemplary yoga class apart froma forgettable one? Is there a method behind the magic?

The Power of Themes
Jeanie Manchester, a certified Anusara teacher based in Boulder, Colorado, believes that the answer resides in creating a theme-centered class. "A theme has the potential to take students to the very heart of the yoga practice: To remember and to recognize our basic connection to the universe and to each other, " she says.

John Schumacher, director of Unity Woods in Bethesda, MD, agrees. "People generally absorb experiences and information much more readily when it is presented in an organized, thematic manner," he says.

For more information on creating a theme-centered yoga class download the Original Yoga Journal Article Here.]]> http://www.ihanuman.com/index.php?pageId=5159 ihanuman, yoga, theme-centered yoga class, sara avant stover, jeanie manchester, john schumacher, anusara yoga, iyengar yoga, unity woods, four mermaids Tue, 18 Dec 2007 14:30:05 EST http://www.ihanuman.com/index.php?pageId=3509
"Yoga practices traditionally should not be done after taking solid food." says Dr. Sarasvati Buhrman of the Rocky Mountain Institute of Yoga and Ayurveda in Boulder, Colorado. "Liquids, however, are permitted, including the hatha yoga recommendations of milk and ghee in the morning." Dr. Mark Hyman of Hyman Integrative Therapies in Lenox, Massachusetts, agrees. "The stomach should be empty and digestion complete to fully engage breath and allow the body to experience the benefits of yoga," he says. "An easily digestible juice or protein shake can give thebody energy without taxing digestion."

The next time you need a pre-yoga boost, fix one of these energy-packed and easy-on-the-system drinks, allowing at least 20 minutes before class to digest.

Download the Recipes and Full Fit Yoga Article Here.]]> http://www.ihanuman.com/index.php?pageId=3509 ihanuman, sara stover, pre-yoga elixers, yoga food, recommended food for yogis, four mermaids, fit yoga Wed, 18 Jul 2007 14:06:47 EDT http://www.ihanuman.com/index.php?pageId=3400
As an adult, estranged from the rhythms of a school calendar, responsibilities last year-round. Now my own five senses, rather than a school bell, cue me to break out the flip-flops.

Summer officially arrives on June 21 with the summer solstice, the longest day of the year. In cultures around the world, traditions abound for honoring this season. The ancient Chinese celebrated the earth, the feminine, and the yin forces at summer's arrival. Ancient pagans honored midsummer with bonfires; Swedes decorated a midsummer tree for villagers to dance around in a magical ritual intended to bring rain for the crops. Caribbean pirates believed a ship could sail off the world and into the sun on that day each year; and Native Americans created countless stone structures linked to equinoxes and solstices, the most famous being Wyoming's Bighorn Medicine Wheel.

Download the Original Article from Fit Yoga Here]]> http://www.ihanuman.com/index.php?pageId=3400 ihanuman, sara avant stover, summer solstice, fit yoga, celebrations, rituals Fri, 15 Jun 2007 14:22:52 EDT http://www.ihanuman.com/index.php?pageId=3370
Download and read the interview here.
]]> http://www.ihanuman.com/index.php?pageId=3370 ihanuman, sara avant stover, four mermaids, jai uttal, kirtan, yoga rock stars, fit yoga, yoga, interview Tue, 05 Jun 2007 14:30:18 EDT http://www.ihanuman.com/index.php?pageId=3361 The practice of conscious eating honors the inherent divinity of food as the sustainer of life just as it benefits our bodies and minds. Today millions of Americans suffer from digestive disorders such as heartburn, gas, constipation, and irritable bowel syndrome, to a name a few. In time, all can lead to more serious diseases, Although the causes of these disorders are complex, rushed and distracted eating, surely does not help. The quality of your digestion can increase dramatically by simply eating more slowly and mindfully. Even better, conscious eating is a practice you can do anytime, anywhere.

Read Sara Stover's Original Fit Yoga Article Here]]> http://www.ihanuman.com/index.php?pageId=3361 ihanuman, yoga, sara avant stover, conscious eating, health, nutrition, digestion, fit yoga, Thu, 24 May 2007 18:35:49 EDT http://www.ihanuman.com/index.php?pageId=3326
Download the PDF of the Full Article]]> http://www.ihanuman.com/index.php?pageId=3326 ihanuman, yoga, richard freeman, yoga workshop, sara avant stover, boulder, colorado, interview, fit yoga, ashtanga yoga, Tue, 15 May 2007 15:26:28 EDT http://www.ihanuman.com/index.php?pageId=3279 Download the article on Spring Cleansing with Ayurveda.]]> http://www.ihanuman.com/index.php?pageId=3279 ihanuman, ayurveda, yoga, sara avant stover, dosha, spring, stress Wed, 25 Apr 2007 19:04:01 EDT