Prema Yoga Institute 11/17/21 Prema Yoga Institute 11/17/21

How to Incorporate Cardiac Care into Your Yoga Teachings

How to Incorporate Cardiac Care into Your Yoga Teachings

The leading cause of death for men and women is heart disease. There are several contributing factors to cardiac problems and death, including diet, stress, inactivity, alcohol use, and disease. This list of risk factors is daunting, and they can all be addressed with yoga.

Modern research confirms that yoga positively influences heart wellness. Yoga (as a parallel to traditional medicine) can be beneficial as a preventative measure and can be modified for students that have had a cardiac event.

Read on to learn how to incorporate cardiac care into your yoga teachings below from Prema Yoga Institute (RYS300).

Functions of the heart and circulatory system

Basic anatomy tells us that the heart is the lifeblood of the body. This substantial mass of muscle, centered in the body, delivers oxygen and nutrients to the body's cells, exchanging it for unnecessary carbon dioxide and wastes to be expelled.

The Vedas also detail the complex system of chakras in the body. The heart chakra, anahata, means "unhurt" is the home of love, intuition, passion, compassion, and forgiveness.

Through the lens of Ayurveda, the heart is a focal point for energies and bodily systems to converge and pass through. Every pathway passing through the heart influences the other paths. Each of the doshas - vata, pitta, and kapha - take up some space in the heart, and therefore can influence the rest of the body.

As a yoga teacher, expect to enroll in Advanced Yoga Teacher Training courses to dig deeper into this subject matter. A certified, RYS300 school will be required to truly be able to incorporate cardiac care into your yoga teachings. We’d love to invite you to check out PremaYogaInsitute.com, which offers courses like “Yoga For Cardiac Care” in-person and online.

How yoga influences heart wellness

Yoga has the power to shift the body from an agitated "fight or flight" sympathetic nervous system into the healing parasympathetic nervous system. The transformation reduces stress and cortisol levels, relaxes vessels, lowers blood pressure, and allows the body's major organs and functions to run smoothly. Asana, pranayama, meditation, and compassion for oneself facilitate this shift.

The physical exercise and activity of asana strengthen the heart's muscles. Some styles of yoga, such as ashtanga, are physically challenging and build the strength of cardiac muscle. There is also evidence that restorative and slow-paced yoga reduces the frequency of some heart conditions, such as atrial fibrillation.

Yoga and stress reduction

Perhaps the most significant benefit of yoga for heart wellness is lifestyle modifications. Heart disease creates stress and anxiety about prognosis and possible outcomes. Yoga teaches acceptance, compassion, and self-love, which reduces the associated emotional damage of a cardiac condition. Additionally, the yogic lifestyle encourages healthy habits in the kitchen and inspires the elimination of unhealthy habits such as smoking and alcohol use.

Medical conditions often create damage to one aspect vital to healing - rest. Teaching yoga for cardiac care allows the body to move and strengthen while quieting the mind and reducing stress. Meaningful sleep can return, supporting healing and smoothing out the sleep and wake cycle.

Teaching yoga for cardiac care

When guiding a yoga class designed for cardiac care, the primary focus can be teaching your students to reflect within. Communication begins before any structured session, mindfully listening to your student's physical and mental reports. Their dialogue is ultimately their guide; you are there to enhance awareness and promote balance and wellness. Do allow a student space to share any limitations and medical guidelines from their health care provider. Some asana poses, particularly standing forward folds, are contraindicated for some cardiac conditions.

Body scans, meditations, and pranayama allow your student to slow down and process any unhealthy thoughts. Slow breathing exercises are particularly helpful for lowering stress levels and clarifying thoughts.

Asana instruction can reflect what your student needs that day, whether restorative or more active. Joining breath and movement can be the priority of any pace, furthering the self-awareness within.

Grounding poses, like tadasana and sukhasana, allow for reflection and balance. Forward folds like adho mukha svanasana, uttanasana, padangusthasana, and janu sirsasana can be approriate and safe. You can also incorporate heart-opening poses and gentle spinal twists to allow deeper breathing. You may want to offer setu bandhasana, ustrasana, and ardha matsyendrasana as accessible poses.

Modifications to asana are important in a class supporting cardiac care. Asana needs to be accessible for maximum benefit while avoiding labored breathing, lightheadedness, and the impulse to force a body into a shape. Blocks, blankets, and bolsters extend the body's length and reach while supporting balance and comfort in poses. Most heart-friendly yoga poses are accessible while standing, seated, or supine, as well.

Incorporating cardiac care into your yoga teachings makes for a more accessible, inclusive, and diverse class

Teaching cardiac care based yoga is a fantastic way of supporting more of your yoga community. As the physical and energetic center, the heart needs to be prioritized for many students. You can expand your knowledge to serve your students with continuing education classes, or perhaps, working towards advanced yoga teacher certifications and specialties.

There is a place for yoga teachers in modern health care.

Enrollment Now Open for “Yoga for Cardiac Care” in 2021

Teaching stress management and body awareness to cardiac patients is now approved by the American Heart Association’s official guidelines. As yoga professionals, we can translate ancient, evidence-informed techniques to help the students enforce a heart healthy lifestyle, adhere to regular physical activity, increase post-surgical mobility, and reduce anxiety and depression. Perfect for yoga teachers, psychologists, physical and occupational therapists. This is an in-person course with an online option; featuring teacher, Sonja Rzepski, C-IAYT and guest faculty Dr. Millie Lee.

In this course:

Explore how a yoga & meditation practice can significantly support students at risk or living with heart disease.
Learn the cardiac science and physiology behind the "down-regulating" aspects of chair yoga, Yoga Nidra, meditation and pranayama. • Learn the risk factors of heart disease.
Review cardiac anatomy, types of coronary artery disease, testing, procedures, surgeries, and contraindications, with a cardiologist.
Teaching the spectrum of students from - at risk to post-operative recovery.
Adjusting the appropriate yoga for chair or supported supine positions.
Adapting the practice for weight management, depression, and anxiety. • The science of correct pranayama for the cardiac student.
How the Ashtanga 8 limb path and the Yoga Sutras are applied to the cardiac student.
Nidra Meditation specifically for the cardiac student.
Adjustments and sequencing for the cardiac student.
Meditations for recovery, heart healthy lifestyle adherence, and mental balance.
How to use the doshas (body/personality types) diagnostically in teaching cardiac students.

*Students may take this course as an online option; please see pricing below.

Enroll in Online Advanced Yoga Teacher Trainings at PremaYogaInsitute.com
Prema Yoga Institute is longer limited to New York City and is now available online with interactive trainings through 2022. PYI is an IAYT-accredited program based in New York city with a certified Yoga Alliance RYS300, teaching students around the globe through online classes. Contact us today to learn more about how we can help you advance your yoga practice and teaching!

If you found this information useful, visit our Blog often or subscribe to our Mailing List for similar content.

Prema Yoga Institute 11/15/21 Prema Yoga Institute 11/15/21

4 Ways Online Yoga Teacher Training Outdoes In-Person Training

4 Ways Online Yoga Teacher Training Outdoes In-Person Training

There's no time like the present to start or enhance your yoga teacher training. Changing times and new technology have introduced new ways to learn about yoga. Opportunities exist for new yoga teachers starting on their RYT and also for registered yoga teachers (RYT300s) searching to advance their yoga teacher training.

Online yoga teacher training is readily available, accredited (Yoga Alliance RYS300), accessible, and just as thorough as in-person yoga teacher training. In fact, pursuing online yoga teacher training even has a few advantages over in-person training.

1. Online YTT Schools are Certified by Yoga Alliance (RYS-300) and Provide an Opportunity to Learn from Experts Across the World

Online learning models for yoga teachers include respected leaders, many with differing areas of expertise. Due to the state of the world and advanced technology, many people can now teach and train online. This means many experts that you may not have had access to before are now easily available to train you online and are certified Yoga Alliance Online RYS-300 YTT schools.

Furthermore, many online YTT training courses include direct interaction and mentoring from these leading yoga teachers and trainers. Imagine working with an expert and having the internet at your fingertips to cross-reference and dig deeper into topics that inspire you?

Course work often includes interactive feedback and review with instructors as you progress through the curriculum, which gives you even more access to your instructors outside of class. Your classmates will join you from other corners of the world, as well. This provides opportunities for friendships and studying with yogis of differing styles, backgrounds, experiences, and accessibility. Your advanced yoga teacher training experience just became more inclusive. Online technologies make collaborations, practice, and feedback from your peers accessible, despite geographical differences.

2. Enrolling in Advanced YTT Online is Much More Convenient

This one is a bit obvious, but Online Yoga Teacher Training will be much more convenient to attend than in-person training.

Online yoga teacher training often allows you to work around your schedule. Gone are the days of meeting on weekends, and sometimes during the week. Course work and resources are available on-demand all times, allowing you to review and refresh your classes as needed.

You will time and a bit of money, too. Commuting locally or traveling to another location for training isn't needed. Additionally, online classes are more affordable than in-person models.

3. Online YTT Allows you to Create your Own Perfect Learning Environment

Enrolling in Yoga Teacher Training online means you can expertly design the perfect environment for learning and practicing new skills.

Create your own dream space by putting your physical comfort first. You can skip the desk and chairs and add as many pillows as possible to a nook if you like. Having yoga props and bolsters in the space will remind you of your purpose, and give you seating options.

Add scents, background noises, and soothing lighting to round out your space. Inspirational words, your favorite books, and artwork can round out the space. Make your learning space unique and free of other distractions.

Personalize your physical space and your learning style as well. While many lessons will be online, books and coursework are included for a well-rounded experience. Online courses can match your pace, your learning style, and your note-taking and practice preferences.

4. Become a Student Again and Learn How to Setup Your Own Virtual Yoga Lessons

Training online is a different way to pursue your education, and it offers you a first-person perspective from the yoga student's perspective. Having spent time on the learning end of things, you will bring a particular empathy to your students as they practice online with you if you decide to teach your students online.

Pay attention to how Online YTT courses are constructed and discover new ways to teach your own courses online - live events, recorded classes, teleconferencing, or via social media. You will certainly get a feel for each platform during your teacher training, which can only help your teaching skills and your students. Perhaps you can make use of your new technical skills to create your own online yoga training courses to reach students nationwide or even globally.

We Invite You to Enroll in Advanced Yoga Teacher Training Online at Prema Yoga Institute (RYS300 | IAYT-accredited)

Practice the ultimate self-care by fueling your passion for yoga and knowledge. With a variety of classes, certifications, and continuing education opportunities, you are sure to find the best fit.

We’d love to take this opportunity to invite you to consider enrolling in Online Advanced YTT at Prema Yoga Institute (RYS300). Prema Yoga Institute is a certified Yoga Alliance RYS300 and offers many valuable trainings for yoga teachers interested in utilizing yoga in a healthcare setting. Visit PYI’s website to begin or continue your journey to better serve your clients.

Enrollment Now Open for “Yoga for Cardiac Care” in 2021

In this course:

Explore how a yoga & meditation practice can significantly support students at risk or living with heart disease.
Learn the cardiac science and physiology behind the "down-regulating" aspects of chair yoga, Yoga Nidra, meditation and pranayama. • Learn the risk factors of heart disease.
Review cardiac anatomy, types of coronary artery disease, testing, procedures, surgeries, and contraindications, with a cardiologist.
Teaching the spectrum of students from - at risk to post-operative recovery.
Adjusting the appropriate yoga for chair or supported supine positions.
Adapting the practice for weight management, depression, and anxiety. • The science of correct pranayama for the cardiac student.
How the Ashtanga 8 limb path and the Yoga Sutras are applied to the cardiac student.
Nidra Meditation specifically for the cardiac student.
Adjustments and sequencing for the cardiac student.
Meditations for recovery, heart healthy lifestyle adherence, and mental balance.
How to use the doshas (body/personality types) diagnostically in teaching cardiac students.

*Students may take this course as an online option; please see pricing below.

Enroll in Online Advanced Yoga Teacher Trainings at PremaYogaInsitute.com

Prema Yoga Institute is longer limited to New York City and is now available online with interactive trainings through 2022. PYI is an IAYT-accredited program based in New York city with a certified Yoga Alliance RYS300, teaching students around the globe through online classes. Contact us today to learn more about how we can help you advance your yoga practice and teaching!

If you found this information useful, visit our Blog often or subscribe to our Mailing List for similar content.

Prema Yoga Institute 11/8/21 Prema Yoga Institute 11/8/21

Advanced YTT: “Using Yoga Therapy as an Adjacent Therapy for Depression and Anxiety”

Advanced YTT: “Using Yoga Therapy as an Adjacent Therapy for Depression and Anxiety”

Modern lifestyles and stresses create issues, such as depression and anxiety. There is a way to help stave off these increasingly common imbalances with yoga.

Paired with western medicine and therapeutics, the yoga teacher (with proper advanced teacher training from a RYS-300 school) can work alongside health care professionals to alleviate the burdens of mental health disease.

Understanding Depression and Anxiety

Depression is described as a state of constant sadness and despair to the point of interfering with daily life. Overwhelming negative thoughts and self-loathing are frequent symptoms of depression.

Related to depression and malaise is anxiety, the brain that won't stop spinning. Anxious people experience nervousness, extreme unease, and sometimes bouts of panic attacks. Both conditions are associated with the mind, and both negatively affect the physical body via the nervous system.

The human nervous system is vast and complicated, and the autonomic nervous system (ANS) guides our organs and holistic systems to keep going without our direct influence. Within the ANS is the sympathetic nervous system (SNS), the portion of our body that creates the fight or flight response. Organs and muscles prepare to keep you safe in the face of stress. Blood, oxygen, and other resources divert from rest, digestion, and calmness to create an escape route from danger.

The body's counterpart, the parasympathetic nervous system (PNS), relaxes the body's primary functions and maintains a peaceful existence. The body becomes free to carry on with digestion and calmed circulation and breathing. Stressors and challenges, like depression and anxiety, stir up the sympathetic nervous system, throwing off the body's balance and creating a continuously stressed state.

How Yoga Can Support Mental Wellness

Using yoga in a health care setting is advantageous because it naturally stimulates of the parasympathetic nervous system. The primary components of yoga - pranayama, meditation, and asana - influence the mind and the body by tipping the scales in favor of the parasympathetic system. This is why the reactivity created by depression and anxiety will often subside with the help of a yoga teacher that has advanced teacher training in health care settings (RYT300).

With thoughtful instruction and spiritual guidance from a trained Yoga teacher (an RYT300 with a focus in healthcare) or certified yoga therapist, the client will practice yoga to experience a mind free of judgment, negativity, and doubt. Mental health challenges involve how we perceive ourselves, and yoga is the path to a more realistic and loving view of ourselves.

Furthermore, physical movement through asana, either active or restorative, works on the body's literal balance, strength, and healing.

Together, these aspects support transforming depression and anxiety into healthier lifestyles, and intrusive thoughts are no longer welcome.

Consider Advanced YTT from an RYS300 school or Yoga Therapy school that trains in teaching yoga managing depression and anxiety in a healthcare setting.

As a yoga teacher, enrolling in advanced yoga teacher trainings (at a certified Yoga Alliance RYS300 school) will help you gain experience in making yoga accessible, even when students experience depression and anxiety.

Practicing yoga for mental health is more than offering heart-opening poses for combating depression and folds and inversions for constant worry. Enrolling in advanced yoga teacher trainings will help you gain expertise and experience with teaching different styles of yoga, such as restorative, therapeutics essentials and yin. Advanced YTT courses (at an RYS300 school or IAYT-accredited yoga therapy school) will help you understand more about the physical manifestations of depression and anxiety and modify yoga asana for improved mental wellness.

Additionally, learning nuanced language and meaningful sequencing will improve with further yoga teacher education. Mindful communications and motivational interviewing between yoga teacher and client allow the client to form their plan. The teacher also has insights and information to create a positive experience, including phrasing and guidance to coax incessant and destructive thoughts into oblivion.

There are opportunities to broaden your yoga teacher education further, perhaps working towards advanced yoga teacher certifications. Learning more about Ayurveda, yoga therapies, anatomy and physiology will help one understand wellness from new angles. Yoga is a powerful force that has many benefits alongside traditional treatments for mental imbalances.

We Invite You to Enroll in Advanced Yoga Teacher Training Online at Prema Yoga Institute (RYS300 | IAYT-accredited)

We hope this article gave you some insight on how a yoga teacher can pursue advanced teacher trainings in healthcare to better serve clients. We’d love to take this opportunity to invite you to consider enrolling in Online Advanced YTT at Prema Yoga Institute (RYS300). Prema Yoga Institute is a certified Yoga Alliance RYS300 and offers many valuable trainings for yoga teachers interested in utilizing yoga in a healthcare setting. Visit PYI’s website to begin or continue your journey to better serve your clients.

Enrollment Now Open for “Yoga for Cardiac Care”

In this course:

Explore how a yoga & meditation practice can significantly support students at risk or living with heart disease.
Learn the cardiac science and physiology behind the "down-regulating" aspects of chair yoga, Yoga Nidra, meditation and pranayama. • Learn the risk factors of heart disease.
Review cardiac anatomy, types of coronary artery disease, testing, procedures, surgeries, and contraindications, with a cardiologist.
Teaching the spectrum of students from - at risk to post-operative recovery.
Adjusting the appropriate yoga for chair or supported supine positions.
Adapting the practice for weight management, depression, and anxiety. • The science of correct pranayama for the cardiac student.
How the Ashtanga 8 limb path and the Yoga Sutras are applied to the cardiac student.
Nidra Meditation specifically for the cardiac student.
Adjustments and sequencing for the cardiac student.
Meditations for recovery, heart healthy lifestyle adherence, and mental balance.
How to use the doshas (body/personality types) diagnostically in teaching cardiac students.

*Students may take this course as an online option; please see pricing below.