Travel to the United States or vacation in sunny Phoenix, Arizona while becoming a certified yoga teacher or Yoga Therapist.  Programs are registered with the Yoga Alliance and are available in 200 hour and 300 hour formats.

All training programs are private and holistic trainings that are based in the tradition of the Bihar School of Yoga in India. All programs include education in Hatha yoga, vinyasa flow, gentle yoga, prenatal yoga, restorative yoga, and yoga therapy techniques, and program tuitions include weekly hiking, a trip to Sedona, mindful meditation at a Buddhist Stupa, hiking at Lake Pleasant, two 350 page resource manuals with copies of all lectures, textbooks, supplies, and meals and accommodations if necessary.  Programs have limited space in order to provide students with a private and very personal education in a distraction free environment.

300 Hour Yoga Therapist Certification: Intensive Format


This program is comprised of three nine day yoga therapy intensives, which are taught consecutively over a 30 day training period. The training schedule runs from 6:30am-6:30pm every day.  Students will need to arrive one day prior to the beginning of training, in order to get settled in. Local students are also welcome to participate.  For more information, please visit our website at http://www.5thelementyoga.com .

 

Travel to the United States or vacation in sunny Phoenix, Arizona while becoming a certified yoga teacher or Yoga Therapist. Programs are registered with the Yoga Alliance and are available in 200 hour and 300 hour formats.

All training programs are private and holistic trainings that are based in the tradition of the Bihar School of Yoga in India. All programs include education in Hatha yoga, vinyasa flow, gentle yoga, prenatal yoga, restorative yoga, and yoga therapy techniques, and program tuitions include weekly hiking, a 300 page resource manual with all lectures, textbooks, supplies, and meals and accommodations if necessary. Programs have limited space in order to provide students with a private and very personal education in a distraction free environment.

200 Hour Yoga Teacher Training: Full Intensive Format

200 hour full intensive programs are taught over an 18 day period through two nine day intensives. These programs include all of the information listed above, but also include additional instruction in basic and advanced yoga therapy techniques. Graduating students receive a 200 Hour Yoga Teacher Certification with emphasis in yoga therapy. For more information, please visit our website at http://www.5thelementyoga.com .

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It’s a piece of advice that yogis have given for thousands of years: take a deep breath and relax. Watch the tension melt from your muscles and all your niggling worries vanish. Somehow we all know that relaxation is good for us. Now the hard science has caught up – for a comprehensive scientific study showing that deep relaxation changes our bodies on a genetic level has just been published.

What researchers at Harvard Medical School discovered is that, in long-term practitioners of relaxation methods such as yoga and meditation, far more “disease-fighting genes” were active, compared to those who practised no form of relaxation.

In particular, they found genes that protect from disorders such as pain, infertility, high blood pressure and even rheumatoid arthritis were switched on. The changes, say the researchers, were induced by what they call “the relaxation effect”, a phenomenon that could be just as powerful as any medical drug but without the side-effects.

“We found that a range of disease-fighting genes were active in the relaxation practitioners that were not active in the control group,” explains Dr Herbert Benson, associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, who led the research.

The good news for the control group with the less-healthy genes is that the research didn’t stop there. The experiment, which showed just how responsive genes are to behaviour, mood and environment, revealed that genes can switch on, just as easily as they switch off.

“Harvard researchers asked the control group to start practising relaxation methods every day,” explains Jake Toby, hypnotherapist at London’s BodyMind Medicine Centre, who teaches clients how to induce the relaxation effect. “After two months, their bodies began to change – the genes that help fight inflammation, kill diseased cells and protect the body from cancer, all began to switch on.”

More encouraging still, the benefits of the relaxation effect were found to increase with regular practice – the more people practised relaxation methods such as meditation or deep breathing, the greater their chances of remaining free of arthritis and joint pain with stronger immunity, healthier hormone levels and lower blood pressure.

Benson believes the research is pivotal because it shows how a person’s state of mind affects the body on a physical and genetic level. It might also explain why relaxation induced by meditation or repetitive mantras is considered to be a powerful remedy in traditions such as Ayurveda in India or Tibetan medicine.

But just how can relaxation have such wide-ranging and powerful effects? Research around the world has described the negative effects of stress on the body. Linked to the release of the stress-hormones adrenalin and cortisol, stress raises the heart rate and blood pressure, weakens immunity and lowers fertility.

By contrast, the state of relaxation is linked to higher levels of feel-good chemicals such as serotonin and to the growth hormone which repairs cells and tissue. Indeed, studies show that relaxation has virtually the opposite effect, lowering heart rate, boosting immunity and enabling the body to thrive.

“On a biological level, stress is linked to fight-flight and danger,” explains Dr Jane Flemming, a London-based GP. “In survival mode, heart rate rises and blood pressure shoots up. Meanwhile muscles, preparing for danger, contract and tighten. And non-essential functions such as immunity and digestion go by the wayside.”

Relaxation, on the other hand, is a state of rest, enjoyment and physical renewal. Free of danger, muscles can relax and food can be digested. The heart can slow and blood circulation flows freely to the body’s tissues, feeding it with nutrients and oxygen. This restful state is good for fertility, as the body is able to conserve the resources it needs to generate new life.

While relaxation techniques can be very different, their biological effects are essentially similar. “When you relax, the parasympathetic nervous system switches on and that is linked to better digestion, memory and immunity, among other things,” explains Jake Toby. “So as long as you relax deeply, you’ll reap a variety of rewards.”

But, he warns, deep relaxation isn’t the sort of switching off you do relaxing with a cup of tea or lounging on the sofa. “What you’re looking for is a state of deep relaxation where tension is released from the body on a physical level and your mind completely switches off,” he says. “The effect won’t be achieved by lounging round in an everyday way, nor can you force yourself to relax. You can only really achieve it by learning a specific technique such as self-hypnosis, guided imagery or meditation.”

The relaxation effect, however, may not be as pronounced on everyone. “Some people are more susceptible to relaxation methods than others,” cautions Joan Borysenko, director of a relaxation programme for outpatients at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, US. “Through relaxation, we find that some people experience a little improvement, others a lot. And there are a few whose lives turn around totally.”

The health benefits of deep relaxation

The next time you tune out, switch off and let yourself melt, remind yourself of all the good work the relaxation effect is doing on your body. These are just some of the scientifically proven benefits…

Immunity

Relaxation appears to boost immunity in recovering cancer patients. One study at Ohio State University, in the US, found that progressive muscular relaxation, when practised daily, reduced the risk of breast cancer recurrence. In another study at Ohio State, a month of relaxation exercises boosted natural killer cells in elderly people, giving them more resistance to tumours and viruses.

Fertility

A study at the University of Western Australia found that women are more likely to conceive at periods when they’re relaxed rather than stressed. Another study at Trakya University, Turkey, found that stress reduces sperm count and motility, a finding that implies that relaxation may boost fertility in men, too.

Irritable bowel syndrome

When patients suffering from irritable bowel syndrome practised a relaxation meditation twice daily, symptoms such as bloating, belching, diarrhoea and constipation improved significantly. The method was so effective that the researchers at the State University of New York at Albany, recommended it as an effective IBS treatment.

Blood pressure

A study at Harvard Medical School found meditation lowered blood pressure by making the body less responsive to stress hormones, in a similar way to blood pressure-lowering medication. Meanwhile, a report in the British Medical Journal found that patients trained to relax had significantly lower blood pressure.

Inflammation

Stress leads to inflammation, a state linked to heart disease, arthritis, asthma as well as skin conditions such as psoriasis, say researchers at Emory University in the US. Relaxation can play a role in preventing and treating such symptoms by switching off the stress response. In this way, one study at McGill University in Canada found meditation clinically improved symptoms of psoriasis.

The BodyMind Medicine Centre, W1, teaches deep relaxation techniques that enable people to access the relaxation effect at home. For information go to relaxationeffect.com

Take a deep breath… How to relax deeply

So how can you access relaxation’s healing powers? Harvard researchers found that yoga, meditation and even repetitive prayer and mantras all induced the relaxation effect. “The more regularly these techniques are practised, the more deeply-rooted the benefits will be,” says Jake Toby. Have a go at one or more of the following for 15 minutes once or twice a day.

Body scan

Starting with your head and working down to your arms and feet, notice how you feel in your body. Taking in your head and neck, simply notice if you feel tense, relaxed, calm or anxious. See how much you can spread any sensations of softness and relaxation to areas of your body that feel tense. Once your reach your feet, work back up your body.

Breath focus

Sitting comfortably, become aware of your breath, following the sensation of inhaling from your nose down to your abdomen and out again. As you follow your breath, notice your whole body and let tension go with each exhalation. Whenever you notice your mind wandering, come back to your breath.

Mantra repetition

The relaxation response can be evoked by sitting quietly with eyes closed for 15 minutes twice a day, and mentally repeating a simple word or sound such as ‘Om’.

Guided imagery

Imagine the most wonderfully relaxing light, or a soothing waterfall washing away any tension or worries from your body and mind. Make your image as vivid as possible, imagining the texture, colour and any fragrance as the image washes over or through you.

Article written by Anastasia Stephens.

Here is a great article from Om Shanti: A Yoga Blog, that describes Vinyasa Flow. I thought I would share. At the bottom is a link for the full article.
—Josette—

So what is it? Well, one way to describe vinyasa flow is in terms of the physical workout. In a vinyasa flow class, you can usually expect to sweat your butt off. Sometimes teachers even heat the room, which almost guarantees that you’ll be literally dripping with sweat by the end of class. Is it a hard workout? Well, that depends on your teacher. A really hard, advanced vinyasa flow class will, I promise you, be the hardest workout you’ve ever had. It’ll involve intense cardio and strength-building exercises, as well as some core work, a handful of asanas to increase flexibility, and some wildly fun acrobatic stuff that is reminiscent of Cirque du Soleil. There is quite possibly no better overall workout than a really strong vinyasa flow class. In fact, NFL and NHL teams are now incorporating vinyasa flow yoga into their training programs, not just because of the flexibility you gain from yoga (it is, by the way, a HUGE misconception that yoga just about flexibility), but because of all of its physical benefits. As one yoga website describes it, “vinyasa flow is a workout that will change your life, if you can survive it.” Now, to be perfectly honest, not all vinyasa flow classes are super difficult physical workouts. I’ve been to vinyasa flow classes where I didn’t even break a sweat. Needless to say, I never went back. But it is true that you need some considerable degree of flexibility and strength in order to do the harder asanas, so if you are new to yoga, you may have to spend a year or two in easier, less rigorous classes in order to build up the foundation of flexibility/strength necessary for the more difficult asanas.

Another way to describe vinyasa flow yoga is in terms of the mental workout, so to speak. Many vinyasa flow classes incorporate some kind of meditation before and/or after the class. Moreover, the practice itself is often considered a “moving meditation”. So, it’s not usually considered appropriate to talk during class, just as it would not be considered appropriate to talk during, say, a church sermon. And, indeed, many yogis, including myself, take the yoga practice as a kind of quasi-religious experience, and don’t appreciate it when people are disrespectful of the practice by talking unnecessarily during a yoga class. So what are we meditating on when we do vinyasa flow yoga? Initially, when you first start yoga, all you can think about is how much pain you are in and how much your muscles burn. But, in time, you may learn to simply observe the sensations and thoughts that pass through your body and mind. This neutral observation process is meditation. In observing the movements and fluctuations of the body and mind throughout the asana practice, we learn to see that our bodies, physical sensations, and even our mental activity are not things that are integral to our true selves. Our true selves stand outside of these temporary things, and, as we come to learn and experience this firsthand, we learn how to be calm and peaceful in the midst of great challenge. A pretty useful life lesson, I think. Even if we don’t buy into this stuff about inner peace and our “true selves”, at the very least, it’s fairly well established that vinyasa flow yoga does effectively promote overall mental health, lower stress, increased focus and concentration, and better sleep.

http://yogaisforlovers.wordpress.com/2007/01/10/what-is-vinyasa-flow-yoga/

The Wikipedia definition: Tensegrity is a portmanteau of tensional integrity. It refers to the integrity of structures as being based in a synergy between balanced tension and compression components.

So how does that apply to our body? Well, it is the synergy between compressional strength, or pushing strength and tensional strength, or pulling strength. Just like the connective tissue and bones of our body. Bones give us our compressional strength. They are strong and solid, like beams in a building. While our connective tissue uses tensional strength, like the connecting cables of that same building.

Tensegrity is a great principle for describing the relationship between the skeleton, muscles and connective tissue in our bodies. There isn’t a horizontal surface in the skeleton that provides a stable base for anything to be stacked upon it. Weight applied to any bone would cause it to slide off its joint if it wasn’t for the tensional pull of connective tissue (i.e. ligaments) to hold it in place and control movement.

Any dysfunction in this model causes the other components to be affected and this will take away from the structures stability. For example, tight pectoral muscles will cause medial rotation of the shoulders.

So proper adjustment of length and tension in connective tissue is important to the distribution of gravitational forces throughout the body.

Think about this concept and how yoga helps us keep our balance through strengthening the muscles and lengthening both muscle and connective tissue. Keeping that tensional strength healthy and balanced.

For a visiual aid, there are plenty of tensegrity models available on the web and in stores.

Travel to America and vacation in sunny Phoenix, Arizona while immersing yourself in a 30 day yoga teacher training program. Live in AZ? Locals are also welcome! Program schedules are designed to be both intensive and relaxing, allowing traveling students free time for sightseeing and short day trips to nearby cities such as Sedona and Flagstaff, while becoming a well rounded and certified Hatha yoga instructor in the tradition of the Bihar School of Yoga in India. Enjoy your holiday with this healing yoga retreat. Textbooks for this program are included. 200 Hr Certification is awarded with 100% attendance and students are automatically eligible to register with Yoga Alliance International as a yoga instructor.

For more info, visit http://5thelementyoga.com/200-hr-level-yoga-teacher-training-program .

Intensive Training Dates:

5/16/09 – 6/14/09
8/28/09 – 9/28/09

Tuition: $2,600

United States of America – Canada – Greenland – Mexico – Brazil – United Kingdom – Norway – Sweden – Finland – Russia – Denmark – Germany – France – Spain – Portugal – Austria – Italy – Greece – Turkey – China – Korea – Japan – Philippines – Thailand – India – Indonesia – Australia – New Zealand – Africa – Israel

How Pranayama Can Enhance Your Yoga Practice
By Ann Pizer, About.com

Yoga breathing exercises, also known as Pranayama, are an important part of a developing yoga practice. Pranayama is one of the Eight Limbs of Yoga, as defined by the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. In addition to deepening your yoga practice, learning ways to calm or invigorate the body through breathing will greatly benefit your life off the mat.
Breathing is an involuntary act; it is an essential part of life. Although we cannot control whether or not we breathe, we can control the way that we breathe. A belief that different methods of breath affect the body’s health and life force is the core of Pranayama practice.

Calming Pranayama Exercises

Three-Part Breath – Dirga Pranayama
A good breath for beginners, this exercise teaches you how to fill and empty the lungs completely.

Equal Breathing – Sama Vritti Pranayama
Calms your body and focuses your mind.

Alternate Nostril Breathing – Nadi Sodhana
Bring yourself in to balance by clearing the energy channels on both sides of the body.

Cooling Breath – Shitali Pranayama
A simple breath, perfect for a hot day or after practicing yoga postures.

Vigorous Pranayama Exercises
Ocean Breath – Ujjayi Pranayama
This powerful breath helps you maintain focus while doing yoga and can really invigorate your practice.

Skull Shining Breath – Kapalabhati Pranayama
This advanced breathing exercise should be learned from an experienced teacher, as it is possible to become lightheaded if it is done incorrectly. Once mastered, this breath generates heat and clears the nasal passages.

I found this blog both moving and inspiring, so thought I would share.

Entitled “Love Now”
by Gokul Chandra Dasa
Courtesy of Yoga Vidya International
http://my.yoga-vidya.org/profiles/blog/show?id=2740171%3ABlogPost%3A7192

“On the surface of the world right now there is war and violence and things seem dark. But calmly and quietly, at the same time, something else is happening underground. An inner revolution is taking place and certain individuals are being called to a higher light. It is a silent revolution. From the inside out. From the ground up.

You won’t see us on the T.V. You won’t read about us in the newspaper…You won’t hear about us on the radio

We don’t seek any glory. We don’t wear any uniform.
We come in all shapes and sizes. Colors and styles

Most of us work anonymously. We are quietly working behind the scenes in every country and culture of the world

Cities big and small, mountains and valleys, in farms and villages, tribes and remote islands

You could pass by one of us on the street and not even notice. We go undercover. We remain behind the scenes

It is of no concern to us who takes the final credit. But simply that the work gets done

Occasionally we spot each other in the street. We give a quiet nod and continue on our way so no one will notice.

During the day many of us pretend we have normal jobs

But behind the false storefront, at night is where the real work takes place. Some call us the ‘Conscious Army’

We are slowly creating a new world with the power of our minds and hearts. We follow, with passion and joy

Our orders come from the Central Command.
The Spiritual Intelligence Agency

We are dropping soft, secret love bombs when no one is looking :
Poems Hugs Music Photography Movies Kind words Smiles Meditation and prayer Dance Social activism Websites Blogs Random acts of kindness

Our work is slow and meticulous. Like the formation of mountains. It is not even visible at first glance

And yet with it…entire tectonic plates shall be moved in the centuries to come

Love is the new religion of the 21st century
You don’t have to be a highly educated person or have any exceptional knowledge to understand it

It comes from the intelligence of the heart. Embedded in the timeless evolutionary pulse of all human beings

Be the change you want to see in the world – Nobody else can do it for you!”

As with everything in life, yoga is effective but it will only work if you ‘work it’. For results with Yoga, as with any program, one needs to learn two simple rules; dedication and persistence. You have to be dedicated and follow the practices on a regular basis if you really want to get results. If you have bought some books on yoga and meditation, don’t let them gather dust while you plan and hope you will start the practice one day.

Yoga postures and basic meditation exercises are simple enough to learn, even for a child. The major problem with most yoga ‘drop outs’ is not getting the techniques right, as most people have aligned their minds to believe, but the ability to establish the habit of following the practices through on a regular basis. The following tips may help you to do your yoga and meditation on a daily basis.

Determination: Start your yoga with a firm determination to see it through. Yoga begins and ends with the mind, if you can convince yourself you really want to do it, then you should be able to keep the spirit. The problem with most people is that they rush into everything that sounds interesting before they are sure of whether they want it or not. These people will usually dump a program before they even really begin it. Close your eyes, search deep within you, “is yoga really important to me?” Decide you will give it a fair try and stick to that determination. There are days when you feel low and won’t want to do your yoga, remember your initial soul deep determination and you will always find the right spirit to go ahead.

Be organized: Things go smoothly and are more interesting when they are well organized. Make a regular schedule for your yoga practice and stick to it. The mere fact that you will always look forward to the period of your daily yoga practice will always keep it in your consciousness. You will get best results from yoga if you do your practice daily. No matter how busy you are, keep some time free during the day and reserve this time for your practice of yoga and meditation. It is better if you can get up early in the morning or late in the evening, when there will be fewer distractions.

Free your Mind: It is not enough to reserve a time for yoga if you can’t put your all into the practice. When you decide to do your yoga practice and meditation, remember that the next couple of minutes have been reserved for the development of your mind and personality. It would be pointless, if your body were doing the practice while your mind were busy sorting out some other worries. Once you begin your daily yoga practice all other worries and responsibilities should be tucked somewhere else until you are through.

Add Some Color: Learning how to give and share is an important part of the personality yoga seeks to create in you. Add some color and fun into your daily yoga practice by involving your friends who would also benefit from practicing yoga. The enthusiasm of others would rub off on you any day you feel low and don’t want to continue with your practice. Yoga is not what you keep to yourself – bring in one or two friends.

Learn Patience: It took you several years to build up your present personality and physical structure. You can’t change it overnight. Although, with yoga you don’t have to wait for that many years to change yourself because the regular and systematic practice of yoga postures and basic meditation can help you to make great changes within the shortest possible period. It’s being human, sometimes you feel like you are getting results and other times, you feel like nothing is changing. You shouldn’t worry so much about the short-term effects, what really matters is the ultimate goal you want to achieve. It takes a little time, but with dedication and persistence, your most profound yoga dreams will be achieved.

Thanks to article author Michael Russell.

Throughout each stage of our lives, we all experience habitual mental patterns, as well as our own versions of trauma. Notice I used the word ‘own’ (we will come back to this in a moment). After each experience, our miniature super computers store them as memories to be used and compared, at a later time, to new experiences. In the practice of yoga, we refer to these memories as samskaras, or imprints upon either the conscious or subconscious. While some experiences are extremely useful and even necessary, others may be harmful and even prevent us from recognizing a truly new experience or opportunity. If we are constantly comparing a situation to a past experience, are we in the present?

One of the most effective ways to address habitual mental patterns and break free of them involves the mindful meditation of witnessing the thoughts. Taking just a few minutes out of each day to simply watch or ‘witness’ the thoughts as they enter the mind (without passing judgment) allows us to recognize habitual mental patterns and slowly dissolve them. We no longer have a need to ‘own’ them when they can no longer serve us. It is ‘owning’ them that sets them deeper into the subconscious.

This method is also the quickest way to quiet the mind when we cannot sleep, are stressed, or are trying to quiet the mind for meditation. The trick is not to follow the thoughts you are ‘witnessing’ and let the mind wander. In your mind’s eye, just sit back and watch them as if you were sitting on your lawn, watching the traffic go by. Eventually, your self awareness of unnecessary patterns will begin to creep up on you outside of your practice. With recognition of these patterns, they will gently fall away.

One of my sneaky collaborators and I have accidentally created the best smoothie recipe I have ever tasted. This smoothie is good for boosting immunity and energy levels, putting the natural flora back into the digestive system, and for those who have difficulty eating breakfast due to lack of hunger or tend to feel tired afterwards. Having breakfast stimulates the metabolism and relieves sluggishness.

2 bananas (preferably room temperature but really good as a treat when frozen)
1 mini organic or soy fruit yogurt
1 DanActive probiotic dairy drink
1 handful of chopped fruit
A splash of soymilk

Combine all in a blender and mix well. If the blender isn’t mixing well, add another splash of soymilk. Makes two large servings. Store remainder in the fridge overnight for breakfast tomorrow!

To celebrate my first yoga blog, I thought I’d share an article from my favorite yoga blogger. Enjoy.

Gym Yoga by Ekachakra
Om Shanti: A Yoga Blog
November 16, 2008, 2:13 pm
Filed under: Yoga Musings
http://yogaisforlovers.wordpress.com

I’ve heard a lot of talk recently about the differences between “real” yoga and “gym” yoga. I don’t know if this is really a useful distinction to make, but quite a few people who practice at yoga studios stick their noses up at the yoga being taught a gyms. And a lot of yoga teachers quietly think of their gym yoga classes as watered down yoga for the masses. Many yoga teachers I know teach at gyms primarily for the money, and for the cachet of having, say, Equinox or Beverly Hills Sports Club on their resume. But what is the difference between yoga at a gym and yoga at a so-called real yoga studio? Is there a difference?

Before making an attempt to answer these questions, I’d like to sketch out some of the (perceived) differences between gym yoga and studio yoga.

Studio yoga is more likely to have spiritual elements to it–e.g. chanting, mantras, use of Sanskrit, observation of moon cycles, overt religious themes in the studio and/or clases. Also, yoga taught at studios tends to be more “traditional” in the sense that it will tend to be based in a particular school, like Ashtanga, Iyengar, Anusara, or it’ll be some derivative like Vinyasa. The teachers at yoga studios tend to be longtime practitioners, with many years of training and experience. Lastly, it is frequently (but not always) true that the students at yoga studios are more dedicated practitioners. Students who go to a yoga studio are more likely to do yoga as their primary or sole form of exercise, and they are more likely to conceive of yoga as a complete lifestyle, as opposed to some thing they do for fun or fitness. Yoga at a yoga studio also tends to be more expensive.

Gym yoga tends to be stripped of most of the spiritual elements. Usually, yoga is promoted as another exercise class offered among many other classes, such as Pilates, Cardio Kick-Boxing, etc. People who do gym yoga tend to do other types of exercise, and, in my experience, they are less dedicated to yoga specifically, although they may be just as dedicated as studio yogis to an overall lifestyle. Gym yoga usually has more of an emphasis on the physical aspects of yoga and less on the spiritual. Also, gym yoga tends to be more affordable than studio yoga, because the classes are often included in a flat monthly fee. Gym yoga classes are typically shorter than studio classes, and they are more likely to have names like “Boot Camp Yoga” or “Yoga with Weights.” The last observation I’ve made about gym yoga classes is that they can sometimes be easier and more basic than studio classes, but, again, this is certainly not always the case.

Even if these characterizations are generally true–and I don’t know that they are–does it follow that studio yoga is better or more legit than gym yoga? Personally, I want to say no. Although I am extremely partial to studio yoga, I also think that it’s a great thing that yoga is becoming part of the larger culture and that people who aren’t into, say, chanting “Om” or reading about Patanjali are willing and able to participate in at least some aspects of yoga. I also think gyms are making yoga more accessible to people who might not be able to afford $10-$20 for a single yoga class.

I do have some concerns, though, about the preparedness of some gym yoga instructors. As yoga becomes more and more popular, more and more fitness instructors are rushing to get certified to teach yoga, sometimes with a weekend crash course or even through correspondence courses they can do from home. Many of these new gym yoga teachers have been doing yoga for less than a year, and were never themselves serious practitioners. Just from a safety perpepective, this is probbably not a good trend. And it’s probably not fair to students who expect to be taught by someone with a deep and committed understanding of yoga.

On the flipside, yoga at a yoga studio can be intimidating, and the teachers at any given studio aren’t necessarily any better than teachers at a gym. In fact, many good teachers teach at both studios and gyms. Taking yoga classes at a gym, then, might be an affordable way to take class with a very good yoga teacher without having to cough up the money to take class with that same teacher at some expensive yoga studio.

So, my final assessment is that there’s good yoga to be found everywhere. (Some of the best yoga classes around are taught out of people’s apartments!) But buyer beware–not all yoga classes are the same, and not all yoga classes are what they claim/pretend to be.