Yoga Training
"God is the ultimate teacher. He is the source of guidance for all teachers: past, present and future." Patanjali's Yoga Sutras
The Spiritual Yoga practice routine assumes that you are familiar with the basic yogas postures (asanas) taught in most hatha yoga classes, manuals and tapes. If you are not yet familiar with these basic postures there are many resources for yoga training:
Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health: http://www.kripalu.org
For those who live in New England Kripalu is a fantastic yoga training and retreat center with an extensive offering of courses, outstanding teachers and a wonderful environment where you will meet other people interested in yoga and health. I feel truly blessed to have Kripalu as my training center and I am grateful to the loving staff, teachers and students who create this very special place for yoga and wellness. If you cannot visit Kripalu for classes, there are Kripalu trained teachers in all areas of the United States and throughout the world. Visit their web site for information on teachers in your area.
There are many other training programs and centers for yoga throughout the United States and the world. These resources will help you find them:
Yoga Journal: http://www.yogajournal.com The Winter 1999 issue of Yoga Journal is the "Annual Yoga Teachers Directory." It includes extensive information on training programs, classes and resources for yoga practice. The issue also includes a helpful article by Jennifer Cook entitled "Not All Yoga is Created Equal" which explains the many styles of yoga. Every issue of Yoga Journal has information on yoga training programs and resources and interesting articles on all aspects of yoga practice.
Yoga International: http://www.yimag.com I love Yoga International because it connects me to yoga on a global level and a spiritual level. Many articles provide information on yoga philosophy, wisdom, and practices. "Yoga International's 2000 Guide to Yoga Teachers and Classes," a supplement to the January 2000 issue, includes an article entitled "Find the Class That's Right for You" by Linda Johnson. The guide is available in an online version on their web site.
If no yoga classes or teachers are available to you it is definitely possible to learn yoga asanas through manuals and tapes. I learned the traditional yoga postures through manuals and established a yoga routine before I attended formal classes at Kripalu. The benefit in attending classes is to have an experienced teacher make certain you are practicing the postures correctly, to have a supportive environment in which you can learn from others and ask questions, to learn new postures and breathing techniques and to share your love of yoga with others.