Women's Safety Information

Although a Hatha Yoga teacher must be able to teach a variety of poses (asanas), practice many forms of meditation, and understand the inner workings of Yogic breathing techniques (pranayama), one of the most difficult parts of the job description is observing the class.

It takes a combination of experience, knowledge, and intuition to share concise instructions and ensure each Yoga practitioners’ safety. Good Yoga teachers spend as much, or more, time watching their students as they do demonstrating techniques and postures.

While observation looks simple, it requires a fine balance of attention to individual needs, execution of postures, classroom atmosphere, and safety precautions. In order to have a well-rounded class curriculum, Yoga instructors must simultaneously consider all of these.

Why Observation Is Important in Yoga Classes

• Successful Yoga teachers share information with the entire class while meeting each student on a personal level. Ideally, every person should leave the Yoga studio feeling the lesson targeted his or her specific needs.

• Yoga instructors have a tremendous responsibility to see that every student is safe. This requires knowledge of personal health histories, the risks and cautions related to each activity, and an understanding of the capability of everyone in the class.

• Yoga teachers who are sensitive to students’ learning styles, personalities, and skill levels instinctively know which ones are hesitant to try new techniques and poses or take on new challenges. Some people like risks while others mentally and physically freeze if they feel rushed; some learn best by listening, and others are more adept at listening or observing.

• Yoga incorporates physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health, which can be a huge amount of information. Often, teachers are stronger in one of these areas than they are in others. A Yoga teacher who recognizes a student’s strengths is better prepared to offer encouragement and praise.

• Observation is the only way for teachers to monitor students’ progress, correct alignment, minimize the chance of injury, and establish a practice of good habits. Learning the proper techniques for Yogic breathing, meditating, and practicing asanas is a basic foundation of student growth and success.

Conclusion

For Yoga instructors, observation is much like mindfulness. When teachers pay attention and let go of the need to control or judge, the studio transforms into a place where students gain confidence, poise, and serenity. As a result, every person leaves thinking he or she was in a class designed just for him or her.

As teachers, we must strive for a balance between the controlling instructor, who has to assist everyone in the class, and the teacher who has a fear of leaving his or her mat. Observation by “walking the room” at times when you cannot see all of your students is the answer.

© Copyright 2012 – Aura Wellness Center – Publications Division



By: Paul Jerard


About the Author:

Women are traveling around the world more than ever before and even alone either for business or on a pleasure trip. However, this is also resulting into criminal incidences with women while on travel. It has become necessary to take safety precautions for a successful travel. Use the following travel safety tips to be as safe and secure as you feel in your town:

o Travel safety tips while in a culturally conservative country. Please make yourself familiar with the laws and customs of the places where you wish to go. Here are examples of two situations you may encounter with. It is illegal in few countries to invite persons of opposite sex to your hotel room. Police in Saudi Arabia can arrest foreigners for wearing “improper dress”. Avoid any obscene postures while on travel to an unknown place. Few countries have a public code of conduct and police at most tourist places discourage kissing in public.

o Women’s travel safety tips for clothes. There is no doubt that fashion makes a statement. However not everyone perceives fashion the way you do. People from different cultures consider the clothing, which you consider casual, as provocative or inappropriate. Jeans and t-shirt covering most of your bodies are a better option for travel clothing. Jeans is safer than a skirt or mini if you need to run or defend yourself.

o Blending yourself with public is the best safety measure during travel. Try to purchase a local dress and wear it sometimes to give an impression of being native or being familiar with the place. Always wear one or two local accessories such as hat, chains, and scarves.

o Safety devices travel tips for women. Many safety devices available in market work as good self-defense arms. Pepper spray is a high-pressure extract of pepper. Its spray on assailant’s face would disable him for 5-6 minutes. There is stun gun with electrostatic high voltage charge. It will provide heavy shock to assailant and weaken his muscles.

o Use common sense and be alert and aware of your surroundings. If you are unsure in general about the local situation, feel free to check with the American Citizens Services section of the local U.S. Embassy or Consulate for the latest security information.

o Show confidence while talking to strangers. Criminals often look for weak women, who submit easily. Do not ignore any instance of eve teasing. If caught in a difficult situation, show bravery and boldness. Scream, fight and run as hard as possible.

By: Al Falaq Arsendatama

About the Author:

The recent tragedy of actress Natasha Richardson stands as a shining example of the importance of women’s ski helmets. Unfortunately, her story had an unbelievably tragic end, but it serves as a reminder to women all over the world that they must take safety precautions before hitting the slopes to have a fun day of skiing. While we may never know, it is possible that wearing a simple ski helmet may have saved this wonderful woman’s life.

It does not take much force to cause a head injury, especially if someone is hit in just the wrong spot. This is what often happens when someone bumps their head and later dies. The bump often seems like a non-event, but hours later can develop into a crisis. People can have bleeding in their brain and not even know it, which is what happened in the case of Richardson.

There are some safety tips that women must consider before buying a ski helmet:

When looking at used helmets, it is imperative that you take some time to research whether there have been any recall notices about the helmet in the past. Many times a person will sell an old ski helmet online without realizing that it was the subject of a recall, so you must do your due diligence. Make sure that the outside of your helmet is made from polycarbonate material which is very strong and sturdy. Try on the helmet if at all possible. It needs to feel lightweight (to avoid straining your neck) and comfortable. You will be wearing it for hours at a time, so comfort is an important factor. Know what the venting system of the helmet is. This will tell you how cool or warm your head will feel, and will give you an idea whether the helmet will help you maintain your body temperature while you are out in the frigid temperatures. There are fashionable helmets available that appear to be just a regular snow hat, but underneath feature a full ski helmet. For those who are fashion conscious, this is a great option to have! Look for helmets that have been designed specifically for women. There are some helmets that have fur built in the inside, so this may be an option for you if you are more cold natured. Some helmets feature visors built in that will help shield your eyes from direct sunlight as well as keep you from being temporarily blinded by too much reflection from the sun.

As you can see, there are all kinds of options when it comes to women’s ski helmets. There is no reason to choose the very first one that you find, but do spend some time researching different brands, prices and features. In the end, your safety is very important so it pays to take a little extra time to make sure that you are protecting your most important feature – your brain.

By: Gary Rogers

About the Author:

Living alone is an exciting adventure, and many people, both women and men, find it liberating to live by their own rules. Living by yourself, however, does require some critical safety precautions. This is especially true if you are a woman; in order to stay safe, you must take safety precautions when living alone, including:

Avoiding telling people you live alone. Be wary of the information you give out to acquaintances, no matter where you’ve met them. Avoid unnecessarily commenting about your living situation. On your mailbox, list only your first initial and last name; avoid recording personal information on your answering machine message.

Make a practice of calling in for safety checks. Does your mother still ask you to call when returning home after visiting her? If you don’t follow through on this promise, you should! You can also arrange to check in with friends. Always make sure that a close friend or family member knows who you’re with, where you’ll be, and when you’ll be home. By getting into this habit now, someone will become alarmed if you go missing. This is especially important if you’re going on a date or to the bar, or anywhere else alone after dark.

Do not let a stranger inside for any reason. If you’re in need of a plumber or repairman, have a friend come by so you’re not alone when they arrive. If a stranger comes to your door unannounced, never let them inside, no matter what excuse they give. Don’t even open the door to say ‘no,’ or they may force themselves inside.

Protect your home with security devices, such as door and window alarms, and carry pepper spray in your purse. These simple devices are critical for protecting you from intruders, muggers, and other violent criminals. Whether living alone or with roommates, every woman should use these tools to protect herself.

Be cautious when dating. Meet dates at a public place, such as a coffee shop or restaurant, rather than giving them the address to your house. Let a friend know who you’re meeting and where you’re going, and if possible, have a friend come with you for the first date.

Be aware that common areas of your apartment complex can be even more dangerous than your own living area. Gyms, parking lots, and laundry rooms are relatively deserted and may not be well lit at night. Always pay attention to your surroundings when walking around the complex, and avoid fumbling with your keys by your front door or letting strangers into the building.

By: Bryan Hough

About the Author:

Maybe you’ve been dating for a while, or maybe you are newly single and dating seems like something you did in another lifetime. Whatever your situation, staying safe is important. So, we have provided you with reminders of ways to stay safe when you are meeting new people and dipping into the dating pool.

1) As a precaution, before you begin dating, get an unlisted and unpublished phone number so a barrier will exist for someone who tries to link your phone number and address.

2) Then, with any potential date, give only your phone number or e-mail address but not too much information about where, specifically, you work or where, specifically, you live. It isn’t good to be paranoid, but it is also wise to take safety precautions when meeting someone new, especially someone you and your friends no nothing about.

3) Agree to meet in only very public places.

4) Provide your own transportation for the first few dates or for however many you feel comfortable.

5) For the first date or two, you might want to make it a double date. Remember the old adage, there is safety in numbers.

6) Carry your cell phone. If the date is going horrible, you can always excuse yourself to the bathroom and call a friend to save you or to rescue with another phone call a few moments later.

7) Try to arrive at the date locate first and then sit facing the door. That way you will see the first reaction of your date and you will have no surprises.

Be the last to leave the date location to ensure you aren’t followed home.

9) Stay aware of your surroundings and all of the other people present at all times.

10) And most of all, if you feel uncomfortable or unsafe, alert a waiter, bartender, or other “official” person at your location.

By: Jill L. Ferguson

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