Why Does the Western Public Desire Pilates?

As a Yoga teacher, and a pilates instructor, it is very noticeable that pilates and Yoga reach two distinctly different groups of people. The typical pilates student does not want to learn about meditation, Pranayama, sanskrit, bandhas, mudras, or doshas. In the mind of a pilates enthusiast, all of these Yogic aspects are considered secondary to the physical workout.

In a pilates mat class, the emphasis is on precise movement, to gain maximum benefits and results, for physical appearance. Although Yoga and pilates are often categorized as mind and body exercise, Pilates focus is much more about the physical body than hatha Yogas holistic approach to overall health.

Hatha Yoga, which is union through physical mastery, is a complete health maintenance system for mind, body, and spirit. Pilates is an off shoot of Hatha Yoga, but it is a unique, complex, and extremely complete exercise system.

Therefore, most forms of Hatha Yoga are not simply exercise classes. A complete health maintenance system, such as Hatha Yoga, took thousands of years to develop and evolve. The pilates method is close to a century old, but it has already started to evolve in its own different directions.

So, which is better Yoga or Pilates? Neither - The truth is, the student makes an individual choice, based upon his or her specific needs. Many Yoga students enjoy the holistic approach, which Yoga takes toward health, but for some students, japa (repetition of mantras), or meditation, may feel very uncomfortable.

Lets look at this situation closely. Some people feel uncomfortable because japa is commonly practiced in sanskrit, and they do not comprehend the words.

swami Sivananda said, Repetition of any Mantra or Name of the Lord is known as Japa. Japa is an important Anga of Yoga. It is a spiritual food for the hungry soul.

Japa is a spiritual aspect of Hatha Yoga. Japa is commonly practiced in Bhakti Yoga, which is deeply spiritual and the most popular form of Yoga in india.

Some Yoga students would rather not sing, chant, or pray out loud. Some people do not trust anything or anyone who is spiritual. Unfortunately, there have been a number of holy men who have violated the publics trust.

In the United States, anything spiritual has become politically incorrect. There is a movement to take, In God we Trust off US currency. The irony of this is, a few loud voices have caused the public to be hesitant about anything that could be considered remotely religious.

Hence, the pilates instructor only has to focus on precise physical techniques and making sure students experience the physical health benefits of the pilates Method.

Copyright 2006 Paul Jerard / Aura Publications

Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500, is a co-owner and the director of Yoga teacher training at: Aura Wellness Center, in Attleboro, MA. http://www.riyoga.com He is a pilates Instructor and has been a certified Master Yoga teacher since 1995. To receive a Free e-book: "Yoga in practice," and a Free Yoga Newsletter, please visit: http://www.yoga-teacher-training.org/index.html

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Technically Challenged - 3 Things You Can Do About It

Technology is moving ahead at a break neck pace. Technology is revolutionizing the way we work, live and play. These days you can barely choose a TV without some technical knowledge. So, how can you keep it all straight and stay in the 21st century? just remember these 3 steps.

call technology by its name. Every person, place or thing has a name. Technology is no different. TVs are referred to as LCD or Plasma. broadband has two implementations known as DSL or cable modem. VOIP means voice over IP. just pick up a sales paper and read the ads to learn the jargon. Some retailers have online tutorials to bring you up to speed.

Learn what devices and gadgets are used for. What does a wireless router do? What are some related devices and accessories? A wireless router manages internet access, network administration and security, and wireless connectivity for multiple computers. Normally, a user needs a wireless adapter if he has a wireless router. The wireless adapter allows a desktop to communicate with the wireless router. Understanding what devices do and their relation to other devices is important.

Know what device you need when you adopt technology. Suppose you are ready to build a wireless home network. You have signed up for High speed internet from the ISP of your choice. And you want to connect both your desktop and laptop to the internet. What might you need to accomplish this? You guessed it. You are going to need at minimum a wireless router and wireless adapter. Now you just have to select the brand.

Now you are ready to get out there and learn more about technology. You have the tools you need to get you started. Next time you hear about latest device or gadget, remember these 3 steps. Welcome to the 21st century.

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Recommended Video Game System for your Kids

There are many choices in the games that kids can play. Some are educational, fun and extra entertaining for many kids to enjoy. Because of our new innovative technology and progress, even changes in the way children games have also transformed to a more realistic and virtual game playing with contents unacceptable for many kids to view.

Before, video games were invented for educational and entertainment purposes that kids have enjoyed playing even today. Most likely, parents did not have to worry about what their kids are playing because game content was safe and fairly protected from harmful contents. Like the Atari video game system, offering wholesome games such as Pac-man or Space Invaders, kids are open to have a fun and be entertained without any explicit content and away from corruption that could influence the children's behavior. Unfortunately, changes in technology have altered the way video games are today. Games of today are more realistic and are in stilled with adult content that many game manufacturers have included in their games. Therefore, parents are now concerned on the typical game system that they want their kids to have. In fact, many parents are opting to find the best video game system that is best for their kids but away from adult contents and other threatening factors that could influence the kids.

Unlike before, Atari game system was the best video games made available to kids. Now, video game system has increased due to so many selections available to consumers especially to parents. Large selections of different types of game system such as Sony PlayStation 2, Nintendo's gamecube, and Microsofts Xbox and Xbox 360 video games from Microsoft are some of the selections that parents consider purchasing for their kids.

The best selling game console in the market is the Sony PlayStation 2 (or often referred to as PS2), it caters to all ages while providing about 600 different types of games. These games have been rated for every age bracket to enjoy and specifically for preference of age limitation allowed for each game and level usage. For example, games rated with E are allowed for ages from six and up. Other games at this rating, however, are complicated for younger children to play therefore, rating with E10+ are advisable for children above ten years old to play. Likewise, other games for younger children below 10 are rated with EC or in other words, Early Childhood.

A popular video game system that children basically love is the nintendo gamecube console. This game system has about 263 games that are based on children's favorite titles like the Sega's sonic GEMS Collections, Mario Party 6 and Mario Tennis from nintendo, and other game titles particularly for gamecube console that are also rated E.

Another video game system rated E is the Xbox and Xbox 360 video game with a built-in parental control. The Xbox has about 270 available games while the Xbox 360 has about 12 games and increasing with other popular releases. Although, some of these games may not only be available on the Xbox but as well, be available to gamecube and ps2 or all three video game systems mentioned. In such, the Xbox games with E rating like Astropop and Feeding Frenzy can have crossover titles that many publishers have also released and made possible to other video game system. For instance, rated E games like Eidos InteractiveLEGO star Wars are available to gamecube, ps2 and even Xbox whereas other rated E10+ are also available to other game systems, while other games like the rated EC Global star Software's Dora the Explorer are solely for Xbox and ps2 only.

Choosing the best video game system for the kids is important especially if parents are very concerned in their kid's preference in video game playing. The abovementioned video game system can help parents understand the kinds of video game system available to kids while assisting parents in finding the best video game system to give to them. Parents should keep in mind that video game systems for their kids should have parental control options on the game system to lock functions or set limits to the kind of games or titles allowed for playing or viewing. From the abovementioned video game systems, the most advisable for parents to purchase is the Xbox and Xbox 360 because it comes with a built-in parental control.

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