With yoga centres popping up all around us it is obvious the demand for this kind of exercise is ever increasing. Why? Well let’s just take a look at the benefits sited by Le Beau Day Spa:

• Mental and emotional
• Spiritual
• Fitness
• Flexibility
• Good Health

But! How do you know which is right for you? In this article we are going tolook at the benefit of one – to – one yoga. We will be looking at the benefits of:

• Learning yoga in a one-to-one environment
• How a private yoga teacher can help your physical transformation
• How a yoga teacher can help you grow mentally and emotionally
• How a private yoga teacher can help your spiritual transformation
• And we will discuss how to go about finding a private yoga instructor.

Mental and Emotional
The physical changes through yoga are a smooth transition. Yoga breaksthrough old habits and it gets our bodies to do what they have never done beforeby releasing tightness in the body. It will unblock old emotions and suppressedmemories to find ourselves welcoming the world with bigger heartsand less baggage.

The changes, such as these, to our mental and emotional states are harder tocome by in larger groups. A private practise in a comfortable setting with aknowledgeable and trustworthy teacher can make way for a deeper, more personalexperience in yoga. With the knowledge that the quality of our breathingaffects our state of mind and vice-versa, a teacher can pay close attention toa student’s breathing patterns in a one-to-one setting to gain an understand-ing of his or her mentalstate in asana. If, forexample, a student’sbreathing pattern is fastand rapid, it may indicatefeelings of anxiousnessand stress. By detectingthis, the teachermay suggest modifications,pranayama ormeditation to createa slower and deeperbreath, an indication ofa more balanced emotionalstate.

Once on the path of consistency and habit your teacher can avoid rigidity andmake way for personal growth by recognising the impact our physical stateand emotions have on our wellbeing.

Spiritual
While yoga can help to transform our spiritual approach to life, it does notmean that one must become a devout Hindu, Buddhist or vegetarian! Howeverthe wrong yoga class may communicate the opposite and leave you feelingpressured or confused. It is important for a yoga practise to be as spiritualas you wish. By working one-to-one and you may feel more comfortable toexplore your feelings. With the right teacher you should feel comfortable withyour beliefs and also feel safe should you wish to delve into a new form of spirituality.

A guide on how to find the right teacher.
Research carefully to find the right yoga teacher. It is very important that youfeel comfortable enough to work closely with them and be open with them. Inthe book “Yoga as Medicine.” By Timothy McCall MD, he lists 6 things to look fora in a yoga teacher and cautions against relying on teachers to diagnose problems– please leave that to the health experts. McCall recommends looking at:

Training : Enquire where the teacher was trained and for how long.

The minimumshould be 200 hours of training and in addition they should have takenpart in ongoing studies. The teacher should have a good understanding ofanatomy and physiology and be familiar with contraindications.

Experience : How many years experience have they had?Flexibility of approach: McCall says “A good teacher looks at what you’re doingand teach from what they see, not just from what they know. Look for a teacherwho observes and asks about your needs, experience and circumstancesand who teaches according to these needs as opposed to a standardised approach.”

They practise what they preach: Only a truly dedicated teacher can be thecatalyst for transformation in a student. Find out the consistency and nature ofher practise and ask if they practise asana, pranayama and meditation. McCallsays the best teachers are also lifelong students and take part in ongoing studysuch as anatomy workshops, reading and working with more senior teachers.They motivate you to practise: find a teacher who can motivate you to keepa steady practise and one who makes you feel listened to and respected. Thestudent / teacher relationship is critical, especially in a one-to-one setting, toprovide a safe setting for transformations of every kind to take place.If this sounds like something that you wish to pursue I wish you every luck andsuccess and hope this article has been of some benefit.