| There are times when Yoga students are temporarily | | | | waste time by lecturing him or her. Do not allow an |
| struggling with negative thoughts. This happens to | | | | atmosphere, where students can engage in negative |
| many people because moods can change over the | | | | conversations. All students should be discouraged from |
| course of hours, days, or weeks. | | | | negative talk or gossip. Strangely, pessimists often |
| There are also times, when some people have a | | | | attract the worst behavior from dominant personalities. |
| natural negative default mechanism in their thinking. For | | | | Make sure your classes are well-rounded, by practicing |
| Yoga students to see reality, and experience | | | | a variety of Yogic techniques, which will create |
| self-worth, they must develop their awareness skills. A | | | | positive energy flows throughout your class. Whether |
| person who is constantly negative may not even | | | | you are teaching asanas, Pranayama, mudras, |
| realize it. | | | | mantras, bandhas, or anything else, you want to |
| For anyone to change, they must first be aware of | | | | emphasize positive energy. Avoid focusing on |
| the need to change. However, developing a presence, | | | | mistakes or poor form. Praising correct technique will |
| in the moment, is rare, if the mind is untrained. To train | | | | create a positive atmosphere. |
| the mind toward self-realization requires daily practice | | | | You can create positive thought, and make a big |
| and meditation. | | | | difference in your students' lives, just by giving general |
| Once awareness is established, a person must want | | | | praise, when most of the class is performing a |
| to change. If we are comfortable thinking the sky will | | | | technique correctly. |
| fall, why should we change our thinking? For some of | | | | Most of all - make positive visualization, affirmation, |
| us, negative thought becomes a habit and eventually, | | | | Pranayama, mantra, and meditation, part of your class. |
| an addiction. | | | | It should also be noted that certain Pranayama |
| The person, who carries a "cloud of doom" around, | | | | methods seem to naturally create collective positive |
| wherever he or she goes, is comfortable with that | | | | thought, when performed in a group setting. |
| cloud overhead. If you suggest positive thoughts, you | | | | A suggested list of Yogic breathing techniques for |
| may see a natural resistance to them. Any thought | | | | positive energy would be: Bhastrika, Kapalabhati, Ujjayi, |
| can be twisted into negative energy. It is only natural to | | | | Anulom Vilom, Bhramari, and Udgeeth Pranayama. |
| go back to thoughts which one is conditioned to think. | | | | There are many more to choose from, but these six |
| So what do you do in the case of a Yoga student | | | | techniques would be a very good start. |
| who appears to be a natural born pessimist? Do not | | | | |