The Column

Written by Sarah Mackintosh, The Column offers a wide range of advice and guidance on a number of important issues related to modern Yoga teaching methods. Aimed at both teachers and students, The Column is interactive.

Questions from readers are welcomed and incorporated as quickly as possible into the text in reply.

Sarah is a very experienced Diploma Tutor for the British Wheel of Yoga. and has an excellent knowledge of a wide variety of styles of Yoga, which she imparts in her characteristically humorous way.

In March 2008 The Column is headed ‘Read and watch’, and discusses what to look for and what to avoid in Yoga books and DVDs.

The Column in 2004

Issue	Subject
January	Breathing
February	Chronic conditions & teaching Yoga classes
March	Meditation – how not to frighten the horses
April	Yoga and other spiritual paths/religions
May	Practicalities of teaching Yoga classes
June	Body, mind &…? about spirituality in Yoga
July	Yoga and sports
August	Heatwave – suggestions for hot weather
September	Yoga & pregnancy
October	Yoga and chronic conditions
November	Beyond the physical
December	Considering others

The Column in 2005

Issue	Subject
January	n/a
February	1. Laughter: 2. Tsunami
March	Abstinence – Fasting and diets
April	In celebration of the British Wheel of Yoga
May	Growing old gracefully
June	Student into teacher – on making the transition from Yoga student to Yoga teacher
July	Yoga in prisons – addressed to Yoga teachers
August	Water
September	Progression as a Yoga teacher
October	Yoga students with hearing and visual problems
November	‘Tapas’ or’ heat’ in Yoga
December	Learning to listen empathetically

The Column in 2007

Issue	Subject
January	Reality strikes: practising at home.
February	‘Yoga and the heart’: confusion from mistranslation of Sanskrit ‘anaharta’ chakra in the Western world.
March	Dealing with grief.
April	Music: discusses the use of music in Yoga classes.
May	May day: discusses the significance of this time of year throughout history, and its relevance to Yoga.
June	Yoga etc: discusses combining Yoga with other fitness and training regimes, and why together these can be an effective solution in the western world, despite often apparently contradictory philosophies.
July	‘Gurus’: what are the characteristics of a guru, and suggests ways of identifying the ‘real thing’.
August	Pick and mix – part 1: choice in Yoga.
September	Pick and mix – part 2: expands on how to decide if a teacher or a particular style of Yoga is right for you.
October	Yoga for the young.
November	Training teachers and professional development.
December	‘The Social whirl’: the benefits of Yoga teachers and students socialising outside classes.