How to Choose Your Yoga Mat

How to Choose Your Yoga Mat Yoga Mats: The Most Common Yoga Accessory ChaptersWhy Practise Yoga?What Types of Yoga Mat Are There?3 Criteria to Consider when Choosing the Best Yoga MatThe Best Yoga Mat Brands and ShopsDetails are important. Some of yoga’s main goals are to improve your confidence and make you more relaxed.While a yoga mat is one of the optional yoga accessories, a lot of people swear by using them because not only is it more comfortable, it also separates you physically from the rest of the world. If you use a mat that isn’t for yoga, a mat that’s the wrong size, or just a mat that doesn’t make you feel like doing yoga, it’s quite likely that you’ll find it difficult to let go and get started with yoga.practising yoga at home...Whether you're attending a yoga class or doing yoga at home, some mats can be taken anywhere. (Source: StockSnap)The PricePrice is a criterion for anything you’re going to buy. Is it important when it comes to yoga? Not really.In fact, you can find good yoga mats for £50 and excellent ones for arou nd £20. If you prefer doing yoga on your living room rug, then do it! However, once you start doing more challenging yoga routines, you might find you want a little more cushioning than your rug provides. Additionally, you can't take your living room rug to yoga classes.While there are plenty of advantages to yoga mats, the most important thing is your well-being and your taste. Like Suzanne Bryant-Cunha, a yoga teacher in San Francisco says:“You have to want to spend time with your yoga mat”Given how much time you’re going to spend with your mat doing sun salutations, stretches, and muscle toning, the price is one of the least important criteria, since you’ll rarely be spending much more than around £50. Even if you do spend the upper limit, it’ll be a very low price for the amount of use you’ll get out of it.While the cheaper mats might seem like a good idea, they mightn’t last as long as the others. However, they can be a good idea for those who’ve just taken up yoga. You can find a good mat for between £15 and £20. On the other hand, a good mat made from natural or recycled yoga mat material can cost between £30 and £50.Don’t forget that the size of your mat is also very important. If you're tall, you might need an extra long mat. You don't want to be doing your downward dog and find that both your hands and feet are sliding because they're not on the mat.Join in on the topic: should runners practise yoga? and how to combine running and yoga.Don't forget that your mat has to be the right size for you. (Source: HannahWells)If you're a beginner and not sold on the restorative properties of yoga yet, then you probably don't want to be stretching your budget by paying a fortune for a really durable yoga mat like they have in professional yoga studios if you're barely going to use it.I did a search for yoga classes near me and found a Superprof yogi who gave me advice on choosing the right mat!The Best Yoga Mat Brands and ShopsThe Best Y oga ShopsIf you’re just getting started, you’ll probably be really enthusiastic and looking at some of the best yoga mats around.It’s a good idea to check out big sports shops like Decathlon that have a lot of yoga gear. Of course, in these places, you probably won’t find as many mats made of natural or recycled materials. For these, you need to start looking at specialised yoga shops.While there aren’t as many of these around, you can find plenty of them on the internet as well as through large online marketplaces like Amazon.The Best Yoga BrandsDepending on what you’re looking for and what you need (straps, patterns, material, etc.), here are a few brands you should check out:Chin Mudra. This is one of the cheaper brands and is very good value for money. You’ll pay around £20 for a comfortable non-toxic mat. This is a great option for beginners. Gaiam. Similarly, this is a great band for beginners. They also come in some nice patterns. These are available for betwee n £15 and £30.Sports brands like Reebok, Nike, etc. These can be quite expensive and don’t last as long. I’d avoid getting one of these.Lululemon. This is a successful brand. There are heavy options (around 3kg) meaning that they’re best being used at home. They’re comfortable and non-porous meaning they won’t get as dirty. They cost around £50.Manduka. This is some of the top-of-the-range yoga mats. You’ll pay upwards of £50 for these large mats which have a very good lifespan. They also have mats for two people.Hugger Mugger: This brand does a huge variety of fitness equipment and yoga mats. The mats start at around £20 and they also do recycled foam blocks, yoga props, and bolsters.Find out how you can get started with meditation and yoga...There are a huge variety of yoga mats available. (Source: Ben_Kerckx)If you know of any other good brands, tell us about them in the comments.Have you got your mat? Now you just have to work on your exercises and your mediatio n. In addition to yoga mats, you might want to get a yoga block or two, a yoga mat bag or a strap if you're going to be travelling with it, yoga towels, and cushions for meditation. As always, ask your instructor what you're going to need and what they recommend.To wash your mat, just use a cloth or yoga towel to wipe off the sweat after each yoga class or routine. You can also use between 5 and 10 drops of essential oils. Some can be put in the washing machine, too.Let Superprof answer your questions about practising yoga...In Conclusion:Forget about sleeping pads or pilates mats, there are plenty of other mats for yoga. You should also take into account the size and thickness of yoga mats since this will vary depending on the type of yoga you’re doing. If you’re just starting out, there are affordable yoga mats for beginners.Avoid PVC mats since there are plenty of natural options available.If you've hired your own private yogi, you should ask them which mat they prefer for th e type of yoga they teach (Vinyasa yoga, Ashtanga yoga, etc.), whether you'll need a cushion for meditating, yoga blocks for a certain posture, and whether they prefer that you get environmentally friendly equipment or an eco yoga mat.Now discover the best documentaries for learning all the facts about yoga...

How to Sing Like Beyonce

How to Sing Like Beyonce Suzy S. Beyonce has been the center of pop culture attention lately, following her Inauguration Day performance, and love-it-or-hate-it Super Bowl spectacle. The singer is often praised for her vocal range and powerful sound but perhaps her most well-known stylistic specialty is her use of melisma moving between several notes in succession to create a dramatic, bluesy effect. The technique is attributed to gospel and jazz music, but has become more mainstream as artists like the late Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey, Beyonce and Christina Aguilera have incorporated melisma into their style. For many singers, however, its one of the hardest vocal techniques to master. In order for it to sound good, every single note needs to be on pitch, and often youre running through these notes very quickly. In fact, NPR even ran an article back in 2007 about the misuse of the technique among many amateur singers. Most of these beginners simply mimick their favorite singers style, without having the proper training or know-how to do it right. As youre learning the technique, here are some things to keep in mind, as outlined by the Performance High blog: 1) Practice. If you can do an embellishment pretty well and just a couple notes are not exactly on pitch, then slow it down and clean it up.  Gradually speed it back up until you can consistently do it cleanly at real tempo. 2) Simplify. If youre imitating a very complex run, simplify it.  Take out some of the notes so that you have fewer distinct pitches to hit accurately in the same time frame.  If the run moves both up and down in pitch, consider modifying it to run in only one direction to eliminate pitch bounce. 3) Dont do it. You dont have to sing embellishments to be good.  Excessive use of melisma is a relatively new development in the whole history of music.  Plenty of artists do NOT use lots of embellishment.  Even Christina has songs that do not use much at all, such as Hurt and Fighter. Continue reading the article here. Interested in Private Lessons? Search thousands of teachers for local and live, online lessons. Sign up for convenient, affordable private lessons today! Search for Your Teacher Photo by José Goulão

Starting a Business Dont Let Fear Hold You Back - Introvert Whisperer

Introvert Whisperer / Starting a Business Dont Let Fear Hold You Back - Introvert Whisperer Starting a Business: Dont Let Fear Hold You Back Do you dream of starting your own business? You’re not alone, as 589,000 new companies set up shop in 2017. So what’s stopping you from putting your ideas into practice? Read on to discover why there’s no need to fear the most common barriers to starting a business. All the good ideas have gone This not true. There are plenty of niches to be filled, so research the market, get to know your target audience and ask for honest positive feedback from people you trust. Once you’ve done this, there’s no reason why you can’t succeed. Darren Fell of Crunch Acounting agrees: “Don’t get caught up in waiting for the most amazing business idea in the world to come along. If you have a gut feeling or an idea, just go for it and tell as many people as possible what you’re doing. Often the real idea will come out of your original one in the process of trying to make it work.” While your business idea may need to be shaped and polished, it’s difficult to do this until you’ve put it to the test. According to Ritam Gandhi, founder of Studio Graphene: “Most business decisions are based on a hypothesis, and entrepreneurs can never be 100% sure that their assumptions and hypothesis are completely true.” Ritam advises first time business owners to start by taking small manageable steps and setting realistic milestones. This approach will create a solid foundation and reduce the chances of failure. I might fail In 2009, Katarina Skoberne was named one of the 1000 most influential British business people. Later that year, her third business collapsed and she was left hungry and virtually homeless. Initially too proud to ask for help, Katarina learned to accept her failure and now sees it as part of a learning curve: “The reason failure is valued in some cultures; Silicon Valley in particular, is pure business pragmatism. It is assumed that having bounced back from failure you’ll have learned resilience â€" and possibly some humility â€" and you won’t repeat your mistakes.” Risk is uncomfortable, but it’s also part of running a business, so many entrepreneurs encounter failure at some point. The key to coping is to reflect on what went wrong, learn from it and try to avoid failing for the same reason in the future. I don’t have the skills I need When Creative and Coffee blogger Sarah started her design business, she didn’t wait until she had completed her marketing diploma. Instead, she learned just enough to get going and learned the rest on the job. According to Sarah: “There is no better and faster way to learn then when you  have  to learn. Learn on the job. If you wait until you feel totally comfortable then you will  never  start.” When it comes to developing new skills, the internet is a fabulous resource. Search for a skill and Google will deliver a selection of in depth articles, videos and free mini courses designed to help you learn. To boost your business’s visibility, it’s also worth learning how to engage with your target community on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, as social media will drive traffic to your website. I don’t have enough money Some people start their business as a side hustle, however, it’s perfectly possible to get things going properly without a large amount of cash. The Talented Ladies Club is a well known online resource for mums who are passionate about their career. However, entrepreneurs Hannah and Kary had a very limited budget when they set out: “We had grand plans  for an ambitious website. But as two freelance mums, we didn’t have a huge pot of cash to invest in everything we needed to make it happen. In fact, we barely had anything at all.” To save money, the two friends found a developer they trusted, worked out what they afford to pay him and adjusted their plans to suit. They then taught themselves SEO and social media and learned how to grow their readership without advertising. As inexperienced entrepreneurs, Hannah and Kary made their share of mistakes. However, they made their business work by using the resources that they did have, including themselves. Starting a business is hard work, but if you do your research, set realistic goals and use resources wisely, success could be just around the corner. Author Bio: Anna Whitehouse writes for Inspiring Interns, which specialises in finding candidates their perfect  internship. To browse our graduate jobs, visit our website. Go to top Do you know what your next career step is?  Many people don’t. I want to help you accelerate your career by connecting you with your Free Instant Access to my eBook on how to construct your Career SMART Goals â€" that will help you put together your actions and keep you accountable. Get your copy now and start your action plan today! Brought to you by Dorothy Tannahill-Moran â€" dedicated to unleashing your professional potential. Introvert Whisperer

Best Career Blogs 2017 - Introvert Whisperer

Introvert Whisperer / Best Career Blogs 2017 - Introvert Whisperer Best Career Blogs 2017 Feeling a bit lost when it comes to career market and job hunting? Then why not consider getting an  online career advice from people who actually know the drill? There are many experts in this field or just people with a full bag of experience, who are ready to help you out and guide you. We’ve created a list of the most popular top-notch  career advice blogs that are definitely  worth checking out. Let’s a have a look at them, shall we? The Selection of Best Career Blogs in 2017 Ms. Career Girl.  This is a perfect go-to place for ambitious young women. The aim of the blog is to help ladies  pursue their dreams and career paths, while “kicking ass at it”. Here you can find tips and tricks, advice, stories and many other useful and entertaining staff  that’ll help you become a successful  woman. Bulls Eye Recruiting.  Founded by Will Thomson,  Bulls Eye Recruiting is a proud owner of many titles and awards. They first started in 2012 as a simple advice blog and since then grew into a professional recruiting agency. Despite years passing by, their primary goal is still the same: to help people find their perfect career path and make this journey a real pleasure. Campus to Career.  Just graduated and the thought “now what?” keeps bugging  you? Wondering how to make the first  steps on the way to a successful career? You can find the answer here! Curated by  Kirk Baumann, this blog will tell you all about job searching after graduation and give just the right advice on how to reach your dreams. Career Enlightenment.  This blog will teach you how to use the most effective and time-prooved social media tools in order to get your desired job. It is a perfect mix of key principles  and proven strategies of job searching. The mind behind all of this, Joshua Waldman, even released  a book “Job Searching with Social Media For Dummies”. Career Pivot.  Created  by  Marc Miller, Career Pivot is a perfect place for people who decided to change the course  of their lives. This blog will provide you with all the necessary information and advice to help you reach your goals without putting everything at risk. Slow and steady wins the race, right? Career Tips to Go.  This one offers you a more funky and creative look at the career searching challenges. What about the content? Well, the name speaks for itself. Visit them for quick, efficient and up-to-date tips and information. Lost Gen Y Girl.  Another blog that highlights the career world from a woman’s perspective. Kayla Buell, the beautiful lady who takes care of the blog, is recognized as one of the most influential social media bloggers. She is also the author of “Corporate Survival Guide for Your Twenties”. HR Bartender.  The founder  of this blog,  Sharlyn Lauby, is ready to be your loyal friend and advisor in everything career related. The blog focuses on a wide variety of topics, from  employee engagement to leadership and career advice. Interview Coach.  Margaret Buj created a blog that is kind of like a training camp for all the job seekers out there. There are video courses, consultation and simple tips and tricks available for you. If you’re looking for a reliable help with your job hunting, this seems to be a great place to go. Introvert Whisperer.  A unique blog that aims to help introverted and socially reluctant people fight their way to the top of the career ladder. There are plenty of useful materials, books, articles by different CAREER ACCELERATION Do you know what your next career step is?  Many people don’t. I want to help you accelerate your career by connecting you with your Free Instant Access to my eBook on how to construct your Career SMART Goals â€" that will help you put together your actions and keep you accountable. Get your copy now and start your action plan today! Brought to you by Dorothy Tannahill-Moran â€" dedicated to unleashing your professional potential. Introvert Whisperer

Poxy Poundstretcher A Guide To The English Spoken in Galway, Ireland

Poxy Poundstretcher A Guide To The English Spoken in Galway, Ireland Galway, in western Ireland, is one of the country’s most popular tourist locations. It is known for its beaches, the Aran Islands and its lively social and cultural life.Here is a brief vocabulary guide if you are planning a visit there.A galwegian is someone from galway.No panic means don’t worry.Knackered means tired.A friend is called a suballa.A stupid person is called a plonker.Destroyed means drunk.If you want to call someone lazy you can say if there was work in bed, you’d be asleep on the floor.To take a gake at someone or something is to look at them.A lot of something is called a hape.Shkyup is an expression of extreme happiness.A person who is tight with money is called a poundstretcher.  Musha is a term of affection. For example, well musha it’s great to see you.An old man or your father can be called the auld fella.If something is great it is class.    For example you can say a class party.A messer is someone who doesn’t take things seriously.If a man is trying to plamas you it means he is trying to chat you up.If someone is making fun of you they are said to be jiving.If someone is very lucky they are called poxy.If someone gets hockeyed it means beaten up.If something is tome it means great.  A wife or a girlfriend is often referred to as a qweer wan.If something is disgusting it is called mouldy.If someone is blaggarding you it means they are joking.To search for something is to root around.To love someone or something like a fat kid loves cake means you really love them.If someone is gimped it means they are intoxicated.If it is easy to take advantage of you, you can be called a soft touch.Galway is famous for its traditional Irish music scene. Lets enjoy some of this now.Did you find this blog interesting? Feel free to share it on Facebook and Twitter.

Minimizing Technology Distractions in the Classroom

Minimizing Technology Distractions in the Classroom One of the unfortunate realities of teaching in the digital age is the volume of distractions. From smartphones with all kinds of tools and games to many different types of social media platforms, there are lots of ways for students to get sidetracked in class and when doing homework. What can you do? Huntington recommends the below tips to offer your students: Set and stick to a schedule. The more your students structure their days, the better they will be at minimizing wasted time including technology time. Encourage them to develop a detailed daily schedule that blocks out time for all of their have-tos as well as their want-tos, including online and phone time. Establish classroom expectations. You must outline rules for digital devices, including when students are allowed to have their phones out in the classroom and when they are prohibited. Encourage parents to set rules. Your students are only with you for part of each day, so make sure you communicate your classroom expectations to parents. Hopefully, this will inspire some rules and guidelines for responsible phone and technology use at home as well. Help students build good habits. Try teaching the Pomodoro method, which has students set a timer to work for 25 minutes and then take a break for five minutes a simple but effective way to maximize productivity. Those short breaks can be used for checking social media and replying to texts. The benefit: students will grow accustomed to staying focused when its time to work. Suggest helpful apps. There are many tools that can help students be more aware of what they spend their time on and quit wasting it on unproductive activities. Check out RescueTime , a program which runs in the background of computers and mobile devices, and SelfControl for starters. Theres so much to distract students today. Help yours embrace good habits so that the many digital tools and devices out there help and do not hinder their lives.

Al Ittihad Private Schools

Al Ittihad Private Schools Al Ittihad Private Schools When you visitAL ITTIHAD PRIVATE SCHOOL(ISP-J) you will see a vibrant school community with exceptional educational professionals, recruited from around the world, who are committed to delivering a true American education in a local setting. We belong to the Al Ittihad Private Schools and are considered the Flagship school. The first IPS school opened in Dubai 1978. Currently, we have a total of five schools in the UAE (Al Ain, Dubai, Abu Dhabi). Our branch, Al Ittihad Private School Jumeira, opened its doors in 1998 to meet the growing needs of Emirati students in Dubai; and now, 21 years later, IPS-J has become one of the premier Emirati schools in Dubai offering the American curriculum. We are located in the heart of Jumeirah and offer outstanding facilities that provide the best possible spaces for our committed teachers and coaches to inspire and adapt to the demands of the modern age while at the same time preserve our cultural heritage. Technology, art, physical education, library, classroom and common spaces all communicate a message that learning is the core purpose and highly valued at IPS-J. With the support of the Board of Directors, the Leadership Team and the highly supportive parent community, IPS-J provides comprehensive programs and education IPS-J serves over 2400 Emirati students from Pre-KG to grade 12. We are fully accredited by CIS and NEASC and rated as a Good school by KHDA. Our core values of Honesty, Respect, Responsibility, and Compassion guide our actions and promote a culture of inclusiveness and engagement. Our focus on student learning in a safe, secure environment ensures that each of our students is encouraged to reach his or her potential each day. We are fully committed to the wellbeing of our students and staff.

5 signs its time to finish with your tutor

5 signs its time to finish with your tutor Choosing the right tutor is always a difficult task when trying to find a tutor that will not only connect with your child but ensure that they are successful in helping them learn. However, finding the tutor is not always enough and in some cases the tutor you hire may not be doing the right job with your child. Here are 5 signs it's time to finish with your tutor: 1. Your child doesn't like the tutor Probably a very good reason to start thinking about finding an alternative tutor. If your child dreads their private lesson or starts making excuses as to why you should cancel their lesson today then you should really question why this is. Tutors are employed to motivate and teach your child; to build a good relationship with them and to encourage them to learn. If your child hates the tutor then the tutor will not be able to achieve these goals. Of course this is not necessarily the tutors fault, however an unhappy child makes for a terrible learning environment meaning they will not actually be getting anything out of those lessons. Finding a tutor that connects well with your child is vital in the success of their learning. 2. The tutor is always late Very often tutors have a hectic schedule and may have taken on too many students. This can result in the tutor often being late for a lesson or finishing a lesson early to make their next appointment. Enquiring about the tutor's schedule before you hire them can often help in understanding what type of tutor they will be. A tutor that is constantly late for a lesson is depriving your child of their full lesson and limiting their learning time. Tutors that are late are often very disorganised meaning that their lessons will also be rather disordered. Your child needs consistency and routine to ensure they are achieving their maximum learning potential. 3. The tutor spends a lot of the lesson time texting or using their phone Of course your child will be given worksheets to fill out during many of their lessons. A good tutor will spend the time looking over their work and picking up on any issues they may have. A bad tutor on the other hand will use the time messaging on their phone, surfing the internet or catching up on emails. You are paying a tutor to give your child all the necessary attention during their lesson so if you see that the tutor is not giving that attention it's probably time to start looking elsewhere. 4. Your child spends each lesson just writing As I've mentioned before children will often be given worksheets to do during their lesson. This is not to say that that is all they should be doing. A good tutor will go through the worksheets with your child whether it be during the time they are filling them out or after they have finished. Children need motivating and asking them to fill out endless worksheets will not only de-motivate them but they will more than likely lose interest and cease to learn anything new. A good tutor will engage with your child and raise their interest levels. Interaction with your child is how they will build up that great relationship and gain your child's trust so if your tutor is not achieving this, it's time to trade them in. 5. The tutor is unapproachable You've hired a tutor to help your child and most parents want to know how the tutor feels their child is progressing. If your tutor takes a long time to get back to you, or doesn't bother to get back to you at all, then you are not getting enough from your child's tutor; which means your child is probably not getting enough out of them too. It is very important to be involved in your child's tutoring experience and feedback from a tutor is one of the best ways of knowing how your child is getting on. Just as we expect a teacher to be present at parent-teacher meetings for an update on how our child is performing in school, the same applies to a tutor. To conclude Private tuition fees include all aspects of teaching practice. Tutors are hired to encourage a child's learning and development. Making sure a tutor is fulfilling all the needs of your child is imperative; knowing that when your child sits at the kitchen table for an hour lesson they are gaining knowledge and being inspired rather than just sitting there for an hour twiddling their thumbs or going over the same material each time. First Tutors has a massive database of tutors available in a huge array of subjects. All our tutors have checks and qualifications and all have reviews from other parents or students. Doing some research and asking a few basic questions before hiring your tutor can make all the difference. And if you've just been unlucky and your tutor doesn't turn out to be all you expected for your child, then there is no harm in simply searching for a new tutor.