Three Branding Lessons I Learned From Inside the Yoga Temple

I'll let you in on a little secret...I've recently become addicted to Yoga! It's a great way for a type-A personality like me to unwind, get centered and focus on something other than the next task on my list of to-do's. The added benefit is that I've gained more physical power and strength and an abundance of clarity in all aspects of my life.

I've been practicing yoga now for several months and have been so focused on my movements that I failed to notice there is much to be learned about business success in the midst of the 'om'. Here are 3 lessons we can all learn from:

1. Let your inner voice guide you
Unlike competitive sports, Yoga practitioners don't compete with the rest of the room or even themselves. Instead, they honor where they are at in the moment and stretch not based on what the rest of the group is doing but based on how far they can go that day. This requires really listening to your inner voice, honoring where you're at and not imposing preconceived judgments on yourself.

In business, instead of moving at the pace of the pack, or making decisions based on what others are doing (or not doing), develop a strategy that honors your brand statement. When you are clear on your brand, and the value it represents, you are able to make decisions that point back to what really matters and is right...for you.

2. Expect to get out of balance
One of the moves I had the most difficulty with in the early stages of my yoga practice, is called 'Tree pose.' As a yoga newbie, I didn't have the focus I have today and balancing on one foot while my hands floated in the air above me was challenging. I'd fall out of the move, and became frustrated.

No matter the size, or age, of your business there will be times when what you forecasted doesn't go as planned. It's easy to just throw your hands up in the air and give up or change your course completely - your brand isn't built on that now is it? Before you become frustrated, take a moment to readjust and try that marketing strategy or sales tactic again.

3. Model the actions of those that are achieving what you want
Whether you practice yoga in a studio with other people or prefer to move into downward-facing dog in the privacy of your own home, it helps to model someone who is performing the moves successfully. I'm always keeping an eye on my instructor when she introduces a move I'm not familiar with so that I can copy her movements.

As a small business owner, you don't have to go it alone! Look for role models that are achieving the success you want and learn from them. The trick is to avoid taking advice from those that aren't more successful than you. Beware of 'wanna-be' mentors that position themselves as know-it-alls when in fact they are do-nothings.

The most enjoyable part of my yoga practice is the 'Salutation Seal' when we place our hands near our heart and reflect on our accomplishment. As part of your business' practice honor your accomplishments and remember, tomorrow is another day.

Namaste.

2007 Liz Pabon. All rights reserved.

about the author: Liz Pabon, The Branding Maven, is inspiring, motivating and empowering - but most importantly, shes effective. A speaker and author on the topic of personal branding, Liz delivers insights and principles that are proven to achieve WILD SUCCESS. Liz publishes the weekly Keys 2 Wild Success! ezine. If you're ready to ATTRACT amazing clients, set yourself APART from the pack, make a lot more MONEY, and have a lot more FUN in your small business, get Lizs FREE WEEKLY TIPS by going NOW to http://www.thebrandingmaven.com!

Yoga Zone Box Set 3 Volume Dvd

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

Pilates Yoga Pregnancy Video

Instant Hard Drive Performance Boost

This article will describe the easy process required to gain the maximum performance from your usb drive. The tweak itself works on any external usb storage device, i.e. a pen drive or an external hard drive.

Please be sure to read the important note at the bottom of this article to ensure you do not suffer any loss of data.

By default, usb drives are optimised for quick removal. For folk like myself who have their usb drive permanently connected to their computer, this is not required, so we want to optimise it for best performance.

When I applied this change to my external usb drive, it had a noticeable positive impact on performance. To optimise your usb drive for performance, do the following:

1. open Windows Explorer (use the Windows key + E)
2. right-click your usb drive and select Properties
3. Select the hardware tab along the top of the window
4. Select your usb drive from the list and click Properties
5. Select the Policies tab along the top
6. Select "Optimize for performance" and click Okay

You'll most likely be told to restart your computer. Do so and you're all set. After the re-boot, you should detect a noticeable performance improvement.

This tweak is reversible. If you wish to revert to the original settings at any later stage, simply follow the method used above but select "Optimize for quick removal" at stage 6.

Important note: as your drive is no longer optimised for quick removal, if you do want to remove it, you MUST do so by using the "Safely remove" option from your status bar, otherwise you risk data loss.

Yoga To Go Mat Included

Cordless Business Phone Systems

cordless business phone systems are specially designed systems that link the internal phone system of a company to the public telephone network. It gives individuals the flexibility to move freely around the office without the fear of missing a call. cordless business phone systems include cordless handsets, interconnectivity and other facilities such as voice mail, call forwarding and caller ID.

Generally, cordless business phone systems are used in small business establishments and home offices. cordless business phone systems are available mainly in three different kinds - key systems, private branch exchange (PBX) systems, and KSU-less phone systems. cordless key telephone system uses a central control device, known as key system unit (KSU), allowing users to make calls to another in-office extension. Thus, these systems are ideal for organizations with less than 50 employees. But nowadays, most cordless business phone systems come without KSU (Key Service Unit).

cordless PBX business phone systems are ideal for small offices. These business phone systems usually come with a base unit and cordless handsets. Some cordless PBX business phone systems also have auto-attendant and voicemail facilities. KSU-less cordless business phone systems are perfect for home offices. It is very easy to install and to shift from one location to another.

In all these types of cordless business phone systems, the addition of new extensions to the existing systems is very easy. Thus, cordless business phone systems enable us to put multiple phones in all the rooms of an office.

Prices of cordless business phone systems are considerably high, and vary depending on the type of the system. On an average, the cost of cordless business phone systems range from $800 to $1,500. The number of channels, transmission frequency, security features and other facilities determine the price of cordless business phone systems.

Panasonic, Toshiba, Nortel, Vodavi, Samsung, TalkSwitch, Nitsuko, motorola, Atmel, Philips, and Meijer are some of the leading brands in cordless business phone systems. All the leading models can be availed from any of the local superstores or online stores. online stores provide endless options of cordless business phone systems, when compared with some of the local stores.

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