Yes, Yoga brings you peace of mind as well as physical health as it stops your energies from being scattered, which is the main cause for diseases and overall/indefinable fatigue.
To lose weight you have to burn excess calories. Yoga alone cannot do this for you unless you practice many hours a day without eating. This is of course not a healthy option and it is against the Principle of Ahimsa (non-violence). Overweight cannot be solved by changing only one element because there is a complex of elements leading to it. Therefore a holistic approach is required in which Yoga can serve a very important role. People who habitually eat foods that cause overweight should change their dietary habits, and those who live an irregular life should change their life style. Also, overweight is not only caused by food alone; strictures in the energy flow can also be of great influence. In this case Yoga can help to lose weight by improving the energy circulation because it cleans up the obstacles in the energy flow. Everybody has an acquaintance who is very tiny but can eat large amounts of food without becoming fat, while most people with a weight problem ask themselves how it is possible to be overweight while eating very sensibly. In conclusion, Yoga helps losing weight but it cannot do the job alone; other elements of life need to be reconsidered as well. However, Yoga does make your energy flow more smoothly and you use a lot of muscles in your body that you otherwise never use. As a result the physical functions improve as well as the sensory functions and the functioning of the organs and glands is optimized. Another pleasant side effect is that it shapes your physical body nicely and maintains it.
There are several Foreign and Korean instructors in Magic Pond. In general foreign instructors speak English, some of them can speak Korean, too. All Korean instructors can speak English. Most people who cannot speak English have no difficulties to practice Hatha Yoga, because it is mainly physical exercises and most importantly it is practiced in silence as much as possible. There is no need for a lot of theoretical explanation because that distracts the concentration. In case it is necessary Ron can give explanations in Korean. However, Raja Yoga students need to be able to understand English to follow the course because each class has a lecture about a planned subject to systematically build up your knowledge/understanding of the science of Yoga (which is basically the science of the Self).
In WorldGym’s Yoido club Magic Pond has 2 Yoga programs: There is a Full-time Yoga program, that focuses on physical postures combined with short meditations, for health, strength and harmony, adapting to the individual needs of each member. In addition we offer a Professional Yoga Training in accordance with traditional ancient Yoga science. Please refer to “Regular Program” and “Professional Program” pages for more details.
Upon competion of our teachers course you will receive a certificate of Magic Pond Yoga School which is the only school in Korea registered at IYF (International Yoga Federation). You can work as a proven yoga teacher world wide.
Being a real Yoga teacher requires you to be a real Yoga practitioner yourself. To be a real yoga practitioner it is not sufficient to simply acquire some Yoga theory and/or some techniques. It means that you must understand Yoga deeply inside you and go through the process of growth and development yourself. This is only possible by practice and by learning from the process of trial and error. Yoga is a science indeed, but it is a science of practice. After going through this process yourself you will be ready to share your experience with other people. Therefore I recommend those who want to learn yoga properly not to hurry to accomplish things as many people do these days. Yoga requires a long time to go through the process. You can understand tomorrow or later what you don't understand today. It is like a Jigsaw puzzle that you put together piece by piece, or like building a house by laying bricks one by one. Most real Yoga teachers have become teacher because of an intense wish for changes within themselves, mainly to end their sufferings and take control of their lives. So it usually does not start with a wish to become a teacher; that is only the next step, after acquiring knowledge, wisdom and lots of experience you want to share it with other people, knowing that is helped you so much. Being a teacher is a vocation, and not something that you choose for status, money or other ulterior motives. There are many places offering a teacher certificate in a short time and at the payment of a hefty fee. Even though there are some places that offer good quality yoga education, it is very difficult to find qualified yoga teachers in Korea. Our teachers course is based upon the strict standards of the IYF. If you choose our courses in spite of the long time it takes to complete them, you will acquire a treasure for life. We hope that many people in Korea will understand and appreciate our principled approach and join us so that we can help raise the standard of Yoga practice/teaching programs.