Yoga The Benefits

Yogas primary emphasis is upon general well-being. Although yoga has been shown to be beneficial in a variety of conditions, it is not considered a therapy for specific illnesses. Rather, yoga employs a broad holistic approach that focuses on teaching people a new lifestyle, way of thinking, and way of being in the world. In the process, however, it is also found to bring a myriad of healing effects. By attending to practices for improving, regaining or retaining general good health, a person is likely to find that some of his more specific difficulties tend to disappear. Many of the healing effects of yoga is clinically verified. We will look at the healing effects of yoga. However, one of the most important benefit of yoga is its application in relieving stress, fatigue, invigoration and vitality and its anti-aging properties and its application for relaxation therapy.

According to Swami Sivananda, the benefits of pranayama (yogic breathing practices) include:

"The body becomes strong and healthy. Too much fat is reduced. There is luster in the face. Eyes sparkle like diamonds. The practitioner becomes very handsome. Voice becomes sweet and melodious"

Indra Devi, author of many books on yoga suggests that with yoga:

"You will be able to enjoy better sleep, a happier disposition, a clearer and calmer mind. You will learn how to build up your health and protect yourself against colds, fevers, constipation, headaches, fatigue, and other troubles. You will know what to do in order to remain youthful, vital and alert, regardless of your calendar-age; how to lose or gain weight; how to get rid of premature wrinkles, and keep a smooth skin and clear complexion."

Healing Effects of Yoga:

Yoga has been used for disorders such as:

Yoga is being assessed for its potential in treating illnesses such as:

Thousands of studies have shown that yoga can allow people to control a wide range of body functions, including

Studies show that people who practice yoga have:

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Health Conditions Benefited By Yoga

The following is a summary of the results of a survey conducted by Yoga Biomedical Trust in 1983-84. 3000 individuals with health ailments for which yoga was prescribed as an alternative therapy were surveyed. The results show that yoga is very effective for treating alcoholism, back pain, nerve or muscle disease, heart disease management, anxiety, arthritis, ulcers and managing cancer. The complete results are shown in the table below.

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Asthma

Studies conducted at yoga institutions in India have reported impressive success in improving asthma. For example, one study of 255 people with asthma found that yoga resulted in improvement or cure in 74 percent of asthma patients. Another study of 114 patients treated over one year by yoga found a 76 percent rate of improvement or cure and that asthma attacks could usually be prevented by yoga methods without resorting to drugs.

Yet another Indian study of 15 people with asthma claims a 93 percent improvement rate over a 9-year period. That study found improvement was linked with improved concentration, and the addition of a meditative procedure made the treatment more effective than simple postures and pranayama. Yoga practice also resulted in greater reduction in anxiety scores than drug therapy. Its authors believe that yoga practice helps patients through enabling them to gain access to their own internal experience and increased self-awareness.

A study of 46 adolescents with asthma found that yoga practice resulted in a significant increase in pulmonary function and exercise capacity and led to fewer symptoms and medications. Patients were given daily training in yoga for 90 minutes in the morning and one hour in the evening for 40 days. Practice included yogic cleansing procedures (kriyas), maintenance of yogic body postures (asanas), and yogic breathing practices (pranayama).

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Respiration Problems - Bronchitis and Emphysema

In an experiment conducted in Western Australia, 22 male patients aged 52 to 65 were selected. They suffered severe breathing problems such as chronic bronchitis, emphysema - that made normal breathing impossible.

Half of the men underwent standard treatment: physiotherapy, that included relaxation techniques, breathing exercises and general workouts to improve stamina.

The other 11 men were given a yoga teacher instead of a physiotherapist. He taught them techniques of yoga breathing, which encouraged the use of all chest and abdominal muscles as well as ten yoga postures.

The patients practiced their particular exercises for nine months. Then they were reexamined at the hospital: a technician tested their lung function, a physician screened them closely to determine how their symptoms had changed, and a stationary exercise bicycle was used to measure their capacity for exercise.

The difference between the two groups was striking. The men who had practiced yoga showed a significant improvement in their ability to exercise, but the physiotherapy group did not. Eight or more out of the 11 patients who underwent yoga declared that they had definitely increased tolerance for exertion and that they recovered more quickly after exertion The physiotherapy group reported no similar improvement.

Best of all, the patients who had studied yoga apparently gained the ability to control their breathing problems. A significantly greater number of patients reported that "with the help of yogic breathing exercises, they could control an attack of severe shortness of breath without having to seek medical help," according to the study.

Doctors analyzing the results from the study postulate that, after the training, the breathing pattern of the patients in the yoga group changed to a slower and deeper cycle, allowing them to tolerate higher work loads. Patients in the physiotherapy group continued in their shallow rapid breathing pattern. This may explain the higher tolerance breathing problems by the yoga group.

Other studies have confirmed the beneficial effects of yoga for patients with respiratory problems.

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High Blood Pressure

The relaxation and exercise components of yoga have a major role to play in the treatment and prevention of high blood pressure (hypertension). A combination of biofeedback and yogic breathing and relaxation techniques has been found to lower blood pressure and reduce the need for high blood pressure medication in people suffering from high blood pressure. In 20 patients with high blood pressure who practiced biofeedback and yoga techniques, five were able to stop their blood pressure medication completely, five were able to reduce significantly the amount of medication they were taking, and another four had lower blood pressure than at the beginning of the three-month study.

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Pain Management

Yoga is believed to reduce pain by helping the brain's pain center regulate the gate-controlling mechanism located in the spinal cord and the secretion of natural painkillers in the body. Breathing exercises used in yoga can also reduce pain. Because muscles tend to relax when you exhale, lengthening the time of exhalation can help produce relaxation and reduce tension. Awareness of breathing helps to achieve calmer, slower respiration and aid in relaxation and pain management.

Yoga's inclusion of relaxation techniques and meditation can also help reduce pain. Part of the effectiveness of yoga in reducing pain is due to its focus on self-awareness. This self-awareness can have a protective effect and allow for early preventive action.

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Back Pain

Back pain is the most common reason to seek medical attention. Yoga has consistently been used to cure and prevent back pain by enhancing strength and flexibility. Both acute and long-term stress can lead to muscle tension and exacerbate back problems. A number of components of yoga help to ease back pain:

* Asanas (Postures)-Practicing of postures provides gentle stretching and movements that increase flexibility and help correct bad posture.

* Pranayama (Breathing Exercises) -Breathing patterns can affect the spine in various ways, such as movement of the ribs and changes in pressure within the chest and abdomen. Exhaling can help relax muscles.

* Relaxation and Meditation- Relaxation provides a physiologic antidote to stress. Imaging techniques may also be used. For example, imagining a movement before it is actually performed makes it easier to move the muscles that are being used.

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Self-Awareness

Yoga also strives to increase self-awareness on both a physical and psychological level. This allows people to take early collective action, such as adjusting posture, when discomfort is first noticed.

Patients who study yoga learn to induce relaxation and then can use the technique whenever pain appears. Practicing yoga can provide chronic pain sufferers with useful tools to actively cope with their pain and help counter feelings of helplessness and depression.

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Mental Performance

A common technique used in yoga is breathing through one nostril at a time. Electroencephalogram (EEG) studies of the electrical impulses of the brain have shown dial breathing through one nostril results in increased activity on the opposite side of the brain. Some experts suggest that the regular practice of breathing through one nostril may help improve communication between the right and left side of the brain.

Other studies show this increased brain activity is associated with better performance and suggest that yoga can enhance cognitive performance. For example, a study of 23 men found that breathing through one nostril resulted in better performance of tasks associated with the opposite side of the brain.

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Diabetes

A study of 149 persons with non-insulin dependent diabetes found that 104 had lowered blood sugar and needed less oral antidiabetes medication after regularly practicing yoga. Because the patients were placed on a vegetarian diet during the study, however, the effect of yoga practice alone on blood sugar levels cannot be determined.

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Mood Change And Vitality

Mental health and physical energy are difficult to quantify, but virtually everyone who participates in yoga over a period of time reports a positive effect on outlook and energy level. A British study of 71 healthy volunteers aged 21 to 76 found that a 30minute program of yogic stretching and breathing exercises was simple to learn and resulted in a "markedly invigorating" effect on perceptions of both mental and physical energy and improved mood.

The study compared relaxation, Visualization and yoga. It found that the yoga group had a significantly greater increase in perceptions of mental and physical energy and feelings of alertness and enthusiasm than the other groups. Relaxation was found to make people more sleepy and sluggish after a session, and visualization made them more sluggish and less content than those in the yoga group.

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Arthritis

Yogas gentle exercises designed to provide relief to needed joints had been found to be very effective in relieving arthritis.

"Exercise has been recommended as treatment for arthritis for a long, long time -about 75 years," says Morris K Bowie, M.D., a rheumatologist at Bryn Mawr Hospital in Pennsylvania. "People were exercising their arthritic joints before yoga was ever introduced into this country. Exercise is very important to try to reestablish a complete range of motion. Of course, that doesn't mean you should induce a long continual strain. We encourage a moderate amount of non-strenuous, non-weight-bearing exercises tailored to the individual's needs. Some yoga postures are not tolerated well, particularly by those past 50."

Yogas slow-motion movements and gentle pressures reach deep into troubled joints. In addition, the easy stretches in conjunction with deep breathing exercises relieve the tension that binds up the muscles and further tightens the joints. Yoga is exercise and relaxation rolled into one - the perfect antiarthritis formula.

A major problem in prescribing exercise is in getting the patient to follow through. If an exercise program is painful and too strenuous, it isnt likely to be continued. An arthritis sufferer probably will be startled at the mere mention of the word "exercise." Yoga eases you into exercise without causing strain or undue pain. Even if you are only able to move an inch and hold a position for five seconds, you are already enhancing your body's flexibility.

Some physicians have long recognized the advantages of yoga like exercises. Dr. Bowie recommends the pendulum, an arm-swinging exercise "devised by an orthopedic surgeon' for bursitis and shoulder stiffness. He also favors deep-breathing exercising for ankylosing spondylitis, an arthritis related condition affecting the joints of the spine.

It is important not to overdo these exercises. It will do more harm than good. Start with a few of the simple stretches. The simple leg pull, the chest expansion exercise, and the knee and thigh stretch are especially beneficial to the joints. If your arthritis is severe, use a modified version of these stretching exercises that suit your needs.

Then try some slow rotation exercises. Head circles performed in the yoga fashion - that is, slowly, with pauses in the forward, side and back positions - will help loosen up a stiff neck. Similarly, ankle rotation will improve arthritis conditions in those joints.

The Flower is a great yoga exercise for arthritic fingers. Whenever you think of it, make a tight fist and hold for five seconds. Then release and stretch your hand open as far as you can for an additional five seconds.

Ready to concentrate on those major problem areas? if your arthritis has come to rest in your spine, limber up that area with the seated spiral twist, the cobra, and the neck and shoulder stretch. Got it in the hips? Then lie down in bed and try some hip rolls.

Take a few days rest if the pain gets too intense. Resume again when you're feeling better.

Of course, on days that movement comes easy, don't overdo it. Overworked joints can be as painful as neglected ones. So, no matter how good the exercises feel, don't continue for more than a few minutes at a time. For people with severe arthritis, it's usually better to divide the daily yoga routine into about three or four segments of about five minutes each. Rest periods and deep-breathing exercises interspersed throughout the day's yoga sessions will help relax the muscles that tighten up joints.

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Anti-ageing Properties of Yoga: Remain Young Forever!

According to yoga philosophy, it's the flexibility of the spine, not the number of years, that determines a person's age. Yoga slows down the aging process by giving elasticity to the spine, firming up the skin, removing tension from the body, strengthening the abdominal muscles, eliminating the possibility of a double chin, improving the tone of flabby arm muscles, correcting poor posture, preventing dowager's hump and so on. Yoga lets you trade in characteristics of old age for characteristics of youth.

Yoga is dynamite to make you feel younger with heightened mental prowness. Longer life often result from following yogic ways of health maintenance. When both external dangers and internal diseases and habits leading to degeneration have been removed, one naturally lives longer

Swami Nikhilananda wrote in Vivekananda: The Yogas and Other Works, as follows:

"The result of hatha yoga is simply to make men live long. Health is the chief idea, the one goal of hatha yoga. He is determined not to fall sick, and he never does. He lives long. A hundred years is nothing for him; but he is quite young and fresh when he is one hundred and fifty, without one hair turned gray."

The following are some of the anti-ageing effects of yoga, according to Dr. Paul Galbraith, author of Reversing Ageing:

The inverted yoga postures often convert gray hair back to its natural color and they will certainly delay the onset of gray hair. This is due to the inverted postures causing an increase in blood supply to the hair follicles in the scalp. Also, the increased flexibility of the neck produced by the asanas removes pressure on the blood vessels and nerves in the neck, causing an even greater blood supply to the scalp. The release of pressure on the nerves in the neck also causes the scalp muscles to relax, since the nerves in the neck supply the scalp muscles. This means that the hair follicles are better nourished and thicker healthier hair is the result.

Yoga will take years from your face and add years to your life. As you get older, you will take on an ageless appearance.

As you start to feet and took better and unfold more of your full potential, these positive mental and emotional states occur as a consequence.

Within a few weeks you will feel calmer and have better concentration. Within a few months, rejuvenation of the organs will start to occur.

You will take years from your face and add years to your life. As you get older, you will take on an ageless appearance.

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Yoga For Weight Reduction:

Does yoga help in weight management? Most definitely. There are a number of factors involved. Firstly, some of the asanas stimulate sluggish glands to increase their hormonal secretions. The thyroid gland, especially, has a big effect on our weight because it affects body metabolism. There are several asanas, such as the shoulder stand and the fish posture, which are specific for the thyroid gland. Fat metabolism is also increased, so fat is converted to muscle and energy. This means that, as well as losing fat, you will have better muscle tone and a higher vitality level.

Secondly, yoga deep breathing increases the oxygen intake to the body cells, including the fat cells. This causes increased oxidation or burning up of fat cells. ). Yogic exercises induce more continuous and deeper breathing which gradually burns, sometimes forcefully, many of the calories already ingested.

Thirdly, yogic practices that reduce anxiety tend to reduce anxious eating. When under nervous strain we tend to gulp our food without attaining much genuine satisfaction. We end up in eating more. If, on the other hand, we approach our meals with greater calmness of mood, whether produced by habits which have calmed our life or by yoga (like a pause for prayer before a meal), we tend to be less likely to overeat in a frantic effort to quiet our midday anxieties.

Lastly, yogic aids may be employed between meals whenever one becomes tempted to search for a snack. One may deliberately turn to yoga, rather than to the icebox or snack bar, when he feels the need for a lift or relief from restless nervousness. Practicing yoga may make you aware of your weight problem that may also act as a deterrent from overeating.

If you are not overweight, your weight will remain about the same. If you are underweight, you will gain weight. The weight you gain will be healthy firm tissue, not fat. That is, yoga will tend to produce the ideal weight for you. This is due to yoga's effect of 'normalizing' glandular activity.

An article that appeared in the San Francisco Examiner of October 13, 1959 shows that the weight reduction potential of yoga was recognized in the USA more than quarter of a century ago.

"Would you like to lose weight without resorting to the miseries of dieting? Well, try the miseries of Yoga exercises instead. One staunch advocate is Metropolitan Opera star Robert Merrill, who has been practicing these exercises for two years, and keeps trying to win converts. In those two years he has lost twenty pounds and now he's down to a trim, rhythmic-breathing one hundred and sixty, even though he continues to eat like a lumber jack. 'At one time I went on a lot of diets but just couldn't lose any weight,' he said. 'Then along came Yoga and look at me now.' He punched his hard flat stomach and started breathing through one nostril. And to further demonstrate what it's all about, he did a little flip and stood on his head. After that he showed the lotus position, legs scissored under the body. Was he still breathing through one nostril? Yes, the other one. 'If people weren't so lazy they wouldn't have to worry about diets,' he said."

For those whose eating habits, whether at meals or between meals, are believed to be due to feelings of weakness rather than anxieties, most yogic postures and breathing exercises are designed to increase one's strength. Hence, they may relieve feelings of weakness more effectively than additional eating. The exercises themselves, although consuming some energy, also store up energy which, when combined with oxidizing breathing, provide energy that is ready for use rather than for storage.

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Yoga and Mental Health

Those practicing yoga experiences a number of factors that results in a profound effect on their mental health. These can be classified under:

1. Reduction Of Tension

Many people who practice yoga speak of "freeing the mind from mental disturbances," "calming the spirit," or "steadying the mind." Reduction of nervousness, irritability and confusion, depression and mental fatigue are some of the benefits experienced. One experiences a relief from the pressure of his "compulsions." His nervousness, especially any jitteriness, should subside or disappear.

The extent to which these benefits may be expected will depend in part upon whether or not one can approach and participate in them willingly and wholeheartedly; for one who tries to practice postures with anxiety cripples his chances for very much benefit.

2. Restoration Of Pliability

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Yoga, Benefits of yoga, Healing Effects of Yoga

If you want to be involved in the intellectual, cultural, and active life of our community, The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga offers alternatives to conventional higher education. Provided through Continuing Education, non-credit classes and seminars range from art and recreation to all areas of personal interest.Our youth programs are designed to offer local young people a variety of classes to teach skill development, college preparation, and other special interest areas. The popularity of continuing education programs across the country reflects the need for lifelong learning beyond traditional higher education.

Online Non-credit Learning

March

Recreational Archery A to Z

DIY Boutonnieres & Corsages

SAT/PSAT Preparation

How to Arrange the Perfect Vase

Post-Processing: Taking Control of Your Images

Getting to Know Your Digital Camera

Introduction to Biking

Springtime Floral Arrangement

Taking Better Photos

April

Beginning Golf

Recreational Archery A to Z

ACT Preparation

Voice-Overs... Now is Your Time! (webinar)

Proprioceptive Writing Weekend Immersion

Summer Wreath Making

Canning College

Writing From the Inside Out

May

Mother/Daughter Floral Design

The Exciting World of Nature Photography

Retirement Planning Today: An Educational Course for Adults - Ages 50-70

Introduction to Reiki Healing

June

SAT/PSAT Preparation Summer Camp

Around the World Cooking Camp (for rising 7th-10 graders)

ACT Preparation Summer Camp

Travel Photography: Beyond the Postcard

Explore Archery Camp (for rising 7th-10th graders)

Action Photography

Art Camp: Visual Storytelling (for rising 7th-10th graders)

Getting to Know Your Digital Camera

July

Rising Girls Camp... Cooking, Crafts & More (for rising 7th-10th graders)

Grades 4 and 5 Math Enrichment

Explore Archery Camp (for rising 7th-10th graders)

Adventure Camp (for rising 7th-10th graders)

Grades 6 and 7 Math Enrichment

Cartooning with Mr. Ollie

Caricatures Made Easy for Fun and Profit

August

You've Taken All Those Great Photos, Now What?

Canning College

A New View: Shifting Focus From Seeing the Subject to Seeing the Composition

Writing the Mind Alive: A Weekend Immersion in Proprioceptive Writing

September

The Examined Life

Read Hebrew

Photographing Favorite Subjects From People to Waterfalls

October

Retirement Planning Today: An Educational Course for Adults - Ages 50-70

Getting to Know Your Digital Camera

The Slow Shutter: From Magical Acts of Disappearance to Brilliant Displays at Night

Savvy Social Security Planning: What Baby Boomers Need to Know to Maximize Retirement Income

Introduction to Lightroom

Recreational Archery A to Z

Eric King

Come and learn what makes archery such a great sport that can be enjoyed at any age. In this class, you will learn to use the bow and arrows, play some archery games, and make new friends! Must be at least 8 years old to participate. All equipment will be provided.

$80

Session 1:

When: Mondays, March 2-23, 2015

Time: 7:00-8:30 p.m.

Location: River City Archery, 1304 McCallie Avenue, Chattanooga

Click HERE to register.

Session 2:

When: Thursdays, April 9-30, 2015

Time: 5:30-7:00 p.m.

Location: River City Archery, 1304 McCallie Avenue, Chattanooga

Click HERE to register.

DIY Boutonnieres & Corsages

Lisa Tanner

Just in time for the prom and wedding season! In this class, you will learn how to make boutonnieres and corsages for a wedding or prom. The instructor will provide a detailed how-to demonstration and help participants make both a boutonniere and corsage to take home.

$69 (includes supplies)

*Each participant will need to bring their own floral scissors and wire cutters.

When: Tuesday, March 3, 2015

Time: 6:00-8:00 p.m.

Location: UTC - Fletcher 113

Click HERE to register.

How to Arrange the Perfect Vase

Lisa Tanner

Have you ever found yourself with beautiful fresh flowers, but you have no idea how to arrange them in a vase? In this class, youll learn how you can take purchased flowers from the grocery store and display them into a charming arrangement at home. The instructor will demonstrate and walk you through the steps, and youll take home an arrangement youll be proud to display. Must be at least 15 years old to participate. All participants must register and pay to attend.

$45 (includes supplies)

*Each participant will need to bring their own floral scissors and wire cutters.

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Personal Development - The University of Tennessee at ...

Program Description

Santa Barbara City College offers courses that provide opportunities for students to increase their potential for success, develop leadership competencies and management skills, and evaluate and plan their educational programs.

The college faculty believes strongly that students should take time early in their educational endeavors to develop a plan, seek information, and prepare themselves for a comprehensive program that is best suited to their interests, abilities and goals.

Personal Development courses at SBCC, as well as a diverse array of support services, allow the student to develop and organize his or her program of courses, co-curricular activities and use of support services to achieve desired career training, educational goals, life management skills and leadership skills.

Educational planning and academic skills development opportunities through Student Success, Educational Planning and College Search courses should be an essential part of every student's college curriculum, while specialized courses provide unique opportunities for leadership development.

All students, particularly those who are undecided or looking for possible new career directions, are urged to take advantage of Career Planning courses, services and professional guidance provided by the faculty and staff of the Career Advancement Center. Career planning courses and services also provide an opportunity to explore, choose and enter careers and professions.

Information/Offices

Office of Student Development (SS-260, ext. 2202) Academic Counseling Center (SS-120, ext. 2285) Career Center (SS-282, ext. 2331) EOPS (SS-240, ext. 2279) ESL (ESL-2, ext. 2320) International Students (IE, ext. 2240) Student Activities (CC-217, ext. 2262) Student Success (SS-260, ext. 2202) Transfer Center (SS-140, ext. 2547)

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Personal Development: Welcome to Personal Development ...

If you find no one to support you on the spiritual path, walk alone. There is no companionship with the immature.

If you are prone to creative work, you know that inspiration hits you naturally. Sometimes you fall into a dark spot, so you think that waiting is the best solution. Its not! Creativity is a trainable skill, so you can make an effort that will yield results.

Life is messy. Too often, we miss this fact. The grass is not greener on the other side; the other side may be better cared for. Even though life is more like a warrior dash than a journey, either way, too many muddy their paths in unnecessary ways.

How can you be an effective team member and help your work group be successful? It may seem unlikely that there could be anything new to learn about what makes teams effective, but there is. More than ever before, work today gets done in teams, and your ability to contribute as a member is vital to your career success.

The palest ink is better than the best memory.

New research from the emerging field of neuroeconomics suggests that being generous is not as tough as some people think. But even so, it is pretty rare.

If you want to make a career of public speaking, youre going to have to get paid.

When was the last time a salesperson really, really annoyed you? No matter how professional or helpful you are 99% of the time, at one point or another in your sales career, youve probably irritated some of your prospects.

Our brains are wired to dislike uncertainty. When we face an uncertain leadership challenge, the fight-flight center of our brain releases hormones into our blood stream and neurotransmitters into our brain.

No matter what happens, or how bad it seems today, life does go on, and it will be better tomorrow.

Im sure you have heard these things before, especially now in an age when positive psychology is so popular: Choose to be happy. Visualize your success and you will be successful. If you believe it, you can achieve it. Theyre nice messages, and theyre everywhere.

But scientific evidence suggests that they may not actually be helpful when it comes to achieving our goals and being successful.

If you had the choice of doing something the easy way or the hard way, and you didnt have to do anything morally, ethically, or legally wrong to do it the easy way, which would you choose? My guess is the majority of you would say take the easy way. I certainly would.

No one in management starts out wanting to be hated. Certainly, most managers have principles, and use them to do what they think is best for the team and the company. But sometimes they are moving so fast they dont realize their destructive behavior. Or worse, they lack a certain amount of self-awareness.

Follow this link:
Personal Development Resources

Your Record Book should include a goal which identifies a definite task to be completed and activities which require the application of specific skills.

Acceptable goal: I will improve my acting skills and learn more about working behind the scenes in a theater.

Acceptable activities: I will perform in community theater, work as a stage hand, and learn about lighting, props and costumes.

If you are a full-time student, a part-time job could count for Personal Development. In order to qualify, the goal must indicate the development of vocational and/or work skills and the activities must be performed without school credit. Similarly, if you are employed full-time, educational activities could serve as a Personal Development activity.

Part-time work pursued by a full-time student as Personal Development: I will work part-time at a bank where my duties will include: answering telephones, filing, word processing and operating photo copiers and fax machines. This will allow me to explore careers in banking.

Education pursued as Personal Development by a person employed full-time: I will attend classes to prepare for and take the exam for a General Education Diploma. In addition, I will explore jobs that I will be qualified for at a hospital and practice writing letters to apply for those jobs.

Your Personal Development goals can be pursued either individually or as part of a group. If your goal is within a group activity, your individual contribution to the planning, execution, and completion of the activity is the basis for assessment. Your individual progress should be measured against your goals, not other teammates.

Personal Development goals as part of a group: I will pursue my interest in photography as a member of the school newspaper staff. I intend to produce at least 10 photos, which will be published during the next school year.

Your Record Book should show an intended improvement level from where you stand now in a particular skill or hobby to where you intend to be at the completion of your goals. If no obvious way to measure your progress exists, include extra activities.

Personal Development additional activities to show improvement: Baby-sitting-include child safety or choke prevention course. Reading -develop a vocabulary list and write book reviews.

These are just some of the activities that young people have participated in to earn the Award. Remember its about your interests and your own challenges. If you have a question about a specific activity and want some feedback please contact us!

Agriculture/farming Amateur radio Arts and crafts Astronomy Automotive science Career development Clerical and office Collecting (stamps,coins, etc.) Conservation/environment Construction Creative writing Cross cultural programs Dancing Dog training Electrical engineering Fashion design/tailoring Floral art Forestry Gardening

Horsemanship Job training programs Language study Leadership training Learning For Life Literacy programs Magic Model building Music/singing National Guard Nursing Part-time work Photography Speech and debate Sewing/quilting Theater/acting Venturing Video production Woodwork

CertificatesBronze 15 hours & no min. months required Silver 30 hours& no min. months required Gold 45 hours & 6 months

MedalsBronze 50 hours & 7 months Silver 100 hours & 12 months Gold 200 hours & 24 months

Personal Development requires an extended commitment to ones goals. Months of activity are as vital to the program as hours dedicated to the program area. Please see ourProgram Requirements Pagefor further explanation.

Once you areregistered, you canclick hereto get your copy of the Record Book. Work with your Advisor and Validator to set goals in each program area, then set out to achieve them.

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Personal Development | Congressional Award

There is a fork in the road and the right path is unclearwhat do you do? For many people this predicament seems like a daunting and impossible task, but if you know exactly what it is you want to get out of life there the answer is obvious.

When you make this active decision to begin your own journey of personal growth and development youve taken the first step towards a better and brighter future. Although, your journey is yours to travel alone, there are tools that can help you to get the most out of life.

Inspirational workshops, such as our Awakening the Dreamer Symposium, testimonials from successful people, and books authored by the greatest motivational speakers can aid in improving your relationships, work place, intellect, and much more.

Personal growth and development is a transformational process, in which improvements are made in your physical, emotional, intellectual, spiritual, social, and/or financial state.

This processes is often triggered by an important life event that inspires you to improve and empower yourself by discovering where your full potential lies. The result is a more satisfying and meaningful life, which is evident in your relationships, place of work, self-image and self-confidence, as well as your worldview.

People want to grow and develop themselves because they are unsatisfied with their life and the direction it is heading. To change its course and create a satisfying life, undergoing the personal growth and development process is essential.

Once this process is underway the results are endless. You will find meaning and purpose in yourself that was absent before. Life goals will become possible. You will use your full potential to benefit yourself and others. New skills and talents will be discovered. Old relationships will be strengthened and new ones will be easily formed. All of which will give you a boost in your self-image and self-confidence.

Every person is a unique individual and because of this, a universal strategy for personal growth and development cannot exist.

Each pathway towards personal growth and development is a personalized journey. It is up to the individual to figure out which pathway is theirs and where it leads. There is, however, as set of questions that can help guide you towards your own path

A 4-minute introduction to the experience that will transform your relationship to the crisis and opportunity of this time in history.

The Awakening the Dreamer Symposium is an ideal tool towards a successful personal growth and development experience. If what you are hoping to improve involves environmental awareness, social connection, new worldviews and perspectives, spirituality, and a partnership with the earth then this one symposium can help you get there.

The symposium, put on by the Pachamama Alliance organization, fights for the conservation of the Amazon rainforest, which is home to many indigenous tribes like our partners, the Achuar. Specifically, the symposium illuminates the predisposed assumption that the habits of the modern world have little affect on the environment, which is a gross misconception.

While delivering the hard truth about the cause behind our current environmental state, the symposium also inspires a profound bond with fellow humans and defines what it means to be a global citizen. This state of being that is awakened during the symposium is called blessed unrest and acts as a catalyst for becoming an agent of change and bring forth a thriving, just, and sustainable world.

A preview of how personal growth and development is inspired in the audience during the symposium.

Similar to the questions listed above, the ATD symposiums framework is based on four important, thought-provoking questions

Anyone can begin their journey towards personal growth and development as long as they have right frame of mind and the right resources.

Learn More About the Symposium

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Personal Growth and Development | A Transformational ...

A good plan is like a road map: it shows the final destination and usually the best way to get there. H. Stanley Judd

Do you have a plan for where youre going and how to get there? Do you have a plan for your personal development? If you have hopes and dreams you are working towards, but arent sure of the steps needed , then a personal development plan may be just what you need.

So, what should you have in your personal development plan template? A good place to start is:

The real question though is whats a good format for this? What is a useful personal development plan template I can use as a starting point. Heres the answer:

Before I lay out my personal development plan template, consider how long you intend to spend improving your life. If youre like me, you know this is a long term process. You know that your personal development will continue long after you fill this template out, but do you have a steady stream of reminders to keep you on track? Do you have a community of like minded individuals to keep you motivated?

In short,the downside of a personal development plan template is that it can be challenging to keep your goals and dreams on track, because its too easy to write down a plan and then get back into every day life, while the plan sits on the shelf.

So, lets move beyond just a personal development plan template and use a better, free resource: a personal development plan for your life.

If youre serious about your personal development, I encourage you to complete your personal development plan template with this free personal development course Ive created: Personal Development 101. Features include:

So before you do anything else, click here now and get your free course: Personal Development 101.

As a bonus, youll also get my brand new special report The 7 Reasons Good People (With Great Plans) Still Fail.

Your goals might look like this:

For each box, answer these questions:

You can get more details about how to fill out this template in my article, How To Create Your Personal Development Plan.

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Personal Development Plan Template | Personal Development ...

Create a personal development plan for carrying out your desire and begin at once, whether youre ready or not, to put this plan into action. ~ Napoleon Hill

The one personal development skill that I observe is making a huge difference in peoplessuccessesis the ability to plan ahead. Writing your own personal development plan is exactly the process that, if done right, can give you this advantage in life.

Because a well laid personal development plan will give you a strong direction in life. On the other hand it will be in perfect harmony with who you really are. This is something done wrong very often, but what good is it for to have a great plan that is taking you to a wrong destination? So the key is to create a personal development plan not for the sake of just having it, but to have a plan that is perfectly mirroring your own individual wants and needs (see also What is Personal Development?). The idea is that you are actively starting to give concrete thoughts to why you are here on this earth, what your purpose is and what steps will help you tofulfillit.

A good personal development plan is first and foremost purpose-driven. Thats why it is in perfect harmony with the core of your being. It aims to give you personal fulfillment and helps you to grow. In simple words: What you plan is what you REALLY want.That is key, of course. Otherwise you would deceive yourself and plan for something that is not really in alignment with yourself. That sounds trivial, but sometimes when you get an external push to do personal development planning, you may do it, but stay essentially disconnected from your true desires.

How is it different from your personal development goals? Goal setting is an important part of a personal development plan,but not the whole picture. I like to look at it like goal setting being a technique or a process to define exact goals, while planning is similar to developing a vision and giving your life a general direction.

Planning is like laying a strategy, goal setting is like creating the tactics to fulfill the strategy. Planning comes first, goal setting second.

Your individual personal development plan must be rooted in your own values. And it has to take your personal strength and weaknesses into account.

List 5 of the most important values in your life. Popular examples are: Integrity, Family, Wealth, Success, Love, Faith, Creativity, Adventure, Freedom, Power etc.

My personal top 5 values are:_______________

Then put them into a priority by asking yourself, which value is more important than the other, so you have a TOP 5 in the end.

Now think about your personal strengths. Popular Examples are: self-confidence,empathy, analytical, creative, action-oriented, energetic, people-oriented, communicator, business-oriented, family-oriented etc.

My personal top 5 strength are:_______________

Finally think about your personal weaknesses. Popular Examples are: self-discipline, organization, mathematical, communication, self-presenting, patience, energy. (basically the same asstrength, but on the other side of the scale of course)

My personal top 5 weaknesses are:_______________

It is a nice exercise to get clarity about your values andstrengthsand weaknesses. This knowledge will guide you to develop the right personal development plan for you. So when you write your plan, think about how those goals are in harmony with your top values and if they align with your personal strength and avoid your weaknesses more or less.

A great personal development plan is also covering your complete life and aims to create balance. Toreach balance in your life, one of the most important things for happiness, you have to take a broad perspective and look at all areas of your life. In my detailed article How to Create Balance in All Areas of Your LifeI already covered work-life balance and suggested to have 7 main areas:

You dontnecessarilyneed those 7 in your life. Think about the areas that are most important for you, where you want to develop, and then define them for you (in writing). I wouldnt suggest to use not more than 7, maybe less if you can. Stay below 10 for sure.

My 7 life areas are:_______________

You can also vary those areas if you want to create a personal development plan that is focussed on some special area, maybe your eduction or your job development. But keep in mind that you need overall balance in your life even when you focus on just one specific part at the moment.

To create the perfect personal development that is unique to you, take your life areas and set one personal development goal in each life area. Dont go overboard, its always best to stay simple and focused to get the results eventually. You can do more than one goal per life area of course, especially if you really feel that you want those, but my suggestion is to keep life simple.

Take your time and really put some thought into it. This is the perfect time to use my Guide to set compelling personal goals: Goal Setting: 7 Steps to Set Your Life Goals.

Along with your goal you will develop an Action-Plan and set a Deadline.

In the following personal development plan template we bring everything together. You have your chosen life areas, then your goal and the deadline by when you want to achieve it. You have a success criteria by which you know you reached your goal. Then you will develop your action plan, which includes all important steps to reach the goal. And you can make some notes in the template:

Download the personal development template as a PDF, or here as an Excel file.

Now start entering your individual figures. Good luck with your personal development plan and I hope you will reach all your goals with it! If you have comments or questions, please let me know below!

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Personal Development Plan: The Definitive Guide

You cannot change your destination overnight, but you can change your direction overnight. Jim Rohn

When talking to people about personal development, I come across tons of misconceptions. So let me clear up a major one right away.

For successful personal development, you need exactly two conditions:

And thats it.

Specifically, you do NOT need to know exactly what you want. Youd be surprised by how many clients come to me for life coaching when they dont know what they want from life they just know that whatever they have at the moment is not it.

(Though if you keep reading on below, you will learn a way to find out what you really want.)

As long as you satisfy the two conditions above, making a personal development plan is for you!

Making a personal development plan comes down to two main things. Helping you figure out:

You could certainly achieve personal development without a plan. A lot of people have.

But a plan vastly increases your chances to move towards a life that you find fulfilling and satisfying every day. Having a plan gives you:

Sounds good? Then read on!

Below, I share the personal development planning method I use with my life coaching clients. Its based on something called The GROW Model and might seem fairly straightforward, but its insanely powerful.

Theres a lot of clear structure underneath the surface, and if you follow the plan step-by-step as outlined, you will blast through any obstacles in your way. You will find a clear vision of what you want from life, as well as a specific action plan on how to get there. Say goodbye, procrastination! Say hello, fulfilling life full of growth and opportunities!

Speaking of action I give you several exercises in the following guide.

Now, you could certainly just read through it and learn a few things. But if you actually grab a pen and paper (or open up your favourite word processor) and go through the exercises as you read, you will benefit far more than if you just passively read this article.

After all, you came here to change your life, and change requires taking action.

Or, in other words, you wouldnt read the ultimate guide to baking a mean cake and then sit around and hope for it to appear, would you? You would go ahead and follow the instructions and make it appear!

One quick note this is a long article. Over 4,000 words. So if you dont have the time or energy to read through all of it right now, bookmark it for later. That way, you can read it when youre able to give it your full attention.

You say youre ready? Alright! Lets do this!

(Go ahead, grab a pen and paper before you continue. I will still be here when you get back.)

This first step of making a personal development plan will help you figure out which parts of your life youre happy with, and which could use some change. Then you can pick an area to work on where theres room for improvement and growth.

Yep, its writing-stuff-down time!

1.1 Make a list of the main areas of your life

First, Id like you to make a list of the main areas of your life which you have been focusing your time and energy on lately. This might include:

And anything else you can think of. I wont give you too many examples, because I want you to think about this for yourself. For example, one of your main areas might end up guitar playing, if its really that important to you that it deserves its own category.

Note that if theres an area of your life you havent been focusing on but would really like to, that belongs on the list as well.

Once you have this list, Id like you to narrow it down to 4-8 of the main areas. You dont want to overwhelm yourself with options before we even begin.

Go ahead, write them down.

1.2 Rate each of those areas from 1-10 based on how satisfied you are with it

Next, Id like you to give it some thought, and rate each of those areas on a scale from 1 to 10, ten being the highest, based on how satisfied you are with your current situation.

Note, its not how good you are, or how successful, but how satisfied you are with the current situation. For example, if you have almost no social life because you spend all your days working, but youre okay with that for the next couple of months because its a very important stage of your business, then you might give yourself a 10 on your social life.

Take a few moments to do this now.

Chances are, some of your areas did better than others. If you scored a 9 or a 10, youre doing fine. An 8 is iffy, and anything from 7 below can definitely be improved.

Id like you to take a good long look at the areas youre not very satisfied with, and pick which one you would like to begin improving first.

Because thats what youll be working with throughout the rest of this article.

Once you have gone through this guide, you can make a full-fledged personal development plan by applying the exercises to the other areas of your life. But for now, we will focus on one main area, because its better if you truly grasp the concepts well with a clear example in mind, instead of mucking things up by focusing on too much at once.

1.3 Figuring out your ideal situation

Have you got an area of your life in mind yet? Because well be working with that now.

Just start daydreaming, and imagine what the ideal situation would be, in the long-term (many years from now).

To give you some clear examples instead of vague generalities, I will show you what I got when I was making my own personal development plan a while ago. Specifically, Ill talk about the area of my life to do with friendships.

At the time, I was studying at university. And my ideal situation with friendships would have been having half a dozen to a dozen closer friends (as well as the usual acquaintances). People who I could call up to hang out in the park when the weather was nice, or to go rock-climbing, or cook up some mean Indian food together with. And meeting up with someone often, nearly every day of the week, to do various fun stuff, or just nothing at all.

Go ahead, daydream about how your chosen part of your life would ideally look, if you could do anything you wanted

Feels exciting?

Now lets pull a bit closer to the present. Pick a medium-term future. Say, somewhere between 3 months and 1 year from now.

Imagine how you would like your ideal situation to be then. In my example, this doesnt really change anything. But if youre focusing on the business side of your life, for example, its a good idea to pull closer to the present with a 1-year dream, and even 3-month dream. This helps you move from vague daydreaming (as pleasant as it is) towards making those dreams a reality.

Go ahead, think about your specific middle-term goal.

Once you have it, start imagining it in great detail. How you would feel when you wake up in the morning. What you would do during the day. The people you would meet. The things you would say to yourself.

Do NOT neglect this step. It might sound small and simple, but its incredibly powerful. Firstly, it gets you excited and motivated, bye the Pain And Pleasure Principle. Secondly, it sets up cognitive dissonance in your mind. Thats where your brain holds two conflicting thoughts, gets uncomfortable, and tries to resolve the conflict by changing one of the thoughts.

In the case of imagining your ideal situation, your brain will start looking for opportunities to start moving towards it. And trust me, those opportunities are all around you. You just havent been noticing them until now.

To clarify, imagine youre at a cocktail party, engrossed in an interesting conversation. Now imagine, that in one conversation out of many, 3 metres (10 feet) away, somebody mentions your name. What do you think are the chances that you will notice?

Very, very good! Theres a region in your brain called the amygdala which is responsible for filtering all the hundreds of sensory inputs you get every second, and choosing which select few to let through to your conscious mind, because they might be important to you. So despite the general noise and several other conversations you and the one where your name was mentioned, you will notice.

Similarly, once you start visualising your ideal situation, your amygdala will catch on that this is important to you and start filtering for opportunities that might move your closer to your goal.

So take your time to imagine it, in full detail. This little time investment of 5 minutes is extremely worth it.

1.4 Get very specific about what you want

One big difference between a dream and a goal is being specific about what you want.

A dream is a vague fuzzy thing you like to think about to make yourself happy. A goal is a specific prospect, and by gosh, youre going to make it happen!

One word of warning for now, dont worry about how you will achieve your goal. That will come in steps 3 Generating options, and 4 Goalsetting. For now, we simply figure out what it is you want! (Theres a reason this solid structure works. Trust me.)

For now, just eliminate any vagueness and make it specific. Exactly when is your middle-term goal? How will you know when you have achieved it? Also eliminate any vague words.

In my case of friendships, I decided to set my middle-term goal 6 months away. I wanted to have at least 6 close friends, with whom I would hang out weekly, and I wanted to do fun stuff five days of the week. Whether its going out swing dancing or tossing a frisbee in a park, or anything else.

Recap your goal, and make sure to get rid of any vagueness. You can even talk to a friend about it, and let them help you, if you want. (It always helps to get an outsiders perspective.)

Go ahead. Think about it. Then write it down.

Okay, by now you should have:

If you missed out any of those steps, go back now and do the exercises before reading on. This guide will still be here when you get back.

Now that you know what your ideal situation would be, its time to compare it to your present situation.

That way, youll know how big a chasm stands between your reality and your dream situation, which will later help you build just the right bridge to cross that chasm.

After that well have a good hard look at everything you already possess that will help you move towards your ideal situation!

2.1 How does your current situation compare to the ideal?

For this section, I will mainly just ask you a bunch of questions. And Id like you to take your time and answer them thoroughly.

I wont be telling you how to change your life for the better, because you know best what works for your particular situation. Hey, its your personal development plan, not mine!

Make a list of the biggest categories you spend your time on, like work, sleep, commute, cooking, watching TV, social, and anything else you want to ad. And figure out how much time you spend on each of them, during a typical week.

And now, with the chosen area of your life in mind:

(Take the time to answer those questions.)

2.2 What resources do you already have?

For this second part, we will find out what assets you currently have that could help you move towards your ideal goal. Take a few moments to answer the questions below:

(I highlighted the third question because its very, very important. Take the time to think it through.)

And to give you a real-life example, when I answered the above questions about my chosen area of life, friendships

I found out that I already had plenty of acquaintances. I also had two or three good friends, but wasnt really spending much time with them. (Ah, ha!). I found out I had the relevant social skills needed to meet people, as well as several interests (chess, swing dancing, juggling) that could help me meet others if I didnt discover enough people I really clicked with in my existing circle of acquaintances.

This section might take a bit of time to answer, but its well worth it. Yes, it might take you some 10-15 minutes, or even longer just to answer those questions properly. That can seem like one hell of a long time while youre reading an article online.

But its just 15 minutes. Just a drop in the lake of your life. But like a drop of an indicator in a bucket of hydroxide, a single drop is enough to turn the whole lot pink.

(Okay, Im not sure where I was going with that analogy)

By the time youre done with Step 2, you should have:

You now have an area of your life in mind, and you know what your ideal situation would be and what needs to happen to bridge the gap between the ideal and your current situation.

In this step, you will come up with tons of actions you could take that will help you move towards your ideal goal.

Please note: It is crucial to separate this step, Generating options, from the next one Goalsetting. Because even though they deal with the exact same thing the actions that will help you move from where you are to where you want to be they are fundamentally different.

This step is all about getting creative, broadening your thinking and coming up with plans of action you might have never considered before. The next (and last) step is all about focusing, narrowing down your options, and setting clear deadlines for the actions you plan to take soon.

And you cannot be both creative and focused at the same time, because the two states of mind are directly contradictory. In fact, they are caused by contradictory brain chemicals, so you physically cannot be really focused and creative at the same time.

One of the biggest causes of overwhelm and getting stuck is when you try to do both steps at the same time. And its also one of the reasons why this method of personal development planning is so damn effective for helping you get unstuck and starting to move towards the life you want!

3.1 Its brainstorming time!

Its time to pick up your pen again.

Now, you can do this part in two ways (or any other way, really, if it works for you):

Neither is right with the other being wrong. They are just different approaches, and either of them might be better for you. I like to use either of them, depending on the situation.

Just note one thing its important to drill down until you get to specific actionable steps.

To give you a different example, when I was applying this to my life coaching find out more about how to get life coaching clients isnt an actionable step. Its a wish.

The rest is here:
How to make a personal development plan the ultimate guide

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