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Paintball is one of the most exciting and fastest-growing outdoor participation sports today. Ever since it was introduced in the 80s, paintball has captured the worlds attention and is now played in over 40 countries. Paintball is a military style combat game. Teams comprised of a number of players try to eliminate the opposing teams by shooting a paintball gun at the other players. When a player gets hit by the paintball, he is eliminated from the game.

What sets apart the sport of paintball from other sports is the equipment used, mainly the paintballs and the paintball gun. Paintballs are made of vegetable oil-based dye in different colors and variations encased in a thin-skinned gel like capsule. When these paintballs hit a player, they break open and leave a mark on the person. Gas-powered paintball guns are used by players to shoot these paintballs at each other. The paintballs provide realism to the game.

There are many variations of paintball games, the most common of which are capture the flag and elimination. In a capture the flag game, two teams try to capture the flag of their opponents team while protecting their own. In an elimination game, the team that eliminates all opponents on the other team wins.

Woodsball is generally played in a wooded area and involves a lot of stalking and strategies. This style of play takes more time than Speedsball, which is played on a field roughly the size of a basketball court. Here, the players use artificial bunkers and it is a much faster-paced game. There are also large-scale scenario paintball games that usually have a theme, such as historical, science fiction and fantasy paintball games.

Paintball is an exciting game that requires not only speed, strength, and agility but also intelligence and alertness. Players also get to develop their teamwork and leadership abilities as well as gain self-confidence. Paintball is a very thrilling and adrenaline-pumping sport first-time players will surely get hooked on.

When Yoga teachers gather in a workshop to hear a lecture about communication - what is the first topic that comes to mind? Is it cueing skills, voice inflection, or when to ask a student for permission to assist? Those are important issues for anyone who teaches Yoga, but lets take a look at many more areas that could use some work.

Communication is a two way street. How can we exchange ideas if students are made to feel stupid for asking questions? Granted, Yoga classes cannot operate like an open forum, if you have a lesson plan in mind, but a student who is experiencing pain should not have to feel bad for asking about it. Nor should he or she have to wait until the end of class to ask an impatient teacher about his or her pain.

Listen Empathically: When a student asks a Yoga-related question during class time, the Yoga instructor present, should listen to all of the details. There are times when a Yoga student asks questions, which are on the mind of many more classmates.

for some Yoga students, it takes a lot of courage to ask a question in a group setting. Some students ponder questions for days before asking them. Their heart rate may rise because it took courage to ask the question.

With all this said, listening is a primary communication skill. As a Yoga teacher, you are respected by your students, so do not violate a trust by bolstering your ego. The key is to listen intently, because you may have questions of your own, which will result in a deeper answer.

Who becomes a Yoga students best teacher during Hatha Yoga practice? His or her body, and mind, must eventually be the best Yoga teacher. If not, we have failed to give our students the gift of self-realization. To go further: Yoga students must learn to think for themselves. If they are dependent on a Yoga teacher, all the time, then our teaching method is flawed.

Why do I say this? If a student is not present for Yoga practice, we must make him or her gently aware of it. There is no need to make students dependent on us. Good students will always return to Yoga class.

Yoga must still be practiced after our students have rolled up their mats. Breathing, walking, talking, eating, posturing, and acting with mindfulness, is the sign of a Yoga practitioner. All of the amazing physical feats are nice, but any flexible Pilates student, dancer, gymnast, or martial artist, could do the same.

Copyright 2007 Paul Jerard / Aura Publications

Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500, has written many books on the subject of Yoga. He is a co-owner and the Director of Yoga Teacher Training at: Aura Wellness Center, in Attleboro, MA. http://www.riyoga.com He has been a certified Master Yoga Teacher since 1995. To receive a Free Yoga e-Book: "Yoga in Practice," and a Free Yoga Newsletter, please visit: http://www.yoga-teacher-training.org/index.html