What is Yoga?

You might think that yoga is all about twisting your body into a pretzel shape or chanting Tibetan songs. And more often than not, that’s what popular culture tells us. But beyond this, what exactly is yoga, really?

The shortest answer to this question is that yoga is a system of physical and mental practice. It originated over 5,000 years ago in the Indus Valley, in modern-day Pakistan, and it was one of six Hindu (the religion of India) schools of philosophy. The original purpose of yoga was to prepare the body and mind for the grueling practice of meditation, because in meditation, practitioners sit for looong periods of time, trying to focus their mind on one fixed point.

However, history tells us that there were additional reasons for practicing yoga as well. The word “yoga” comes from the Sanskrit language, and while there are varying interpretations of this word, it is generally thought to mean to merge, join or unite. The Ancient Yogis believed that the body and breath were intimately connected to the mind. Because the breath and body are reflected in the mind, if one controls the breath and holds the body in stable poses, or asanas, the end result will be a controlled and stable mind. And because yoga uses movement, breath, posture, and meditation, yoga is often called “holistic.” That means that one’s approach to living is characterized by, and recognizes, all the parts that make up the whole.

Yoga, then, doens’t have to be anything fancy – yoga’s an approach to life; it can be everything we do!

But if you DO want to learn to someday twist yourself into a pretzel, read on – our simple, easy sequences and poses will show you how to get there.