WHY YOGA?

"Yoga is a scientific system that makes you the master of your senses instead of being a slave to them." ~Swami Satchidananda (Indian religious teacher & spiritual master 1914-2002)

Yoga is unique because it unites mind, body, and spirit, and promotes holistic health, which is something other fitness practices rarely accomplish. Contrary to popular belief, yoga is not standing on your head; it is learning how to stand on your own two feet. It is not a religion, yet it embraces all religions and spiritualities. Yoga is more than simply stretching and gaining flexibility. It can enhance your life in many different ways.

MIND

Yoga will introduce you to someone you might not know: yourself. Breathing exercises are at the center of your yoga practice, and it is your breath that starts the process of quieting your mind and connecting with your self. Yoga creates conditions for the release of unwanted ideas and energies and the opportunity to take in desirable ones. This allows you to get rid of distractions and bring yourself into the present moment. Instead of thinking about what happened yesterday, or what you will do next weekend, you are completely aware of what's happening right now. You are able to focus inward and intentionally communicate with your senses. You engage with yourself and become centered. Yoga creates a remarkable calmness and a positive outlook, which trains for moment-to-moment mindfulness and compassionate living. Once you bring balance to your mind, you are more easily able to bring balance to your body.

BODY

Babies are born yogis. In the past, you were able to pull your toes up by your ears and laugh about it. Then, you aged, got injured, and began carrying stress in your body. In short, you lost your balance. Yoga helps you regain your balance by stretching and strengthening your body in ways it has forgotten. The movements in our daily lives are often busy and "machine-like," moving from one task to the next on auto pilot. Yoga is a great solution to this because it works to restore your body's full potential. Physical postures in your practice engage all your muscles and lift your skeletal system, which lengthens your body and literally makes you taller. Opening up your body in this new way helps deepen your breathing and create a flow of revitalized energy within you. Yoga physical fitness can be compared to a mainstream workout, but instead of using free weights or auxiliary machines, you use your body weight as resistance, which creates an intensity that is comparable to the type of workout you might be used to. Yoga is one of the most balanced, natural ways to make your body stronger.

The physical benefits to yoga are endless, and new ones are being discovered everyday. Some important benefits are:

Improves digestive health
Decreases anxiety and depression
Massages the internal organs,

thus improving the ability of the body to prevent disease

Improves circulation

Increases strength, flexibility, and range of motion

SPIRIT

Yoga doesn't only happen on your mat. Yoga is part of a lifestyle, a spirit, you are encouraged to embody in your everyday life, as most things included in your practice can be mirrored in your personal life, such as mindfulness, calmness, and balance. Yoga can bring more positive energy to your demeanor and spirit because you are in control of your senses instead of letting them control you. In other words, you learn to act, not react, which gives you a choice to perceive things without ego. By changing the inner aspects of your mind, you begin to shape the outer aspects of your life, and that is so liberating.

Yoga empowers you to work with your own personal processes in such a way that deepens your understanding of yourself, and helps you discover the courage and wisdom to genuinely help others. Elements of yoga train your mind to transcend judgments of yourself and others, which is a beautiful, optimistic way to live. Since yoga is not a religion, it tends to recognize divinity and capability in all people, regardless of race, gender, socioeconomic class, or religion. Imagine if all people lived their lives this way! Yoga is supportive of compassionate living: engaging with your senses and your surroundings in a meaningful way. When you are mindful of both the good and the bad, you are more likely to recognize and fix problems, and enjoy more aspects of your life. Awareness, logic, and pure wisdom are cultivated through practice.

YOGA Q & A

Q: What does "Namaste" mean?

A: "Nama" means bow, "as" means I, and "te" means you. Therefore, Namaste translates as "bow me you", or "I bow to you." At the end of class, the teacher initiates Namaste as a symbol of gratitude and respect toward her students and her own teachers and invites the students to connect with their lineage. Namaste allows two individuals to come together energetically to a place of connection and timelessness, free from the bonds of ego-connection.

Q: What does "Om" mean?

A: Om is a mantra, or a vibration, that is traditionally chanted at the beginning and end of yoga sessions. It is said to be the sound of the universe. Chanting Om allows us to recognize our experience as a reflection of how the whole universe moves--the setting sun, the rising moon, the ebb and flow of the tides, our beating hearts--and takes us on a ride through this universal moment.