Yoga, ancient teaching for body and soul

The science of yoga has developed a vast amount of techniques which all lead to the same point of unification of the mind-body-spirit.

Karma Yoga - The way of right action, serving without the motivation of obtaining the results of labor.

Bhakti Yoga - The way of devotion, devotion to a supreme being absorbing the emotions and self in pure love.

Jnana Yoga - The way of knowledge, studying god and learning to discriminate between illusion and the reality that all is god.

Hatha Yoga - The physical path, using the body through asana and pranayama to control the mind and senses.

Tantric Yoga - The feminine path, worshiping the goddess energy and seeing the body as the temple of the divine.

Kundalini Yoga - The path of energy, arousing the energy stored in the chakras through breathing and movement.

Raja Yoga - The path of meditation, controlling the mind from wandering and obtaining mastery over thought.

The main philosophy of yoga is simple: mind, body and spirit are all one and cannot be clearly separated. Yet there is a multitude of philosophical ideas developed by looking into the deeper dimensions of the body, mind and spirit.

The Law of Karma - Central to the philosophy of yoga is the universal spiritual concept of reaping what you sow: the law of Karma.

The Cause of Suffering: The Kleshas - These "afflictions" distort our mind and our perceptions effecting how we think, act and feel. The kleshas not only create suffering, but are said to bind us to the endless cycle of birth and rebirth, and thus preventing us from achieving enlightenment.

The Inward Journey Through the Koshas - The koshas are imagined as layers of an onion and form a barrier from realizing our true nature of bliss and oneness with the universe. Yoga is the tool to peel back these layers to bring our awareness deeper and deeper into our bodies, eventually reaching the innermost core, our True Self.

Moksha and Maya - Moksha (liberation, freedom) is the state of non-ego, where the “me” vanishes and one stands free from all desires, actions and consequences in a total state of oneness.

The 3 Gunas of Nature - In the philosophy of Yoga, all matter in the universe arises from the fundamental substrate called Prakriti. From this ethereal Prakriti the three primary gunas (qualities) emerge creating the essential aspects of all nature—energy, matter and consciousness. These three gunas are tamas (darkness), rajas (activity), and sattva (beingness).

Yoga's history has many places of obscurity and uncertainty due to its oral transmission of sacred texts and the secretive nature of its teachings. The early writings on yoga were transcribed on fragile palm leaves that were easily damaged, destroyed or lost. The development of yoga can be traced back to over 5,000 years ago. Yoga's long rich history can be divided into four main periods of innovation and development.

Pre-Classical Period - The beginnings of Yoga were developed by the Indus-Sarasvati civilization in Northern India over 5,000 years ago. The word yoga was first mentioned in the oldest sacred texts, the Rig Veda. The Vedas were a collection of texts contained songs and rituals used by Brahmans, the Vedic priests. Yoga was slowly refined and developed by Vedic priests, who documented their practices and beliefs in the Upanishads, a huge work containing over 200 scriptures. The most renowned of these Yogic scriptures is the Bhagavad-Gîtâ, composed around 500 B.C.E. The Upanishads took the idea of ritual sacrifice from the Vedas and internalized it, teaching the sacrifice of the ego through self-knowledge, action (karma yoga) and wisdom (jnana yoga).

Classical Period - The first systematic presentation of yoga was Patanjali's Yoga-Sûtras. Written some time in the second century, this text describes the path of Raja Yoga, often called "classical yoga". Patanjali organized the practice of yoga into an "eight limbed path" containing the steps and stages towards obtaining Samadhi or enlightenment. Patanjali is often considered the father of yoga and his Yoga-Sûtras still strongly influence all styles of modern yoga.

Post-Classical Period - A few centuries after Patanjali, yoga masters created a system of practices designed to rejuvenate the body and prolong life. They rejected the teachings of the ancient Vedas and embraced the physical body as the means to achieve enlightenment. They developed Tantra Yoga, with radical techniques to cleanse the body and mind to break the knots that bind us to our physical existence. This exploration of these physical-spiritual connections and body centered practices led to the creation of Hatha Yoga.

Modern Period - In the late 1800's and early 1900's, yoga masters began to travel to the west, attracting attention and followers. In the 1920's, Hatha Yoga was strongly promoted in India with the life long work of T. Krishnamacharya . Krishnamacharya traveled through India giving demonstrations of yoga poses and opened the first Hatha Yoga school. Krishnamacharya produced three students that would continue his legacy and increase the popularity of Hatha Yoga: B.K.S. Iyengar , T.K.V. Desikachar and Pattabhi Jois.

The importation of yoga to the west still continued at a trickle until Indra Devi opened her yoga studio in Hollywood in 1947. Since then, many more western and Indian teachers have become pioneers, popularizing hatha yoga and gaining millions of followers. Hatha Yoga now has many different schools or styles, all emphasizing the many different aspects of the practice.

When not to practice yoga - Please read the contraindications for each posture before doing it. Menstruation, pregnancy, high blood pressure and injuries to the knees, shoulders, and neck are all conditions where certain postures must be avoided and special care must be taken in all postures. If you have any medical condition, you should check with your health care professional before starting a yoga practice.

Modify the postures for your body - The instructions and pictures of the yoga postures are the "goal," meaning the direction you are going towards, not where you need to be. Experiment and explore different positions and alignment to make the posture work for your body.

Moderate the level of intensity - You can make your yoga practice as challenging and vigorous as you want. We recommend you start slowly and make sure you understand the alignment of postures. There are three ways to increase the intensity of your practice: one, hold postures for longer and longer periods of time; two, slowly build your practice up to more advanced and challenging postures; three, move quickly between postures. Read our Challenge Yourself article.

How to choose postures - Choose to practice postures that look like you can do them. Postures done on the floor are going to be easier than standing postures, as they do not require as much strength or balance. Also, postures that have longer recommended hold times (in breaths) are going to be easier to do. In our membership site we have 25 yoga posture sequences showing how to arrange the postures.

Duration of practice - Your daily practice should be between 15 to 90 minutes long and done 1-6 times per week, depending on your schedule, goals and ability.

What to wear - Loose, comfortable clothing or tights / unitards work best. Its important to wear something that will not restrict your movement.

Drinking and eating - It is not advisable to eat or drink right before a yoga practice (especially if you are practicing inversions). Eat no less than 1-3 hours before and drink only small amounts of water before practice, and do not drink during your practice.

The physical benefits - Creates a toned, flexible, and strong body. Improves respiration, energy, and vitality. Helps to maintain a balanced metabolism. Promotes cardio and circulatory health. Relieves pain. Helps you look and feel younger than your age. Improves your athletic performance.

The mental benefits - Helps you relax and handle stressful situations more easily. Teaches you how to quiet the mind so you can focus your energy where you want it to go — into a difficult yoga pose, on the tennis court or golf course, or in the office. Encourages positive thoughts and self-acceptance.

The spiritual benefits - Builds awareness of your body, your feelings, the world around you, the needs of others. Promotes an interdependence between mind, body, and spirit. Helps you live the concept of “oneness.”