Yoga is for everyone! Whatever your body type or health history, yoga provides tremendous benefits. Yoga develops mental, spiritual and physical health by creating balance in the body, breath and mind. If you are more flexible, yoga can help you develop strength and stability. If you are less flexible, yoga can help increase your range of movement and open constricted areas of the body. Through the practice towards balance, we create a state of equilibrium which allows the mind to penetrate inward and reconnect us with our own inner source.



Is yoga a religion?

Yoga is not a religion. It is a philosophy that began in India an estimated 5,000 years ago. The father of classical ashtanga yoga (the eight limbed path, not to be confused with Sri K. Pattabhi Jois' Ashtanga yoga) is said to be Patanjali, who wrote the Yoga Sutras. These scriptures provide a framework for spiritual growth and mastery over the physical and mental body. Yoga sometimes interweaves other philosophies such as Hinduism or Buddhism, but it is not necessary to study those paths in order to practice or study yoga. It is also not necessary to surrender your own religious beliefs to practice yoga.



What is asana?

The Sanskrit meaning is posture held in stillness, both mentally and physically and yet conscious of the subtle shifts that arise during this practice. Asana is used to strengthen and heal the physical body. It takes practice and dedication to cultivate calmness, concentration and lightness.



What is mantra and how is it used?

Mantra is a tool for the mind to release suffering. It has been used for thousands of years. The vibration created emanates and stimulates energy in the body. A mantra is like an affirmation and can be used in many ways. The most common mantra used is OM.



What does Om mean?

Om is a mantra, or vibration, that is traditionally chanted at the beginning and end of yoga sessions. It is considered to be the primordial sound and vibration of all things. Somehow the ancient yogis knew what scientists today are telling us--that the entire universe is moving. Nothing is ever solid or still. Everything that exists pulsates, creating a rhythmic vibration that the ancient yogis acknowledged with the sound of Om. We may not always be aware of this sound in our daily lives, but we can hear it in the rustling of the autumn leaves, the waves on the shore, the inside of a seashell.

All Vedic mantras start with OM. It is written and pronounced by some as ‘AUM’ with the letters “A” & “U” becoming an “O” as in ‘tone’.

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, the beating of our hearts. As we chant Om, it takes us for a ride on this universal movement, through our breath, our awareness, and our physical energy, and we begin to sense a bigger connection that is both uplifting and soothing.



What does Namaste mean?

The gesture Namaste represents the belief that there is a Divine spark within each of us that is located in the heart. The gesture is an acknowledgment of the soul in one by the soul in another. "Nama" means bow, "as" means I, and "te" means you. Therefore, Namaste literally means "bow me you" or "I bow to you." However, it is used as a greeting to see beyond labels, judgements, and prejudice. It means "I see you". Namaste finds the pure essence of each person's inner beauty.

Back to Top