Yoga...Its History and Practice

We will be starting our spring yoga series soon so I asked our yoga instructor, Ashleigh to give us a little info about what she does. Here is a little history about yoga and what the practice is really all about. Thanks Ashleigh! Yoga has been part of Eastern societies for thousands of years. The word literally means to “yoke” or “bind,” and is often interpreted further as meaning “union.” Some scholars believe yoga grew out of Stone Age Shamanism at the onset of human civilization. Dating back to as early as 3000 BC, drawings of yoga postures can be found on artifacts from the Indus Valley, but the exact history yoga remains uncertain. As a practice, yoga is a combination of breathing exercises, mediation, and physical postures that encourage not only alignment of the body, but also stillness of the mind. The benefits of yoga are far-reaching, including greater physical strength and flexibility, resilience to illness and injury, and a sense of contentment and well-being. Although in the West we mainly practice the physical postures (“asanas”) of yoga, yoga is actually a broad philosophy of living that has many tenets. The purpose of the physical practice of yoga is to achieve balance, lightness, and stability. When practiced consistently, this bodywork reflects positively throughout every aspect of a person’s life. We are looking forward to seeing you in the spring! Ashleigh