The word yoga means "union" in Sanskrit, the language of ancient India where yoga originated. We can think of the union occurring between mind, body and spirit.

What is commonly referred to as "yoga" can be more accurately described by the Sanskrit word asana, which refers to the practice of physical postures or poses.

                                                   Sun Salutation Series of Poses                                                               

      

       

                                       

Yoga Poses

Many people think that yoga is stretching. But while stretching is certainly involved, yoga is really about creating balance in the body through developing both strength and flexibility. This is done through the performance of poses, each of which has specific physical benefits. The poses can be done quickly in succession, creating heat in the body through movement or more slowly to increase stamina and perfect the alignment of the pose.  The above poses are an example of a series of poses called The Sun Salutation.

Yoga Practice

Your Yoga instructor will often refer to "your practice," which means your individual experience with yoga as it develops over time. The amazing thing about yoga is that your practice is always evolving and changing so it never gets boring. Although the poses themselves do not change, your relationship to them will. Anyone can start a yoga practice, even if you don't feel like you are very flexible or very strong. These things will develop over time. Another great thing about thinking of yoga as "your practice" is that it encourages the noncompetitive spirit of yoga.day.

Yoga Styles

There are many different styles of yoga being taught and practiced today. Although all of the styles are based on the same physical postures (called poses), each has a particular emphasis. The two primary styles instructed at Mind your Body are:

HATHA

Hatha is a very general term that can encompass many of the physical types of yoga. If a class is described as Hatha-style, it is probably going to be slow-paced and gentle, and can provide a good introduction to the basic yoga poses.

VINYASA

Like Hatha, Vinyasa is a general term that is used to describe many different types of classes. Vinyasa, which means breath-synchronized movement, tends to be a more vigorous style based on the performance of a series of poses called Sun Salutations in which movement is matched to the breath. A Vinyasa class will typically start with a number of Sun Salutations to warm up the body for more intense stretching which is done at the end of class.

See class definitions under group classes for a more specific definition of Mind Your Body group class styles.