HISTORY: Yoga is an ancient practice originally developed in India thousands of years ago to help the aspirant achieve union with the divine. The word Yoga is translated in sanskrit literally as "Union", which can be interpreted in many ways, perhaps most powerfully as the union of body, mind and spirit. As the central theme of yoga, Union can also be applied to the uniting of a community. Yoga can bring people closer to their neighbors and as well as bringing them more in touch with their own selves.

YOGA TODAY:  When most people in the west think of Yoga now, they are thinking specifically of what is known as Asana Practice, one of the eight limbs of the Yogic System. Asana simply means "posture" and is the most physical of all the practices of Yoga. Asana was developed as a system of healing and strengthening the body to prepare one for the more advanced practices of meditation and communion with the divine.  Asana, while intimately linked with the other practices of yoga, is in itself a complete and incredibly powerful practice.

BENEFITS:  Westerners have come to embrace asana as an exceptionally efficient, satisfying and effective form of physical exercise. Countless people have found that with the practice of Asana, they have achieved a level of physical fitness much more readily than with many other forms of exercise. The benefits of a yoga asana practice include, but are not limited to: weight loss, gain in strength and stamina, injury prevention and recovery, strengthened immune system, and relief from daily physical stresses.

In addition to the many physical benefits, yoga can provide people with mental, emotional and psychological benefits as well, including: stress reduction, enhanced sleep, and increased energy and mental alertness.  Many practitioners report an increase in overall well being, contentedness and a sense of greater peace.