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                                                                                  Yoga

                                            

The discipline of yoga has its roots in India many centuries back. The word itself is derived from the Sanskrit yuj, which means literally "yoke" or "union". The implication is that through yogic self-exploration an individual can attain a state of union within his/her self as well as with the universe.

There are four primary paths in the tradition of yoga; 1) karma (action), 2) bhakti (devotion and selfless love), 3) jnana (self-reflection and wisdom), and 4) raja (physical, mental, and emotional development). From the perspective of mind-body disciplines, we focus primarily on raja yoga. This path itself contains four different sub-headings; 1) prana (deals with exercises in controlling the breath), 2) tantric (uses the sexual act for self-exploration), 3) kundalini (primarily uses meditation and visualization techniques), and 4) hatha (uses body postures, or asanas, as a focus for expanding limits physically, mentally, and emotionally). Although all four of these arts, practiced with some amount of regularity over a period of time, would lead to similar results, we focus our efforts and teaching on hatha yoga with some prana yoga. Hatha yoga is certainly the most familiar and most popularly practiced here in the west

Our teaching of yoga emphasizes the attention to breath, lines of energy, and the notion of "playing one's edge". The breath is an essential gauge to relaxation and being present to the moment and what is occuring with our bodies and minds. Lines of energy are significant in that they allow us to use our power of visualization to focus our efforts in aligning our limbs and torso while performing the different postures. "Playing one's edge" describes how our minds should approach the asanas - being very aware as we approach our physical, psychological limits and go only to the "edge" and never past. As we get to this "edge" and relax, the "edge" begins to move and our flexibility and strength increases.

The yoga asanas, then, can be viewed as physical metaphors. On the physical level it is stretching the self in the asana, opening and expanding the body, releasing blocks to the flow of Energy. Mentally, one is also "stretching" - releasing blocks to Energy flow once again in the form of limiting beliefs. As these blocks are released we experience a greater degree of health in body and mind, closer to an experience of unity with ourselves and all around us.

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