Are you ready? I am, and thanks for joining me. 😊

We’ll start this adventure with learning what yoga is and is not.

Yoga is a discipline that includes breath control/breathing exercises, meditation/prayer, and body postures/poses that promote physical and mental health, mental clarity, healing, and stress relief.

Yoga comes from the Sanskrit word meaning, “union or to yoke,” and was developed approximately 5000 years ago.

Wikipedia says the following, “Yoga is a group of physical, mental, and spiritual practices or disciplines which originated in ancient India. Yoga is one of the six orthodox schools of Hindu philosophical traditions. There is a broad variety of yoga schools, practices, and goals. The term “yoga” in the Western world often denotes a modern form of Hatha yoga, consisting largely of the postures called asanas.”

Now I’m going to breakdown the terms of yoga, because we want to understand the basic foundations.  When I first started learning about yoga, all the new words and terminology threw me off, so take your time.  You don’t have to know all of this or memorize it.  Just know that yoga isn’t just “fancy stretching”.  There is so much more to it that can help you heal, become more in-tune with yourself and even with God.

Yoga Alliance explains that, “yoga is a system, not of beliefs, but of techniques and guidance for enriched living.”

Let me introduce you to the Eight Limbs of Yoga.

Yamas. Means social discipline and refers to how you act and behave in your environment.  The Yamas are the universal laws of nature, and there are five of them:

1. Ahimsa (non-violence or non-injury) means to not cause pain or harm to all living beings either by thought, word, intention, or action. The purpose of Ahimsa is to spread love and compassion.
2. Satya (or truthfulness/non-falsehood) being truthful in our thoughts, speech, and actions.
3. Asteya (non-stealing) which is the simple concept of not taking anything that does not belong to you.  Asteya can also be applied to waste in the form of: energy, water, and unnecessary material consumption.
4. Brahmacharya (sexual control, chastity, marital fidelity, and sexual restraint) is very often understood as complete control over sexual instinct.  As per ancient Sanskrit texts, “It is a form of self-restraint regarded as a virtue, and an observance recommended depending on an individual’s context. For a married practitioner it means marital fidelity (not cheating on one’s spouse); for a single person it means celibacy…it is refraining from sexual intercourse in all places and in all states in mind, speech, or body”.
5. Aparigraha (non-possessiveness/non-greediness) is the limitation of material possessions to what is necessary.

Next, we have “Niyama” or self-discipline: The Niyamas are the second component of the 8 limbs of yoga, and there are five of them as well:

1. Shaucha literally means purity, cleanliness, and clearness. It refers to purity of mind, speech and body.
2. Santosha (contentment) is being content and satisfied with whatever life presents to us.
3. Tapas—As per Yoga International, the literal definition of tapas is heat, “in this case the heat that builds during periods of determined effort. Tapas accompanies any discipline that is willingly and gladly accepted in order to bring about a change of some kind—whether it be improved health, a new habit, better concentration, or a different direction in life. Tapas focuses energy, creates fervor, and increases strength and confidence. The practice of asanas (postures/movement) is a form of tapas for the body; meditation is a tapas that purifies and focuses the mind.”
4. Svadhyaya (Self-study) to contemplate, to remember, and to meditate on one’s self.
5. Ishvara Pranidhana means to surrender your consciousness/a trustful surrender to God. “This niyama is not a process of defeat or of mindlessly submitting to another’s will. It is the act of giving ourselves to a higher purpose.” (Text adapted from Yoga: Mastering the Basics by Rolf Sovik and Sandra Anderson via Yoga International)

The third limb: Asanas – the postures, poses, and movement of the body, and the most physical part of the yoga.

Pranayama – controlling the breath; breathing exercises which can be practiced without the asanas (postures/poses).

Pratyahara – withdrawing of the senses/gaining mastery over external influences.

Dharana – mental focus, holding steady, concentration, or steadfastness.

Dhyana – is the training of the mind (commonly translated as meditation), to withdraw the mind from the automatic responses, and to lead to a “state of perfect equanimity and awareness.”

The eighth and final limb: Samadhi – a state of intense concentration achieved through meditation at which union with the Divine is reached.

So, that was a lot of new words that are hard to pronounce and you’re probably asking how that fits into your life and/or yoga practice.  This is what I’ve learned thus far.  Yoga is exclusive to every single person on this planet.  It doesn’t matter what color your skin is, where you came from, if you’re rich or poor, and/or if you practice any type of religion.  You don’t have to worship gods/goddesses, objects, or false prophets.  It’s about finding peace in your situation/life, it’s about showing and giving kindness to anyone (including yourself), and it’s about knowing that we are all human beings who are doing the best we can with what we have.  Yoga is not a competition with others or yourself.  It’s about finding out how amazing your mind, body, soul, and spirit really are…no matter what you’ve had to endure.  It’s about learning and owning your strength, so when you’re in those hard situations, you’ll be able to step back, take a breath, and move forward with love and kindness.  And, for me, it’s about connecting to my Creator.  (I’ll get more into that a little later.)

As for now, take your time with this and feel free to research all of it!  This is just basic, foundational information about yoga, and we will continue to move forward with breath work, postures/poses, etc.