This gURL guide is an introduction to the practice of yoga; it's not a sample sequence or a "30 minute workout," but an explanation of the different types of poses we do during a well-rounded yoga practice, including some key points to think about in each one.
The word "yoga" means union, and ultimately, its purpose is to connect you with your true self in the present moment, uniting body and spirit through the breath in preparation for meditation. Even people who practice yoga at the gym and claim they're not into its "spiritual" side are still making deep, internal connections through their breath, quieting their minds and steadying their respiratory systems.
As you start to practice, read about and maybe go to a yoga studio, you'll discover how much people love to go on about "the 5,000 year old tradition of yoga," or sometimes, "the 2,000 year old tradition of yoga." The truth is, yoga as a physical practice performed by Westerners has been around for less than two hundred years. Sure, there were ancient sages in India who fasted and chanted in a cave for a week, but what does that have to do with us? And what difference does it make? Being ancient or modern doesn't make something any more or less pure or good, and the yoga we practice today is definitely modern--for the simple reason that we live in the modern world.
What's so cool is that as you get deeper into it, you can choose to explore the more spiritual and mystical traditions connected to yoga--tracing all the way back to the stories of Krishna and Shiva in the Bhagavad Gita. But for starters, focusing on the physical practice will be complex and intense enough. And guess what? You'll probably find that as you become stronger and more flexible, the emotional and spiritual benefits will just "happen" anyway. Yoga works on many levels.
If you want to explore further, there are tons of great yoga videos, as well as books and classes out there. Yoga studios are great because you'll get an instant sense of community and discipline.
Namaste. (The light in me bows down to the light in you.)
SPECIAL THANKS TO LAUGHING LOTUS YOGA STUDIO IN NEW YORK CITY, OUR FABULOUS gURL GUIDE VIDEO INSTRUCTOR HEATHER HEINEMAN AND OUR AWESOME VIDEOGRAPHER STEPHEN LEVINSON!p>
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