The Square Life

Yoga studios are popping up like Starbucks Cafes. So is it a trend, or does it have more substance? Archeologists have found images of people in yoga poses that date back as far as 3000 BC. Ancient texts have even been found that teach about the many different types of yoga. In 500 BC the earliest text associated with the practice of Yoga, called Bhagavad-Gita, or “the Lords Song,” speaks about what it is to be alive, active, and able to avoid difficulties in our lives. This seems like a worthwhile focus that we could all benefit from. A practice that is still in effect after 5000 years must have something to it.

Kelsey Hannon, a local Yoga instructor, weighed in on the subject. She decided to study and train Yoga after only a month of trying it. She saw the benefits for her body, it was fun, and she realized it was something that she could do her whole life. She believes it is something for everyone. “If you can breathe,” she says, “you can do Yoga.” More than just a workout, she believes Yoga can change lives.
There are actually many different types and practices of Yoga. Anciently, it focused mostly on mediation and study. Yogis were seen as spiritual leaders, helping people live in divine harmony. But then the Yogis began to contemplate their human bodies. They believed that holding certain poses would not only help with their meditation, it would also make them strong and keep their bodies young and healthy, thereby prolonging their lives. Yoga means to join or unite, and they saw it as joining their spiritual minds with their physical bodies.
Hatha Yoga is the proper name for the mainstream form of the ancient study that is most wide-spread today. Hatha Yoga dates all the way back to 15 century India and is centered on finding balance for the physical body and the mind through poses, or Asanas. They are done with Pranyama, or breathing, to create physical strength and mental well-being.
Any long time Yoga student will attest to the many benefits of the practice: reduced stress, increased energy, sleeping better, help with anxiety, more flexibility, and a leaner body, just to name a few. 5000 years of being around is proof that Yoga has something to offer. So take a deep breath, and strike a pose.