Everything You Wanted to Know about Yoga

Katie Solomon ‘21, Staff Writer

Yoga is a practice that focuses on physical exercise, balance, stamina, strength, and flexibility but also includes a mental component. Yoga originated in India. The word yoga translates to the union of the mind, body and, soul. Some of the proven benefits of yoga include aiding in sleep, decreasing stress, improving flexibility and balance, and stronger concentration and focus.

The most popular type of yoga today is hatha yoga. Not all yoga is the same, there are actually six branches of the practice:

  1. Raja Yoga- centered around meditation
  2. Bhakti Yoga- focuses on devotion to God and love for all beings
  3. Jnana Yoga- revolves around the study of scriptures
  4. Karma Yoga- focuses on selfless actions
  5. Mantra yoga- the yoga of sound, includes utterances and mantras
  6. Hatha- centered around yoga poses and the physical use of the body.

Living in Los Angeles, we have so many opportunities to learn about and practice yoga. For example, we have the following local yoga studios: YogaWorks in Westwood, Santa Monica Power Yoga and Meditation, and The Green Yogi in Manhattan Beach.

For those who would like to opt out of attending formal class, you can always do yoga at home. You can find yoga positions online and customize your own routines or find yoga workouts online. There are many yoga routines on YouTube.