get into GET INTO IT GUIDES yoga JAIME WINTERS crabtree Publishing Company www crabtreebooks com
YOGA THROUGH TIME Yoga is not like any other type of exercise First of all yoga isn't only about exercise The practice of yoga also encourages proper nutrition relaxation and positive thinking Yoga is about being healthy and balanced in both your body and your mind Ancient Origins No one knows when people first took up yoga Some say it started at the dawn of human civilization But clay seals made 4 nearly 5,000 years ago in what is now India show people sitting with their feet tucked under their buttocks just like modern yogis and yoginis The word yoga means to unite the mind body and spirit It comes from the ancient Sanskrit word yuj for join or unite Sanskrit is the language that ancient gurus used to teach yoga Many gurus teachers and students still call yoga poses by their Sanskrit names today About 2,000 years ago a sage named Patanjali wrote down the oral teachings of yoga in the Yoga Sutras In the Middle Ages the years from 500 to 1500 different types of yoga arose based on living a spiritual life Around 700 people began to combine body poses breathing and meditation into a practice a lot like modern yoga June 21 is International Yoga Day Just as yoga unites the mind body and spirit the annual celebration encourages people to see themselves as one with the world and nature
The poses in this book are easy enough for you to try at home A yoga class at school or in a yoga studio is a great way to learn more This book will give you a great introduction to the world of yoga YOgA in the West Yoga didn’t begin to catch on in North America until the 1890s when gurus such as Swami Vivekananda began to arrive But they focused on breathing and meditation not asanas the physical poses It wasn’t until 1947 when Indra Devi opened a yoga studio in Hollywood and taught the poses to movie stars that it began to take off Devi was the first woman to study yoga with Indian guru Tirumalai Krishnamacharya At first the guru said it was impossible for him to teach her because yoga was for Indian men only But when she would not give up he agreed Devi developed a yoga style that grew into the yoga that millions of North Americans practice today Two other students of Krishnamacharya B K S Iyengar and Pattabhi Jois also developed popular types of yoga Bring YOur MAt tO clAss Not only to gym but to math science and art Schools include yoga in a variety of classes to help kids develop tools to bust stress focus energy manage anger communicate improve sports performance and stay mentally healthy 5
