If yoga has a single thread that unites all its forms, it is the breath. In Sanskrit, pranayama means not only the control of breath but the expansion of life force. Breath anchors the body, steadies the mind and creates space for presence.
Yoga is mindfulness in motion, and its values extend beyond the mat. To practice yoga is to live with awareness, and that awareness invites us to tread lightly on the earth.
From its beginnings, yoga has drawn inspiration from nature. The five elements, earth, water, fire, air and space, live not only in the world around us but also within our practice.
From ancient India, yoga travelled far. In the late 19th century, Swami Vivekananda introduced its philosophy to Western audiences. By the 20th century, teachers like Krishnamacharya, BKS Iyengar and Pattabhi Jois were shaping the physical practices that would become familiar worldwide.
When most people think of yoga, they picture postures on a mat. Yet in its earliest form, yoga was never just about the body. It was, and remains, a philosophy of living, captured in Patanjali's Yoga Sutras nearly two thousand years ago.
