The word "yoga" is often used by many people to mean many different things. Some of the meanings we've given to yoga embrace the nature of yoga and some of them do not. Hopefully this FAQ will begin to answer some of your questions and demystify yoga.

• What is Yoga?
• What is Hatha Yoga?
• What would yoga personal training be like?
• Who can benefit from yoga?
• Is yoga a religion?
• Why should I practice yoga?
• Do I need special equipment to practice yoga?
  
  What is yoga?
  The word yoga comes from sanskrit words meaning 'to yoke or harness'. Working from the assumption that the purpose of existence is self-actualization and transcendence, yoga is a path to follow to meet this purpose. Yoga is unification. In a fundamental sense yoga is a path you follow to bring together the mind, body, spirit, and heart. There are many yogas and many paths. Hatha Yoga involves movement, postures, and breath.
  
  What is Hatha Yoga?
  According to "The Complete Idiots Guide to Yoga", Hatha Yoga is a type of yoga primarily concerned with mastering control over the physical body as a path to enlightenment. Hatha Yoga combines opposing forces to achieve balance. Many Westerners that hear Hatha Yoga think of a specific type of yoga that involves putting your body into postures (some of them quite difficult) and holding these postures for long periods of time. In fact, there are many different kinds of yoga which involve movement and fall under the umbrella of Hatha Yoga.
  
  Some yoga styles focus on relaxation, some incorporate blocks, straps, and other props to assist in reaching an ideal form, some emphasize flowing from one form into another, and still others use powerful movments generating heat and sweat in the course of the practice. Should you choose to enlist my help with your yoga practice, you'll find that we'll develop a practice that works for you. We will evaluate your needs and work within form and breath to meet these goals.
  
  What would having a yoga personal trainer be like?
  When I speak to you about yoga and offer to help you integrate yoga into your life, I am offering to work with you on movement of the body in ways that help increase strength, flexibility, endurance, self-confidence, balance, mental focus, and awareness. Yoga helps lubricate the joints and reverse the signs of aging. We will work through simple poses and breath work and proceed , at a pace that your body sets, to more advanced poses. I won't overwhelm you with terms or push you to painfully contort your body. The simple poses invoke one or only a few joints and muscles while the more advanced poses require strength and flexibility through many joints and may involve the entire body.
  
  Each person's yoga practice if very personal. The goal of yoga is not to be able to put your foot behind your head or to stand on your shoulders. Yoga is about releasing goals and releasing preconceived ideas of what your body can and cannot do. We breath, we move, we listen to our bodies, we work to be more calm, more centered, more energized. Every person does not have the same abilities, but every person does have the same fundamental needs to move, breath, and increase (or maintain) mobility.
  
  Who can benefit from yoga?
  EVERYONE!
  
  Yoga is not just for the young. In fact many older adults find that yoga is perfect for them as it requires no impact or jumping around and can be adapted to any starting level of mobility. Whether you are chronologically older or just feel old from improper or stagnate use of your joints and muscles, yoga can help you look and feel younger and more alive than you have for many years.
  
  Yoga is not just for the elderly. Athletes find that yoga helps them stay at them maintain focus and energy during the game while helping to keep them injury free. Those that are injured find that yoga helps them recover mobility and strength in the injured area allowing them to resume normal activities more quickly. "Normal people" who just want to try a new workout find that yoga is not as easy nor as difficult as they had expected and that they feel more relaxed, happy, and energized after completing a session.
  
  With all this going for it, isn't it time you gave yoga a try?
  
  Is yoga a religion?
  Yoga is unification. In a fundamental sense yoga is a path you follow to bring together the mind, body, spirit, and heart. There are many yogas and many paths to enlightenment.
  
  When someone says "yoga" she may be speaking of many different things including physical movement, mental focus, and/or spiritual beliefs. It is important to know that one can practice yoga postures without adopting Eastern philosophies or religions. Yoga exercise can be a door to these beliefs but one can also be any religion or no religion and still be comfortable practicing yoga.
  
  Why should I practice yoga?
  Many fantastic claims can be made to the benefits of yoga. While different people have different experiences, everyone that I have met that has practiced yoga on a regular basis says that they are happier in their bodies with fewer aches and pains, that they feel more graceful and more balanced, that they feel calmer and less likely to "blow up" under stress, and that they feel less stress. Yoga has also been shown to increase mental focus, increase musculoskeltal strength, tone the cardiovascular system, lower blood pressure, relieve pain in joints - in short, yoga has been shown to reverse the "normal" signs of aging. To me, this seems to be sorely needed in a culture where 30 year olds are talking about "getting old".
  
  Yoga can help you lose weight, not so much by being cardiovascular exercise, but by helping you tune in to your body and your mind so that you eat when hungry rather than when trying to satisfy some other craving for comfort.
  
  I'm going to finish my answer to this question with a quote from "Power Yoga: The Total Strength and Flexibility Workout" by Beryl Bender Birch. Birch states that "...More than anything physical, what I learned [from my yoga pracice] is that you start slowly, do what you can, go one day at a time, and appreicate the moment. You build strength and discipline the way you build a sand castle: a couple of grains at a time."
  
  
  Do I need special equipment to practice yoga?
  No. You can practice yoga with just yourself and a comfortable, level surface. Now, with that said, it is quite true that yoga postures are far easier and more enjoyable if you have a "sticky mat" or Tapas Mat. These special yoga mats are slightly padded with a non-skid surface that allows hands and feet to stay in place during a pose. Yoga mats are especially useful while doing any vinyasa (flowing sequence of yoga postures) including the Sun Salutations.
  
  There are other popular yoga props such as straps, blocks, and bolsters. These props may be necessary and useful for some types of practice and some populations, but they are used rarely, if ever, in my training sessions.
  
  When you sign up for yoga training with me, you do not need to purchase any props, including a yoga mat, as I will provide them as needed during our sessions. You may, however, decide to purchase a mat so that you can practice on your own. Check out Styles & Yoga Links for sources of yoga mats.
  
  
  

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