What is yoga?

Every yogi will answer this question differently. Although it is often presented in the media as a regimented posture practice that mysteriously leads to moksha, nirvana, call it what you will, it is much more than that.

Yes, yoga is about asanas - posture practice. But it certainly isn't to achieve mindless flexibility. Rather, it's about self-exploration, dedication, letting go of the ego, recognizing and adopting the positive, and maintaining focus and devotion - both on and off the yoga matt. It is about withdrawing - to the extent we can - from materialistic concerns, being present in the moment, and surrendering to the outcome of your efforts, even if that is something short of "perfection." In fact, in yoga, there is no such thing as "perfection."

As one devout yogi put it, all the many elements of yoga are 99% practice and 1% theory. The practice itself is a living process and it is ever changing for each individual. As you begin or deepen your practice, you will learn what asanas (posture work) and pranayama (breath work) is best suited to your physical and emotional capacity. If you practice religiously, you will see that your capacity changes every so often and you will create your own personal expression of yoga as you learn to open, release and surrender.

KrishnaYoga is dedicated to yoga in all its forms. We focus more on holding poses longer, slowing the practice down, and really surrendering into each pose as much as our physical and emotional capacities will allow. We also focus on breath-work and the use of essential oils to enhance our asana (posture) practice.