What's In A Name?

When we hear the word "yoga" what do we think of?

Not sure?

Here is a list of word definitions I heard from my last yoga session from the instructor and people around me

• Calming, rest, and relaxation

• An escape

• What keeps Lulu Lemon in business

• Relaxing the mind, body, and spirit

• A less rigorous way to stay in shape

To me, sometimes I would describe yoga sessions as "unity in silence" where I do not know anyone around me, but we are supportive of each other on trying to master different poses.

Now to go through each bullet

Calming, rest, and relaxation: I believe people here in The States mainly look at yoga as a form of meditation. Of course, different types of yoga like Ashtanga and Bikram are considered moving meditations, but I would not call them calming because they are rigorous. They can be calming from stress. I see where people call it R & R for meditation. The sounds, the atmosphere, it all helps take daily stress away. But that's meditation. I wouldn't call yoga R&R but yoga certainly helps if your mind and body need help getting to R&R.

An escape. I see it. The practice is an escape. I don't think about my daily stress, what I'm gonna eat for dinner, what morning alarm I need to set. Yoga helps me focus on the now. The right now. I see it as an escape because you are in your own mind set focusing on your breathing, working on your strength, and not knowing that time ticking on the clock. In this case, I find it calming for the mind, body, and spirit. The mind doesn't focus on stress, the body is getting stronger, and my spirits feel lifted with feeling more positive and feeling healthier and wanting to make healthier decisions.

It can definitely be looked at as a way Lulu Lemon stays in business. Yoga in The States is basically a business. It can be extremely materialist. Wine and yoga, goats and yoga, $234455845374 yoga mats and leggings, "sexy" yoga ads. It sells.

In the East, it is not a selling point. Yoga is a way of life. It's ritualistic and sacred. It's not about postures, it's about beliefs, daily actions and decisions, and about the afterlife, rather than the now.