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Yoga is well-known for various health benefits as it can increase strength and flexibility, decrease stress and lower blood pressure. These days, people tend to pay more attention to their health and bodies. Many celebrities have also taken up yoga as a regular fitness regime. In short, most of us are well aware of the benefits of yoga.

What is Yoga?
Some believe that we simply ‘do’ yoga – a lean towards a fitness workout as purely the asanas (postures) are being practiced. Therefore, yoga is sometimes seen today as just another gym class, a stress buster or a means to a strong body and a nicer bottom.

However, the Indian term of ‘yoga’ encompasses so much more than a fitness regime. Yoga represents the union of the body, mind and soul which will always be related to ‘the eight limbs of yoga’ or Ashtanga system. Each limb constitutes one part of the practice and in order to reach true enlightenment, all parts must be practiced simultaneously.

Nowadays, most of the yoga classes available purely emphasize on the physical postures. Instead of being called as a yoga class, it is more appropriate to describe it as an Asana class.

Namaste, How Are You?
If you have been to a yoga class before, you may have come across people putting their hands together and saying “Namaste”.
“Namaste” is a way to greet someone in Sanskrit, the classical language of India. It is equivalent to saying “Hello” in English and “Bonjour” in French. Meanwhile, putting your hands together symbolizes the philosophy, inherent in yoga that seemingly separate things can be brought together.

Yoga Poses and the Translation
Traditionally, yoga was practiced in Sanskrit. Westerners, who went to India to learn yoga from the masters, returned to their homelands and started teaching in English. They translated names of the yoga poses and the anecdotes into their own languages.
But without proper guidance, it is easy to become confused and misled by the translation. One example is the Bhujangasana (Cobra Pose). Some believe that the pose itself is spiritual as the snake figure is prevalent in Indian temples.
Traditional yogis respect and live harmoniously in nature. They observe and admire the living creatures around them and try to imitate the figure and the behavior of said creatures. Therefore, the names of the yoga poses are mainly based on animals or plants.

Ways to Address Religious Concerns before Practicing Yoga