Caoimhin Grothe-Brinton

The background consists of yoga mats students used for San Juan Hills yoga class. With following symbols and icons of the teachings and overall symbolism of yoga. Books yogi pioneers published like B.K.S. Iyengar’s Light on Yoga (1966) and Swami Sivananda’s Easy Steps to Yoga that was written throughout the late 1930s and published 1939. Both evaluate the healthy lifestyle yoga brings and the teachings that come with it.

Since 3000 BCE yoga has been an active practice. Spreading to the Americas since the late 19th century and becoming a phenomenon world wide and even within our school. 

Yoga originated in Ancient India that can be discovered in the Rig Veda. Rig Veda are one out of four Vedas, being hymns, which are ritual and sacred texts.

“In the hymns, yoga often refers to yoking, as in yoking two horses together. It also refers to yoking the physical self with the spiritual world, laying the groundwork for the development of a whole host of spiritual practices that are all part of the yogic tradition.” said Rubin Museum. 

This museum has a wide collection of artifacts based on the origins of yoga. When mentioning “yoking two horses together” this is based on the meaning of yoga. In Sanskrit it defines, “to unite”. 

“As in the yoke of a chariot that connects the carriage to the horses. The Katha Upanishad (ca. 6th century B.C.E.) mentions a hierarchy of body, mind, and spirit where the body is the chariot, the senses and mind are the horses, and the spirit is the charioteer” said The American of Psychiatry based on the past and present of yoga.

Due to yoga having a profound history, there are different types of it. 

According to Yoga Medicine, types of yoga include Hatha, Ashtanga, Yin, Iyengar, Bikram, power, Sivananda, restorative, Prenatal, Aerial, and Acro.

Each has their own benefits and can depend on your chakras and balancing physical and spiritual strength. 

“I took yoga because I wanted to spiritually level up my mentality and become a much better version of myself. I feel like I became more positive and how to take negative energy out in a healthy way,” said Hannah Palmer (12).

Palmer took yoga class her Sophomore year here. She mentions it opened up finding coping mechanisms to live a healthier lifestyle.

“I feel more calm and centered while doing yoga. You feel more at peace and it is just you and your mat, which a lot of instructors will say that,” said Alison Meisenzahl (12).

Meisenzahl got into yoga because her parents did yoga and strength classes. She now does yoga independently and partakes in hot yoga. 

“It is very clearing and I get a good workout with hot yoga,” said Meisenzahl.

Yoga should be a continuous practice outside of school. It should become a daily or at least weekly routine. 

“Yoga helps relax people so that they can let go of any negative energy and focus on positive energy,” said Palmer.

It has been acknowledged for benefiting mental health, flexibility, heart health, balance, and is a beautiful form of self care. 

Yoga overall has an in-depth history and many benefits due to being a fulfilling spiritual and physical workout. Hence the popularity and many versions of it that have been Americanized but many keep true to the traditional teachings.