What does Yoga mean?

Yoga is a physical, internal and spiritual practice that began in ancient India. First codified by the savant Patanjali in his Yoga Sutras around 400C.E, the practice was in fact handed down from school teacher to pupil long before this textbook arose. Traditionally, this was one- to- one transmission, but since yoga came popular in the West in the 20th century, group classes have become the norm.

The word yoga is derived from the Sanskrit root yuj, meaning “ to servitude, ” or “ to unite ”. The practice aims to produce union between body, mind and spirit, as well as between the individual tone and universal knowledge. Such a union tends to neutralise pride-driven studies and behaviours, creating a sense of spiritual awakening. Yoga has been rehearsed for thousands of times, and whilst numerous different interpretations and styles have been developed, utmost tend to agree that the ultimate thing of yoga is to achieve emancipation from suffering. Although each academy or tradition of yoga has its own emphasis and practices, utmost focus on bringing together body, mind and breath as a means of altering energy or shifting knowledge.