What is Yoga?

It would take thousands of pages to answer this question. Very briefly, "yoga" refers to the vast body of spiritual values, attitudes, precepts and techniques that have been evolving in the Indian subcontinent (and the larger world) for more than 4000 years. Yoga is the psycho-spiritual technology of self-transcendence specific to the great civilization of India. It was first introduced to the United States about 100 years ago.

By far the most popular and widespread method of yoga in the US today is Hatha Yoga. Hatha Yoga uses the practice of physical postures (asanas) and controlled breathing techniques (pranayama) designed to strengthen and integrate our bodies and minds. This prepares us for the stillness of meditation, which makes it possible to move beyond the boundaries of the ego self, to realize our truest essence, and to transcend the suffering and ignorance caused by the illusion of being disconnected.

UMass Yoga classes blend together several approaches to Hatha Yoga. You'll learn the safe practice of many individual yoga postures; you'll learn how to link them together, with healthy breathing, into invigorating and meditative flowing sequences (vinyasa); you'll learn restful restorative practices to recharge your body and relieve stress. And best of all, your yoga class will become a respite from the challenges of your day -- a time you give entirely to yourself -- a time to learn how to tap into the deep and abiding peace that is always there, even in the most demanding circumstances of your life.

What's it like to take a UMass Yoga Class?

All UMass Yoga classes begin and end with a few minutes of "conscious relaxation." The teacher will help you learn to tune into your body's natural rhythms, to release physical and mental tensions (they're really the same) and to make the shift to a relaxed and non-judgmental frame of mind.

Each class then continues with simple warm-up postures and movements and slowly builds towards new and sometimes more challenging postures and sequences. There's lots of repetition, review and individual attention to help you become familiar and confident with yoga's fundamentals. Towards the end of each class, we slowly shift back to more gentle and familiar movements, and then finish as we started, with a time of alert and restful stillness.

As the semester goes on, you'll develop the moment-to-moment skills of staying connected to body-level wisdom, and choosing when to stretch your limits and when to stay in your comfort zone. There are no performance standards in UMass Yoga classes. If you come with curiosity, with the willingness to give new things a fair trial, and with kindness for yourself and others, you'll love yoga.