Yoga 101: Real Yoga for Real People

This series of articles by Jeannine Dietz offers a primer on the basics of yoga as the foundation of a healthier, stronger, clearer life and lifestyle.

These days, we have all heard about “yoga” — millions of people are practicing worldwide. It’s become a multi-million dollar business with many different benefits: stretching the body, relieving stress, an alternative method of healing, etc. This is all true; however, there is a difference between practicing yoga and living yoga.

Choosing yoga only for the physical practice offers many, many benefits, of course. But choosing to live your yoga opens the door to an ancient philosophy of moral and ethical living.

This is ancient teaching, and we invite you to think about how these beautiful teachings might apply your life. Perhaps it’s something as simple as applying non-violence, which begins with the self, to your yoga practice by having compassion towards self and listening to your body and what it needs in your practice and allowing for that to be OK.

Parts 1, 2 and 3 — The Five Yamas
Parts 3, 4 and 5 — The Five Niyamas