Your transformation starts here
If you picked up this book, you’re probably one of three types of people: either you’re curious about yoga, you want to deepen your practice, or you’re just a sucker for pretty pictures. No matter which type you are, you’ll find what you’re looking for here. And even if you’re a beginner, the truth is that you’ve already begun your yoga practice, simply by intending to make yoga a part of your life. I promise, it will be worth it.
“Yoga,” which in Sanskrit translates to “yoke,” “union,” or “discipline,” has persevered for thousands of years. It’s had enough face lifts and transformations to make even Madonna look like a slacker. While the main focus of this book is on how we interpret yoga in the West today—as a challenging workout that tones your muscles, calms your mind, and strengthens your spirit—it’s important to understand its roots, too.
One of my teachers once said of yoga, “The more you learn, you realize the less you know.” Yoga will teach you how to unify your mind, body, and soul, leaving you refreshed, calm, and ready to take on the world (or, rather, one awesome moment of life at a time). It does this by strengthening and lengthening your body, slowing down your mind, and opening up your perspective. Welcome to the journey of a lifetime! Let’s start with a little background.
The original hard-core yogis weren’t kidding around when it came to practicing yoga. Their goal was to discover their true natures and embrace the process of transformation without expectation or attachment to the results. Essentially, they were trying to be at one in their minds, bodies, and souls. The best way for them to cultivate this lifestyle 3,500 years ago was to completely detach themselves from civilization and spend every moment dedicated to this process. While living in a remote cave with no cell phone reception is a one-way ticket to a meltdown in the modern world, these yogis found solitude crucial to calming their minds and steadying their focus.
I don’t expect you to completely change your daily routine, but it’s a good idea to make time to take care of yourself—whether you do that by taking a lunchtime yoga class or just by taking 15 minutes to quietly relax and close your eyes. Even the smallest bit of relaxation makes a big difference! According to a 2011 study in the Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment, and Health, participation in a 6-week yoga intervention program was associated with improvements in well-being and resilience to stress.
In that study, a group of employees at a British university participated in six 1-hour yoga classes over the course of 6 weeks. At the end of the study, they reported higher levels of well-being than did control group members, who did not attend yoga classes. Participants assessed themselves using the Profile of Mood States Bipolar Scale and the Inventory of Positive Psychological Attitudes. Those in the yoga group scored higher on clear-mindedness, composure, elation, energy, and confidence. They also reported increased life purpose and satisfaction, as well as feelings of greater self-confidence during stressful situations. So, taking the time out of your busy day to do yoga is worth it!
Asanas—“comfortable seats,” in Sanskrit—are the yoga postures. The original form of yoga consisted of plenty of sitting and meditation—a little different from the sweat-inducing vinyasa classes we see in the movies. Gurus taught that the self (our egos) must be sacrificed in order to attain happiness and liberation from the dregs of life that weigh us down. The intensity of sacrifice espoused evolved into a set of standards, or rules, to live by for those who were willing to dedicate their lives to yoga.
Possibly the most famous yoga philosopher went by the name of Patanjali. This guy is celebrated as the father of yoga. His personal history is shrouded in mystery and myth, so I actually like to call him the Godfather. Patanjali penned the famous Yoga Sutras in the 2nd century BC. These are 195 statements on how to conduct oneself in life in order to achieve enlightenment. He was the creator of the eight-limbed path of yoga (referred to as “ashtanga yoga”), which frees one from physical, mental, and emotional suffering when followed properly.
Patanjali’s sutras formed a yoga to-do list that includes yamas (restraints), niyamas (disciplines), asanas (physical postures), pranayama (breath control), pratyahara (withdrawal of the senses), dharana (concentration), dhyana (meditation), and samadhi (liberation). The words may seem complicated and tricky to pronounce, but don’t get too overwhelmed. Think of them as a basic guide to being a good person. They’re just suggestions for how to deal with the everyday stresses in life—kind of like a nonreligious Ten Commandments. When you feel good about yourself, that positive energy translates throughout the rest of your life.
The yamas—or restraints—set out to give the yogi a solid ethical foundation. The Yoga Sutras identify the five yamas as ahimsa (nonviolence), satya (truthfulness), asetya (nonstealing), brahmacharya (abstinence), and aparigraha (nongreed). The question is, what do they all mean and how do you use them? Let’s break them down.
This can have a multitude of definitions and echoes the commandment “Thou shalt not kill.” While it clearly prescribes practicing self-restraint when you feel like taking out your boss or mother-in-law, it stresses living compassionately in general. Anger is a rash emotion, and violence often follows it. Being in tune with one’s thoughts and actions helps the yogi to chill with the anger and harbor no hatred. Ahimsa also means that we can’t be violent toward ourselves, including in the way we treat our bodies and how we deal with injury, and that our bodies must be honored as the sacred temples they are.
Literally translated as “don’t lie,” this yama insists that we speak the truth even when we think it’s easier to hide behind falsehoods. It directs us to be thoughtful with our words and to always speak with intention.
This aligns with the commandments not to steal or covet what others have. We’ve all been taught from a young age that stealing is wrong, but longing to possess someone else’s success or existence is just as bad. As mythologist and scholar Joseph Campbell so eloquently said, “The privilege of a lifetime is being who you are,” and I have a feeling Patanjali would back that up. Longing for what we lack causes suffering, but being comfortable with what we have and who we are creates stability and happiness.
This one makes the modern-day yogi twitch. Patanjali definitely meant celibacy, which doesn’t quite jibe with today’s lifestyles—or any episode of Sex in the City, for that matter! His thoughts were that sexual energy took away from the focus one could put toward devotion. I prefer to translate it this way: Avoid using your sexuality recklessly. Offer your sexuality to those who deserve it and will respect you, so you can respect yourself, in turn.
Take a walk down any main shopping strip and you’ll understand this one: We are obsessed with and attached to material goods. While enjoying a good shopping spree can elevate one’s mood (everyone needs a little retail therapy from time to time), be careful not to associate happiness with tangible objects. This yama seeks to keep us in the present moment instead of lusting after a wish list of unattainable goodies.
Once you have a solid grip on your restraints, it’s time to move on to your disciplines (niyamas), which are: saucha (cleanliness), santosa (contentment), tapas (austerity), svadhayaya (self-study), and isvara pranidhana (devotion to God).
Your mama probably taught you this one. While it’s important to scrub behind your ears and get between your toes, this also means purity of thoughts and consumption. Take care of your body (it’s your temple) by doing the physical practice, speaking your truth with compassion (there’s satya!), and consuming pure, clean food.
This is the ultimate rule to truly live in the moment. We spend so much time worrying about things that may or may not ever come to be. Santosa asks that we stop planning ahead and enjoy each moment and breath as it arrives. This is tricky, but it becomes easier when you set a daily intention to be content and practice gratitude for the everyday gifts that you possess.
The Sanskrit word “tap” means “to burn,” so “tapas” is often referred to as “heat” or “discipline.” Tapas comes from the exertion of doing the postures or being able to get out of bed when the alarm clock chimes at the crack of dawn. Practicing tapas makes us strong and enables us to show up when the going gets rough.
Try saying this one three times fast! The theory here is that the better you know yourself, the more apt you are to have control over your actions, thoughts, and emotions. Svadhayaya includes things like taking the time to read this book and learn. It makes you a better citizen of the world and more mindful of your responsibilities.
This one can get a bit sticky because the G word is used. Patanjali never cited a particular god figure in the sutras. Rather, he encouraged that we dedicate our energy and devotion toward our personal gods—Jesus, Allah, Buddha, spirit, or maybe even ourselves. It’s a way to focus our meditation and realize that we’re all unified and in this together.
Finally! Something that we all know and love. Patanjali stressed that you must have a grip on your restraints and disciplines before you take a shot at the rigors of the physical practice. A “perfect pose” in yoga is one that you can hold with ease and stillness. During difficult poses, there should be no grunting like you do when you bench press at the gym. Your mind should become so still that all you can focus on is your body in connection to your breath. Talk about strength! My take on balance is similar. Balance isn’t standing completely still—it’s making peace with the fluctuations of the body and choosing to remain, regardless of the speed bumps. This is the goal of the asanas.
“Prana” translates as “energy” or “life force,” while “ayama” means “restraint” or “control.” Proficient yogis do regular pranayama practice to clear the channels of their minds in preparation for meditation. The simplicity of taking a moment out of your hectic day to breathe thoughtfully for even 1 minute can make all the difference in the world.
The fifth limb is a highly useful tool for the modern-day yogi. We live in a nonstop world full of cell phones, car pools, business meetings, and jetting around. Our senses are bombarded with advertisements, videos, and constant text messages. Practicing mind withdrawal pulls us away from the external stimuli so that we can return to our thoughts. The ability to draw yourself inward lets you be aware of your surroundings without being ruled by them.
Concentrating intently is a prerequisite for meditation. Just like a dancer chooses a single spot to gaze at to avoid falling out of a complex spin, yogis send all of their thoughts to a point in their bodies or around them. This gets you ready for the real game changer: meditation.
Meditation has profound effects on your stress levels and on your ultimate ability to clear your mind of the chaos of daily life. Patanjali’s hope was that consistent meditation would help a yogi experience a deep connection to the universal consciousness. Put it this way: It’s hard to get too angry at someone once you realize that you’re mad at him because you’re seeing a piece of yourself in him. This is the key to awareness, and to our next step.
This final step brings together all of the hard work. This is the pinnacle state of balance that we all strive to achieve. At this point, nothing throws us off, our intentions are consistently strong and pure, and our hearts and souls are full and at one with everyone else. Sign me up.
“Hatha yoga” is the umbrella term for the style of yoga Westerners practice today. When it first appeared in the 9th or 10th century, hatha yoga was a form of meditation (“finding one’s comfortable seat”). “Ha” (the sun) and “tha” (the moon) is a union of two opposites. This common yogic theme suggests that practicing hatha yoga will help the practitioner unite the opposing forces of the body, mind, and soul. So, how did yogis get off their seats and start to kick asana?
In the 14th century, a Tantric sage named Swami Svatmarama wrote the Hatha Yoga Pradipika, the first text to describe asanas in any specific detail. It contains 16 postures addressing digestive purification, seated meditation, and energy arousal. In the late 1800s, those 16 poses evolved into 122, as set out in the first book devoted to asana, the Sritattvanidhi. In addition to illustrating variations on poses from the earlier hatha yoga texts, it also includes Indian wrestling exercises and gymnastics practices, many of which you may be familiar with, such as the chaturanga dandasana pushups, taught in most classes, that give you such amazing arm definition!
If Patanjali was the Godfather of yoga, then Tirumalai Krishnamacharya was the hip daddy. Although he never stepped foot on American soil, Krishnamacharya is the yogi most credited with influencing the Western style of physical yoga. He saw the beauty in the physical practice and set up classes in a gymnasium in India in the 1930s. Back then, only men were invited, and they wanted the same lean physique we all crave today. K-man developed sequences that created a dynamic flow of athletic poses that we now refer to as “vinyasa yoga.” Three of his most revered students in Mysore, India, were Pattabhi Jois, who founded the ashtanga system of yoga; Indra Devi, the “First Lady of Yoga” in the United States; and B. K. S. Iyengar, who created an alignment- and prop-heavy style of yoga called “Iyengar yoga.”
The vinyasa flow (“flow” is the linking of various postures in a sequence) that we practice today is often described as linking movement with breath. It’s a dynamic practice that attracts the masses because it makes you sweat, lifts your heart rate, and gives you a good workout. Vinyasa has become so mainstream that you’ll find there are a plethora of options available, ranging from classes that focus on strong standing poses to sequences in which you spend most of your time on your hands or upside down. No matter how you look at it, you can expect a strong class focusing on breath and mind–body connection.
Potentially one of the most rigorous yoga practices, ashtanga attracts athletes, people with strong personalities, and anyone who wants the discipline and burn ashtanga involves. Although its creator, Pattabhi Jois, passed away in 2009, his tradition continues to flourish. Ashtanga remains popular, but has an air of mystery and intimidation about it. You’ll often see elite yogis practicing ashtanga because of the intense amount of dedication (and the deep postures) it requires. If you’re new to ashtanga, try a led primary class—they’re great intros to this amazing method without the intimidation factor.
Named one of the 100 most influential people in the world by Time magazine in 2004, B. K. S. Iyengar has made quite the splash. In the same way that Jois created a series for those in need of a vigorous workout, Iyengar created a system for the less flexible. He stressed alignment and the use of blocks to help achieve the postures. This education-intensive style has proven wildly successful and is used in teacher training across the world. Iyengar continues to teach in Pune, India.
If you’ve ever walked into a yoga room and been puzzled by all the odd contraptions and ropes hanging from the walls, you’re probably in an Iyengar classroom. This prop-heavy style uses all sorts of creative methods and devices to help you find your best version of the pose. I highly recommend adding Iyengar to your repertoire—there is endless information to learn under the guidance of a senior Iyengar teacher.
There are many other popular styles beyond these great three: power yoga (created by Baron Baptiste and Bryan Kest), the popular heated Bikram yoga (created by Bikram Choudhury), anusara yoga (created by John Friend), kundalini yoga, and the list goes on. I teach primarily vinyasa flow, but I dabble in them all.
There is no right or wrong way to practice yoga—what makes you smile and feel good is what’s right. If you try a pose or sequence you’re not into, please, move on. I always tell my students that if you can’t smile (or at least make a funny face), you’re taking it way too seriously. The modern yogi is luckier than a kid at Baskin-Robbins: The flavors and combinations are endless, so dig in!
Advertisements constantly bombard us with “miracle” cures: “Eat nothing but cabbage to lose weight and feel great!” or “Take this miracle pill to shed stress and pounds.” At some point we’ve all fallen for these empty promises—and we all know they don’t work in the long run. Yet people continue to search for quick fixes to lifelong struggles—whether it’s losing weight, making more money, or finding true happiness.
Yoga is genius because it can make you feel better almost instantaneously, but it also dives to the root of the problem to help you exorcize the demons of the past and move into a happy and contented present. Priceless!
Yoga is the ultimate stress buster. It provides us with a safe place to journey to on a daily basis. The yoga mat is our own little island where we can lose cell reception, goals, and obligations and return to the simplicity of breathing, finding a connection, and being in our bodies instead of floating all around them. The breathing and meditation practice slows the pulse, eases the mind, and clears out space. Doing this daily prepares us to stay calm in even the craziest of circumstances.
We have two very distinct choices in life—love and fear. Our fear base starts when we are small children dreading the monsters that live beneath our beds and slowly evolves to affect relationships, job choices, and even coming to terms with who we are. Choosing fear is the opposite of choosing love, leaving us confused, lonely, and afraid. A study published in BioPsychoSocial Medicine in 2011 revealed that long-term yoga practice can significantly reduce fear, anger, and fatigue. Researchers administered the Profile of Mood States questionnaire to two groups of healthy women—one group whose members had more than 2 years of yoga experience and another group who had never practiced yoga. The long-term yoga practitioners had, on average, lower self-ratings for mental disturbance, tension-anxiety, anger-hostility, and fatigue than the control group.
When we practice yoga, we kick worry to the curb and take love, potential, and hope with us when we roll up our mats and leave a class. It’s a daily reminder to set intentions for what we want instead of what we dread. Think of yoga as an open invitation to be exactly where and who you are—which is perfect. Once you lose the fear, you can soar—high.
TIP: Make a promise to yourself: When the yoga mat comes out, communication devices are turned off. Practice in a room with no phone or computer, or at least turn them off. (Putting your phone on vibrate does not count!) Dedicate this small portion of your day to yourself and no one else. Enjoy the minivacation from the grind.
“How did you get those arms? Do you lift weights?” Yogis hear this question all the time and smile knowingly as they respond, “Nope. Just yoga.” Yoga’s physical challenges are unique in that they require nothing but you—no weights, no machines, just the ability to lift and hold your own body weight. Along with making your physical body strong, it increases your flexibility and reshapes your attitude into one that makes you ready to win. A 2011 pilot study by the Mayo Clinic found that a comprehensive, yoga-based wellness program helped a group of employees lose weight, lower their blood pressure, increase their flexibility, decrease their body fat percentage, and improve their overall quality of life.
This kind of practice leads to a leaner, longer, more graceful body that shows strength without bulk. And in addition to a rockin’ body, yoga creates endurance and confidence both physically and mentally. Now that’s sexy!
Yoga not only makes you lean and foxy, but also increases your sexual desire! A 2010 study published in the Journal of Sexual Medicine found that yoga improves women’s desire, arousal, lubrication, orgasm, and sexual satisfaction, and lessens sexual pain. So forget lingerie—shack up with your partner after sharing a yoga class! You’ll bond during the mutual experience and be ready to rock.
If the gym feels like a prison, then yoga is a playground. Yoga is composed of endless creative postures, which means that you never have to do the same practice twice. There is a variation for every pose, and just when you think you’ve mastered a pose, someone will show you a new transition that takes it to the next level. The possibilities for growth and entertainment are endless!
TIP: Once you have settled into regularly practicing yoga (three or four times a week), here’s the real test—throw out the scale! I want you to go a solid 2 weeks without looking at your weight and instead go by the way you look and feel. Worry less about the numbers. Yogis are pros at being in the present moment and unattached to results—and they’re some of the hottest, fittest people around! Use your practice as a way to feel better, instead of trying to scratch digits off your weight. Trust me: It will be the best breakup ever.
Yoga starts out as a physical practice and if we’re dedicated enough, it can become a way of life. This shift in perspective can be extremely spiritual—it reminds us that we are the captains of our own ships and that we possess all the tools we need to build the best versions of ourselves. Whatever you do, keep practicing. Some days it feels amazing and on others it feels like pulling hair, but the end result after practice is always the same—feeling happy, serene, and full of soul. As Jimmy Dean said, “I can’t change the direction of the wind, but I can adjust my sails to always reach my destination.” Use yoga as a way to always find the silver lining—it’s there! It might be hiding somewhere under your mat or stuck in your spandex, but deep breaths, solid postures, and a sense of commitment will always get you there.
TIP: The next time you find yourself confronted with a situation that makes you irritable, take a deep, cleansing breath and give yourself a minute to stop and assess. What’s really going on? Are you truly listening to what’s being said? Don’t be so quick to react and judge. Find a sliver of positive in even the most frustrating situations. See the big picture instead of what’s being shoved in your face. (And don’t forget to breathe!)