claims that harmony, happiness, and abundance are
available to anyone willing to embrace a consciousness-
based approach to life. Our yoga program brings the
seven laws into action through the principles and tech-
niques of a consciousness-based practice.
We celebrate the rising popularity of yoga in the
Western world. Even if your primary motivation for taking
a yoga class is to lose weight or to develop a more muscu-
lar body, you cannot escape the subtler benefits of
enhanced vitality and a noticeable reduction in your
stress level. Yoga is a practical system to awaken human
potential. It does not require you to believe in a set of
principles in order to reap its benefits. On the contrary,
the regular practice of yoga naturally generates a healthy
belief system based upon your direct experience of the
world through a more flexible nervous system. Perform
yoga poses on a regular basis and your mind and emotions
will change.
Yoga is a central component of the comprehensive
system of Indian philosophy known as Vedic science.
With roots in the Indus Valley civilization going back
over five thousand years, the Vedas represent the poetic
cognitions of enlightened sages on the origins of the uni-
verse and the evolution of life. The English word wisdom
traces its origins to the primitive Germanic word wid,
meaning “to know.” Wid,in turn, is derived from the
Sanskrit word Veda,meaning “external knowledge.” The
Vedas are the expression of perennial wisdom, and yoga is
the practical aspect of Vedic science. Yoga is a system
through which human beings can directly access the wis-
dom of life. Practitioners of yoga—yogis—are dynamic
and creative forces for positive change. A yogi knows
Yoga Is Union 11