The word "Yoga” in Sanskrit language means “to integrate” or “to unite”. This union is said to occur between body, mind, heart and soul. The practice of yoga, and its many approaches, is meant to awaken, integrate and create balance of mind, body, heart and spirit. The intention of yoga is to create the deepest levels of integration on all levels of being. Through Hatha Yoga, the most popular form of yoga, which approaches the process of integration through the body, uses various physical postures, breathing practices, etc. to create health, strength and well-being. Hatha Yoga is the most basic, or rudimentary form of yoga, making it accessible to everyone to begin the journey of yoga. With practice, Hatha Yoga combined with the practices of inward focus, concentration and meditative awareness, brings the deepest levels of relaxation, tranquility, joy and inner peace.

At Jewel of India we practice Amrit Yoga, created by yoga master Yogi Amrit Desai, which has its roots in Patanjali's Ashtanga Yoga, or eight-limbs of yoga. Amrit yoga and Ashtanga yoga offer a complete system of yoga that addresses all level of being--the physical, mental, emotional, energetic (prana) and spiritual.

The sage Patanjali outlined the practice of Ashtanga Yoga (eight-limbs of yoga) in his classical treatise, the Yoga Sutras. Ashtanga Yoga is Patanjali's method for practice to awaken transcendent awareness and unveil spirit through deepening integrative states of unity consciousness. Yoga is not a religion, but it can be thought of as a universal method that can be practiced by anyone from any religious background.

The eight-limbs of yoga are:

1. Yamas - self control
2. Niyamas - practices for success on the path
3. Asana - method of practicing postures
4. Pranayama - regulation of breath
5. Pratyahara - withdrawing the senses
6. Dharana - concentration
7. Dhyana - meditation
8. Samadhi - absorption in spirit.

While integrating the eight-limbs is essential for success in yoga, they are rarely practiced with much attention. More attention is given to the body and the effects of asana on the body, rather than the consciousness within the body. Without integrating all the limbs, what is called a yoga practice is more a practice of postures - which is prevalent today - than a practice of the true sense, meaning and purpose of “yoga”.

The Amrit Yoga practice improves physical and mental health and well-being and guides the practitioner into progressively deeper states of meditation, peace and bliss. Yoga master Amrit Desai,  who is considered a pioneer of Yoga in the West, is the creator of Kripalu Yoga, which he founded in the 1960’s. He has received many honors, including Jagadacharya, World Teacher, by the World Religious Parliament in India. It was through his teacher Swami Kripalvanandji that he received the ancient teachings of yoga and is from the Shaktipat Kundalini Yoga path. It is not a religion, but a physical and spiritual practice, not just an exercise class for your body. Think of each class as a discipline for your body and mind that is not just about performing postures, but about the consciousness with which you perform them.

For more information on Amrit Yoga and Yogi Desai, go to amrityoga.org.