Mind-Bending Facts About Yoga

THOUGH IT’s been around for roughly 5,000 years, yoga is more popular today than ever.

- BY Stephanie Gray

The fact that you can practise it just about anywhere is a big reason why. About 300 million people around the world regularly hit the mat.

WESTERNERS adopted yoga as a form of exercise, but at its roots, yoga is a way of life. As recorded in the Yoga Sutras, a classic yoga text attributed to the ancient Indian sage and philosopher Patanjali from the 4th century CE, yoga is based on the idea that the mind, body and spirit are all one. The breath is said to carry a person's life force. Many gurus believe that controlling the breath rejuvenates the body, and can even extend your life.

IF YOU’RE taking a yoga class for the first time, you might hear words you don’t recognize, like tadasana (mountain pose) or uttanasana (standing forward bend). These words are in Sanskrit, the root of many Indian languages—and the language of yoga. Today, it’s spoken by less than one per cent of Indians. Yoga’s root word, yuj, means ‘to unite,’ and refers to the two selves: the individual and the divine.

IN ADDITION to reducing stress, yoga can improve posture and balance, strengthen bones and muscles, and keep your joints healthy. Different poses offer different benefits. For instance, downward-facing dog (adho mukha shavana-sana) can relieve back pain, while plank pose (phalakasana