Yoga Facts

Fact #1: Yoga is not about religious chants, walking in a trance, or sitting in a lotus position and going “OM”.

Nor is it about flexing the body. It is about flexing the mind, enhancing attitudes, and about feeling beautiful,

poised, and empowered after each practice - because these are what truly insulate us from external harm.

Whether it is yoga on sand, in water, on a rooftop, in the park, on earth, or in outer space - it is ultimately all in the mind.

Fact #2: Yoga works on five basic principles - use of gravity to minimize the use of props; organ massage to

help stimulate optimum function mode; stretching of tendons for a tri-fold benefit – increase blood supply,

relax nerves, and release essential fluids; deep breathing to de-tox effectively and calm the nervous system;

concentration, to direct the flow of fresh oxygen for good health (and thereby help channel a restless mind).

Fact #3: There are 72,000 nerves in the body that end in the soles of our feet and palms of our hands. That is

why every time we walk, stretch, or apply pressure to bare feet, we energize the various glands and organs

that these nerves lead to. In the process of clapping hands or stomping our feet, we feel a sense of elation.

This is also one more way that our body connects with mother earth - where we are all finally destined to go.

Fact #4: OM is not a word. It is a tri-syllabic sound that originates from the lower abdomen. First syllable “a”

begins with deep, abdominal vibration; second sound “u” energizes the heart and lung region; while closed

syllable “m” reverberates in the skull. This cycle of self-purification becomes the ultimate cleansing tool. OM

is a vocalized exhale technique that requires us to channel the course of our breath within our own body.

Fact #5: The idea of willingly ingesting dead flesh into a living body is wrought with paradox, especially

because the human body was intended to stay vegetarian. For example, we do not have teeth that are

sharp enough to bite into raw meat; our nails are not naturally long enough to tear into the hide of animal

skin; and our alimentary canal is far too long to facilitate an early de-toxing of consumed (life-less) meat.

Fact #6: Asana practice is simply a starting point to spiritual healing. Once we learn to control our physical

movement, monitor breath, and open up the heart, we instinctively open our minds to our own weaknesses

and the goodness of others. We learn to appreciate joy in little things, and to respect the privilege of good

health. Most of all, we learn to forgive ourselves, and in the process perhaps learn to appreciate others.

Fact #7: Scientific evidence states that, of all the air we take in, only 5% is used effectively. Hence deep

breathing enhances lung capacity, purifies the blood, and ejects more carbon dioxide. This on-going cycle

(of enhancing lung capacity, purifying the blood, and ejecting excess carbon dioxide) helps flush the system

of destructive toxins in a more effective manner. Yet another reason to practice deep, mindful breathing.

Fact #8: Assuming that each human life cycle is entitled to 500 million breaths, barring any accidents, disease,

or other un-natural interventions, deep breathing can actually enhance lung power sufficiently to help extend

the life span. This means that, if the current average length of a single breath is 15 seconds (at a suggested

inhale/exhale ratio of 1:2), in theory, doubling length of each breath may actually help double our life span.