Due to popular demand we have been asked to create a yoga directory.

The directory is intended to provide details of agoy approved yoga related information. We hope you will find them of some interest.

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The choice of yoga related information can be overwhelming. agoy's mission is to support you in your yoga practice. As you move deeper into yoga, let us be your companion and guide, providing you with resources, knowledge and recommendations. If you have any comments on this section please email us as we welcome your feedback.

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the agoy team

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1. History of yoga

2. Yoga today

3. The breath
  Introduction to the Breath
  Mechanics of the Breath
  Following the Breath

4. Yoga the enlightened body

5. 10 easy to follow principles for your yoga practice

6. In-flight yoga

History of Yoga
One of the things that attracted us to yoga was that it had its roots buried in an ancient tradition, and although some in the fitness industry might consider it just another trend, that trend has been around for between three and five thousand years.

No one is quite sure exactly when or where yoga started, but documents dating back to 2700 BC have been found depicting figures seated in yoga positions. In the early years the word yoga was associated with the Hindu tradition of spiritual discipline. This involved control over the mind through prolonged periods of meditation. Although the various techniques may have differed, the goal was the same: one of self-realisation or enlightenment.

There is a wide range of translations for the word yoga, but the most commonly accepted translations are 'yoke' or 'union'. The word yoga can be found in classical Hindu literature such as the Upanishad, which dates back to the second millennium BC, and the Bhagavad-Gita, which dates back to the third or fourth century BC. But it wasn't until the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, who compiled existing knowledge of yoga philosophy, that it became systematised.

The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali consisted of an Eight Limbed Pathway. Of these Eight Limbs, only one dealt with the physical side of yoga resembling what we know today. This path was called Asana. These pathways began with two codes of moral conduct called Yama and Niyama. The third path was Asana (postures). Then came Pranayama (breath control); then Pratyahara (withdrawal of the senses); then Dharana (concentration); then Dhyana (meditation); and finally Samadhi (ecstasy), a self-realised state of being.
It is the third limb – Asana – that most people think of when they think of yoga. The word Asana derives from the Sanskrit for 'seat' or 'the place or manner in which a yogi sits'. Over time, Asana came to mean 'posture' more generally – any yoga posture is an Asana. Originally, these postures – or positions – were used to help the yogis maintain their bodies in order to sit in meditation for prolonged periods of time. According to Patanjali, these postures were to be 'steady and comfortable'. This is achieved through a correct alignment of the body, which gives us stability and relaxation. This in turn opens and frees the body, allowing Prana (energy) to move through the body along its axis – the spine.

The word Prana is used often in yoga and is understood as energy or life force, but again its true meaning comes from two Sanskrit words, derived from 'Pra' meaning constant and 'Na' meaning movement. In freeing the body from tension, which is only blocked energy, we allow constant movement or waves of energy to flow uninhibited. One of the main keys to achieving this is through the breath, and one of Pantajali's other Eight Limbs dealt specifically with the art and science of breath. This was Pranayama. The Asana postures and Pranayama are closely linked: each Asana position is underpinned with Pranayama awareness of the breath.

As the Asana practice evolved, it acquired a therapeutic function that in turn led to the construction of more and more sophisticated Asanas. This led to the development of Hatha yoga. The direct translation of Hatha is 'force', although this is somewhat misleading. In his book Light on Yoga, the contemporary Hatha yoga master B. K. S. Iyengar describes Hatha as 'force' but then goes on to say, 'it is so called because it prescribes rigorous discipline, in order to find union with the supreme.'

The word Hatha also has its roots in the words 'Ha', meaning sun and 'Tha', meaning moon. Hatha can therefore be understood to mean the union between the sun and the moon, or the joining of male and female energies, yin and yang, positive and negative. Hatha Yoga then implies the coming together of any set of polarities in order to find transcendence. Yoga is a union between mind and body, which in turn leads to a transcendence into a state of being known as Jiva-mukta – liberated soul or supreme spirit.

The idea of union is a major theme in Vedic philosophy. The great Indian philosopher J. Krishnamurti stated, 'Where there is separation there is inevitably conflict.' This echoes the yogic belief that everything in the universe is ultimately one.

This is very different from most Western traditions of thought, which emphasise a fundamental split in the self: the separation between mind and body. Primacy is usually given to the mind, or thought; the body is seen as something separate, something to be conquered and overcome. back to top

Yoga Today
So when yoga moved to the West, no wonder it was met with some confusion. The ground for its introduction to the West was laid in 1893, with the arrival from India of Swami Vivekananda, who gained notoriety when he represented Hinduism at the world Parliament of Religions in Chicago. Soon after, the West's awareness of Indian philosophy grew, through the work of such groups as the Theosophical Society, founded in the US by Madame Blavatsky. The Society translated most of the ancient Indian philosophical texts available at the time, including an interpretation of the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali by the English novelist and playwright Christopher Isherwood, a member of the Society. Other members of the Society included some of the most prominent intellectuals of the day such as Aldous Huxley, Frank Lloyd Wright and W. B. Yeats. For the next few decades, the West's interest in Indian philosophy continued to grow. An important voice for the universality of these teachings was the great philosopher and teacher J. Krishnamurti. With awareness of the philosophy grew an interest in the practice with which it was so closely linked – yoga. In 1935, the eminent Swiss psychologist Carl G. Jung even described yoga as 'one of the greatest things the human mind has ever created.' But it wasn't until the 1950s that an interest in Hatha Yoga really emerged, through the work of such teachers as BKS Iyengar, who taught both Europeans and Americans. One of his most distinguished pupils was the violinist Yehudi Menuhin, who wrote the foreword for Iyengar's book Light on Yoga, published in 1966. By this time there were groups of people throughout the West practicing Hatha yoga.

It wasn't long before people from all over the world were travelling to India to discover yoga and the Vedic philosophy from which it emerged. Then with the Beatles' journey to India in 1968, to study Transcendental Meditation with their Guru Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, all that was Indian became firmly part of the hippy culture.

Through the 1970s and '80s, Hatha Yoga continued to have a healthy following in the West, although people who practised were generally considered to be a bit weird or simply old hippies. But all of that changed in the mid '90s, when people started to get bored with the 'no pain no gain' mindless gym culture. This coincided with the emergence in the West of a hitherto little known style of Hatha Yoga called Ashtanga. This style of yoga fitted in perfectly with the new mantra of 'perfect body, perfect mind', and was endorsed by such celebrities as Sting and Madonna. Within no time it was estimated that there were more people doing yoga in California than in all of India. According to Time Magazine, there are around eighteen million people doing yoga in America today; there is probably an equivalent number practising in Europe. So a centuries old discipline that started out preparing yogis to sit for long periods of time in meditation today finds a place in a society that may require help in sitting for long periods of time in front of a computer.

Compiled from extracts from the book Intelligent Exercise with Pilates and Yoga, published by Pan Macmillan July 2002. back to top

The Breath

Introduction to the breath
Although the breath is not properly a position, all yoga positions have their foundations firmly rooted in the breath. It is for this reason that we will take it as our starting point.

The breath is one of the most beautiful forces in life. Its harmony, power and life-sustaining qualities are truly extraordinary. Words like 'spirit', which literally means 'the breath of God', and 'inspiration', meaning to be breathed into, convey the breath's importance. It is central to our very existence – so much so that every moment of our life depends upon it.

But we tend to take the breath for granted. We rely on it to always be there and do its job, no matter how little we support it or how much we may abuse it. And we rarely give it thought or understand how to use its potential. Yet, by attending to the breath, we can do so much to aid our overall well-being.

This is exactly why the breath is one of the main focal points in yoga. Its importance is recognised not only as the thin thread that our lives are strung together on, but also as the main route to connecting mind and body. Without its focus on the breath, Hatha yoga would be little more than another form of physical exercise. The power of yoga is its ability to go beyond the physical to many deeper levels of awareness. And the key to moving deeper begins through conscious observation of the breath and its ability to move through the entire body.

This movement through the body occurs as oxygen is drawn into the lungs and subsequently passes into the blood. But the breath also moves through the body through the integrated movements of the respiratory system. The respiratory system is the mechanics behind the breath and is governed by the diaphragm at the base of the lungs. It is the movement of the diaphragm that opens out the ribs and in turn draws the breath into the lungs. back to top

Mechanics of the breath
The diaphragm runs through the middle of the body and on the inhalation is stretched out like the top of a drum to open the chest cavity and draw the breath in. As you exhale, the muscle fibres of the diaphragm extend inward and are drawn backward towards the spine. This in turn allows the diaphragm to dome up inside the chest to expel the breath.

The main difference between the inhalation and exhalation is that on the inhalation the diaphragm is working as it expands the ribs upward and outward. But as we exhale, the movement back toward the spine of the diaphragm has no force and is purely the elastic recoil action of the ribcage. It is at the end of this movement, at the end of the exhalation, that the diaphragm takes on a secondary role and becomes a deep postural muscle, playing an important part in supporting the spine.

The diaphragm, along with the heart, is one of the most important muscles in the body. It acts very much like the piston of our motor but it also helps us to strengthen our core. The more we build the strength of our core, which helps us to align the body, the easier it is for us to breathe and for the diaphragm to work correctly. The breath, proper alignment and core strength are intimately connected: if we have bad alignment and a weak spine then the breath will inevitably be weak, and if the movement of the breath is weak this will almost certainly lead to back or spinal problems. back to top

Following the breath
Breath awareness is one of the keys to any practice, but it is not as easy as it may at first seem. It is harder to feel the chest open while standing, so to begin with we'll lie down. Find a comfortable position lying back on the floor. Bring the heels in towards the sit bones, so that your knees are raised. Bring the arms out to the side, palms up towards the ceiling, and tuck the chin in slightly so the back of the neck is long. Allow the body to feel supported by the floor, feel the weight of your body surrender to gravity.

As you inhale, allow your chest to open freely. On the exhalation, feel how the breath, as it releases, allows you to sink back and surrender to the pull of gravity. There is no extreme muscle activity in the body at this point, so there won't be need for a great intake of breath. This means that you will have to guide the breath with perhaps more concentration than you would do normally in order to find a full movement in the lungs and diaphragm.

Inhale, and then as you exhale, follow the breath towards its conclusion, allowing the diaphragm, ribcage and abdomen to move back towards the spine. Let the inhalation move freely in, allowing the ribs to lift and separate. Again, on the exhalation, find the movement back towards the spine, and allow the breath to go beyond the end of the exhalation. Don't rush towards the inhalation; let it move towards you. It is in this movement, at the end of the breath, before the inhalation comes in, when the diaphragm has retracted back towards the spine, that there is a deep sense of undoing and letting go.

As the movement of the exhalation continues, well after the last whispers of air have been expelled, the diaphragm connects to the deep muscles along the length of the spine. This is when the diaphragm becomes in effect a postural muscle, giving deep support to the spine and allowing it to subtly lengthen. In time, as awareness of the breath is cultivated, this is experienced as a wave of energy along the spine that can be felt as an internal dance.

Fundamentally this is the same breath that is used throughout the yoga practice. The emphasis is mainly on the exhalation, allowing the body to let go and surrender in whichever position you are in. It is this understanding of the breath and its immense power that can really enhance your yoga practice. back to top

Yoga the Enlightened Body
Personally we have never been comfortable with the word enlightenment, or quite sure where the line is that makes one person enlightened and another not. It is not that we haven’t been in the presence or read the works of many people from many different traditions who have what we consider to have a supreme understanding or “enlightenment”. It’s just that these days, in the so-called 'new age', enlightenment has become one of those words that is used all too easily. We have never been in a position to pass judgment on someone else’s level of awareness, but we have usually shown caution towards those spiritual teachers who proclaim themselves to be enlightened. Still, as an idea, enlightenment or the ability to transcend all personal suffering has to be one of the ultimate goals of any human being. Enlightenment, as we understand it, means to have a conscious reconnection with our deepest sense of self. This is something that we might be able to start to understand intellectually, but intellectual understanding can only take us so far, and where it stops the problems begin. It is only through a direct experience that we can start developing a true sense of self.

So we might seek a great teacher or teachers who may or may not be enlightened, hoping that they can show us the path to our own enlightenment. And we think that they will inevitably have to communicate to us through the intellect. But what the great teachers have shown us is the experience of communion. As opposed to communication, which functions on a mind-to-mind level, communion operates heart-to-heart. It is only when we move away from an intellectual understanding and open ourselves up to a true experience of ourselves by ourselves that we will find our own inner intelligence and power. As Lao Tzu put it, “To know others is intelligence; to know yourself is true wisdom. To master others is strength; to master yourself is true power.”

Because there is no intellectual basis or thought process attached, and because it is beyond the realm of time, enlightenment can only be experienced in the now, or on a moment-to-moment basis. Therefore it is an ongoing experience and one that presumably comes and goes, depending how long we can remain present. Since we all have our conditioning and ‘issues’ that take us away from this state of existence, we are lucky if it stays with us at all. It may be that there is no such overall state, and that each of us only experiences a greater or lesser number of enlightened moments. We have always imagined even the most enlightened beings to have off days. As Ram Dass once said, “If you think you’re enlightened, go home to your family for the holidays!” He also reminded us that we never end up getting rid of our issues – we can only grow to recognize them and let them pass through us, rather than reacting to them. It is this recognition or awareness that makes the difference -- after all, the word enlightened means, “to shed light on or illuminate.” The mind is great at recognizing many things, but has a hard time going in and coming face to face with ourselves. You can see this with people who spend a lot of time in their thoughts, finding it hard to associate with their bodies and connect with their feelings and emotions.

James Joyce seemed to sum it up when he wrote of one of his characters, “Mr. Duffy lived a short distance from his body . . . “

What’s interesting is that although Hatha yoga is associated with a number of philosophies, these philosophies all center on transcending the mind. The yogis’ intention was to have an experience of the deeper parts of the self, one that by-passed the mind. This is difficult for us in the West to understand, as we tend to have a strong attachment to the mind. Descartes was not the first one in this tradition, but he certainly expressed it most powerfully when he said, “I think therefore I am.” This kind of belief naturally leads us to conceive of the mind as central to the self. Of course, the Western mind-centric tradition has produced many great results. But as we see in the modern age, it has also produced a society that is perhaps out of balance. More and more people are recognizing that by placing our emphasis on the rational and material, we have lost touch with the spiritual. At the same time, the mind has been defined as something separate from the body, and we have become distanced from emotions, intuitions and other paths to self-awareness that the body can give us. By focusing on just one side of our being – the mind – we have become numb to our essential self.

In sharp contrast, many Eastern philosophies – yoga among them – don’t rely on the mind to define the self. A common technique used in the East is to correct one extreme by moving towards its opposite, with the ultimate aim of arriving at a middle way of unity and balance. The yogis were very aware that having too strong an attachment to the mind is an easy trap to fall into. So instead they looked for spiritual development and a way to reach the deeper parts of the self through the body. Through this experience, the ultimate realisation is that neither the mind nor the body takes precedence, for they are not separate. The yogis understood that where there is separation there will inevitably be conflict. So the main aim of yoga is to unite the mind, body and spirit. It is this quest for union that gave the practice it name: yoga, meaning to yoke or unite.

People often wonder what the difference is between all the various types of yoga. Ultimately there should be no difference. Once again it is only the idea of separation that leads people to confusion. It is understandable that there are many different schools and styles – after all, there is more than one book in the library. But it is this exploration of one’s deep self through the whole being which unites them all. At the heart of all yoga, no matter what the style, it is possible to experience the unity of body and mind, such that the practice itself becomes a meditation.

This idea of unity of body and mind has nothing to do with the degree of ease with which someone can get their foot behind their head or the angle they reach in a forward bend. Our exploration is as if we become like children playing for the sake of play, with no ambition or goal in sight that would allow the mind to try to assert control over the body once again. Then both body and mind can become light and free. When we see someone in a class like this exploring their own depths, even if its only for a brief moment, we know that they are connecting with something that is boundless and that they are in the process of discovering themselves to be a far greater person than they ever dreamed themselves to be. This is true yoga. back to top

10 easy to follow principles for your yoga practice
Red Magazine -January 2003

1. breath
Consciously following the breath is one of the most important things you can learn from a yoga practice, it will help to balance out the central nervous system as well as help to still the mind.

2. surrender
When working with the breath, the emphasis is on the exhalation. At the end of the exhalation, let the breath go as you completely surrender and wait until the inhalation moves towards you.

3. stillness
Yoga is the development of understanding the deep internal movement and intelligence of the body. It is not based on external movement as in dance or athletics.

4. centring
Yoga can help you move towards a deeper sense of self that can relieve anxiety and stress and can give you a stronger self confidence.

5. dynamic core
As we learn correct alignment and correct breathing, we start to strengthen our dynamic core. This will allow the body and nervous system to function in their optimum way.

6. ambition
There is no goal in a yoga practice. The goal is the practice itself.

7. emptiness
The body is at its healthiest when we are in a situation free of pain and discomfort. Yoga is not about ‘no pain no gain.’

8. letting go
Within the practice of yoga we have the ability to release some of our deepest held conditioning. Flexibility and strength are purely a by-product.

9. the guru
Yoga is a purely subjective experience. Learn to listen to your own body. You must become your own teacher and your own pupil.

10. relationship
Yoga teaches us to see the inter-connected relationship of life and show us that where there is separation or disconnection, conflict inevitably results. back to top

In-flight Yoga

Tips during flight 

● Bring your awareness to your breath so its qualities become deeper, slower, quieter and more regular. This can help improve circulation. 

● Have enough room in the area in front of your seat to be able to bend and straighten your legs from time to time throughout the flight. 

● Do not cross your legs, as this will reduce blood circulation. 

● Take occasional short walks up and down the aisle and make the most of any stopovers to increase circulation. 

● When you have the opportunity to stand up, raise yourself up on your toes. 

● Drink plenty of water.

Keep your alcohol intake to a minimum, as it leads to dehydration and immobility.

Avoid taking tranquilizers or sleeping pills, which also cause immobility.

Simple exercises

The following exercises improve circulation, and will also increase your comfort throughout your flight. It should be possible to do these exercises with minimal disturbance to other passengers. Caution: None of these exercises should be performed if they cause pain or cannot be done with ease.

All exercises should be done in combination with the breathing recommended above.

1. Arch the soles of both feet and curl your toes under.

2. Rotate the ankles a number of times clockwise and anti-clockwise.

3. Flex the foot backwards and forwards a number of times with your legs a few inches off the ground, keeping 
    your legs straight.

4. March the feet on the spot alternating between the heel and the ball of foot.

5. Clench the buttock muscles.

6. Press the balls of your feet down hard against the floor and tighten your thighs.

7. Rotate the wrists clockwise and anti-clockwise. Shake out the hands. back to top

In-flight yoga

seated alignment
Sit with the feet placed flat on the ground, hip distance apart. Allow the lower back to move forward slightly, and let the chest and shoulders open as the shoulder blades move slightly down your back. Let the head balance on top of the spine, as you look straight ahead.

the eagle
Bring the right arm under the left arm. Allow the arms to arms to entwine, so that the palms face each other. Let the shoulder blades widen. Bring the elbows up as high as your chin. Hold for three to five breaths. Repeat on the other side.

spinal twist
Start in seated alignment. As you exhale, turn and place the back of the right hand on the outside edge of the left knee. Place the left hand behind you. Rotate the head to look at the back of your seat. Hold for three to five breaths. Repeat on the other side.

forward bend
Start in seated alignment. Place the hands on the knees. As you exhale, gently lean forward and bring the head down towards the floor. Hold for three breaths and then gently roll up on an inhalation. Repeat twice.

hip opening
Start in seated alignment. Bring the right knee up towards your chest. Hold and support your knee with both hands, fingers interlaced. Gently bring the knee towards you. Hold for three to five breaths. Repeat on the other side.

side opening
Start in seated alignment. Lift the left arm, bend at elbow and place the arm behind the head. Take the right hand onto the left elbow and gently lean over to the right side to open up the waist. Hold for three to five breaths. Repeat on other side.

neck rotation
Start in seated alignment. Turn the head to look over the left shoulder. Hold for three to five breaths. Repeat on the other side. Return to seated alignment. Gently lean the head to one side, dropping the ear towards the shoulder. Relax the shoulders. Hold between three to five breaths. Repeat on other side.

Do not attempt any of the in-flight yoga exercises after eating. Also be sure to consult your doctor prior to flying before trying any new exercises or if you have a medical condition or temporary health problems. back to top