Yoga is a system of techniques developed in ancient India designed to lead the dedicated practitioner to full enlightenment as to the nature of reality and the Supreme.

Yoga Works offers several paths for practitioners who want to make their study of yoga more serious. We have retreats and workshops where you can pursue in-depth training in a particular aspect of yoga or a particular teacher's specialty, and we offer a teacher training program for aspiring teachers and serious students alike.

Contrary to popular belief, Hatha Yoga is not a "style" of yoga. Hatha describes any practice of yoga postures - therefore a Hatha Yoga class is simply a yoga class with physical movement. It encompasses the vast majority of yoga practiced in the United States. For example, Vinyasa, Iyengar, and Bikram Yoga are some of the many styles of Hatha Yoga.

Yoga is not a religion. It is a philosophy that began in India an estimated 5,000 years ago. The father of classical ashtanga yoga (the eight-limbed path, not to be confused with Sri K. Pattabhi Jois' Ashtanga yoga) is said to be Patanjali, who wrote the Yoga Sutra. These scriptures provide a framework for spiritual growth and mastery over the physical and mental body.

Iyengar Yoga is based on the teachings of the living yoga master B.K.S. Iyengar, author of the classic yoga treatise Light on Yoga, who began teaching in Pune, India, in 1936 at the age of 18. Today, at 86, he continues to teach and inspire students all over the world. His daughter, Geeta, and his son, Prashant, are also accomplished teachers and authors of yoga texts.

The many types of Yoga suit the many different types of practitioners. Hatha Yoga (sun-moon Yoga) involves the physical body and leads to the balance of the solar and lunar energies. Most popular forms of Yoga, e.g., Iyengar, Sivananda, Ashtanga (not to be confused with Patanjali's traditional eight-fold Ashtanga Yoga), Vinya, Kundalini (not to be confused with traditional Kundalini Yoga), etc., are styles of Hatha Yoga.

Some advanced techniques of Yoga can be dangerous if practiced without proper preparation and the guidance of a qualified teacher. Fortunately, such techniques are generally inaccessible to unprepared students. For this reason, it is very important to respect the process of initiation and transmission of yogic teachings.

This will be up to your schedule, but you should a least do yoga once a week when your starting out. We recommend twice a week to really begin to benefit from your practice. However, yoga is meant to be a daily practice and we encourage everyone to make a little time in their day to practice in addition to their classes.

Yes! You are a perfect candidate for yoga. Many people think that they need to be flexible to begin yoga, but that's a little bit like thinking that you need to be able to play tennis in order to take tennis lessons. Come as you are and you will find that yoga practice will help you become more flexible. This newfound agility will be balanced by strength, coordination, and enhanced cardiovascular health, as well as a sense of physical confidence and overall well-being.