Let’s talk about yoga, the exercise fad that has taken the country by storm. Everywhere you look there are new studios and gym classes and workshops. There’s power yoga and spa yoga and yin yoga and vinyasa yoga and Bikram yoga and multitudinous other terms that the layperson attempts to decipher. The classes promise to make you sweat, make you lose weight, make you relax, make you find your center and a plethora of other things, and at times it seems like any other exercise fad (like aerobics or Pilates or jazzercise). But is it really?

Now let’s really talk about yoga. Yoga literally means “union” in Sanskrit. It began long ago and far away from our small town; and somehow it has survived the centuries, becoming only more widespread as time went on. There are inexhaustible texts on the philosophy, history, and fables about everything in yoga, but one thing remains at the center of all: Yoga means “union.” “Of what,” you may ask. Of everything. Yoga is a practice that unifies the body, mind, and spirit through the breath. And while a practice, or a class, does increase strength and help with weight loss like any other exercise, the overall benefits are much more universal.

Yoga is a physical practice, so naturally, there are physical benefits to a regular practice of the more intense forms of yoga. Weight loss is honestly why many people get into it, and, as with any proper diet and exercise program, weight loss lies in the commitment and follow through. However, the weight loss is just the beginning. A regular yoga practice will change the shape of your body over time. It will build and create long and lean muscles, increasing flexibility and strength in a way that seemed impossible at the beginning. It also (especially when combined with a balanced and clean diet) will balance the systems of the body, each pose providing a benefit to a specific limb or organ. But the benefits don’t stop with the physical effects.

Yoga, again, means “union,” and it is a practice of peace, respect, and appreciation. It is a celebration your abilities, strengths, and weaknesses that allows you to exult when you excel and learn when you don’t. It is a personal experience free of distractions and defeats, and it is a personal exercise in acceptance both of yourself and others. There is no competition and no judgment, only peace.

I honestly never thought I would practice yoga on a regular basis, much less obtain my certification to teach it. When I began practicing yoga, I was pregnant with my first child. I wanted to exercise for my health, but all the fun side effects of pregnancy made any type of cardio impossible. My best friend wanted to get her certification to teach yoga, and invited me to join a small group she was teaching at a local church, and I was hooked. It was challenging, especially to my pregnant self, and many of the more complex poses and flows were unattainable to me. But I did it, and I gained a new awareness in the process. Yoga kept me sane and centered (relatively) through pregnancy number one, life with a newborn, and pregnancy number two. Since then, a regular, daily practice has brought enough patience to handle life with two boys under three, marriage with two boys under three, and the multitude of other responsibilities that accompany the life of a wife, mom, teacher, and part-time veterinary technician. It has brought me the fortitude to survive the challenges life has oh-so-lovingly delivered, and the ability to accept when those challenges are beyond my control. Yoga has made me a kinder, gentler, truer version of myself, and I am a better wife, mother, teacher, and veterinary technician because of it. It’s not about the poses, and it’s not about the exercise. It is, plain and simple, a better way of life.

So to those of you who have never tried it, find a class and go just once. To those of you who haven’t moved past the exercise, try to tap into the other side of it. And to those of you who get it, share it with the world. Be the love, be the light and Namaste.