Mind-Bending Facts About Yoga

13 THINGS and Facts About Yoga

1 THOUGH IT'S been around for roughly 5,000 years, yoga is more popular today than ever. The fact that you can practice it just about anywhere is a big reason why. About 55 million Americans regularly hit the mat. That's nearly 15 million more than the number of people who golf.

2 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 philosopher Patanjali, 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.

3 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 1% of Indians. Yoga's root word, yuj, means "to unite," and refers to the two selves: the individual and the divine.