Center for Religion & Spirituality

Yoga is a practice for optimizing the health of the body and quieting the mind. It includes a variety of activities, including postures (asanas), breathing techniques (pranayama), meditation (dhyana), and lifestyle practices. It is estimated that more than 15 million Americans currently practice this ancient art.

Yoga comes from the Sanskrit word yuj, which means to yoke, join or apply. Yoga is usually translated as union, for its methods and practices lead to a profound integration of body, mind and spirit. The Yogic ideal is to achieve complete freedom and authenticity by transcending the limiting structures of the ego-personality (the person we behave as on a normal day) and discovering the true spiritual Self within.

Although the most authoritative root texts on Yoga were written in classical India around the beginning of the Christian era, archaeological evidence from the Indus River valley of present-day Pakistan indicates that some form of Yogic meditation was being practiced on the subcontinent at least 2,000 years earlier.  Learn more about Yoga. 

Under the direction of Amparo Denney, Yoga Studies Coordinator, the Center's Yoga Studies program can be reached at yoga@lmu.edu or by phone at 310.338.2358.