Yoga
as medicine
WRITTEN BY
Dr. Nancy Palermo Lietz
Y
Yoga has taken the western world by
storm. In a 2012 “Yoga in America”
survey by Yoga Journal, it was estimated that more than 20 million
Americans regularly practice yoga.
The first U.S. yoga studio opened in
1947 in California. Yoga studios are
now popping up in all communities.
In the U.S., you can perform yoga in
heat, with rock music and even in the
company of pets and children.
Westerners, however, still regard the
practice of yoga as an alternative form
of exercise. Initially, they are drawn to
the physical attributes of the practice
yet, with time, they recognize that the
mind-body benefits go well beyond
physical fitness.
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Yoga originated in ancient India and
has been practiced for more than
5,000 years. The word “yoga” means
a union or a coming together. Early
on, it was a common belief that yoga
allowed individuals to become more
in tune with their mental, physical
and emotional patterns. Ancient yogis
Words fail to convey the
total value of yoga. It has
to be experienced.
—B.K. Iyengar
PEACHY