1. The word “yoga” is derived from a Sanskrit word meaning what? Union. The word ‘Yoga’ is derived from the Sanskrit root ‘Yuj’, meaning ‘to join’ or ‘to yoke’ or ‘to unite’. As per Yogic scriptures the practice of Yoga leads to the union of individual consciousness with that of the Universal Consciousness, indicating a perfect harmony between the mind and body, Man & Nature.
2. Roughly how old is the practice of yoga? a) 3,500 years b) 5,000 years c) 8,200 years The original context of yoga was spiritual development practices to train the body and mind to self observe and become aware of their own nature. The purposes of yoga were to cultivate discernment, awareness, self-regulation and higher consciousness in the individual.
3. In the 18th century, Swami Vivekananda, a Bengali intellect, introduced the practice of yoga and meditation to the people of which American city? a) Chicago b) New York c) Los Angeles On September 11, 1893, Swami Vivekanand delivered an iconic and eloquent speech at the Chicago Convention of Parliament of Religions. Introducing Hinduism to the world, Swami Vivekanand spoke about intolerance, religion and the need to end all forms of fanaticism. He talked about yoga as a way to bring beliefs of this unity to our lives.
4. For what is Indra Devi best known? She was the first Western woman to teach yoga. Eugenie Peterson was a pioneering teacher of yoga as exercise and an early disciple of the “father of modern yoga”, Tirumalai Krishnamacharya. She went to India in her twenties, becoming a film star there and acquiring the stage name Indra Devi. She was the first woman to study under the yoga guruKrishnamacharya at the Mysore Palace, alongside B.K.S Iyengar and K. Pattabhi Jois who went on to become world-famous yoga teachers. Moving to China, she taught the first yoga classes in that country at Madame Chiang Kai-shek‘s house. Her popularization of yoga in America through her many celebrity pupils in Hollywood, and her books advocating yoga for stress relief, earned her the nickname “first lady of yoga”. Her biographer Michelle Goldberg wrote that Devi “planted the seeds for the yoga boom of the 1990s”.
5. What is the name of the woman known as the world’s oldest yoga teacher? Tao Porchon-Lynch – an American yoga master and award-winning author of French and Indian descent. She discovered yoga in 1926 when she was eight years old in India and studied with, among others, Sri Aurobindo, B.K.S. Iyengar, K. Pattabhi Jois, Swami Prabhavananda, and Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. She died May 2020 at age 101.
6. What is the English translation of the pose Tadasana? “Mountain Pose” is an active pose that helps improve posture, balance, and calm focus. Its name comes from the Sanskrit words “tada” (meaning “mountain”) and “asana” (meaning “pose”.) It’s not mentioned in the ancient texts and is believed to have been created when yoga became part of the fitness community.
7. What is the English translation of the pose Utkatasaka? “Chair Pose” or “Awkward Pose” is a standing yoga posture that tones the entire body, particularly the thighs! … It can be a fierce pose for your thighs and it gets your heart pumping quickly. Utkatasana is an essential component of Sun Salutations and is often used as a transitional pose. It was done as a low squat, not a standing pose in ancient Hatha yoga.
8. Ujjayi is a type of what? a) Breath b) Meditation c) Ayurvedic medicine Ujjayi is one technique that helps calm the mind and warm the body. When practicing Ujjayi, you completely fill your lungs, while slightly contracting your throat, and breathe through your nose. This breathing technique is used throughout Ashtanga and Vinyasa yoga practices.
9. What are the Yamas & Niyamas, as a category? Give yourself extra points if you can name any or all of them. Yoga’s code of ethical living YAMAS Ahimsa (non-harming or non-violence in thought, word and deed) Satya (truthfulness) Asteya (non-stealing) Brahmacharya (celibacy or ‘right use of energy’) Aparigraha (non-greed or non-hoarding)
NIYAMAS Saucha (cleanliness) Santosha (contentment) Tapas(discipline, austerity or ‘burning enthusiasm) Svadhyaya (study of the self and of the texts) Isvara Pranidhana (surrender to a higher being, or contemplation of a higher power)
10. What does the word “ahimsa” mean? Ahimsa is the first Yama and means non-harming or non-violence in thought, word and deed. It’s the basis for how we approach our yoga poses (with steadiness and ease) and how we live our lives.
11. What % of American yoga practitioners are women? a) 72 b) 65 c) 91
12. Which of the Beatles was a practicing yogi? George Harrison “None of us is God, really,” he’d say, “just God’s servants.” To cultivate his deep devotion to Krishna (the Sanskrit name for God in human form), he would wake up early and perform yoga postures for half an hour or so.
13. OM is made up of three sounds (A U M) representing what? Past, Present & Future. Om is the basic sound of the universe; chanting it symbolically and physically tunes us into that sound and acknowledges our connection to everything in the world and the Universe. The rhythmic pronunciation and vibrations have a calming effect on the body and the nervous system similar to the effects of meditation.
