Yoga is a term that actually refers to an integrated spiritual practice, deriving from ancient Indian texts and traditions, that offers the maximum fulfillment and self-actualization possible for a human being. This is accomplished through specific practices that carefully nurture the mind, heart, and body. 'Yoga' can be literally translated as 'connection' -- it is a path that connects you to your own body, your own heart, a teacher, a community, and the motive power of the universe. The physical aspect of Yoga is currently fashionable in the West, with several million practitioners. The meditative aspect and some philosophical facets of Yoga also have been successfully exported to the West, though these elements are often taught separately or superficially.

Yogasthāna means The Foundation for Yoga in Sanskrit, the sacred language of India. We choose this name because: 1) we provide a strong foundation for your Yoga practice, by giving you access to clear and accessible information on the subject 2) the organization is itself founded on Yoga, in the sense that this Foundation is made possible by the spiritual experiences of its founders; 3) our foundation comes from the Yoga of the lineages of teachers, both ancient and modern, that are our honored source and inspiration.

What Yogasthāna offers to yoga communities in the English-speaking world is unique: a faculty grounded equally in rigorous philosophical training and heart-opening spiritual experience; an information source that is accurate and comprehensive; learning opportunities in all Yoga-related topics; and a new certification standard for yoga teachers who wish to be recognized as teaching Yoga in the original sense of that word.

The Yoga Foundation supports and is willing to promote all those teachers, studios and centers that teach Yoga in the complete sense, by which we mean the integration of meditation, breath work, physical postures, spiritual contemplation, and other practices taught in the primary sources. We support the original unity of the Yoga Tradition, as opposed to its fragmentation in the West under the influence of capitalism. Our faculty is non-sectarian and simply presents the practices and teachings of the tradition and lets each student choose their own emphasis.

If you wish to find out more, please explore the links above, starting with 'Vision' and then 'What is Yoga?'