There is the famous saying that we only use 5% of our brain.

If you watch television, listen to talk radio, or eavesdrop in grocery lines, you probably feel that this is still far too generous an estimate.

Yet as smart as we think we are or as dumb as we may actually be, there is still another shocking fact you should consider: Most people only practice 20% of Yoga.

Yes, it is true. You are missing out on 80% of yoga along with 95% of your brain.

Want the 100%?

The type of yoga most people in America practice is some form of Hatha Yoga that is often distinguished by its reliance on the body to create a wholeness of the self.

In fact, most people think of yoga as being purely the movement and postures of the body - what we call asanas. Go to most yoga classes, talk with most teachers, read most yoga books, and you will discover an almost all consuming concern with the shape you can get your body into.

And it is important of course. Very important. The asanas and postures in yoga go far beyond the superficial nature of stretching, toning, and strengthening. They are the fundamental building blocks of an energetic transformation that completely recreates the individual.

Yet at best, the asanas and postures are only 20% of yoga (and Hatha Yoga at that).

The second 20% is the breath - pranayama. While it may begin as something as simple as learning to breathe properly while performing a posture, pranayama is a science much vaster than asana. Through pranayama practices, you begin to realize the significant effects of a yoga practice - emotional balance, improved glandular functioning, radiant health, awakening of consciousness, and ultimately control over the entire energetic being of your self. It is much harder work than asanas and many beginning yoga students do not have the patience, focus, or nervous systems ready to fully practice or appreciate the power of pranayama. But hopefully you will have a yoga teacher who will gently nudge you there.

The third 20% is considered to be the most potent practice of Hatha Yoga - mudras. Mudras are energetic seals performed by the hands and fingers, as well as muscular body locks (called bandhas) and directed gazes or focus of the eyes. Mudras and bandhas direct the flow of healing energy through the body while transforming the consciousness. It is unthinkable that someone would practice yoga without knowledge of mudras. Along with asanas and pranayama, they are the third pillar of all Hatha Yoga practices. They are powerful, simple, and prevalent in authentic yoga practices.

The fourth part is mantra - sound. Mantra was the first yoga technique ever recorded or taught, well before asanas and pranayama. Mantra has always been known by yogis to be the most powerful tool that you can use in all the practices of yoga. It would have been unthinkable to perform a posture or breathing exercise over the thousands of years that yoga has been taught without the use of spoken or silent mantra. Yet some students refuse to come to a yoga class where mantra may be used. Mantra remains the hidden treasure for most yoga students to discover.

The last part that gives us the 100% yoga experience is meditation. Obvious, but often overlooked. The other 80% of yoga - asanas, pranayama, mudras and mantra - are all directed toward this final 20% meditative experience. It is truly what yoga is all about. As American yoga teachers and students, our challenge is to use this aspect of practice to realize the state of union guaranteed by yoga.

As you go through your classes at Yoga Yoga, we invite you to try different teachers and styles of yoga as you are ready to explore the other 80% of yoga. Many of our teachers are ready to share this part of the practice with you as you are willing to participate.

We are also regularly host internationally recognized yoga teachers who provide the full 100% yoga experience through their teachings and workshops. This month is a perfect example at Yoga Yoga as we welcome back two master teachers who use all five yoga tools in all their classes.

Gurucharan, one of the leading Kundalini Yoga teachers in the world and a lifelong student of Yogi Bhajan, will be teaching here the weekend of April 11-13. Srivatsa Ramaswami, who personally studied with the one of the greatest yoga masters of the 20th century, will be here the week of April 22-27. These two teachers are 100%. Come join them and see how large yoga can be.

May we use all of our tiny brain.
May we experience all that big yoga has to offer.

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