Can you find the word “ASANAS” in the picture? Our wall at Ashtanga Yoga Long Island is a reminder about the real meaning of yoga. Asanas translated is “postures”, and they are only a small part of what yoga really is. Yoga means Union, union of ourselves with our higher nature. Yoga reveals the luminous intelligence and the beauty that lies within us. Imagine yoga as a peak of a mountain you want to reach, there are different ways to get there. You can get there through your heart with Bakti Yoga, through knowledge with Jnana Yoga, through action and selfless service with Karma Yoga, and through the stillness of the mind with Raja Yoga. Raja Yoga is also known as Ashtanga Yoga. “Ashto” means “eight” and “anga” means limbs. It is the yoga of the eight steps, where asanas or physical postures are only the third step. Use your body in your yoga mat as a tool to create awareness and a deeper understanding of yourself, but don’t forget that “ALL LIFE IS YOGA”. When you think, think with love; when you speak, speak with the truth; and when you act, act with compassion and respect to yourself and to others.