The word Yoga means union. The individual is uniting with a higher state of consciousness. Meditation is concentration upon God. Many people have a negative concept of God due to negative experiences with religion. It is not necessary to believe. Applying techniques and seeing what results you get is a reasonable and logical approach.

The goal of the physical yoga poses, called hatha yoga, is to prepare the individual for meditation. It is a good beginning point for many people, because we are used to the idea of controlling the movements of the body. Controlling the mind is much less familiar to us. Many of the yoga classes today are very physical and active. I prefer to mix in breathing techniques and mental relaxation techniques. My goal for my classes is to create a deeply relaxed state, through stretching the muscles, breathing and mental techniques. The student should leave the class refreshed with a feeling of well being and kindness.