About Us

What is Yoga?

In the West, we hear the word “yoga” and generally understand it to mean a kind of exercise. In fact, yoga is an entire philosophy and approach to life. What we usually call yoga refers specifically to the physical aspect of yoga, which is only one of eight key concepts in the broader context of yoga.

The Sanskrit word asanas means “postures” and refers to the physical discipline of practicing various poses. There are several modern systems of physical yoga, including Ashtanga, Iyengar, Bikram (“hot yoga”), Kundalini, Anusara, Sivananda, Vinyasa, Power Yoga, and a number of others; White Orchid Yoga primarily follows the Ashtanga tradition as developed and taught by Sri K. Pattabhi Jois. (Learn more on our page about The Ashtanga Tradition.)

Another part of the system of yoga is pranayama (“breath control”), which is integral to the practice of asanas. Learning to work with your breath helps you exercise more effectively. It also helps you calm your mind so that you are more serene and focused throughout your entire day.

For Advanced Practitioners

Welcome to our shala! If you are experienced in the Ashtanga tradition,

We offer several classes to help you deepen your practice:

Ashtanga Elements is ideal for beginners or students who are reviving their practice.
Guided Ashtanga is well suited to intermediate students, with a faster pace than Elements.
Full Primary classes lead you through the entire Ashtanga Primary Series, and are suited to intermediate or advanced practitioners.
Mysore Style classes are open Sundays through Fridays; if you’re not familiar with Mysore style, read more about this unique style on our Class Descriptions page.

We also offer Hatha Flow and Vinyasa Flow classes, which draw on the Ashtanga tradition while exploring different poses and flows.