Yoga Mat Company Applauds Availability Of Master Of Arts In Yoga Studies

Providence, RI based Now Athletics, LLC, a provider of yoga mats, has expressed appreciation for Loyola Marymount University in Southern California, which is one of the only schools in the country that offers a Master of Arts in Yoga Studies. The master's program is one of the very few that are available outside of India and Now Athletics, with website at www.nowathletics.net, is proud of the fact that yoga is being advanced through higher education.

Now Athletics, LLC's Per Davidson says: "Yoga is a very serious area of study. There have been many whimsical and ridiculous types of yoga created in this country by New Age charlatans trying to cash in on the popularity of yoga. We are happy to see that Loyola Marymount University is offering people the opportunity to learn the real history and teachings of yoga. As a well-established institution of higher learning, they can only benefit the yoga community as a whole, as well as help to dispel many of the outrageous misconceptions about yoga that have been popularized here in this country."

Yoga as a discipline comes from ancient Indian cultures. There are, at present, 21 different types of recognized yoga, which have been developed in India or through Indian yogi. These yoga forms are Ananda, Anusara, Ashtanga Vinyasa, Satyananda, Bikram, Dharma, Forrest, Hatha, Hot, Hot Flow, Iyengar, Jivamukti, Kripalu, Kundalini, Power, Restorative, Rocket, Satyananda, Scaravelli, Sivananda, Viniyoga, Vinyasa, and Yin Yoga. These forms are officially recognized because they have been studied and follow specific philosophies as well.

That being said, there are currently a number of popular forms of yoga that are nothing short of strange, and that are giving the entire discipline a bad name. These include nude yoga, cannabis yoga, doga, aerial yoga, yoga raves, equine yoga, tantrum yoga, karaoke yoga, and more. While few of these are dangerous, the majority do not offer any real benefits to the mind, body, and soul of the practitioner. Now Athletics, LLC, therefore, is thankful to the Loyola Marymount University for raising the stature of yoga in the eyes of the public, returning the discipline to what it is supposed to be.