Yoga Journal Talent Search 2012 Shows Real-Life Yogis At Their Best (PHOTOS)

Yoga Journal is inviting its readers to share photos of themselves doing a favorite asana on a dedicated Tumblr page. The results are part of their 2012 Talent Search -- an effort to find unknown but passionate yogis around the country. In the process, they'll highlight the way that people practice yoga in their daily lives. Professional yoga instructors are side-by-side with senior citizens doing "chair yoga," proving that there's no one face to the American yoga movement.

Comments

[UseTheWholeBuffalo]

07:04 AM on 03/24/2012

Why is my STUPID roommate sleeping on the DUMB living room couch with her STINKY dog when I told her I was going to get up and do some PEACEFUL yoga to some SOOTHING nature sounds in the living room this morning?!

[Wendyness]

05:26 PM on 03/22/2012

Only in the West would they take yoga and turn it into a "talent." Does being able to hold one's gastric gas while in downward dog count as talent?

[avery t]

12:02 PM on 03/22/2012

Kelly. Lord, have mercy.

[Hadtoregister]

09:55 AM on 03/22/2012

focused, balanced, peaceful, open-minded--all of this people have found in yoga. Can you just do yoga for the exercise and not deal with the spiritural stuff? I have all I need and want now from doing other things over the last 30 years.

[UseTheWholeBuffalo]

06:48 AM on 03/24/2012

yeah, I think so. I started doing yoga because I have calcium deposits on many vertebrae and the yoga helps alleviate the pain. However, I do find that I get a more physically rewarding stretch when I'm breathing properly with the movements, and all the deep breathing does seem to give me a high that is different from a cardio high.

In other words, the spiritual effects are solely up to one's personal interpretation of yoga's benefits.

[UseTheWholeBuffalo]

07:00 AM on 03/24/2012

also, look into learning the Sun Salutation. It's been a great foundation for my daily exercise routine. The order of the movements actually makes a lot of sense... i.e. the first pose warms you up for the second, second warms you up for the third, etc.

[yogajan]

12:57 AM on 03/22/2012

Yoga showed me how to honor the god in myself, the god in others and the god in nature.

Balance, focus and flexibility are some of the benefits I get from my lessons and daily practice.

The photos were great and showed how anyone can do yoga and benefit from it.

Thanks for sharing this.

[Yeshu Abraham]

10:25 PM on 03/21/2012

The West should know that Yoga was introduced by ancient sages to get liberation from this material world by tortuous meditation by sitting and standing in different postures (asanas) to appease their imaginary gods. Those sages were shocked by the sexual debauchery and unscrupulousness of Hindu mythological gods and goddesses and, like Buddha, chose meditation in forests to attain nirvana. They wanted to escape from life and became ascetics. But modern Swamis and gurus are using yoga to make money by giving false objectives for Yoga such as sex energy, health, long life, mental happiness and what not. Yoga has nothing to do with health or sex as propagated by swamis and gurus who are infesting European countries with the sole object of making quick money.If yoga can give long life, why the lifespan of Indians is shorter compared to Europeans? If yoga can give mental happiness, why millions of Indians are mired in depression, anxiety and misery?

[Dino Delano]

02:01 AM on 03/22/2012

Your statement leaves much to be desired in real understanding about the body mind relationship and what movement can cause in the body. Here is a link that will give you insight on youtube, that is if your mind is open and not ruled only by your own dogma. http://youtu.be/gip5sjGy8pM

[Yoga is Hindu]

03:39 PM on 03/23/2012

You are so ignorant about the difference between nationality and religious beliefs AND about history of the Vedic faith.

[duhtruth]

07:42 PM on 03/21/2012

Duhtruth say, yoga not for pretzel body but for mind of focus.

[duhtruth]

07:34 PM on 03/21/2012

Duhtruth say, yogi with tatoo is ink man in disguise.

[Bibulus]

07:31 PM on 03/21/2012

It's a shame that "yoga" only means hatha yoga to most Americans when it is just a small part of it.

[duhtruth]

07:35 PM on 03/21/2012

Duhtruth say, yogi competition belie noncompetitive nature of yoga. Spit in disgust.

[Bibulus]

07:46 PM on 03/21/2012

I agree. But to be fair we Americans haven't the appetite for real (Raja) yoga, just the physical stuff because we are collectively shallow.

[Yoga is Hindu]

03:40 PM on 03/23/2012

Thank you

[MotivatedBootUSMC 0311]

07:21 PM on 03/21/2012

I guess in the Army is ok to be in uniform and salute like an |d10t.

[spykeamillion]

11:37 AM on 03/23/2012

Really? I found him inspiring and I was honored by his service and his beautiful tree pose.

[mario andretti]

07:21 PM on 03/21/2012

Yogi - it's not just for bears any longer.

[SubgeniusMustHaveSlack]

06:53 PM on 03/21/2012

It is a full body, mind, soul workout.

[casaroonc]

06:15 PM on 03/21/2012

I hope they keep it real. My wife teaches & has for a long time. It just gets a little old, this ex-dancer gets into yoga & now is the face of yoga. Don't get me wrong, What I'm saying is a yogi comes in many body types.

[MotivatedBootUSMC 0311]

07:21 PM on 03/21/2012

So do i.

[tobynsaunders]

05:36 PM on 03/21/2012

It's a shame how mythological belief has dirtied exercise... working out is great, meditation can be great (somehow for some people, allegedly), but the falsehoods about chakras & aligning energies rather sully the enterprise.

[SubgeniusMustHaveSlack]

06:51 PM on 03/21/2012

Just because you don't understand it, doesn't make it false.

[A firefly]

05:53 PM on 03/22/2012

Just because one "thinks" they understand it, doesn't make it true (nor them correct).

[duhtruth]

07:37 PM on 03/21/2012

Duhtruth say, no falsehood but part of western monkey mind trying to wrap around east focal point.

[PerryLogan]

05:31 PM on 03/21/2012

I recommend yoga and its sister science, ayurveda, to anybody. However, my yoga workout should not be photographed.

[duhtruth]

07:39 PM on 03/21/2012

Duhtruth say, PerryLogan at heart of yoga not at western wax replica.