Web provides yoga resources from basic to in-depth

On the "Yoga Basics" page http://healing.about.com/cs/basics/ at About.com, yoga is described as "a Sanskrit word meaning union or joining. In reality, it's a general term that encompasses many different disciplines from the purely physical to the purely spiritual—and everything in between."

Yoga is best-known as a set of physical practices that includes gentle stretches, breathing practices and progressive deep relaxation. These physical practices follow a sequence and are intended to ready the body and mind for meditation, as well as for a meditative perspective on life.

Beginners to the practice will find good basic information at Yoga for Beginners http://www.mv.com/ipusers/howell/ejh/, as well as the "For Beginners" section of Yoga Movement http://www.yogamovement.com/. The various styles, postures and practice guidelines are provided here, with a bit more explanation than other sites. For those already into practicing postures, try Yoga Journal's database of poses http://www.yogajournal.com/poses/, a neat collection of poses you can search by anatomical focus, therapeutic application and even contraindications/cautions. The Yoga Anand Ashram http://www.santosha.com/asanas/asana.html gives thorough, step-by-step text on a host of postures and provides interesting comments on the history and value of the poses.

Those looking for a more in-depth approach to yoga will find a visit to YREC—Yoga Research and Education Center http://www.yrec.org/worthwhile. This site explores training in all branches of yoga, scholarly and scientific research, and the health and healing aspects of yoga.

All of the above sites have resource sections with lists of books, videos, audio recordings and Web sites. Two others with comprehensive lists of Web resources are the "Yoga Paths" section http://www.spiritweb.org/Spirit/yoga.html of SpiritWeb and the yoga section http://www.holisticonline.com/Yoga/hol_yoga_home.htm of Holistic Online.com. There is something on yoga for everyone, no matter what level of interest. Explore, experiment and enjoy!

Namaste.

—Lori Widzinski and Sue Neumeister, University Libraries