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- 5 Yoga Classes
- 10 Yoga Classes
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Three Things to Know About Yoga
Few fitness disciplines meld relaxation and strength-building like yoga. Read on to learn about its surprising origins and incredible diversity.
1. In Sanskrit, yoga means “union.” (The word shares a root with the English word “yoke.”) The things being united are the mind, body, and breath, as practitioners use motion to guide the thoughts toward peaceful awareness and away from the funny-looking dog walking past the studio window.
2. Historically, strength and flexibility were probably just side benefits. In fact, some of the first Indian yogis to arrive to the U.S. explicitly rejected asanas, or postures, as a distraction from meditation. Recent research by yogi and scholar Mark Singleton indicates that, starting in the 1920s, a Scandinavian fitness system known as Primitive Gymnastics became wildly popular in India, and began to meld with far older yoga traditions that were more concerned with breath and focus. Around the same time, other teachers in India traveled the country teaching strengthening and combat techniques under the guise of yoga, in the hopes of preparing to rise against British rule. This complex stew of influences eventually produced the blend of movement and meditation most Westerners recognize as yoga today.
3. Today an estimated 20–30 million North Americans practice yoga. What that looks like in practice is wildly diverse—everything from sweaty, tolerance-testing hot yoga to quick-flowing vinyasa yoga to “laughter yoga,” which combines yogic breathing with deliberate laughter to ease stress. One of yoga’s greatest virtues is its adaptability: props make classes accessible to older students, and prenatal classes teach pregnant women poses that take into account their extra-stretchy ligaments and tendency toward lower-back pain.
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About STB Training Center
There's no question that Master Seum earned his title. Growing up in Thailand's Ubon province, he started training in muay thai at the tender age of 11. Martial arts became a way of life for him, leading him to pursue a professional fighting career in which he's won 70 out of 86 bouts without ever suffering a knockout loss. His impressive résumé and penchant for chocolate coins earned him the nickname Golden Boy and a ranking as the No. 5 contender in Northeast Thailand. He eventually came to the United States to teach, and after a few years of sharing his expertise at other gyms, he decided to start his own school: Seapeanong Thai Boxing.
Master Seum conducts beginner, intermediate, and fight team training with his co-founder, Emilio Gonzalez, a fighter known for his kicking power and old-school boxing skills. Cross-trainer Melanie Odria keeps bodies in fighting shape with a blend martial arts training and traditional exercise techniques.