Yoga
Valley Fontaine asks why we do yoga and how has it become so popular. Millions of us do yoga every day; but there’s controversy about whether we’re doing it for the right reasons.
Yoga is an ancient practice that includes meditation, exercise and spirituality. It’s said to date back thousands of years and originate in the east. But why do millions of us do it every day and how has it become so popular over time?
There is controversy about different types of yoga and whether they ring true to the original purpose of the practice. So when we do yoga, are we doing it for the right reasons?
Valley Fontaine hears from the director of a 98-year-old yoga institute in India, a religious studies professor in the US, an instructor who teaches yoga for you and your dog, founders of a yoga festival in the UK, and the 2016 women’s yoga champion.
(Image: Woman in Yoga pose near Indian temple. Credit: Pikoso.kz/Shutterstock)
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Yoga with your dog…it’s a thing.
Duration: 01:55
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- Fri 24 Mar 201719:32GMTBBC World Service East and Southern Africa & West and Central Africa only
- Fri 24 Mar 201720:32GMTBBC World Service Online, Americas and the Caribbean, Australasia, Europe and the Middle East & UK DAB/Freeview only
- Fri 24 Mar 201721:32GMTBBC World Service East Asia
- Sun 26 Mar 201710:32GMTBBC World Service except News Internet
- Mon 27 Mar 201702:32GMTBBC World Service Americas and the Caribbean
- Mon 27 Mar 201704:32GMTBBC World Service East Asia & South Asia only
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The Why Factor
The extraordinary and hidden histories behind everyday objects and actions




