Ancient Practice of Yoga Makes a Trendy Comeback – by Tory Parrish

Warrior I, down-dog and up-dog may sound like characters from a low-budget Sci-Fi Channel original program, but thankfully, these are actually a few of the many poses and exercises practiced at Georgetown Yoga. The yoga trend that has celebrities touting its praises and commoners maneuvering into positions that would make contortionists wince has also seeped into the D.C. area.

Owner and instructor Margaret Burns Vap, who founded Georgetown Yoga in September 2002, has seen her clientele steadily grow since the studio’s inception…Burns Vap, on the surface, may seem an unlikely candidate to open a yoga studio. Only a few years ago, the 32-year old MBA holder, who earned an undergraduate degree in international business and languages from Georgetown University, was on a fast-paced career track as Director of Marketing at L’Oreal in New York. The events of September 11, stressful work environment and tiresome commutes to see her husband, who lives and works here, eventually had her southbound. Burns Vap, who had been finding refuge in practicing yoga for five years and was teaching in her home’s basement, chose to expand, and thus, plans for the Georgetown studio came to fruition.

Yoga’s origins can be traced back more than 5,000 years ago to India. There are three major cultural branches of the yoga tradition: Hindu yoga, Buddhist yoga and Jaina yoga, with Hindu yoga being the most common branch in the U.S. Yoga, which means to unite or yoke, is the practice of uniting mind, body and spirit through physical postures, breathing exercises and meditation. “Breathing – that’s what gets you from one pose to the next,” said Burns Vap. “It keeps you focused and allows you to leave all the day’s events behind.”

Although there are beginners’ classes for those new to the world of yoga or any physical activity, Georgetown Yoga offers Ashtanga yoga and power yoga for the more physically adept practitioners. Restorative yoga, which bolsters strength and stamina to the body through the use of props…is also offered. For those unsure about committing to regularly scheduled sessions, Sunday open houses allow visitors to sample from a sort of yoga cornucopia, from which the appropriate starting level may be gauged.

Burns Vap says demand is also growing for private sessions and classes at corporate sites. D.C. area corporations are not alone in seeking these on-site stretch-and-sweat sessions, as scores of Fortune 500 companies, including Nike, HBO, Forbes and Apple, are also following suit. Corporations have long known that healthier employees mean more productive employees, particularly as more physically fit employees take fewer sick days.

Despite yoga’s ancient beginnings, the Western yoga movement really began to gain momentum in the 1960s. Hippies and non-conformists were drawn to its meditative properties. It reached somewhat of a lull in the 1980s, when baby-boomers sought more high-impact activities, like aerobics, to stay physically fit…Burns Vap is hoping that after the trendiness passes, people will still seek out yoga for all of its benefits, including remaining or becoming fit, lowering cholesterol and creating mental balance. And, undoubtedly, they will. After all, a 5,000 year old practice has to possess some of the stamina that it creates. Georgetown Yoga can be contacted through their website.

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