“Yoga is not a religion. It has no fixed creed or set of beliefs, nor is there any prescribed divine figure to be worshiped in any particular way” (American Yoga Association 1). The common misconception is that yoga is a religion. In reality, “the entire school of Yoga is built on three main structures: exercise, breathing and meditation” (Christensen 13). Although yoga has been around for centuries, the modern world has altered how this originally humble practice is performed, culturally stereotyped, and viewed religiously. The practice of yoga dates back thousands of years and is traditionally an intimate practice between disciple and teacher. “The word Yoga comes from the Sanskrit root yuj which means to bind, unite, attach and yoke, direct and concentrate attention on, use and apply. It also means union or communion. It is the true union of our will with the will of God” (Iyengar 19). Yoga can be traced back to the prehistoric period, when written words did not exist. Therefore, yoga was originally practiced through oral teachings given by a Guru (teacher) to his Chela (disciple). This way of teaching limited the number of practitioners and also allowed Gurus to teach only those they considered worthy of practicing. Around 500 AD yoga experienced a shift from a personal spiritual fulfillment to a social practice with the goal of cultural benefits. At that time, the practices and teachings of yoga were written down, however “the first time the word yoga was found in written form was in the Rig Vada, one of the sacred texts used by the Vedic priests… these techniques had never been written down until al The Indian sage Patanjali wrote a systematic method of yoga in the Yoga Sutras” (Menechella). This p...... half of the article ...... associates Yoga with a pop culture phenomenon, like an aerobics video from the '80s or a step routine from the '90s. In the West, Yoga is often associated with healthy eating and green living. These stereotypes are often created and Yoga is also wrongly associated with Hinduism. These common misconceptions and changes in Yoga performance are impacting Yoga practice. Works Cited Christensen, Alice. Easy Does It Yoga from the American Yoga Association: The safe, gentle way to health and wellness. New York: Fireside Book, 1999. Print.Feuerstein, Georg. The deepest dimension of Yoga: theory and practice. Boston: Shambhala, 2003. “General Yoga Information” Print. Welcome to the American Yoga Association. Network. July 19, 2011. .Iyengar, BKS Light on Yoga: Yoga Dipika. New York: Schocken, 1995. Print.