Yoga –

Its ancient techniques date back more than 5000 years.

Its practice of physical and mental exercise

Demonstrates a desire for self-understanding

And greater personal freedom.

Yoga –

Its teachings develop a harmony

Between mind and body;

A system built upon

The predominate structures: meditation, breathing and exercise.

Robert Ortner, an instructor at Blackbird Yoga in Georgetown, leads a class in freestyle yoga.

Here, the heart is opened,

The mind is quieted

And one moves beyond ego and fear.

By combining flexibility with balance,

Strength with endurance

And movement with stillness.

Yoga poses (yasana) put one in contact with the body –

Paying attention to how the body feels

And how it moves from one position to the next.

It’s about breathing correctly into one’s own being

And enhancing one’s flexibility, energy and levels of endurance.

The end result is the body and mind

Becoming more balanced

And an inner peace transcending over a happier you.

Linda Coletta, owner of Blackbird Yoga, fulfilled a personal dream

When she opened the progressive yoga studio in Georgetown last month.

A student of the ancient practice for more than 15 years,

Linda believes that the study of yoga

Is a lifelong journey.

And it is her hope that she and the 12 instructors

Will inspire others to begin their own journeys of a lifetime.