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Gwyneth Paltrow (photo: WENN)
Unlike other Hatha yoga styles, which may be hundreds or thousands of years old, Jivamukti hasn’t even turned 30. Created by David Life and Sharon Gannon as recently as 1984, Jivamukti has tons of celeb devotees including Gywneth Paltrow, Sting, Christy Turlington, and Russell Simmons. Defined in Sanskrit as “liberation while living,” these movements use intense physical and mental exercises to bring yogic philosophy, ethical awareness, and enlightenment to the practitioner’s daily life. Although classes use the same elements (chanting, meditation, asanas, pranayama, and music), each vigorous 90-minute session concentrates on a particular theme. The five themes are: Scripture teachings of Sanskrit, bhakti (devotion to God), ahimsa (passivity and compassion), nada yoga (deep listening), and meditation. Maybe if more people practiced Jivamukti, world peace wouldn’t sound like such a stretch.
