Why "samanayoga"? First, please let me say that I am not trying to create a new style of yoga or give my yoga a name. What I teach is yoga, no more and no less, as I have learned it from my teachers and my own studies and experience over the years. But samana is a great Sanskrit word. First, when pronounced samAna (with the emphasis on the second syllable) it is one of the 5 principal ways in which prana (life force, or energy) flows through our body. Located at our navel centre, samana is the centring energy flow, which governs digestion not just on a physical level (though those of you who know me will be aware of my deep love of food) but also on a mental and emotional level.

Secondly, if you put the emphasis on the first "a" - sAmana - it can mean abundant and also quiet or calm.... Thirdly, with equal emphasis on each of the three syllables, it can mean a festival or an embrace.

So... whichever way you pronounce it, it means something good!