concepts, types and history
Yoga isn't easily defined — there is so much history, so many types and the concepts overlap — you really need a map to help you sort it out. We searched for a long time and didn't find one, so we built it ourselves. This 24 x 36 in (609.6 x 914.4 mm) poster is the first work of its kind to place the major concepts, types and history of yoga together in a single, visual overview of the practice.
Every square inch tells a story. We refined our research until we arrived at the essential pieces where most sources agreed. Then we chose an organic design with a strong and intuitive narrative based on the sacred banyan tree. Lastly, it was peer reviewed.
The Yoga Poster was printed locally using 100% wind-power on 100% recycled, post-consumer waste and vegetable-based inks. The wrapping and the Kraft tubes are 100% recycled. Only the packaging tape and plastic endcaps aren't recycled... and we're working on that.
We've shipped the poster to every continent except Antarctica... so far. We send by postal mail, which means a real human carries it the whole way. If you're outside the US, you may want to check your local office for customs & import duties information.
This poster is most definitely a project. We both started our practices at the tail end of the last century and from the get-go we were asking questions, taking notes and generally trying to figure out what yoga was to us at that time. As soon as we thought we had it, we learned something new or we changed and the process of learning began again. More often than not, we'd end up back at the basics with a refreshed perspective and we'd have to dig out our notes and re-orient ourselves for the next cycle—wash, rinse, repeat.
More than once, along the way, we wished we had had an overview to put into context some new thing we heard about but didn't quite catch or to remind us of something we once knew very well and just needed a refresher on. Something we could pin on the wall, that wasn't as unpleasant to look at as our handwriting was.
More than a decade later, after teacher trainings and Google searches, from our bookshelves and notebooks and conversations we've had, we offer to you what we hope is a worthy introduction to and reminder about what yoga is and how it works. We've made every effort we can to make it something you'll be happy to walk past every day in your home or studio or, wherever else you live your life.
Namaste,
Karoline and Frank Neville-Hamilton
For more about The Yoga Poster, read on...
An interesting take on the evolution of Yoga and its important aspects. I wish you good luck with it. —Georg Feuerstein, PhD, Traditional Yoga Studies
...the poster is really spectacular. I had such fun tracing the tree with my hands. It made Yoga History so creative and clear. I'm very honored to be a part of it. Should be hanging on every Yoga studio's wall!! —Lilias Folan
I love the Yoga Poster and have it hanging in my yoga treatment room. I'm reminded of something I forgot every time I look at it. — Amy Weintraub, author of Yoga for Depression and Yoga Skills for Therapists, founder of LifeForce Yoga Healing Institute
It is refreshing to see an effort at presenting a more serious take on the material in the form of a poster, including key Sanskrit terms from the philosophies. —A. G. Mohan, Svastha Yoga
We love our poster. There's always something new to discover. —Prana Yoga Center
I wasn't sure what to expect, but what you've made is fantastic - clean, readable, a good size, a pleasant presentation despite the voluminous info, and the paper itself is lovely. —Paul
A wonderful job of compiling the philosophies, history, practice, etc., in a logically illustrated fashion. It helps make it a little less massive. —Anita
They were beautifully packed and arrived in perfect condition. I think you could teach Amazon something about packing for international shipping. —Kelle
(Photos of you & your poster are welcome, too!)
The Yoga Poster was funded via Kickstarter.
Read our story.