Informative Speech
By:Amber Samworth

Topic: Yoga
General Purpose: To Inform.
Specific Purpose: To inform my audience about yoga.
Thesis Statement: I want my audience to be informed about what yoga is, its history, and why it has become so popular in recent years.
Introduction
I. (Open w/impact) According to Ann Pizer, a Yoga Alliance Certified Instructor, in an article last accessed on September 18th 2007, for Yoga.About.Com. “Yoga means “union” in Sanskrit, the language of Ancient India where yoga first originated. We can think of that union occurring between the mind, body, and spirit.” II. (Introduce topic) As you can see, yoga is an incredibly healthy practice. III. (Establish credibility) I have just recently
I notice that I hold my body more erect, rather than slumping over my keyboard or leaning over the counter. I also notice that I sleep better.” 1. And many Americans agree with her, we have very hectic lives and find solace in activities that can take us to a so called “higher place” both physically and spiritually.
Conclusion
I. (Signal conclusion) I hope that my speech helped all of you to better understand what yoga is, a little bit about its history and why it has become so popular. II. (Summarize your main points) The main things to remember are: A. Yoga is a way to create balance in the body by developing strength, flexibility, and spirituality. B. Yoga can be traced back to 3,000 BC and has had four main periods in history. C. Yoga has the ability to treat many ailments, making it very popular in America today. III. (Close w/impact) I am going to leave you with a quote that will explain yoga the way it was meant to be explained. It is a quote from Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, to his pupil Arjuna in the epic “Bhagavad-Gita”. A. “In the state of perfection called trance, or Samadhi, one’s mind is completely restrained from material mental activities by practice of yoga. This is characterized by one’s ability to see the self by the pure mind and to relish and rejoice in the self. In that joyous