Yoga is a meditative practice that originated in India. It has connections with a number of Eastern philosophies, including Buddhism, Hinduism and Jainism, but various branches of yoga have been developed, including a modern Western form that is usually detached from these religious origins. This secular form of yoga can be seen as deriving from asana, a system of physical poses and postures that form part of the eight limbs of yoga in Hinduism.
The word "yoga" is believed to have its roots in the Sanskrit word "yuj", which means to control or to unite, although it has also been connected with the phrase "yujir samadhau" which can mean absorption or contemplation. A person who practices yoga or who has achieved a certain level within the practice may be called a yogi or a yogini.
The branches of yoga include Hatha yoga, Bhakti yoga, Raja yoga, Jhana yoga, Karma yoga and Tantra. Different forms of yoga are practiced in different ways and they also have different goals. There are two sides to yoga, the mental and the physical and the practice of yoga is often about seeking a balance between these. It can also be about the search for harmony with the wider universe. Yoga can mean different things to different people.
Many people take up yoga, particularly the secular forms of yoga, in order to improve their physical fitness or for the sake of stress management and relaxation. However, the goals of yoga, particularly the traditional forms, can include improving one’s health and attaining spiritual goals such as release from the cycle of reincarnation that is part of the Hindu belief system. In Hinduism, yoga is a discipline that follows the paths of action, knowledge and devotion in order to achieve tranquility and spiritual insight. Similar goals of yogic meditation pertain in the other religious forms that are found in Jainism and Buddhism and even in the forms that have been adapted by the Christian and Islamic faiths.
The practice of yoga can combine meditation, physical postures and actions, and breathing exercises. A practitioner of yoga may focus on stretching their body in different ways, working with their breathing and senses, or searching for a spiritual awareness and concentration. Some forms of yoga are gentle while others are more vigorous. Some focus on the mental or spiritual achievements, while others are more about developing the health or fitness of the body.
