Yoga is a relative of early holy practices dating back more than 5000 years from India. It is one of the six schools of Hindu philosophy. In India, Yoga is seen as a means to both physiological and religious mastery. Outside India, Yoga has become first and leading linked with the practice of asana.

Yoga as a means of religious attainment is central to Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism and has prejudiced other religious and religious practices throughout the world. Hindu texts set up the basis for yoga comprise the Upanishads, the Bhagavad Gita, the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, the Hatha Yoga Pradipika and many others.

The four main paths of Yoga are

(1). Bhakti yoga: The yoga of devotion to a deity

(2). Raja yoga: The yoga of meditation

(3). Karma yoga: The yoga of action in the world

(4). Jnana yoga: The yoga of knowledge and intellectual endeavor

A fanatical practitioner of yoga is referred to as a yogi, yogin (masculine), or yogini (feminine).

The aims of the yoga practitioners are very varied.

(1). Inspiration of Spiritual Element

(2). Increased Flexibility and Fitness

(3). Solutions to varied Health Disorders

(4). all – round development: Mind, Body, Soul

Yoga involves mastery over the body, mind, and emotional self, and transcendence of desire. According to the followers, the Yogi eventually reaches the enlightened state (Moksha) where there is a cessation of thought and an experience of blissful union. This amalgamation may be of the human being soul (Atman) with the supreme Reality (Brahman), as in Advaita Vedanta; with a specific god or goddess, as in Dvaita, or dualistic forms of Hinduism and some forms of Buddhism.

Widespread to most forms of yoga is the practice of attentiveness (dharana) and meditation (dhyana). The awareness is concerted on a fine point of sensation (such as that of the breath entering and leaving the nostrils). Sustained single-pointed attentiveness slowly leads to meditation (dhyana), in which the inner faculties are able to get bigger and merge with something vast. Mediators sometimes report feelings of peace, joy, and oneness.

Benefits of Yoga

Yoga highlights action of the root cause of an ailment. It works in a slow, subtle and miraculous manner. Modern medicine can claim to save a life at a dangerous stage, but, for complete recovery and regaining of normal health, one must consider in the competence of yoga therapy.

On a physical level Yoga postures stimulate the glands, organs, muscles and nerves in ways that traditional exercise cannot. Muscle tightness and strain is rapidly relieved and both flow and digestion improves. Stress-related symptoms like poor sleep, fatigue, muscle spasms, anxiety, and dyspepsia are greatly improved. Through continued practice Yoga postures can have a profound effect on the inner dimensions of life, establishing deep calm, concentration, emotional steadiness and self-assurance.