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Yoga (Sanskrit: योग, IAST: yóga , IPA: [joːgə]) is an Indian spiritual path aimed at achieving the union with the Supreme Consciousness. Some yogas go beyond it and aim at the spiritual transformation of the entire human nature and obtaining immortality even for the physical body. A practitioner of Yoga is called a Yogi (male) or Yogini (female). Outside India, yoga is mostly associated with the practice of asanas (postures) of Hatha Yoga or as a form of exercise.

Many Hindu texts discuss aspects of yoga, including the Vedas, Upanishads, the Bhagavad Gita, the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, the Hatha Yoga Pradipika, the Shiva Samhita and various Tantras.

Classified by the type of practices, the major branches of yoga include: Hatha Yoga, Karma Yoga, Jnana Yoga, Bhakti Yoga, and Raja Yoga. [1] [2] [3] Raja Yoga, established by the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, and known simply as yoga in the context of Hindu philosophy, is one of the six orthodox (āstika) schools of thought.

The Sanskrit term yoga has many meanings. [4] It is derived from the Sanskrit root yuj , "to control", "to yoke", or "to unite". [5] Common meanings include "joining" or "uniting", and related ideas such as "union" and "conjunction". [6] Another conceptual definition is that of "mode, manner, means"[7] or "expedient, means in general". [8] [edit] History of Yoga Main article: History of Yoga While the most ancient mystic practices are vaguely hinted at in the Vedas, the ascetic practices ( tapas ) are referenced in the Brāhmaṇas (900 BCE and 500 BCE),[9] early commentaries on the vedas. In the Upanishads, an early reference to meditation is made in Brihadaranyaka Upanishad,[10] one of the earliest Upanishads (approx. 900 BCE). The main textual sources for the evolving concept of Yoga are the middle Upanishads, (ca. 400 BCE), the Mahabharata (5th c. BCE) including the Bhagavad Gita (ca. 200 BCE), the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali (200 BCE-300 CE) and Narada Bhakti Sutra[11]. Several seals discovered at Indus Valley Civilization (c. 3300–1700 BCE) sites depict figures in a yoga- or meditation-like posture, "a form of ritual discipline, suggesting a precursor of yoga" that point to Harappan devotion to "ritual discipline and concentration", according to Archaeologist Gregory Possehl. [12] [edit] Yoga Sutras of Patanjali Main articles: Raja Yoga and Yoga Sutras of Patanjali In Indian philosophy, Yoga is the name of one of the six orthodox philosophical schools. [13][14] The Yoga philosophical system is closely allied with the Samkhya school. [15] The Yoga school as expounded by Patanjali accepts the Samkhya psychology and metaphysics, but is more theistic than the Samkhya, as evidenced by the addition of a divine entity to the Samkhya's twenty-five elements of reality. [16][17] The parallels between Yoga and Samkhya were so close that Max Müller says that "the two philosophies were in popular parlance distinguished from each other as Samkhya with and Samkhya without a Lord...."[18] The intimate relationship between Samkhya and Yoga is explained by Heinrich Zimmer: These two are regarded in India as twins, the two aspects of a single discipline. Sāṅkhya provides a basic theoretical exposition of human nature, enumerating and defining its elements, analyzing their manner of co-operation in a state of bondage ( bandha ), and describing their state of disentanglement or separation in release ( mokṣa ), while Yoga treats specifically of the dynamics of the process for the disentanglement, and outlines practical techniques for the gaining of release, or 'isolation-integration' ( kaivalya ). [19] The sage Patanjali is widely regarded as the founder of the formal Yoga philosophy. [20] The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali are ascribed to Patanjali, who has been called "the author or representative of the Yoga-philosophy." (1899), Chapter 7. [21] Patanjali's yoga is known as Raja yoga, which is a system for control of the mind. [22] Patanjali defines the word "yoga" in his second sutra, which is the definitional sutra for his entire work: योग: चित्त-वृत्ति निरोध: ( yogaś citta-vṛtti-nirodhaḥ ) - Yoga Sutras 1.2 This terse definition hinges on the meaning of three Sanskrit terms. I. K. Taimni translates it as "Yoga is the inhibition ( nirodhaḥ ) of the modifications ( vṛtti ) of the mind ( citta )". [23] Swami Vivekananda translates the sutra as "Yoga is restraining the mind-stuff (Citta) from taking various forms (Vrittis). "[24] Patanjali's writing also became the basis for a system referred to as "Ashtanga Yoga" ("Eight-Limbed Yoga"). This eight-limbed concept derived from the 29th Sutra of the 2nd book became a feature of Raja yoga, and is a core characteristic of practically every Raja yoga variation taught today.The Eight Limbs of yoga practice are: (1) Yama (The five "abstentions"): nonviolence, truth, non-covetousness, chastity, and abstain from attachment to possessions. (2) Niyama (The five "observances"): purity, contentment, austerities, study, and surrender to god(3) Asana : Literally means "seat", and in Patanjali's Sutras refers to seated positions used for meditation. Later, with the rise of Hatha yoga, asana came to refer to all the "postures"(4) Pranayama ("Lengthening Prāna"): Prāna , life force, or vital energy, particularly, the breath, "āyāma", to lengthen or extend(5) Pratyahara ("Abstraction"): Withdrawal of the sense organs from external objects. (6) Dharana ("Concentration"): Fixing the attention on a single object(7) Dhyana ("Meditation"): Intense contemplation of the nature of the object of meditation(8) Samadhi ("Liberation"): merging consciousness with the object of meditation They are sometimes divided into the lower and the upper four limbs, the lower ones being parallel to the lower limbs of Hatha Yoga, while the upper ones being specific for the Raja yoga. The upper three limbs practiced simultaneously constitute the Samyama.

[edit] Bhagavad Gita Main article: Bhagavad Gita The Bhagavad Gita ('Song of the Lord'), uses the term yoga extensively in a variety of senses. Of many possible meanings given to the term in the Gita, most emphasis is given to these three:[25] Karma yoga: The yoga of action Bhakti yoga: The yoga of devotion[11] Jnana yoga: The yoga of knowledge The influential commentator Madhusudana Sarasvati (b. circa 1490) divided the Gita's eighteen chapters into three sections, each of six chapters. According to his method of division the first six chapters deal with Karma yoga, the middle six deal with Bhakti yoga, and the last six deal with Jnana (knowledge). [26] This interpretation has been adopted by some later commentators and rejected by others.

[edit] Hatha Yoga Pradipika Main article: Hatha yoga Hatha Yoga is a particular system of Yoga described by Yogi Swatmarama, a yogic sage of the 15th century in India, and compiler of the Hatha Yoga Pradipika. Hatha Yoga is a development of — but also differs substantially from — the Raja Yoga of Patanjali, in that it focuses on shatkarma , the purification of the physical as leading to the purification of the mind ( ha ), and prana , or vital energy ( tha ). [27][28] In contrast, the Raja Yoga posited by Patanjali begins with a purification of the mind ( yamas ) and spirit ( niyamas ), then comes to the body via asana (body postures) and pranayama (breath). Hatha yoga contains substantial tantric influence,[29][30] and marks the first point at which chakras and kundalini were introduced into the yogic canon. Compared to the seated asanas of Patanjali's Raja yoga which were seen largely as a means of preparing for meditation, it also marks the development of asanas as full body 'postures' in the modern sense. [31] Hatha Yoga in its many modern variations is the style that most people actually associate with the word "Yoga" today. [32] Because its emphasis is on the body through asana and pranayama practice, many western students are satisfied with the physical health and vitality it develops and are not interested in the other six limbs of the complete Hatha yoga teaching, or with the even older Raja Yoga tradition it is based on.

[edit] Yoga practices in other traditions [edit] Yoga and Sufism The development of Sufism was considerably influenced by Indian yogic practises, where they adapted both physical postures (asanas) and breath control (pranayama). [33] The ancient Indian yogic text, Amritakunda, ("Pool of Nectar)" was translated into Arabic and Persian as early as the 11th century. [34] [edit] Yoga and Buddhism Main article: Yoga and Buddhism Yoga is intimately connected to the religious beliefs and practices of the Indian religions. [35] The influence of Yoga is also visible in Buddhism, a descendant of Hinduism, which is distinguished by its austerities, spiritual exercises, and trance states. [36][37] [edit] Yogacara Buddhism Yogacara (Sanskrit: "Practice of Yoga [Union]"[38] ), also spelled yogāchāra, is a school of philosophy and psychology that developed in India during the 4th to 5th centuries. Yogacara received the name as it provided a yoga , a framework for engaging in the practices that lead to the path of the bodhisattva. [39] The Yogacara sect teaches yoga in order to reach enlightenment. [40] [edit] Ch`an (Zen) Buddhism Zen (the name of which derives from the Sanskrit "dhyana" via the Chinese "ch'an"[41]) is a form of Mahayana Buddhism. The Mahayana school of Buddhism is noted for its proximity with Yoga. [37] In the west, Zen is often set alongside Yoga; the two schools of meditation display obvious family resemblances. [42] This phenomenon merits special attention since the Zen Buddhist school of meditation has some of its roots in yogic practices. [43] Certain essential elements of Yoga are important both for Buddhism in general and for Zen in particular. [44] [edit] Tibetan Buddhism Yoga is central to Tibetan Buddhism. In the Nyingma tradition, practitioners progress to increasingly profound levels of yoga, starting with Mahā yoga, continuing to Anu yoga and ultimately undertaking the highest practice, Ati yoga. In the Sarma traditions, the Anuttara yoga class is equivalent. Other tantra yoga practices include a system of 108 bodily postures practiced with breath and heart rhythm. Timing in movement exercises is known as Trul khor or union of moon and sun (channel) prajna energies. The body postures of Tibetan ancient yogis are depicted on the walls of the Dalai Lama's summer temple of Lukhang. A semi-popular account of Tibetan Yoga by Chang (1993) refers to Dumo, the generation of heat in one's own body, as being "the very foundation of the whole of Tibetan Yoga" (Chang, 1993, p7). Chang also claims that Tibetan Yoga involves reconciliation of apparent polarities, such as prana and mind, relating this to theoretical implications of tantrism.

[edit] Yoga and Tantra Main article: Tantra Tantrism is a practice that is supposed to alter the relation of its practitioners to the ordinary social, religious, and logical reality in which they live. Through Tantric practice an individual perceives reality as maya, illusion, and the individual achieves liberation from it. [45] This particular path to salvation among the several offered by Hinduism, links Tantrism to those practices of Indian religions, such as yoga, meditation, and social renunciation, which are based on temporary or permanent withdrawal from social relationships and modes. [45] During tantric practices and studies, the student is instructed further in meditation technique, particularly chakra meditation. This is often in a limited form in comparison with the way this kind of meditation is known and used by Tantric practitioners and yogis elsewhere, but is more elaborate than the initiate's previous meditation. It is considered to be a kind of Kundalini Yoga for the purpose of moving the Goddess into the chakra located in the "heart," for meditation and worship. [46] [edit] Goal of Yoga The majority of practitioners of yoga outside India are primarily interested in improving health and fitness. The ultimate goals may range from reaching Moksha to physical immortality.

Within the monist schools of Advaita Vedanta and Shaivism this perfection takes the form of Moksha , which is liberation from all worldly suffering and the cycle of birth and death (Samsara) at which point there is a realisation of identity with the Supreme Brahman. For the bhakti schools of Vaishnavism, bhakti or service to Svayam bhagavan itself is the ultimate goal of the yoga process,[11] wherein perfection culminates in an eternal relationship with Vishnu, Rama or Krsna, depending on the affiliation. [47]