Tuesday, February 15, 2011

What is yoga?

Yoga is a type of body conditioning that involves breathing exercises, meditation and stretching of the body in different ways all of which are designed to discipline the mind and body into a state of tranquility and spiritual enlightenment. Yoga is a school of Hindu philosophy that not only strengthens your muscles and improves your flexibility, but it also helps those who practice yoga find inner peace and harmony. According to one source, yoga is all about the union of a person's own consciousness and the universal consciousness.

There are six primary branches of yoga that one can practice and they include: Hatha yoga, Bhakti yoga, Raja yoga, Jnana yoga, Karma yoga and Tantra yoga.

Hatha yoga is probably the most popular type of yoga practiced by many yogis and is known as the yoga of physical processes as it combines physical poses with breathing and meditation to achieve better heath.

Bhakti yoga is a type of yoga that takes a more devotional approach to spiritual wellness by developing a person's love all things living.

Raja yoga has a more classical approach to yoga and is known as the yoga of self control as it involves disciplining your mind, body, energy and senses using a precise system that is designed to turn mental and physical energy into spiritual energy by uniting the Ego.

Jnana yoga is a type of yoga that has more of a focus on the mind with knowledge and wisdom at the core of this practice. The goal of this type of yoga is to develop a deeper in knowledge of self through intuition of the soul.

Karma yoga is another branch of yoga is much more service oriented. In this type of practice, it is often believed that past actions play a role in present situation, so by doing selfless acts moving forward, you are changing your destiny for the better.

Tantra yoga is known as the yoga of rituals not the yoga of sex despite the implication. This type of yoga focuses on experiencing the Divine through a set of rituals meant to increase self-awareness which is the cornerstone of most yoga practices if not all.

If you are new to yoga, Yogahitch offers a great yoga product that serves as a both a yoga mat carrier, a towel,  and a yoga tool to enhance your journey through yoga. As you can see there are many different routes you can take to reach the same destination of spiritual wellness. Choose the one that is more appealing to you and your needs and prepare to be enlightened.

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