Yoga (Sanskrit: ???, IAST: yóga, IPA: [jo?g?]) refers to traditional physical and mental disciplines originating in India, to the goal achieved by those disciplines, and to one of the six orthodox (stika) schools of Hindu philosophy.

Major branches of a yoga include Raja Yoga, Karma Yoga, Jnana Yoga, Bhakti Yoga, and Hatha Yoga. Raja Yoga, compiled in the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, and known simply as yoga in the context of Hindu philosophy, is part of the Samkhya tradition. Many other Hindu texts discuss aspects of yoga, including the Vedas, Upanishads, the Bhagavad Gita, the Hatha Yoga Pradipika, the Shiva Samhita and various Tantras.

The Sanskrit word yoga has many meanings, and is derived from the Sanskrit root yuj, meaning to control, to yoke or to unite. Translations include joining, uniting, union, conjunction, and means. Outside India, the term yoga is typically associated with Hatha Yoga and its asanas (postures) or as a form of exercise. A practitioner of Yoga is called a Yogi (unisex term) or Yogini (for female).

History of Yoga

While the most ancient mystic practices are vaguely hinted at in the Vedas, the ascetic practices (tapas) are referenced in the Br?hma?as (900 BCE and 500 BCE), early commentaries on the Vedas. The Rig Veda, earliest of the Hindu scripture mentions the practice. Robert Schneider and Jeremy Fields write, "Yoga asanas were first prescribed by the ancient Vedic texts thousands of years ago and are said to directly enliven the body's inner intelligence." Certainly breath control and curbing the mind was practiced since the Vedic times. It is believed that yoga was fundamental to Vedic ritual, especially to chanting the sacred hymns

In the Upanishads, an early reference to meditation is made in Brihadaranyaka Upanishad, 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), and the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali (200 BCE-300 CE).

Several seals discovered at Indus Valley Civilization (c. 3300-1700 BC) 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. According to prof. Egbert Richter Ushanas, concerning the IVC seals he has said, "All the seals are based on Vedas -- Rig Veda and Atharva Veda."

Goal of Yoga

The goal of yoga is to have a "union" between our various parts into a whole which has integrity, power, and effectiveness. If your legs go one direction, your torso a different direction and your mind another direction, you will waste a tremendous amount of energy fighting yourself. This inner fight is the normal condition we find ourselves in. You want to give a lecture but an inner voice warns you of failure. The two emotions of fear and determination battle each other to control your action.

Yoga allows you to take control of your actions by increasing your awareness of yourself as a conscious being. It establishes the Observing Self. The first step is stillness. A deep relaxation and inner neutrality stops the war of the inner elements. As the noise dies down, you begin to sense an inner calmness and clarity. That is what we call your consciousness. When you begin to act from consciousness you cease to merely react to elements of the outer or inner environments. You become mindful. You know the effects of an action before you take it. You gain intuition. You are in control by being exactly who you are.

In a physical level you attain endurance, strength, wider range of motion thru a more flexible and supple spine and an overall better aligned and healthier body. The breath will improve considerably with control and the overall quality of it .

When you shed fear, gain dignity, experience inner divinity, calm the mind, strengthen your nerves and glands, then you begin to live fully as a human being. You encounter the challenges and stages of life creatively and with gratitude.