Yoga is suitable for everyone, of any age or physical condition. This is due to the nonstrenuous nature of our approach to exercise, even people with physical limitations can find it beneficial to practice yoga. There are many different schools of Yoga. Here is a short list of some of the most well known and they are described below: Hatha Yoga: It is physical movements and postures combined with breathing techniques. This is style that most people associate with the practice of Yoga. Raja Yoga: Sometimes refered to as the royal road, because it incorporates exercise and breathing practice with meditation, thought to produce a well-rounded individual. Jnana Yoga: Or the path of wisdom. It is considered by many to be the most difficult path. Bhakti Yoga: The practice of extreme devotion in one-pointed concentration upon the concept of God. Karma Yoga: All the movements and all labor of any kind is done with the mind centered on one's personal concept of God. Tantra Yoga: A way of showing the unseen consciousness in form through specific diagrams, and movements. One of the diagrams that is used to show the joining of the physical and spiritual bodies is two triangles superimposed upon one another. The downward-pointing triangle represents the physical body. The upward-pointing triangle represents the spiritual body of support, energy, and vastness. Kashmir Shaivism: It is based in emotion rather than intellect. The practice of this yoga philosophy states that everything in the universe has both male and female qualities. In Kashmir Shaivism, these male and female principles form an equal partnership, so interdependent that they cannot be separated. The attraction between them produces the ultimate union of opposites, creating the immense complexity of the universe that we enjoy and celebrate. Yoga is not a religion. It has no fixed set of beliefs. There is no godlike figure to be worshipped in a particular manner. The core of yogas philosophy is that everything comes from within the individual. Therefore there is no dependence on an external figure, either in the sense of a person or god figure, or a religious organization. The practice of yoga does not interfere with any religion. Another common belief is that Yoga is derived from Hinduism. This is a misconception. Yoga actually predates Hinduism by many centuries. Ancient text unearthed in the Indus Valley provide clear evidence of yoga have been adopted by Hinduism as well as by other world religions. Yoga is a system of techniques that can be used for a number of goals, from simply managing stress better, learning to relax, and increasing limberness all the way to becoming more self-aware and acquiring the deepest knowledge of ones own self. Regular daily practice of all parts of yoga produce a clear, bright mind and a strong, capable body. |