Yoga is a vast collection of spiritual techniques and practices all aimed at integrating mind, body and spirit and achieving a state of enlightenment or oneness with the universe.   What is normally thought of as "yoga" in the West is really Hatha Yoga, one of the many paths of yoga.   These different paths of yoga are simply different approaches and techniques that all lead to the same goal of unification and enlightenment.

Yoga is not a religion but a spiritual practice or Sadhana, which does not require any specific belief system to participate.   The philosophies of yoga are universal and can be incorporated within any belief system.


Types of Yoga
History of Yoga
Philosophy of Yoga

What we commonly call yoga in the west is technically Hatha Yoga. Hatha Yoga (ha="sun" tha="moon") attains the union of mind-body-spirit though a practice of asana (yoga postures),   pranayama (yoga breathing), mudra (body gestures) and shatkarma (internal cleansings).   These body centered practices are used to purify the body and cultivate prana and activate kundalini, the subtle energies of the body.   Modern Hatha Yoga does not emphasize many of these esoteric practices and focuses primarily on the yoga postures.


Benifits of HathaYoga
Main Schools / Styles of HathaYoga