What is Yoga? Understanding its Basics.

Yoga (Sanskrit, P?li: '') refers to traditional physical and mental disciplines originating in India.For the uses of the word in P?li literature, see Thomas William Rhys Davids, William Stede, Pali-English dictionary. Reprint by Motilal Banarsidass Publ., 1993, page 558: [http://books.google.com/books?id=xBgIKfTjxNMC&pg=RA1-PA558&dq=yoga+pali+term&lr=#PRA1-PA558,M1] The word is associated with meditative practices in Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism.Denise Lardner Carmody, John Carmody, Serene Compassion. Oxford University Press US, 1996, page 68.Stuart Ray Sarbacker, Samadhi: The Numinous and Cessative in Indo-Tibetan Yoga. SUNY Press, 2005, pages 1-2. Tattvarthasutra 6.1, see Manu Doshi (2007) Translation of Tattvarthasutra, Ahmedabad: Shrut Ratnakar p. 102 In Hinduism, it also refers to one of the six orthodox (?stika) schools of Hindu philosophy, and to the goal toward which that school directs its practices."Yoga has five principal meanings: 1) yoga as a disciplined method for attaining a goal; 2) yoga as techniques of controlling the body and the mind; 3) yoga as a name of one of the schools or systems of philosophy (); 4) yoga in connection with other words, such as hatha-, mantra-, and laya-, referring to traditions specialising in particular techniques of yoga; 5) yoga as the goal of yoga practice." Jacobsen, p. 4.Monier-Williams includes "it is the second of the two S??khya systems," and "mental abstraction practised as a system (as taught by Patañjali and called the Yoga philosophy)" in his definitions of "yoga". In Jainism it refers to the sum total of all activities?mental, verbal and physical.

Major branches of yoga in Hindu philosophy include Raja Yoga, Karma Yoga, Jnana Yoga, Bhakti Yoga, and Hatha Yoga.Pandit Usharbudh Arya (1985). The philosophy of hatha yoga. Himalayan Institute Press; 2nd ed.Sri Swami Rama (2008) The royal path: Practical lessons on yoga. Himalayan Institute Press; New Ed edition.Swami Prabhavananda (Translator), Christopher Isherwood (Translator), Patanjali (Author). (1996). Vedanta Press; How to know god: The yoga aphorisms of Patanjali. New Ed edition. 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.Jacobsen, p. 4. Many other Hindu texts discuss aspects of yoga, including Upanishads, the Bhagavad Gita, the Hatha Yoga Pradipika, the Shiva Samhita and various Tantras.

The Sanskrit word yoga has many meanings,For a list of 38 meanings of the word "yoga" see: Apte, p. 788. and is derived from the Sanskrit root yuj, meaning "to control", "to yoke" or "to unite".For "yoga" as derived from the Sanskrit root "yuj" with meanings of "to control", "to yoke, or "to unite" see: Flood (1996), p. 94. Translations include "joining", "uniting", "union", "conjunction", and "means".For meaning 1. joining, uniting, and 2., union, junction, combination see: Apte, p. 788.For "mode, manner, means", see: Apte, p. 788, definition 5.For "expedient, means in general", see: Apte, p. 788, definition 13. Outside India, the term yoga'' is typically associated with Hatha Yoga and its asanas (postures) or as a form of exercise. Someone who practices yoga or follows the yoga philosophy is called a Yogi.American Heritage Dictionary: "Yogi, One who practices yoga." Websters: "Yogi, A follower of the yoga philosophy; an ascetic."