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Definitions of Yoga   |   Hatha Yoga  |  Ashtanga Vinyasa |  Simple Tips for a Great Body |

• Hindu discipline aimed at training the consciousness for a state of perfect spiritual insight and tranquility that is achieved through the three ...
• a system of exercises practiced as part of the Hindu discipline to promote control of the body and mind
  

Yoga is a healing system of theory and practice. It is a combination of breathing exercises, physical postures, and meditation that has been practiced for more than 5,000 years.

While yoga evolved as a spiritual paractice in Hinduism, in the Western world, a part of yoga, known as Asana, has grown popular as a form of purely physical exercise. Some Western forms have little or nothing to do with Hinduism or spirituality, but are simply a way of keeping fit and healthy.

Yoga was introduced to American society in the late 19th century by Swami Vivekananda, the founder of the Vedanta Society. He believed that India has an abundance of spiritual wealth and that yoga is a method that could help those who were bound by the materialism of capitalist societies to achieve spiritual well-being.
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In The West, hatha yoga has become popular as a purely physical exercise regimen divorced of its original purpose.Currently, it is estimated that about 30 million Americans and about 5 million Europeans practice a form of hatha yoga. But it is still followed in a manner consistent with tradition throughout the Indian subcontinent. The traditional guru-student relationship that exists without sanction from organized institutions, and which gave rise to all the great yogis who made way into international consciousness in the 20th century, has been maintained in Indian, Nepalese and some Tibetan circles.

Traditional Hatha Yoga is a holistic yogic path, including moral disciplines, physical postures asanas, purification procedures shatkriyas, poses mudras, yogic breathing pranayamas and meditation. The Hatha yoga predominantly practised in the West consists of mostly asanas understood as physical exercises. It is also recognized as a stress-reducing practice.

Hatha Yoga is one of the two branches of Yoga that focuses on the physical culture, the other one being Raja Yoga. Both of these are commonly referred to as Sadanga Yoga, i.e., Yoga of six parts ('sad' meaning six and 'anga' meaning limbs). The six limbs are described below in detail. Svatmarama emphasizes many times in his Hathapradipika text that there is no Raja Yoga without Hatha Yoga and no Hatha Yoga without Raja Yoga. The main difference is that Raja Yoga uses asanas mainly to get the body ready for prolonged meditation, and hence focuses more on the meditative asana poses: Lotus Posture Padmasana, Accomplished Posture Siddhasana, Easy Posture Sukhasana and Pelvic Posture Vajrasana. Hatha Yoga utilizes not only meditative postures but also cultural postures. Similarly, Raja Yoga's use of Pranayama is also devoid of extensive locks Bandhas.

Hatha represents opposing energies: hot and cold (fire and water, following similar concept as yin-yang), male and female, positive and negative. Hatha yoga attempts to balance mind and body via physical postures or "asanas", purification practices, controlled breathing, and the calming of the mind through relaxation and meditation. Asanas teach poise, balance and strength and are practised to improve the body's physical health and clear the mind in preparation for meditation in the pursuit of enlightenment. However if an individual has too much phlegm or fat then purification procedures are a necessity before undertaking pranayama.

Ashtanga is the yoga of Patanjali, the compiler of the Yoga Sutras. It is composed of eight limbs: Yama and Niyama, which are ethical obligations; Asana; Pranayama, which is breath control; Pratyahara, which is sense withdrawal; Dharana, which is concentration; Dhyana, which is meditation; and Samadhi, which is the experience of unity with God.. The eight limbs are more precisely viewed as eight levels of progress, each level providing benefits in and of itself and also laying the foundation for the higher levels. Frequently Ashtanga Yoga of Patanjali is being confused with Raja Yoga, Patanjali nowhere in his sutras uses the term Raja Yoga.

Note: Hatha Yoga consists of six limbs focused on attaining Samadhi. In this scheme, the six limbs of Hatha Yoga are defined as Asana, Pranayama, Pratyahara, Dharana,  Dhyana, and  Samadhi. The basic text of Hatha Yoga is Hathapradipika by Svatmarama, a grand desciple of Sahajananda (from the lineage of Sopana, the younger brother of Jnaneshwar Maharaj of Alandi near Pune). An important part of hatha practices is awakening of Kundalini. The signs of success in hatha yoga are slenderness of the body, cheerful face, hearing mystical sound, bright eyes, sense of well-being, control over the bindu, increase in gastric fire and purification of the nadis.