Yoga

Yoga (Devanagari: योग) is one of the six schools of Hindu philosophy, focusing on meditation as a path to self-knowledge and liberation. Hindu texts establishing the basis for yoga include the Upanishads, the Bhagavad Gita, the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, the Hatha Yoga Pradipika and many others.[1][2] In India, Yoga is seen as a means to both physiological and spiritual mastery. Outside India, Yoga has become primarily associated with the practice of asanas (postures) of Hatha Yoga (see Yoga as exercise), although it has influenced the entire dharmic religions family and other spiritual practices throughout the world.[1] A committed practitioner of yoga is referred to as a yogi, yogin (masculine), or yogini (feminine).

The main branches of Yoga specificed in the Hindu texts, and generally accepted by both modern scholars and practitioners alike, include: Hatha Yoga, Karma Yoga, Jnana Yoga, Bhakti Yoga, Tantra Yoga, and Raja Yoga.