Yoga

By: Psyche

The word "yoga" means union. Linguistically, it is related to the Old English verb "to yoke." Traditionally, the purpose of practicing yoga is to attain union with the Absolute, known as Brahman, or with Atman, the True Self. These days the the focus is often on the more mundane benefits, including improved physical fitness, mental clarity, greater self-understanding, stress control and general well-being. Spirituality, however, is a strong underlying theme to most practices. It allows practitioners to focus on the physical, mental or spiritual, or a combination of all three.

Developed in India, Yoga is a discipline with roots going back about 5 000 years. Today, most Yoga practices in the West focus on physical postures called asanas, breathing exercises called pranayama, and meditation. However, there's more to it than that, and the deeper you go the richer and more diverse your knowledge of the tradition becomes.