Yoga is a sanskrit word for "union," in the sense of union with the Supreme Being. Most people think that yoga just involved stretching and flexibility exercises, but there is more to yoga than just these, yoga is more about creating balance in the body and mind. The different poses in yoga has specific physical benefits. The poses can be done quickly in succession creating heat in the body through movement or more slowly to increase stamina and perfect the alignment of the pose. Some of the yoga exercises are especially beneficial to health and are practiced by persons other than yogis (person who practices one or more kinds of yoga) for health reasons alone. However, some exercises involving a great deal of breathing control or extreme body positions can be dangerous for a beginner. Yogis warn against the practice of difficult exercises unless guided by a qualified guru (teacher).

Kinds of Yoga

• Hatha Yoga - is the discipline of breath and body control. This involves various breathing exercises in which the yogi believes he is inhaling not only air, but prana, a vital force that he considers himself to be using for the purpose of quieting his mind and body. A Yogi is seated in a lotus position (spine held straight and legs folded so that the right foot rests on the left thigh and the left foot on the right thigh). When you see a Hatha yoga class you will see a slow-paced stretching movement with simple breathing exercises and meditation. If you want to learn the basic yoga poses, relaxation techniques Hatha yoga is a good start.

• Bhakti Yoga - is the discipline of devotion, involves deep meditation. In this kind of yoga the guru (teacher) provides the disciple a Chosen Ideal (holy person) on which he is to meditate. He also provides a mantra (sacred phrase), which the disciple is to keep secret and repeat to himself constantly. The disciple's goal is to be able to go beyond the mind and use his heart to be filled with genuine devotion.

• Jnana Yoga - is the discipline of knowledge. The intellect serves as an instrument to discern between the real and the unreal. The real is that which is eternal and never changing, or Brahman(God); the unreal is that which exist for a time but changes or ceases to exist, such as the body and the objects of our senses. The goal of Jnana yoga is to withdraw the mind and emotions from seeing life and oneself in wrong way and attune the person to reality.
• Karma Yoga - is the discipline of right action and service to mankind, without thought of reward and without becoming attached emotionally to the results. Non-attachment to result brings freedom from sorrow and disappointments. The practice of Karma Yoga does not demand that you possess a great amount of wealth. You can serve with your mind and body. If you find a poor sick person lying on the road side, give him some food and water to drink or cheer him up with encouraging words.
• Raja Yoga includes the other yogas and is summarized under the eight "limbs," or aspects, of yoga as follows: self-control, control of thoughts, control of posture, breath control, withdrawal of the mind, concentration, meditation, and Samadhi. Self control involves the truth, continence, and refraining from stealing and harming others. Meditation is prolonged concentration on only one object, a process called "making samyama" on an object. By constantly making samyama on God, the yogi eventually attains Samadhi (higher level of concentrated meditation).