The Five Best-Known Yoga Types Practiced Today

The Five Best-Known Yoga Types Practiced Today

If your quest for fitness has taken you down many different paths with limited success --if jogging, weight rooms, treadmills and the pool just have not served your purpose, take a look at yoga!

With the practice of yoga, not only are you striving towards physical well being, you are benefiting from spiritual well-being as well..for the same effort.

Traditionally, yoga consists of eight fundamental paths: Karma Yoga, Bhakti Yoga, Jnana Yoga, Hatha Yoga, Purna Yoga, Tantra Yoga, Maha Yoga and Ashtanga or Raja Yoga.

In the western world, the term yoga usually is taken to mean Hatha yoga and its postures, movements, and breathing techniques, as this is the style most often seen and practiced in the West and around the world.

Yoga is a very diverse practice, no matter which school you choose. People young and old can gain many benefits from regular yoga practices, and asanas can be adjusted to fit physical limitations and other complications.

To aid your research, listed below are the five most common yoga practices known today. Keep in mind that there are scores of other yoga styles that have developed over the years to target special results with their special techniques.

Indeed, yoga continues to expand yet today. It is, indeed, a 'living' discipline with roots extending back to our ancient ancestors thousands of years ago.

HATHA: This is the most popular variety of yoga and one that has been commonly taught for years. So what is yoga for them? Practioners of Hatha Yoga aim to perfect the mind through perfection of the physical body.

Hatha yoga utilizes many poses and postures, breathing techniques and meditative exercises to achieve their goals. It is a gentle form of yoga. The well-known 'lotus pose' is a mainstay of this yoga style.

ASHTANGA: Astanga yoga is popular among those who prefer a faster, aerobic pace in pursuit of their goals. Astanga yoga poses are executed much more rapidly, aiming for smooth transitions, and designed to make you sweat more heavily -- all part of the improvement process.

This type of yoga is best for those already more fit and can be popular with athletes.

KUNDALINI: This school of yoga focuses on awakening what is known as 'kundalini energy'. Kundalini energy is most easily compared to life energy that lies dormant in our bodies. It is commonly represented by a coiled snake.

MANTRA: Mantra yoga seeks to calm the mind and body through the use of words and sounds. The well known 'om' chant is commonly heard in this school of yoga practice.

TANTRA: This type of school is well known for its focus on sexual spirituality.They also focus on kundalini energy, although their intent for awakening it is much different from the Kundalini practice.

Tantric yoga today is said in some circles to be a major deviation from its original practice. The focus upon sexual technique was not necessarily intended by the original yogis; the 'union of 'male and female' is said to be misinterpreted. The "union" was intended to be a connection of 'male and female' within each person.

Nonetheless..adherents of this style of yoga find their healing through practice of these tenets, through liberation of energy on a different plane than other styles of yoga.

The ultimate goal of yoga is the attainment of liberation from worldly suffering and the cycle of birth and death. Yoga entails mastery over the body, mind, and emotional self, and transcendence of desire. It is said to lead gradually to knowledge of the true nature of reality.

Amazing benefits await you in your yoga practice. Accepting the gift of wisdom and understanding of the integrated influences of your mind, body and spirit may be the most important gift ever received.