The term “Yoga” is obtained from the Sanskrit origin yuj, "to yoke", “to control", or "to unite". General meanings include “uniting” or “joining”, and some related ideas like “conjunction” and “union”. And added conceptual definition of yoga is that of “expedient, means in general” or “mode, manner, means”.

Yoga is an immense collection of spiritual practices and techniques all designed at integrating body, mind, and spirit and reaching a state of oneness or enlightenment with the universe. In the West, what is usually thought of as “yoga” is the Hatha Yoga which is just one of the several paths of yoga. These diverse paths of yoga are merely different techniques and approaches all directed to the same target of enlightenment and unification. Yoga should not be regarded as a religion since it is only a Sadhana or a spiritual practice which does not entail any specific belief structure to participate. The philosophies governing yoga can be incorporated in whichever belief system since they are universal.

 
The history of yoga comes from many places of uncertainty and obscurity because of its verbal transmission of holy texts and the enigmatic nature of teachings. In the olden ages, yoga’s writings were recorded on flimsy palm leaves which are easily destroyed, damaged, or lost. Yoga is said to be developed over 5,000 years back. Basing on the periods of development and innovation, yoga’s long history may be separated into four major periods.

 
Dating back to the Pre-classical period, yoga was initially developed in Northern India by the Indus-Sarasvati people more than 5,000 years ago. The term yoga was first brought up in the Rig Veda, the oldest sacred texts. The Vedas were used by the Vedic priests who were Brahmans. These texts contained rituals and songs. Slowly, yoga was brought to development by the Vedic priests who attested their beliefs and practices in the Upanishads, a vast work holding over 200 scriptures.  Bhagavad-Gîtâ, is the most distinguished amongst these Yogic scriptures. It is composed of approximately 500 B.E.C. The Upanishads got from the Vedas the thought of ritual sacrifice and internalized it, training the sacrifice of oneself through action (karma yoga), self-knowledge, and wisdom (jnana yoga).

 
In the Classical period, Patanjali’s Yoga-Sûtras was the first methodical presentation of yoga. This text was written in the second century and describes the path of the “classical yoga” or Raja Yoga.  Patanjali structured the practice of yoga into a renowned “eight limbed path’ which contains the steps and stages to obtaining enlightenment or Samadhi. Patanjali is frequently regarded as the father of yoga. His Yoga-Sûtras continue to influence strongly all the modern yoga styles.

Yoga masters formed a system of practices intended to invigorate the body and to prolong life in the Post-classical period. They discarded the teachings of the olden Vedas and held close the physical body as the way to attain enlightenment. With essential techniques to cleanse the mind and body to split the knots that attach us to our physical existence, they developed Tantra Yoga. Hatha Yoha was then created because of this exploration on the physical-spiritual connections as well as body centered practices.

During the Modern period, some time from the late 1800’s to early 1900’s, the yoga masters started their voyage to the west, drawing attention and followers. Hatha Yoga was strongly endorsed in India in 1920’s with the lifetime work of T. Krishnamacharya. He traveled throughout India giving exhibitions of yoga poses and eventually opened the earliest Hatha Yoga School. He managed to produce three well-trained students who could carry on his legacy and increase attractiveness of Hatha Yoga: T.K.V. Desikachar, Pattabhi Jois, and B.K.S. Iyengar.

As yoga continues to gain increasing popularity and followers, different techniques are also developed which all lead to the same goal, the unification of mind-body-spirit. These well-recognized yoga techniques are Karma Yoga (or the manner of right action, serving with no stimulus of attaining the results of labor), Jnana Yoga (or the way of knowledge, learning God and trying to distinguish illusion from the reality that God is everything), Bhakti Yoga (or the way of devotion, attachment to a supreme being engrossing the emotions and personality in pure love), Raja Yoga (or the path of meditation, managing the mind from drifting and attaining mastery over thought), Kundalini Yoga (or the path of energy, exciting the energy kept in the charkas by breathing and movement),  Tantric Yoga (or the feminine path, adoring the goddess energy as well as regarding the body as the shrine of the divine), and Hatha Yoga (or the physical path, utilizing the body through pranayama and asana to direct the mind and senses.

Apart from harmonizing the mind and body which results in genuine quantum benefits, yoga also enables people to pull off extraordinary physical feats. It has its very effective ways on increasing flexibility, escalating lubrication of the joints, tendons, and ligaments, complete detoxification, massaging of each and every organ of the body, and exceptional toning of the body.

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