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Definition: Yoga means "discipline" and comes from the Sanskrit root yuj, which means "to yoke." The basic idea is that you "yoke" yourself to some form of discipline - disciplined belief, disciplined action, disciplined devotion, etc.
Yoga is also a school of Indian philosophy, based upon the teachings attributed to Patanjali (4th or 5th century CE) and written down in the Yogasutras. This school is largely based upon the Samkhya school of thought, except that it focus on gaining insights through meditation rather then through rational thought. Another, more significant, difference is that Yoga posits the existence of a single purusa, or individual soul, which never becomes entangled in the cycle of samsara (rebriths).
The form of yoga known in the West, a system of mental and physical discipline aimed at giving a person greater control over their own body, even over autonomous functions, is really called hatha-yoga.
Hatha-yoga focuses upon correct postures, asanas, and specific breathing exercises which are used to control one's life-force and life-energy, known as prana. Supporters claim that the use of hatha-yoga improve's one health, fitness and spiritual powers.
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