The name yoga was coined out from the Sanskrit word yuj, which means to yoke or bind. This word is usually translated
to mean “union” or a means of
discipline. Yogi is the name given to a male who practices yoga, while the
female counterpart is called a yogini.
It is believed that the Indian sage Patanjali incorporated the yoga
practice into the Yoga Sutra since 2,000 years ago. The Sutra comprises 195
statements; this book serves as a philosophical instruction manual for most of
the yoga practiced nowadays. It also highlights eight limbs of yoga. As we
proceed to know more about these eight limbs, we will start to re-shape our
behaviors on the outside, and then we concentrate on the inside until we achieve
samadhi (freedom, enlightenment).
Most people who practice yoga nowadays are using the third limb called
asana. This is a program of physical postures intended to cleanse the body and
provide the bodily strength and vigor needed for sustained meditation.
