Choosing A Branch Of Yoga To Practice
Yoga is a discipline that trains and enriches the body, the mind and the spirit. The aim of yoga is to achieve a perfect balance between the three, resulting to a tranquil existence. Practitioners believe that yoga has positively transformed their physical and mental health, as well as cultivated their spiritual well-being.
While yoga has initially been a form of Asian exercise, it has become a widely observed discipline around the world. As it evolved through the years, the popular method of exercise has branched out into several different systems. One may curiously wonder if a type of yoga is superior to the rest. Fortunately, that is not the case. The systems of yoga produce the same results, their difference lies in their methods and practitioners. Here are two of the most practiced branches of yoga today.
Hatha Yoga
Perhaps the most popular of the yoga systems, Hatha Yoga stimulates the physical aspect of one's being. This is practiced by doing specific postures, called "asanas" and progressing to more advanced methods such as Pranayamas, Shatkarmas, Mudras and Bundhas. These practices enable a yogini to purify the body, mind and emotions.
Bhakti Yoga
A strong sense of faith and eternal devotion to God is an essential requirement in practicing Bhakti Yoga. Common practices of this discipline are meditation, chanting and repetition of a mantra. Bhakti Yoga aims to strip its practitioners of their ego and to surrender themselves to a Supreme Being, enabling them to form a relationship with God.
Each system of yoga is unique on its own. There is no "right way" or "better way" of doing yoga. Choosing a system of yoga all depends on the personality, lifestyle and values of the practitioner. The most important thing is that the body, mind and spirit are balanced and working as one through the practice of yoga.