Major Yoga Styles

Major yoga styles have for years been part and parcel of the meditation experience. The Hatha style yoga that dates back to the 15th century is primarily concerned with the purification of the body and preparation of the physical being to enable the mind and soul to soar as mediations become more strenuous and also prolonged. Of all the yoga styles it is this methodology that many appreciate the most, yet at this point in time not for the preparation for spiritual enlightenment but for the physical fitness aspects it offers.

If you are looking for something else from the major yoga styles, and if Hatha yoga is not to your liking, Jnana yoga with its focus on the spiritual disciplines in conjunction with the physical might appeal to you. For example, you will be able to practice the endurance portion of the six virtues laid out in the shad-sampat by increasingly more difficult physical exercises and demands, while at the same time working to practice the spiritual detachment that comes from that which is only considered to be of temporary or worldly value. Thus enabling you to exercise mind, body and soul, the major yoga styles are the springboard used by many to find the practice that most appeals to them.

Thus, it is not surprising that over the centuries different styles of yoga have sprung up that lay claim to any of the original forms as being a mother or father, but which then focused on one or more aspects while only tangentially dealing with the others. Ideally, the goal is to school one’s body and mind in one or two aspects of the major yoga styles and then proceed to the next, but in practice this very rarely happens anymore.

Yet just like in times past the major yoga styles have been a starting point, the same can be seen today. Lately, doggie style yoga was added to the plethora of practiced and accepted styles of yoga found in the United States. Man and his best friend have found a way to not only walk together but to also share physical and spiritual exercises with one another. Perhaps begun as a bit of a tongue in cheek activity, this kind of practice has found so much favor in the eyes of dog aficionados that classes are being offered by more and more animal shelters and also private parties; dog’s best friend will still do her or his exercises, but pooches benefit from receiving dog massages and even some gentle stretches that help the canines to stay limber and healthier. It is hard to tell who is having more fun, but considering the many contented dogs that are either napping away on their mats or being massages by their owners, it would appear that neither party has any complaints.