In the modern world, yoga is well known for its practice of body postures, poses and breathing practices. These are only a drop of the huge ocean named yoga. These are not the key parts of original yoga developed in India. Nowadays, yoga is mainly used as a fitness technique. Advanced practitioners and followers of yoga focus on its spiritual practices  like personal development, energetic purification and universal union. 

Philosophy of Yoga 

The first doctrine on yoga named “Yoga Sutra” written by Indian sage Patanjali described all the framework of yoga. It guides us on how to control the mind, emotional responses and spirituality.  People across the globe practise yoga for its numerous benefits. But a yoga devotee strives to live in an ongoing and progressively more joyous state of harmony. 

The word “Yoga” derived from the root word “yug” from the sanskrit language. The meaning of “yug” is “to unify”, “to connect”, “to join”and  “to synchronize”. So, yoga is the process to unify your body, mind, emotions and soul so that they can be in a harmonious state and work together for a specific objective.  The main purpose of yoga is to attune the body, mind and emotions with one another, and with the spiritual self. The real yoga practitioner constantly acquires this ongoing state of harmony which is an essential factor in becoming enlightened i.e. to achieve the highest state of consciousness. 

Should  A Common Person adopt a Yoga practice? 

Most of the people live life in a mental storm  like a hurricane. Normally, the human mind is to turbulent that the usual concentration span is only six second.  Thoughts against biases, superstitions, fantasies, doubts, unremitting memories, dreads and occasional frustration blankness numb the beauty of life. People are used to such thought and believe that this is normal. 

Some people are suffering deeply with emotional trauma and emotions like anger, jealousy, grief, fear and sadness. This takes away your peace, joy, relationship and love. 

The Solution is – Yoga

The physical and spiritual facet of yoga helps you to synchronize your body, mind, emotions and soul. Yoga practices are capable to release the tension and ravages of stress. It also removes the mental and emotional turbulences. The resultant well-being  is like a new birth and works miraculously. 

There are six branches of yoga based on their distinct set of processes and practices.  If you are looking to explore your higher consciousness, you must first examine your own qualities and choose yoga practice accordingly. The six prime branches of yoga are as follows: 

1. Hatha Yoga  – This is a prime branch of yoga and designed for body and mind. In current time, it is mainly practiced for health and vitality. It consists of  exercising, stretching, and relaxing the body. Yoga t gives you a healthy, long-lived physique which works like an inevitable tool for mind and soul. The practice of hatha yoga can help you to achieve clear-mindedness and a great level of concentration. Some yogis practise hatha yoga as their main process of their spiritual realization. Their healthy body and single-minded approach enables them to mediate with ease. 
2. Kundalini Yoga – Kundalini yoga is a distinct yoga although it is generally involves a combination of  raja, hatha, tantra, laya and mantra yoga. The prime goal of Kundalini yoga is to stimulate the spiritual energy that resides at the base of the spine ( kundalini). The energy rises up from the lower center at the bottom of the spine to the higher centers so the yogi can experience the higher levels of consciousness. 
3. Karma Yoga – Karma – to act or to do. Karma refers to the spiritual facet of universal principle of cause and effect. In karma yoga, the practitioner takes selfless actions to obtain inner peace. He or she can perform any kind of work without thinking of a personal reward or benefit. Through selflessness the practitioner may gain good karma and earn good effects in future. 
4. Bhakti Yoga – Bhakti yoga or devotional yoga is one of the most natural paths and many practitioners follow this type of yoga to  achieve fast results. It is a form of meditation and surrender which requires the complete devotion of self. The practitioner mediates by visualizing his connection with cosmic consciousness. The practitioners devote their  love, adoration with all of their body, mind, heart and soul. The aim is to gain the continual flow of awareness between devotee and supreme conscious. 
5. Jnana Yoga – Jnana yoga means the knowledge and wisdom phase of yoga. It is the path of knowledge, wisdom or discernment. This form of yoga develops the understanding that the practitioner is not the body, mind or  emotion. He or she is purely an aware and an integral part of supreme conscious. The form of yoga focuses on the realization of spiritual consciousness by taking the practitioner beyond the body, mind and emotions. 
6. Tantra Yoga –  The world “tantra” means expansion. This form of yoga focuses on the expansion of his consciousness to realize the ultimate reality of the universe and life. In this form of yoga, the practitioner practices the dynamic aspect of the universe i.e. Shakti i.e. the Cosmic Mother. This  leads him/her to attune with the dynamic energy and transform personal limitations.

To adopt the right stream of yoga, you need to consult with a certified yoga mentor or you can enroll yourself for quality Yoga teacher training program from a reputed Yoga School or Yoga Studio. At this place, you can definitely find a great yoga professional who can suggest you the right yoga stream for you.