__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Yoga (from Sanskrit. verbal root, meaning "discipline," ) Any number of physical or spiritual disciplines arising in India.  Many yogic paths exist and include work on the physical body as in Hatha Yoga, which uses breathing exercises and sustained physical postures to gain physical and mental control over the body. Descriptions of different Yoga styles Ashtanga Yoga Ashtanga Yoga and it's different variations, for the most part, aim at the fullest development of any one human faculty—the mind, emotions, life-force or the physical body. Such partial perfection is then allowed to spill over to one's entire being. Hatha Yoga The philosophy of Hatha Yoga attaches a lot of importance to the perfect physical form, believing it to be a way of attaining spiritual perfection. And to this end it takes the help of pranayama (breath-control exercises) and mudras (hand gestures) to attain self-realization. The origins of Hatha Yoga can be traced to Gorakhnath, the 12th-century founder of the Kanphata Yogis. The word 'hatha' is derived from the two root terms, 'ha' meaning 'the sun' and 'tha' meaning 'the moon'. Taken together, the term stands for 'union of force'. Hence, central to Hatha Yoga disciplines is the harmonizing of its positive (sun) and negative (moon) currents. It is the most popular form of yoga practiced in the West. This form of yoga consists of many different styles. The different styles of Hatha Yoga have common roots. The founders of three of the most popular styles, Ashtanga, Iyengar and Viniyoga were all students of Krishnamacharya, a famous teacher at the Yoga Institute at the Mysore Palace in India . This form of yoga brings together Pranayama and Meditation poses in its aim to promote positive energy and good health of the body.  Kundalini Yoga Kundalini Yoga concentrates on psychic centers or chakras in the body in order to generate a spiritual power, which is known as kundalini energy. Kundalini is the potential form of prana or life force, lying dormant in our bodies. It is conceptualized as a coiled up serpent (literally, 'kundalini' in Sanskrit is 'coiled up') lying at the base of our spine, which can spring awake when activated by spiritual disciplines. Kripalu Yoga Kripalu Yoga  is a meditative derivative of Hatha Yoga Viniyaga Vini Yoga roots from Sri. T. Krishnamacharya's practices, teacher of well-known contemporary masters K. Pattabhi Jois and B.K.S. Iyengar. Yogis practice modified poses to meet their specific needs. This style of yoga promotes healing and flexibility. Vinyasa Vinyasa is the liquid movement from one posture to another. The flowing, preparatory steps taken to reach a specific goal of asana practice. ================================================ Compiled from information at experiencefestival.com