Yoga therapy: 

This emerging field of practice uses yoga to address mental and physical problems while integrating body and mind. Practitioners work one-on-one or in group settings, assisting clients with yoga postures, sometimes combined with therapeutic verbal dialogue.  

Yoga is a Hindu spiritual and ascetic discipline, a part of which, including breath control, simple meditation, and the adoption of specific bodily postures, is widely practiced for health and relaxation.Yoga is both a body and mind therapy, bridging the two with a seamless and largely reproducible treatment that varies only minimally from one yoga master (those who teach yoga) to another.  Yoga is usually taught in classes with an instructor in front of the class, with the class parroting the movements of the instructor.  A thin mat is used for yoga and the feet are bare.  The yoga master frequently begins the class with a series of breathing exercises that accentuates the meditative component of yoga.  The classes are about an hour long and cost $3-10 each

A yogi is a male proficient in yoga while a female proficient is a yogini, although in America "yogi" is anyone proficient in yoga.  The term yoga means to "join together".  Yoga had its origins in the Indus-Sarasvati culture in Northern India 5000 years ago.  The yoga sutra is a collection of principles of yoga that were collected 2,000 years ago in 195 statements, and has served as the guide for yoga since that time. 

​

The Yoga Sutra divides yoga into its 8 principle elements: It also outlines eight limbs of yoga: the yamas (restraints), niyamas(observances), asana (postures), pranayama (breathing), pratyahara (withdrawal of senses), dharana (concentration), dhyani (meditation), and samadhi (absorption).

Hatha yoga is one of the types of yoga practiced, and means willful or forceful. 

Hatha yoga- refers to a set of physical exercises (known as asanas or postures), and sequences of asanas, designed to align your skin, muscles, and bones. The postures are also designed to open the many channels of the body—especially the main channel, the spine—so that energy can flow freely.

Karma Yoga — selfless service to others as part of one's larger Self, without attachment to the results; and the performance of all actions with the consciousness of God as the Doer.

Mantra Yoga — centering the consciousness within through japa, or the repetition of certain universal root-word sounds representing a particular aspect of Spirit.
Bhakti Yoga — all-surrendering devotion through which one strives to see and love the divinity in every creature and in everything, thus maintaining an unceasing worship.

Jnana (Gyana) Yoga — the path of wisdom, which emphasizes the application of discriminative intelligence to achieve spiritual liberation.

Raja Yoga — the royal or highest path of Yoga, immortalized by Bhagavan Krishna in the Bhagavad Gita and formally systematized in the second century B.C. by the Indian sage Patanjali, which combines the essence of all the other paths.

Om is a vibrational chant at the beginning and end of the yoga sessions that places your vibrations in sync with that of the universe.  Many practicing yoga are vegetarians but it is not absolutely necessary.  The first principle of yoga is called "ahimsa" which means bringing no harm to one's self or to others.  Many interpret this to mean not killing animals for food. 

Yoga has significant medical study demonstrating benefits in pain reduction and mental health and is therefore strongly recommended as a lifestyle and exercise.

 

There is moderate evidence yoga is beneficial in low back pain (Ann Intern Med. 2017 Apr 4;166(7):493-505). Hatha Yoga for osteoarthritis of the knee demonstrated significant improvement for pain relief (Grade B) and physical function (Grade C+) (Clin Rehabil. 2017 May;31(5):582-595).  Yoga has been shown to be effective in the treatment of PTSD (low level evidence Clin Psychol Rev. 2017 Dec;58:115-124.), chronic neck pain (moderate evidence of short term effect Clin Rehabil. 2017 Nov;31(11):1457-1465).  Yoga asanas are associated with reduced evening cortisol, waking cortisol, ambulatory systolic blood pressure, resting heart rate, high frequency heart rate variability, fasting blood glucose, cholesterol and low density lipoprotein, compared to active control (Psychoneuroendocrinology. 2017 Dec;86:152-168).   Yoga improves fasting blood sugar and HgA1C in diabetic patients (Prev Med. 2017 Dec;105:116-126).  Those practicing yoga have an increased incidence of muscle sprains and strains, with a 22% chance during a yoga session, and a 4.6% persistent prevalence during a one year period.  Yoga causes a 72% increase in meniscus injuries to the knees. J Sci Med Sport. 2018 Feb;21(2):147-154