Yoga
Yoga is a general term for a wide range of mind-body exercises that combine breathing, movement, meditation and sometimes a sequence of sound to align, purify, and promote a healthy, flexible body. These combined physical/mental disciplines originated in India, and are often used in the West as a form of exercise. Yoga is also gaining considerable momentum as a way of life. Yoga practices can help clients attain a mind-body balance that promotes healing on all levels.
There are many types of yoga practices. For example, Raja Yoga focuses on the cultivation of the mind through meditation with a goal of achieving understanding and liberation. Hatha Yoga is considered a preparatory stage of physical purification that renders the body fit for the practice of higher meditation such as in Raja Yoga. Hatha Yoga is what most people in the West associate with the word 'Yoga' and is practiced for mental and physical health throughout the West.