Yoga is such a vast topic. It is not possible to explore all aspects in twenty six blog posts. The intention was also not to make in depth study of any aspect. The purpose was to give some idea about the vastness of the topic and break lots of myths associated with yoga.
At the cost of being repetitive it is once again worth emphasising that yoga is much more than body contortions. Anything that takes you towards the goal of Samadhi or the state of sthitaprajna is yoga. It can be by physical activities (hatha yoga), it can be by the use of a sharp intellect (jnana yoga), it can be by using emotions (bhakti yoga), it can be by doing your ordained duty without duty without being attached to the fruits of action (karma yoga) or by any other means. These are four major types of approaches to self realisation. Each of these can have multiple variations.
You need to stick to only one type of yoga with the exclusion of others. In fact it is recommended to combine various approach. They can complement each other. Of course emphasis can be given on one. In fact without right knowledge, or regular practice of bhakti or hatha yoga, it may be impossible for one to become a karma yogi. That is why Lord Krishna advises in Bhagavad Gita, “Do your ordained duty being established in yoga”. (yogastha kuru karmani sangastyaktwa dhananjaya. Srimad Bhagavad Gita 2:48). Same way those who are into Bhakti Yoga need knowledge to take them deeper in bhakti.
Over the years yoga has been over commercialised, particularly the hatha yoga. It has led to some weird and bizarre specialisation like beer yoga, nude yoga, hot yoga etc. In majority of the commercial studios the philosophical aspect of yoga is totally ignored. From my own experience I can assert that when the philosophical aspect is de-linked and yoga is promoted as a purely physical activity, it will be a temporary fad for the practitioner and the practitioner may not also reap the health benefits that come with the sincere practices of yoga along with the right mental attitude as advocated by the ancient masters of various traditions. In fact the right mental attitude will make you practice regularly with enthusiasm.
If you have been a fence sitter and after reading these posts you have been motivated to take up yoga, go right ahead and start. Don’t get disheartened by some of the serious stuff I have written about. As you practice, things will become automatically easier for you. If you are already into yoga, hope the posts will prod you to go deeper in your path. It may also help to avoid the pitfalls that are encountered on the path of yoga. In either case, your feedback will help me revise the posts. In case you want to know anything associated with yoga feel free to connect with me through my social media handles.
As I close this series, I must thank the Blogchatter team for continuing with this April A2Z blogging challenge. Over the last couple of years I have not been regular in writing. Due to some other projects needing my regular attention, I could not focus on writing regularly. This year I took up the challenge to break that habit of not writing regularly. Happy that I have kept up with the challenge.
Once again thanking team Blogchatter for creating such challenges.
This post is a part of Blogchatter A2Z Challenge 2026
This year my theme is – Yoga A2Z
PEBBLES AND WAVES 
Wow! What an in-depth post! I just do some basic moves together with deep breathing. My mother-in-law practiced at least an hour until she was well into her nineties. Needless to say, it kept her fit to a large extent.
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Nice to learn that your mother-in-was into yoga. Thanks for visiting the blog.
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