From the Proto Indo European root yeug, “to join”, which is also the ancestor of yoke, jugular, conjugate, subjugate, zygote, jostle, joust, adjust, juxtaposition, join, juncture, conjunct, and zeugma. Yeug came into Sanskrit as yoga, “union”, and then into Hindi. English borrowed the word in the early 1800s. What is commonly thought of as “yoga” in the West is only one of many yogas. These include:

• Hatha Yoga: what is usually thought of as “yoga”: “Union through the Sun and Moon”: a meditative practice centered around physical postures.
• Karma Yoga: “Union through action”: the discipline of attaining union by acting according to one’s duty, while remaining unattached to outcomes.
• Jnana Yoga: “Union through knowledge”: attaining union through thought and understanding.
• Bhakti Yoga: “Union through love”: attaining union through love of Spirit. Christianity may be described as a kind of Bhakti Yoga.
• Raja Yoga: “Royal union”: sometimes called Ashtanga Yoga, a path that emphasizes training the mind through meditation, although Hatha Yoga is frequently incorporated as part of the practice as well.

Yoga begins with affirmation, an energetic and expansive force that initiates a well-rounded, earthy energy (the practice itself), and results in a joining with the Source. (No wonder the word hasn’t changed its pronunciation in four thousand years…)

Thanks to Jessa for suggesting this word of the day!

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