In this country, we most often encounter hatha yoga, the physical form of yoga, which is promoted as a healthful exercise, a way to reduce stress, and a means of limbering up the body. It is taught at YMCA's, community centers, churches, schools and in hospital health classes. Often breathing and relaxation techniques are incorporated. If the teacher does not mention any religious or spiritual ideas, the students accept yoga purely on a physical level. The word yoga derives from a lose translation of a Sanskrit term meaning to yoke or to unite.
Hatha yoga uses various postures called asanas.
Many asanas are based on postures that honor Hindu deities who manifest themselves in forms such as the sun, the tiger, the tree, the snake, etc. Probably more than anyone else, Iyengar and Hittleman are responsible for the way yoga is taught in the U.S. today and for its popularity. Based on their own statements and beliefs, one can see they would be the first to deny that one could separate yoga from its Hindu source. The breathing techniques, pranayama, taught along with yoga are based not on physical laws, but on the spiritual idea of prana. Prana is, in Hinduism, the divine breath of life, infused throughout the universe.