Yoga, the wisdom gathered from the ancient sages of India has gained utmost importance in the modern world of stress and competition. Many people nurture a misconception that yoga means merely physical exercises. It is not true. The word yoga means union'- union with God'. Yoga is not merely a science-it is a way of living uniting the mind, body and the soul. The tranquility, serenity and peace of mind that one experiences after stepping into the path of yoga are too divine and subtle to be expressed in words. It gives one the anchor to sail in the tumultuous sea of life's tormenting experiences. It provides to its followers the right orientation to succeed in life. After practicing yoga, our outlook of life changes which brings about change in our relationships with others for the better.

Meditation and body postures are only one method of the science of yoga. Exercises come under a specific category of yoga named Rajayoga'. The different types of yoga and how to reap their results are mentioned in the sacred book of Hindus The Bhagvad gita'. The four types of yoga are namely raja yoga, bhakti yoga, karma yoga and jnana yoga. The ultimate goal of all these methods is the same i.e., union with the ultimate source-the omnipotent, omniscient god. One following any of these four methods is definitely on the path of self-realization. We are aware of the fact that self-realization is the main objective if all the religions in the world. When one realizes one's self, then all the worries, mysteries and queries of this mundane world are wiped away from our mind .A sense of calmness of the wide sea fills our inner world. Life suddenly begins to smile at us. We begin to discover the so far unexplored beauty of life. A smile symbolizing the beauty of our soul will linger in our face forever. The positive energy that we spread across our family; friends and colleagues will be a welcome change.

Now let us have a glance into the most popular method of yoga raja yoga. It can be practiced only in the presence of a well experienced guru (teacher).If one learns this method from books than from a guru, it will be dangerous and will not give the desired results. Only an authentic guru can guide a seeker in his quest for truth and direct him in his meditations.

Bhakti yoga is another method of yoga that helps to bring the universal consciousness into our limited consciousness. Here no rigorous methods of training as in raja yoga are practiced. It is the yoga

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