yoga

or Yo·ga

[ yoh-guh ]

/ ˈyoʊ gə /

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noun

a school of Hindu philosophy advocating and prescribing a course of physical and mental disciplines for attaining liberation from the material world and union of the self with the Supreme Being or ultimate principle.

any or all of the methods or disciplines prescribed in the Hindu philosophical school of yoga, especially a series of postures and breathing exercises practiced to achieve tranquility, control of the body and mind, etc.

union of the self with the Supreme Being or ultimate principle.

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Origin of yoga

First recorded in 1780–90 from Sanskrit: literally, “act of yoking or joining; yoked team; employment”; see origin at yoke¹

OTHER WORDS FROM yoga

yo·gic

[yoh-gik], /ˈyoʊ gɪk/, adjectiveyo·gism, noun

Words nearby yoga

yocto-, yoctosecond, yod, yodel, yodle, yoga, yoga pants, yogh, yogi, yogini, yogurt

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use yoga in a sentence

That’s when I pull out the yoga mat or these other essentials to help me regain focus to finish the workday.
5 Pieces of Gear That Help Me Stay Active During Winter|Jakob Schiller|February 11, 2021|Outside Online
There are 1 million Peloton subscribers and another 2 million who use the Peloton app, which offers classes in running as well as yoga, strength and stretching.
Peloton makes toning your glutes feel spiritual. But should Jesus be part of the experience?|Michelle Boorstein|February 5, 2021|Washington Post
Modern conspiracy movements such as QAnon, are thriving in church groups and yoga classes.
A brutal, isolating year leads to baffling battles between good and evil|Philip Bump|February 4, 2021|Washington Post
He took up yoga and liked it so much that he soon began teaching.
Meet the police chief turned yoga instructor prodding wealthy suburbanites to civil war|Radley Balko|January 27, 2021|Washington Post

Use it to get perfect lighting for your YouTube yoga class, photos of your new puppy, or lifehack tutorials.
Ring lights that will make your selfies pop|PopSci Commerce Team|January 6, 2021|Popular-Science
For a while yoga and pilates classes were sought out at luxury gyms like Equinox.
How Taryn Toomey’s ‘The Class’ Became New York’s Latest Fitness Craze|Lizzie Crocker|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
She completed a yoga teacher-training program and, in the spring of 2008, went on a retreat in Peru to study with shamans.
How Taryn Toomey’s ‘The Class’ Became New York’s Latest Fitness Craze|Lizzie Crocker|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Back in New York, the slow pace and inward focus of her yoga practice was less fulfilling.
How Taryn Toomey’s ‘The Class’ Became New York’s Latest Fitness Craze|Lizzie Crocker|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Alison, meanwhile, had gone to a yoga retreat with her hippy-dippy mother.
What On Earth Is ‘The Affair’ About? Season One’s Baffling Finale|Tim Teeman|December 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“I would go with yoga, light weight training or some elliptical,” he says.
5 Hangover Cures to Save You After a Few Too Many|DailyBurn|December 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
You will simply lose the right to deny Yoga-Vidya, the great ancient science of my country.
From the Caves and Jungles of Hindostan|Helena Pretrovna Blavatsky
Movement increases the exhaled carbonic acid, and so the Yoga practice prescribes avoidance of movement.
From the Caves and Jungles of Hindostan|Helena Pretrovna Blavatsky
A form of Yoga that is said to consist in the mingling of some of the air supposed to exist in every animal body.
Mahabharata of Krishna-Dwaipayana Vyasa Bk. 3 Pt. 1|Krishna-Dwaipayana Vyasa
He adds minute instructions on the technique of penance and ends with some definitions of the yoga of devotion.
The Loves of Krishna in Indian Painting and Poetry|W. G. Archer
He became the favored disciple of a priest who taught him the mystic doctrines of the Yoga.
The Religions of Japan|William Elliot Griffis

British Dictionary definitions for yoga

yoga

/ (ˈjəʊɡə) /

noun (often capital)

a Hindu system of philosophy aiming at the mystical union of the self with the Supreme Being in a state of complete awareness and tranquillity through certain physical and mental exercises

any method by which such awareness and tranquillity are attained, esp a course of related exercises and postures designed to promote physical and spiritual wellbeingSee Astanga yoga, Bikram yoga, hatha yoga, power yoga, raja yoga, Sivananda yoga

Derived forms of yoga

yogic (ˈjəʊɡɪk), adjective

Word Origin for yoga

C19: from Sanskrit: a yoking, union, from yunakti he yokes

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Cultural definitions for yoga

yoga

In Hinduism, a set of mental and physical exercises aimed at producing spiritual enlightenment.