Hatha yoga

The Sanskrit term "Hatha" is an umbrella term for all physical postures of yoga and the literal meaning of “Hatha” means force and since all the physical postures require force “Hatha” yoga is the basis for all the yoga postures. In the West, hatha yoga simply refers to all the other styles of yoga (Ashtanga, Iyengar, etc.) that are grounded in physical practice. However, there are other branches of yoga such as kriya, raja, and karma yoga that are separate from the physical-based yoga practice. Physical-based yoga is the most popular and has numerous styles.