yoga

yoga — noun

1. A form of physical activity that started in India, combining body positions, bre

1.nounA2
Definition

A form of physical activity that started in India, combining body positions, breathing control, and quiet concentration to improve health, relaxation, or mental focus.

Example

Esteban goes to a yoga class every Saturday morning to help him relax.

collocation: yoga class

Iris bought a new yoga mat for her beginners' course.

collocation: yoga mat

Common collocations
  • yoga class
  • yoga mat
  • yoga pose
  • yoga session
  • yoga instructor
  • yoga posture
Synonyms
  • Pilates

    a similar body-conditioning system but focused more on core strength and muscle control than on breath and meditation

  • tai chi

    a Chinese martial-art-based practice also combining slow movement and breathing, but with different origins and philosophy

  • stretching

    a simpler activity focused only on lengthening muscles, without the breathing or meditation component of yoga

Grammar Patterns

do yoga

practice yoga

yoga + noun (class, mat, pose)

Common Mistakes

I went to a yoga yesterday.
I did yoga yesterday.
yoga is uncountable and cannot follow 'a' directly.
I am going to yoga class.
I am going to a yoga class.
'yoga class' needs a determiner when used as a countable noun.

2. An ancient Indian system of thought and spiritual practice that teaches control

2.nounC1
Definition

An ancient Indian system of thought and spiritual practice that teaches control of the mind and body as a way to unite the individual self with a universal spirit or God, leading to liberation.

Example

Adina has studied the philosophy of yoga for over ten years.

collocation: philosophy of yoga

Diya spent a year at an Indian ashram, learning how classical yoga unites the self with the universal spirit.

formal register: classical yoga

Common collocations
  • yoga philosophy
  • classical yoga
  • yoga tradition
  • path of yoga
  • yoga sutras
Synonyms
  • meditation

    a component of yogic practice, but meditation alone is a narrower activity — it does not include the ethical and physical disciplines of the full yoga system

Grammar Patterns

the philosophy of yoga

the path of yoga

yoga as a spiritual discipline

Usage Note

This sense refers to the classical Indian philosophical system (often capitalized as Yoga), not to modern fitness classes. You are more likely to encounter this meaning in academic writing, religious studies, or discussions of Indian spirituality.

Word family

  • yogic
    adjectiveC1
  • yogi
    nounB2
  • yogini
    nounC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

While all four terms refer to body-and-mind practices, each has a different emphasis. Yoga combines physical postures, controlled breathing, and meditation into a single system rooted in Indian tradition. Pilates, developed in the early 20th century, focuses on core strength, alignment, and muscle control through mat or machine exercises — it lacks yoga's breathing and meditative dimensions. Tai chi, from Chinese martial arts, links extremely slow, flowing movements with deep breathing and is sometimes described as 'meditation in motion.' Stretching is the simplest of the four: it only aims to lengthen muscles and improve flexibility, without any breathing technique or spiritual component. Meditation is the narrowest — it is purely a mental practice of focused attention or awareness, without the physical postures of yoga. For example, someone who says 'I do yoga every morning' is likely doing postures and breathing together, whereas 'I meditate every morning' means sitting quietly with no body movement.

Pilatestai chistretchingmeditation ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • do yoga
  • practice yoga
  • take up yoga
  • go to yoga

Prepositions

Etymology

SanskritEnglish

Yoga comes from the Sanskrit word योग (yóga), which means 'yoking' or 'union' — a reference to the goal of joining the individual self with a greater spirit. The Sanskrit root युज् (yuj) means 'to join' or 'to unite,' and is related to the English word 'yoke.' The term entered English in the early 1800s as British scholars began translating Hindu texts.