Yoga is made up of many types of disciplines that seek to bring people out of their own, material lives and into a state of harmony with a Supreme Being. The various types of yoga do not have a strict way of achieving the goals. The different guidelines of each type of yoga are to achieve the specific goals of that type. Some types exist to help the practitioner seek truth, intelligence or to calm themselves through meditation. Some yoga types are modified, Western versions of Hindu rituals, while some have remained more or less intact. Some types of yoga start by reciting a mantra, some with poses called asanas, and others begin with practiced breathing exercises.

Easy and relaxing, hatha yoga remains a popular type of yoga in the United States. Hatha is practiced by sitting quietly in a relaxed state before beginning the various poses. Gentle stretching is the hatha method for achieving goals. Bhakti yoga is about achieving deeper love. The main objective is to express love for God. Bhakti yoga practitioners visualize the Supreme Being close to them. In bhakti yoga, the Supreme Being receives constant feelings of love from the practitioner.

Serving humanity through selfless acts is the principle of karma yoga. To accomplish this, the practitioner seeks out selfless behavior that does not bestow any reward. Positive actions are drawn to the karma yoga practitioner by their positive acts. It is one of the most popular forms of yoga in the Hindu world. A mantra is repeated many times in mantra yoga in order to gain stillness. A deep meditative state is achieved after stillness comes. The goal of the meditation is to achieve a larger sense of consciousness.

Jnana yoga practitioners seek out a higher level of knowledge. Leaving behind the emotions and conscious thoughts is the path to jnana yoga enlightenment. Kundalini yoga strengthens the connection that exists between the mind and the body. A part of kundalini yoga is using sexual experiences in order to strengthen the bond. Physical touch is used as a means to connect the body and the emotions. Improving a future lifetime was once the goal of purna yoga. The current focus of purna yoga is on this life and its spirituality. Through diet, mediation and poses, purna yoga brings enlightenment. Seeking a larger spirituality, purna practitioners seek to love themselves.

Raja yoga is often called classical yoga. This type of yoga is used to achieve a higher mental and physical harmony. Holistic healing through raja yoga is done through making life peaceful and satisfying for the practitioner. By focusing on the mind, the raja practitioner can use poses and meditation to seek harmony.

The Glycemic Index Diet, also known as the GI Diet, is a diet that centers on ranking carbohydrates for their effect on the body’s level of glucose. Dr. David Jenkins developed the diet to assist patients with diabetes. This diet is helpful for diabetic patients who need to control their blood sugar instead of eating things that cause rapid changes in blood sugar.

The foods are rated to show how their carbohydrates will break down while being digested. The resulting number lets the dieter know that the carbs will release glucose quickly into the blood. Foods that have been given a high GI number will cause a faster release of blood sugar, while low GI foods will cause a slower release. Glucose itself has the top rating of 100. Zero is the lowest rated food, and foods that are more similar to glucose are given a higher rating. Low GI ratings are 55 and less. Rankings of 56 to 69 are medium GI foods. Foods with a rating of 70 or more are high GI foods.

To keep the blood sugar levels stable, the goal of the GI Diet is to eat mostly low GI foods. Less insulin will then have to be made. Foods with a lower GI number will also give the dieter a steadier energy source, instead of providing a quick energy boost that makes the dieter hungry later. By eating foods with a low GI ranking, energy levels will be steady and hunger will be kept at bay. Eating foods with a high GI number provides energy rapidly, but it’s not energy that lasts. By keeping the glucose levels in the blood even, dieters can lose weight by avoiding cravings.

Another tenet of the GI Diet is to cut down on fat. Some low GI foods have a fat content that is too high. The GI Diet does not allow those foods. The dieter on the GI Diet can lose 1 to 2 pounds each week by eating the recommended foods. The GI Diet causes the steady weight loss that doctors recommend as being the healthiest type of weight loss.

The risk of heart disease and diabetes is lessened by the GI Diet, as shown in several studies. The diet is recommended by the American Diabetes Association because of the lowered diabetes risk. Nutritionists, as well as doctors, support this diet because it allows a steady weight loss and an improvement in patients’ overall health. The key to the diet is staying on it for the long term and following a GI Diet meal plan. Most meals outside the GI Diet have both high and low glycemic index foods, which can make it hard to figure out that the overall ranking is for that meal. The GI number of any meal can be assessed more easily when the meal is made up of low GI foods. With an effective meal plan, energy levels, and weight loss, are sustainable long term.