No. Yoga must not be taken for a religion. In yoga there is no difference between believers and non-believers. Basically the ultimate goal of yoga is to recover total freedom. It is a 'recovery' because according to yoga all people are created equal in the universe (or in God). When we recover that equality, we are released from artificial social ranking and its pressure, and the restraints of our minds. Therefore mere yoga asceticism(practice) itself is also not the goal for true yogin.

What is "strange" postures? Perhaps what you find difficulty in doing is what you see as strange. All the yoga postures are very important to discipline our bodies and minds. And I see them as an art which only humans can perform on earth. Some postures are highly difficult, but the perfection of postures is not the means to measure yoga practice.

What is stress? Basically stress is a natural part of life, but it is a problem when it overwhelms us. We need some stimulation to avoid boredom, this is affirmative stress. Today most people suffer the tensions of modern culture and its systems. They are constantly urged to achieve more and more socially, at home, in school, and in their work. But is the sky the only thing in the world? There is the ground as well. Are human beings the only things living in the world? Nature exists here as well. Monitor yourself whether you are creating more stress for yourself than you desire. To the same situation, people react differently; some people find a way to take it easy while others feel more stress. This difference arises from an unbalance in the energy circulation between the inside and the outside of the body.

People want to achieve in life. Because they believe that their social success will insure more weath, more fame and comfort in their old age. How much time, money and effort do you invest in this kind of achievement? And what do you do for your health? For what reasons do you work? In order to make your living? Nevertheless if that work hurts you, can you still say it is worth it? Many people solve simple problems in an overly complicated way. Where does the problem arise? You have to think over where the origin of your stress is. Every problem, whether it seems big or not, meaningful or not, has its solution and its own reason for occuring. Therefore meet your problem with delight. And trust yourself to have the capability to survive no matter how difficult the situation. Such a faith is essential to find a path through the difficulties in life. And perform the following; Examine yourself at least once a day. Take a full rest evem just a while. Have a time to leave yourself alone absolutely. Maintain positive, expansive thoughts. And nurture an ability to appreciate small achievements.

Today Hatha-yoga(Yinyang-yoga), Raja-yoga, Bhakti-yoga, Kriya-yoga and Karma-yoga are spread widely in the world. If you want to study genuine yoga, you should perform and experience Yinyang-yoga at first, which is for physical discipline and health, and then Raja-yoga, which is for mental health and meditation, and the third is Kriya-yoga, which is a method for purification inside the body. In city life, for instance, students and workers have lots of physical problems because they are sitting for a long time. Especially the lower part of the body becomes weak inevitably and people hurt their waists, knee joints or ankles more often than not. And some people are suffering from sickness of the heart or digestion problems. Yinyang yoga can be the best protection for such people. It is very good to practice pranayama(breath control) in addition to relieve mental stress.

This question is a form of comparison or dualism, which is very far from the idea of yoga. Every individual has his/her own personality and even twins are different. So we should consider of the individuality. However yoga must not be taken for a kind of sports. Yoga has its history as long as that of human beings and it has become an important part of their lives. If you take exercises such as golf or jogging on the basis of yoga, you can enjoy them more efficiently and safely, because yoga makes your body balanced enough to avoid any danger of wound. In yoga, to make balance of the body is the most important thing for health.

If you do asanas(postures), you will experience recovery of poise, flexibility and softness of skin. Also, weight is controlled properly. But if you target only the weight, you should go on a yoga diet in small quantities.

Natural remarks even though each person is different. Can you live your whole life with only one meal? Don't be obsessed with yoga practice and make yourself bounded by yoga itself. However you really need moderation and rules to a degree untill you make yoga a part of your life. Only after yoga practice becomes a part of life will health and happiness come to you.

Before sunrise and the time of sunset are the best. But that may be impossible for workers in the city. So we should practice the next best time, which is in your spare time. Most important is to practice at a regular time.

Stop your posturing and take a deep and long breath. Gernerally speaking the beginner whose body is stiffened has difficulty in harmonizing his/her breath with the posture. And the disharmony usually brings fatigue to his/her body.