An example of the modern schools of yoga is Hatha yoga. Hatha yoga lays emphasis on the disciplining of the body and the mind through the practice of asanas and pranayama. Around the world - and in Kerala, where yoga is a widespread practice - centres and practitioners teach Hatha yoga.

Hatha yoga itself was founded by the yogi Matsyendra. Matsyendra was a scholar of Hindu and Buddhist traditions and is credited as the author of the earliest texts surrounding the practice of Hatha yoga. Some scholars even argue that Hatha yoga was first described in Buddhist texts, even before the term “Hatha yoga” was coined.