The ultimate goal of Yoga is moksha (liberation) though the exact definition of what form this takes depends on the philosophical or theological system with which it is conjugated.
According to Jacobsen, "Yoga has five principal meanings:
Yoga as a disciplined method for attaining a goal;
Yoga as techniques of controlling the body and the mind;
Yoga as a name of one of the schools or systems of philosophy (darśana);
Yoga in connection with other words, such as "hatha-, mantra-, and laya-," referring to traditions specialising in particular techniques of yoga;
Yoga as the goal of Yoga practice."
According to David Gordon White, from the 5th century CE onward, the meanings of the term "yoga" became more or less fixed, but having various meanings: