Tag Archives: Paths of Yoga

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Looking at the Paths Together

This week we have looked at a variety of types of yoga. Here is an overview:

The four main paths of yoga are: 

Raja Yoga: (Hatha Yoga is a part of this) Characterized by the 8 limbs of yoga. Generally encompasses the practice of asanas (postures) with meditation to help the person become well-rounded, healthy, and to live and easeful and peaceful life. This is the yoga of Patanjali and includes hatha yoga, which is the usual form found outside of India.

Hatha Yoga means literally “sun and moon” yoga, and is directed toward the balancing of the mind, body, and spirit (outward and inward). This is the type of yoga that I practice and teach.

Jnana Yoga: The path of knowledge and intellect. This is the yoga of philosophy as a method for gaining true knowledge of what is.

Bhakti Yoga: The path of Religious dedication to ones own God. Total love and devotion are seen as the easiest path and the one to help reach true meaning in one’s life.

Karma Yoga: The path of selfless service. The giving and dedication of all ones actions to the benefit of others also means refraining from trying to be the beneficiary of ones own efforts. Allowing others to receive the fruits of ones actions.

There are other paths of yoga, but the scope of what those entail is too wide for me to share on this blog.

I suppose the most important thing to understand from this short study is that if you are taking a hatha yoga or most other types of yoga classes in the West, or outside of India, you most likely are engaging in the non-religious practices of the first four branches of raja yoga . You will likely be asked to move into postures that are designed to bring immense benefit to the body physically. At the same time you will be taught techniques that allow you to release tension in the mind and body.

Moving into the other paths of yoga (jnana, bhakti, karma) will not likely be a part of the yoga classes you encounter unless you seek out teachers who specifically practice them.

Tomorrow we look more closely at the elements of creating a home hatha yoga practice which is sure to help develop a sense of ease and connection between the mind, body and spirit.  Feel free to submit questions for me to address in the comments section or via email.

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Bhakti Yoga – The Path of Devotion/Emotion

Yes, yoga holds the emotions as another path. This is called Bhakti Yoga. Because the yoga tradition comes from Hinduism, there is no pressure to choose any particular deity as your object of devotion. There are plenty of people who are Christians, Jews and Muslims who find that yoga allows them to move more fully into their own religious tradition and yet practice their own religion fully. As we look into the paths of yoga that others practice, we can look for common ground and get a wider view of the world around us.

What does a Bhakti yogini experience? Total devotion to God, which is love. The practitioner completely surrenders all of life’s actions to the love of God and offers simple actions in daily life, as well as religious ceremonies to God. The writing of poetry and listening to spiritual music is also a part of this practice.

 

It is said that the path of Bhakti yoga is the easiest path to full realization, and should be considered seriously as a path the would benefit one through the purification of the emotions and actions through such consistent devotion and observance of one’s personal religious tradition. Bhakti is the tradition of realization through the practice of true love.

 

For more reading:

An excellent site with multiple pages concerning the practice of Bhakti yoga

http://www.thesecretsofyoga.com/Bhakti_Yoga.html

 

 

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Jnana Yoga – The Path of Understanding

Jnana yoga is a path of yoga specifically for those who are intellectually inclined. (But you might not find this path is for you just because you are an intellectual. Sometimes the paths we need challenge us in new and unforeseen ways.)  The jnana practitioner may have a strong faith (any faith) and a sincere love or devotion to their God. They may also be atheists or scientifically minded.  They may be kind people who are interested in providing service to those in need, or be interested in socially connecting with others. All of these aspects of the person may apply. However, the overwhelming movement of this person is toward knowing or understanding. They are always trying to “figure it out.” They may be so hooked on inquiry, trying to boil down the truth, that all the other aspects of their life get harnessed (yoked?) into this inquiry.

Jnana yoga (pronounced as “YAN- na”) is the yoga of inquiry of the self as a path to understanding. This path requires the student

1.do much studying of others’ and their own thoughts, and

2.spend much time in contemplation of those thoughts, to “check within the self” for the truth of those ideas

3. letting go of any false concepts and distractions that may hold the attention.

Jnana yogis and yoginis (male and female practitioners) practice by letting go of the emotional, social, and psychological attraction to the concepts they find in the mind, to allow the mind to become completely clear of all “pull” from the ideas that are outside their clear mind. Reason would be one key tool, but even reason can be held onto with emotional pull and a historical devotion.

There are three classical orders of thought that the jnana yogi would explore and work through in one’s own mind. Working from the third to the first:

3. Physical and material reality (what is real and what is not, separating the concepts and emotions from the “real”)

2. Abstract concepts and significance (how do we know what we know? What is there besides the physical reality, and how do we know?)

1. Non-duality, Oneness, The unity of all things (how to the parts make up the whole, how do I fit in with the reality that is known)

These are heavy concepts and the jnana yogini must be prepared to engage in this intense philosophical and thoughtful process. However, for those intellectuals who find the life of the mind is a way to the source and connection, jnana provides a rich and unique exploration without leaving the religious or non-religious beliefs and traditions you already have. Not for the faint of heart, the ability to look at the alternatives to one’s own beliefs allows the jnana yogini to renew-establish ones own trust and faith in God and/or the reality of the universe around us.

You may not want to choose jnana yoga as your path, even if you are intellectually minded, if you find your “mind wheels (citta vrttis)” turning too much. In other words, if you tend toward obsessive thoughts and do not find you “get anywhere” effectively, it is highly advisable that you seek a teacher to help you sort out whether you have the right disposition for this path, or need to look for a balancing yogic path to help you gain better clarity and peace of mind.

Yoga is the restraint of the mind-stuff, so we can live peaceful, useful and ease-filled lives. You do not have to feel the mind is shaky, disturbed, or restless to be “doing something.”

Tomorrow, check back for the next type of path. Do you love the life of the emotions? You may find something in it for you. 

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Paths and Forms of Yoga – Finding Your Way

If you have begun to look at yoga, you can easily find many different styles and paths of yoga. With all of the new vocabulary and so many different ways that people teach it, you may find it a little confusing to look through at first. How can you determine your own personal style/path and how you want to work with yoga to find the balance, ease, and structure that best suits you?

This week I will be sharing a variety of yoga paths. You may have heard of Hatha Yoga, Integral Yoga, Astanga Yoga, Hot Yoga (Bikram), Jivamukti Yoga, or Vinyasa Flow, etc… these are types of yoga which offer a variety of classes that you can take at yoga studios and gyms. This is not what I am talking about this week. A lot of that information is available elsewhere online and you will likely want to look up those you already have access to on your own, since this varies widely from town to town.

Did you know that there are a variety of paths in yoga, that you can use as a way to focus your own studies, movement, or general effort?

Not all yoga is movement. Not all movement is yoga.

In America, most people tend to experience yoga as a specific way to practice movements and bring the mind into harmony with those movements. This practice is called asana (poses or postures) and is one of the 8 limbs of astanga (meaning 8-limbed) yoga or Raja Yoga. Raja Yoga is “the king yoga” or then full service practice. It involves these 8 limbs:

1. Yama – Abstaining (from harm, stealing, grasping, etc…)

2. Niyama – Observances (personal care, to help others – purity, contentment, self study, etc…)

3. Asana – Physical Postures

4. Pranayama – Breathing to support mind/body/spirit connection

5. Pratyahara – Sense withdrawal

6. Dharana- Concentration

7. Dhyana – Deep Meditation

8. Samadhi – Deep Contemplation (complete absorption)

 

These 8 limbs of raja yoga create a complete system for what Swami Satchidananda called “the path of concentration and meditation.”  It is meant to “unlock the key to health, happiness, peace, and joy. “

The last several weeks I have been covering the basics of yama and niyama, for those interested, in this blog. You can see a wide variety of ways to engage yourself  by clicking on the links to the right of this article.

The majority of classes in the United States provide basic education in asana and some pranayama. In my classes, I am sure to teach the yama and niyama as well. For those keen on moving into the last four areas of this form of yoga, speaking to your teacher (or calling me) is best. More advanced classes may teach these methods of working with meditation, but it is appropriate to let the teacher know you are interested in these forms.

Be sure to check back the rest of this week as we look into other paths of yoga. You may find that you prefer to work creatively, through devotion at your church or synagogue, perhaps you like to study and prefer the reading of books. You’ll be interested to find that yoga offers paths suited to your own type of mind and the way that you work in this world.  However, you will also discover that the path you think is for you may not be the one that is most productive.  I will be offering a quiz to allow you to find what path of yoga may suit you best. Be sure to link up with me during the upcoming free consultations, too, to get a more personalized introduction and assessment.