While the ultimate goal of yoga is to unify body, mind and soul, there are different ways to achieve this aim. These various ways constitute the different types of yoga. Yoga is broadly divided into eight types, namely Bhakti Yoga, Hatha Yoga, Jnana Yoga, Karma Yoga, Kundalini Yoga, Mantra Yoga, Bahiranga Yoga and Swara Yoga. Most of these kinds had been practiced in India since ages unknown. Certain factors, like, origin, history, style, technique and significance, differentiate one branch of yoga from the other. Through the development of one`s body, mind and psychic potencies, these ultimately lead to physical strength and further on to spiritual consciousness. Hence the final aim of all kinds of yoga is primarily the same: salvation. Most of the types of yoga also involve the usage of different poses or yoga asanas, meditation and breathing exercises or Pranayamas.
1)Bhakti Yoga or Yoga of Devotion
Bhakti Yoga is the path most followed in India. This is the path of the heart and devotion. Yogis who practice this branch sees the "One" or the Divine in everyone and everything. Bhakti Yoga teaches a person to have devotion to the "One" or to Brahma by developing a person's love and acceptance for all things.
One of the ancient branch of yoga is the Bhakti Yoga. As his apparent from its name, this type of yoga stresses on `bhakti` or love and devotion to the Almighty. Bhakti Yoga has its roots in the Bhagawad Gita. The individual performing this type of Yoga purely concentrates on the existence of Almighty. The practitioner learns to show love, compassion to the creatures co-existing with him/her, apart from intensely worshipping the Lord. Bhakti Yoga can be practiced in a number of ways, like praising the God by singing, reading religious books, chanting slogans, listening to prayers and by watching religious movies. There are nine forms of Bhakti yoga, namely Sravana (hearing about God); Archana (worship of God); Kirtana (singing of the glory of God); Sakhya (cultivation of the friend-Bhava); Smarana (remembering God`s name and presence); Vandana (prostration); Padasevana (service of God): Dasya (cultivating the Bhava of a servant); and Atmanivedana (surrender of the self).
2)Raja Yoga or Yoga of Self-Control
Raja means "royal". This path is considered to be the King of Yoga and this may be due to the fact that most of its practitioners are members of religious and spiritual orders. Raja Yoga is based on the teachings of the Eight Limbs of Yoga found in the Yoga sutras. A Raja Yogi sees the self as central, and as such, respect to oneself and for all creation are vital to this path. They achieve self-respect by first learning to be masters of themselves.
If you wish to learn discipline, then Raja Yoga would perfectly suit that need.
Bhakti Yoga is the path most followed in India. This is the path of the heart and devotion. Yogis who practice this branch sees the "One" or the Divine in everyone and everything. Bhakti Yoga teaches a person to have devotion to the "One" or to Brahma by developing a person's love and acceptance for all things.
One of the ancient branch of yoga is the Bhakti Yoga. As his apparent from its name, this type of yoga stresses on `bhakti` or love and devotion to the Almighty. Bhakti Yoga has its roots in the Bhagawad Gita. The individual performing this type of Yoga purely concentrates on the existence of Almighty. The practitioner learns to show love, compassion to the creatures co-existing with him/her, apart from intensely worshipping the Lord. Bhakti Yoga can be practiced in a number of ways, like praising the God by singing, reading religious books, chanting slogans, listening to prayers and by watching religious movies. There are nine forms of Bhakti yoga, namely Sravana (hearing about God); Archana (worship of God); Kirtana (singing of the glory of God); Sakhya (cultivation of the friend-Bhava); Smarana (remembering God`s name and presence); Vandana (prostration); Padasevana (service of God): Dasya (cultivating the Bhava of a servant); and Atmanivedana (surrender of the self).
2)Raja Yoga or Yoga of Self-Control
Raja means "royal". This path is considered to be the King of Yoga and this may be due to the fact that most of its practitioners are members of religious and spiritual orders. Raja Yoga is based on the teachings of the Eight Limbs of Yoga found in the Yoga sutras. A Raja Yogi sees the self as central, and as such, respect to oneself and for all creation are vital to this path. They achieve self-respect by first learning to be masters of themselves.
If you wish to learn discipline, then Raja Yoga would perfectly suit that need.
3)Jnana Yoga or Yoga of the Mind
Jnana Yoga is the path of Yoga that basically deals with the mind, and as such, it focuses on man's intelligence. Jnana Yogis consider wisdom and intellect as important and they aim to unify the two to surpass limitations. Since they wish to gain knowledge, they are open to other philosophies and religion for they believe that an open and rational mind is crucial in knowing the spirit.
Jnana (Gnana) yoga is another type of yoga in India that has been mentioned in Bhagawad Gita. Krishna emphasised the significance of jnana or knowledge stating that it enables an individual to comprehend his own self and his activities. However it was developed to its present form by Adi Shankara. Jnana Yoga, thus, is the Yoga of true knowledge and aims to detach the person from all the temporal things of the life. The person practicing it attains tranquility, control over his/her mind, sense, faith, ability for concentration and the endurance to withstand the play of opposites by Mother Nature. By practicing Jnana Yoga, the individual can also exercise self control and remains focused in his work.
4)Karma Yoga or Yoga of Service
Karma Yoga is the path of service for in this path, it is believed that your present situation is based on your past actions. So by doing selfless service now, you are choosing a future that is free from negativity and selfishness. Karma Yogis change their attitude towards the good and in the process, change their souls, which leads to a change in their destiny.
Karma in Sanskrit means action. This, too, is an ancient type of yoga that has been derived from the teachings of Lord Krishna compiled in Bhagawad Gita. Karma yoga, thus, emphasises on unselfish services. "Karmanye Badhikarosthe Maa Foleshu Kodachano, Maa Karmofolohetu Bhurmate, Sangohosto Kormoni" forms the crux of this form of yoga. Technique like Karma Yoga helps in reducing Ahamkara. It purifies one`s heart, and helps to attain the knowledge of one`s own self. The aim of a Karma Yogic (one, who performs Karma Yoga) is to practice his duty without expecting any rewards in return.
5)Tantra Yoga or Yoga of Rituals
Perhaps the most misunderstood of all the paths, Tantra Yoga is about using rituals to experience what is sacred. Although sex is a part of it, sex is not the whole of it since this path aims to find what is sacred in everything we do. Tantra Yogis must possess certain qualities like purity, humility, devotion, dedication to his Guru, cosmic love, and truthfulness among other things.
There are still a lot of misconceptions about Yoga, for instance, Yoga being a religion. Yoga is not a religion. It is more of a set of techniques for us to find spirituality. In fact, Yoga is being practiced by a lot of people from different religions like Christians, Jewish, Buddhists, and Muslims.
Another misconception is that Yoga is an exercise, a way for us to keep fit. It is partly true, but if you think that Yoga is just that then you are greatly mistaken. Yoga develops the body since a weak one is a hindrance to spiritual growth. It does not simply focus on the physical but on the mental and spiritual aspects as well.
Jnana Yoga is the path of Yoga that basically deals with the mind, and as such, it focuses on man's intelligence. Jnana Yogis consider wisdom and intellect as important and they aim to unify the two to surpass limitations. Since they wish to gain knowledge, they are open to other philosophies and religion for they believe that an open and rational mind is crucial in knowing the spirit.
Jnana (Gnana) yoga is another type of yoga in India that has been mentioned in Bhagawad Gita. Krishna emphasised the significance of jnana or knowledge stating that it enables an individual to comprehend his own self and his activities. However it was developed to its present form by Adi Shankara. Jnana Yoga, thus, is the Yoga of true knowledge and aims to detach the person from all the temporal things of the life. The person practicing it attains tranquility, control over his/her mind, sense, faith, ability for concentration and the endurance to withstand the play of opposites by Mother Nature. By practicing Jnana Yoga, the individual can also exercise self control and remains focused in his work.
4)Karma Yoga or Yoga of Service
Karma Yoga is the path of service for in this path, it is believed that your present situation is based on your past actions. So by doing selfless service now, you are choosing a future that is free from negativity and selfishness. Karma Yogis change their attitude towards the good and in the process, change their souls, which leads to a change in their destiny.
Karma in Sanskrit means action. This, too, is an ancient type of yoga that has been derived from the teachings of Lord Krishna compiled in Bhagawad Gita. Karma yoga, thus, emphasises on unselfish services. "Karmanye Badhikarosthe Maa Foleshu Kodachano, Maa Karmofolohetu Bhurmate, Sangohosto Kormoni" forms the crux of this form of yoga. Technique like Karma Yoga helps in reducing Ahamkara. It purifies one`s heart, and helps to attain the knowledge of one`s own self. The aim of a Karma Yogic (one, who performs Karma Yoga) is to practice his duty without expecting any rewards in return.
5)Tantra Yoga or Yoga of Rituals
Perhaps the most misunderstood of all the paths, Tantra Yoga is about using rituals to experience what is sacred. Although sex is a part of it, sex is not the whole of it since this path aims to find what is sacred in everything we do. Tantra Yogis must possess certain qualities like purity, humility, devotion, dedication to his Guru, cosmic love, and truthfulness among other things.
There are still a lot of misconceptions about Yoga, for instance, Yoga being a religion. Yoga is not a religion. It is more of a set of techniques for us to find spirituality. In fact, Yoga is being practiced by a lot of people from different religions like Christians, Jewish, Buddhists, and Muslims.
Another misconception is that Yoga is an exercise, a way for us to keep fit. It is partly true, but if you think that Yoga is just that then you are greatly mistaken. Yoga develops the body since a weak one is a hindrance to spiritual growth. It does not simply focus on the physical but on the mental and spiritual aspects as well.
6)Bahiranga Yoga
The first written reference to Bahiranga yoga can be found in Sadhana Pada, the second chapter of Maharishi Patanjali`s Yoga Sutras. Also known as Ashtanga Yoga or eight-limbed Yoga or Raja Yoga, this type of yoga aids an individual in alleviating himself or herself from the emotional and mental conflicts. It also helps a person to co-exist peacefully with other creatures and the environment. The eight limbs or elements that comprise Bahiranga yoga include Yama (principles or moral code); Dharana (concentration on objects); Pranayama (yoga breathing); Niyama (personal disciplines); Pratyahara (withdrawal of senses); yoga asana (postures); Dhyana (meditation); and Samadhi (salvation). This type of yoga is perfect for those who are yet to develop spiritually.
7)Kundalini Yoga
Practice of Kundalini Yoga leads an individual to enlightenment. Known as one of the spiritual sciences, this kind of yoga awakens the Kundalini, the central point of prana (life force. The concept of Kundalini has been an integral part of ancient Hindu philosophy. Kundalini Yoga aims at attracting the untapped energy or the Kundalini that remains coiled at the base of the spine, by using a set of technique that uses the individual`s mind, senses and body. Apart from the physical postures or the Asanas, the person performs meditation, chants mantras and awakens each of the seven chakras of the body. The Asanas are coordinated with the hold of breath control.
8)Hatha Yoga
it was during 15th century that Hatha Yoga was founded by Yogi Swatmarama. The Hatha Yoga Pradipika mentions this type of yoga in details. This type of Yoga is all about the combination of two extremes, namely `ha` (the Sun, regarded as the positive current) and `tha` (the Moon, regarded as the negative current). This type of Yoga involves the presentation of physical postures, namely asanas, breathing exercises or Pranayamas, meditation, mudras and purification procedures known as `Shatkriyas`’ Thus Hatha yoga purifies the body and prepares an individual for the meditation. The final aim of Hatha Yoga is to achieve salvation through Samadhi. In several ways, Hatha Yoga is similar to Ashtanga yoga.
9)Mantra Yoga
Mantra Yoga, as the name suggests, makes use of mantras to attain a peace of mind and increase the concentration power. It has its roots in the Vedas. The mantras are chanted by the individual in a thoughtful and intense way, in order to attain certain goals. Mantra Yoga helps to remove a number of disorders, including emotional ailments and the problems of anxiety, stress and tension. It enhances the person’s self-confidence and has a positive impact on the psychology of an individual. AUM, the mystical syllable, is recommended in Mantra yoga to bring about a change of consciousness. Besides this Mantra yoga is also an integral element in Tantra.
10)Swara Yoga
Dating back to the Vedic period Swara Yoga refers to the control of the life force through breathing. Shiva Svarodaya, an ancient Indian manuscript mentions this type of yoga. Swara Yoga is derived from the word Swara in Sanskrit that means sound or musical note; it also means the incessant flow of air through one nostril. It is said that by practicing Swara yoga an individual can find out about the consequence of his or her actions.
Another form of yoga is the Kriya yoga. Though relatively a newer concept, it is said that Kriya yoga has been mentioned in Gita. However, it was Lahiri Mahasaya who taught the technique of Kriya yoga. The different types of yoga, thus, can be helpful for different people as every individual differs from the other and so does his temperament and need. Thus, each type of Yoga practice can provide an answer to the practitioner`s questions and relieve his mind and soul from such unanswered queries.
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