Yoga is more than just physical discipline. It is the way of life. It is a rich philosophical path. Yoga is finding the truth within yourself and connecting with it.
However, you may be confused about where to start and what yoga practices you should do as there are many different types of yoga.SO this article encompasses the different yoga paths one can take depending on the one which they think suits them.
There are various paths of yoga and these different paths are not conflicting. These different paths are intended to accommodate the various inclinations, personalities, and temperaments of individual students and yet they have the same goal. All the paths take the student one level higher. With this knowledge, freedom and bliss can be achieved.
Table of Contents
1. Hata yoga
This deals mostly with body and breathing exercises that help the student to become aware of his or her internal states. Hatha yoga exercises help to make the body healthy and strong for the student.
2. Karma yoga
The path of work or Karma yoga involves doing an action with an attitude of detachment to fruits and actions. This makes a man free himself from strong attachments and thereby brings in him a steadiness or firmness. In essence, do the actions without any expectations. That itself will give abundant happiness. Working in awareness becomes the blissful process of unattached action.
3. Jnana yoga
Jnana yoga is the path of knowledge. Jnana brings total mastery over senses and leads one to total silence/ transcendence. In Jnana yoga, the first phase is sravanam or hearing a discourse or reading scriptures. The next step is mananam. The next step is nididhyasanam. This is Tapas or contemplation of truth. The person who has achieved these three steps becomes Jivanmukta and lives in Anandamaya Kosa or Infinite Consciousness.
4. Raja yoga
Raja yoga is the path of power. Gaining mastery over the mind. It is the king among the yogas. Swami Vivekananda said, “Man is the maker of his own destiny”. Sage Patanjali gives Astanga yoga -the eight limbed yoga- to gain control over the mind directly (Astanga yoga) and indirectly (Bahiranga yoga). Patanjali’s Yamas and Niyamas (‘Do’s and Don’ts’). Yamas and Niyamas are ten good commonsense guidelines for leading a healthier, happier life for bringing spiritual awareness into a social context.
read : what is happiness and 15 reasons you should be happy
5. Bhakti yoga
Bhakti yoga is the science of emotional culture. Bhakti yoga cultures to train our emotional faculty makes us mature to love for society. The basic feeling of love changes from the Kama to Prema to Bhakti with complete surrender.
6. Kundalini yoga
An uplifting blend of spiritual and physical practices, Kundalini Yoga incorporates movement, dynamic breathing techniques, meditation, and the chanting of mantras, such as Sat Nam, meaning ‘truth is my identity’. The goal is to build physical vitality and increase consciousness.
7. Mantra yoga
Mantra is the sound dimension. Its power is not in the words themselves but in the sound vibrations created when the mantra is uttered verbally or when it takes from the mind, which involves meditation and the use of certain sounds called “mantra’s” which are traditionally transmitted to the student and are used as objects of concentration. Mantras help the student in self-purification, concentration, and meditation.
I hope this article was helpful to you and it sparked your interest in one of the above yoga practices. Happiness had many paths, you can choose which one to follow… Thank you for reading.I appreciate your time
