Many Western practitioners equate hatha yoga with a particular style of yoga, when the term refers to the physical aspect of yoga practice. Hatha yoga, a group of physical practices, is geared toward preparing the body for the spiritual path of raja yoga, the yoga of Patanjali, which included the eight-limbed path to enlightenment. (Discussed in a previous post).
This school of practice is different from the branches of yoga found throughout history, such as jnana, karma, bhakti, raja, and tantra yoga. Each of these five branches represents a particular approach to life and ultimately, to liberation from suffering.
Jnana yoga- dates back as far as the Upanishads and the Bhagavad Gita. It is the yoga of the mind, the path of the sage. Some believe this type of yoga, with its concentration on the scriptures, offers the most direct, the most difficult, path to enlightenment . Western traditions have their own jnana yogis, such as the Jesuit priests of Catholicism and the scholars of the Kabala in Judaism.
Karma yoga-equally ancient, appears in the Vedas. The Vedic philosophers believed that only through action could humans ever hope to appease the gods--which they had to do in order to survive. The discussions between Krishna and Arjuna in the Bhagavad Gita provide the most comprehensive example of karma yoga, the path of service and action. This understanding serves as the basis of the karma yoga philosophy we know today. Our efforts (how we act in the world and how we perform our duties) create a future, free of suffering for ourselves and for others. Hospice workers, social workers, and those who volunteer in soup kitchens, after-school care, or any other service -oriented program practice karma yoga.
Bhakti yoga-is the path of devotion, the belief that by putting our faith in god (Krisha in the Bhagavad Gita) you attain ultimate liberation. Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Mother Theresa are three examples of yogis who combined the devotion of a bhakti yogi with the dedication to service of a karma yogi.
Raja yoga-denotes the path of meditation, and places Patanjali's eight-limbed path of the Yoga Sutra at the center of its practice. Strict adherence to the yamas and niyamas is as important to raja yogis as the steps leading to deeper meditation-asana, pranayama, pratyahara, dharana, dhyana, and ultimately samadhi. Hatha yoga makes its entrance here. It provides the way to gain control over the body. If you lack physical control, you won't be able to control the mind or the senses, which is a critical step on the path toward enlightenment.
Tantra yoga-the path of ritual. This branch of yoga practice, the most esoteric and secretive of all, simply sees the sacred in the mundane. It celebrates the human body and seeks to unite all dualities within one's own body. Unlike raja yogis, who believed that the restraint of consciousness (stopping the fluctuations of the mind) was the way to achieve samadhi (liberation), tantra yogis said that one must control the cosmic energy (prana or life force) within the body in order to awaken to the Divine.
"Yoga" by Linda Sparrowe
This school of practice is different from the branches of yoga found throughout history, such as jnana, karma, bhakti, raja, and tantra yoga. Each of these five branches represents a particular approach to life and ultimately, to liberation from suffering.
Jnana yoga- dates back as far as the Upanishads and the Bhagavad Gita. It is the yoga of the mind, the path of the sage. Some believe this type of yoga, with its concentration on the scriptures, offers the most direct, the most difficult, path to enlightenment . Western traditions have their own jnana yogis, such as the Jesuit priests of Catholicism and the scholars of the Kabala in Judaism.
Karma yoga-equally ancient, appears in the Vedas. The Vedic philosophers believed that only through action could humans ever hope to appease the gods--which they had to do in order to survive. The discussions between Krishna and Arjuna in the Bhagavad Gita provide the most comprehensive example of karma yoga, the path of service and action. This understanding serves as the basis of the karma yoga philosophy we know today. Our efforts (how we act in the world and how we perform our duties) create a future, free of suffering for ourselves and for others. Hospice workers, social workers, and those who volunteer in soup kitchens, after-school care, or any other service -oriented program practice karma yoga.
Bhakti yoga-is the path of devotion, the belief that by putting our faith in god (Krisha in the Bhagavad Gita) you attain ultimate liberation. Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Mother Theresa are three examples of yogis who combined the devotion of a bhakti yogi with the dedication to service of a karma yogi.
Raja yoga-denotes the path of meditation, and places Patanjali's eight-limbed path of the Yoga Sutra at the center of its practice. Strict adherence to the yamas and niyamas is as important to raja yogis as the steps leading to deeper meditation-asana, pranayama, pratyahara, dharana, dhyana, and ultimately samadhi. Hatha yoga makes its entrance here. It provides the way to gain control over the body. If you lack physical control, you won't be able to control the mind or the senses, which is a critical step on the path toward enlightenment.
Tantra yoga-the path of ritual. This branch of yoga practice, the most esoteric and secretive of all, simply sees the sacred in the mundane. It celebrates the human body and seeks to unite all dualities within one's own body. Unlike raja yogis, who believed that the restraint of consciousness (stopping the fluctuations of the mind) was the way to achieve samadhi (liberation), tantra yogis said that one must control the cosmic energy (prana or life force) within the body in order to awaken to the Divine.
"Yoga" by Linda Sparrowe
hare krishna!
ReplyDeletesing it, live it, wish i could do it!! food for thought planted by your blog!
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