Karma yoga - the yoga of action. This is based on the idea of selfless service to humanity, subordinating the ego to do what needs to be done, rather than doing what one wants to do. All actions are performed without expectation of praise or acknowledgement and without any attachment to the fruit of one's actions.
Jnana yoga - the yoga of reason. This is an intellectual and philosophical pursuit for knowledge and involves studying the Vedas, the Puranas and other philosophical dissertations compiled by the sages. A Jnana Yogi always asks why, and never accepts things blindly without explanation. It is the rational, analytical, cerebral approach. Jnana yoga uses the mind to go to the limits of reason then step beyond the intellect into the boundless realm of intuition.
Bhakti yoga - the yoga of devotion. This is said to be the easiest and simplest path to follow. It merely demands surrendering to the divine will and often involves the practice of rites and rituals. Any kind of devotion to a god of any name or form and the smells and bells of many religions are manifestations of Bhakti yoga. The mind is stilled by the intensity and immediacy of the experience and the atmosphere of devotion.
Raja yoga is literally the royal path and is the system of yoga to which the practice of asanas belongs and the one which we will proceed to describe in more detail. Patanjali also called is ashtanga yoga form the Sanskrit ashta meaning eight and tanga meaning a branch or a limb. (This is not to be confused with the teachings of Patthabi Jois of Mysore who took the term ashtanga and applied it as a label to his own particular interpretation of asana practice.)
No comments:
Post a Comment