What Is Yoga ?

Yoga is derived from sanskrit word “yuj” which stands for “to Unite” or “to Join”.

Yoga is for union of  body and mind. It is balancing of body, mind and soul. Yoga is known and proved to minimize the stress, calm mind, improve mood, increase focus, and bring relaxation to the body, mind and soul.

Yoga was brought to the knowledge of West by Indian monk Swami Vivekanand in the 19th Century.

According to Yogis(one who practices yoga) mind, body and soul should be in very much harmony for which they came out with solution through exercising, breathing and meditation.

There are basically Six Categories of yoga which is based on practice:

1. Hatha Yoga or Yoga of Postures

This is the most popular yoga in the West and includes physical poses or Asana, Breathing techniques or Pranayama, and Meditation to achieve better health, as well as spirituality.

2. Bhakti Yoga or Yoga of Devotion

The word bhakti comes from the Sanskrit root ‘bhaj’, wich means ‘to be attached to God’. This same root forms the word bhajan, which refers to the beautiful devotional songs in Hinduism. Bhakti is unselfish, supreme love for God (or the Divine)… pure and simple.This is the Yoga of Universal Love, of abnegation and self-offering to the Supreme. In this traditional branch of yoga we find the practice of cultivating a humble and devoted service to the Divine,highest nature. The Bhakti, through overflowing and indiscriminate, self-less love, breaks the bonds of the ego and experiences the unity of all things.

 3. Raja Yoga or Yoga of self control

Raja Yoga is viewed as the “royal path” to attaining the state of yoga or unity with mind-body-spirit. Raja Yoga is so highly revered because it attains enlightenment from direct control and mastery of the mind. This approach makes Raja Yoga an extremely challenging and difficult practice to engage in. Hatha Yoga, what we usually know as just “yoga” in the West is a much easier path. Hatha Yoga aims to control the body and breath to still prana (energy) that in turn stills the mind. Although Hatha Yoga was developed as a preparation for Raja Yoga, they can be practiced simultaneously. Raja Yoga is often referred to as “classical yoga” as it was the oldest system of yoga to by systematically developed into a unified practice.

4. Jnana Yoga or Yoga of the Mind

Jnana(Indian(Hindi) – Gyan) means knowledge. Both theoretical and practical knowledge are found in the material field as well as the divine field. 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.

For example, imagine a student who has memorized how to assemble a computer. He is familiar with the all latest peripherals, microprocessors, networking and communications options. He can even give a lecture on the subject of computing, but he has actually never used a computer. On the other hand, someone who knows less theory, but can type his homework lesson using a word processor has practical knowledge of computing. Similarly, in the area of spirituality, you could memorize scriptural verses, and even give lectures on abstruse metaphysical topics. Practical spiritual knowledge is gained by following the path to God as established by the scriptures and receiving God’s grace.

 5. Karma Yoga or Yoga of Service

Karma yoga (also known as Buddhi Yoga) or the “discipline of action” is based on the teachings of the Bhagavad Gita, a sacred Sanskrit scripture of Hinduism. One of the four pillars of yoga, Buddhi Yoga focuses on the adherence to duty (dharma) while remaining detached from the reward. It states that one can experience salvation (Moksha) or love (bhakti) of God by performing their duties in an unselfish manner for the pleasure of the Supreme, which is the welfare of the world. This kind of Yoga is an intrinsic part of many derivative types of yoga, such as Natya Yoga. Buddhi Yoga and meditation is also the most widely practiced type of yoga practiced by Hindus..

6. Tantra Yoga or Yoga of Rituals

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. A tantra devotee sits calmly and purifies mind and heart of wayward thoughts and desires. The devotee then senses the life force within his or her being and gradually, through imagination and feeling, directs the life force to rise up the spine, from the tailbone into the neck and then into the forehead.