Yoga: Paths

There are a variety of paths and practices of yoga ...

but at the heart, all have the same objective — the transcendence of self in order to merge with the higher self, or God.

Bhakti Yoga: Path of Devotion.

Bhakti means to serve the divine being, offering all thoughts and actions to the higher power. Bhakti is a practice of self surrender for the purpose of eventually identifying with the source of love. Every act in daily life is done to serve the beloved one. Visualizations and mantras are also part of the practice.

Jnana Yoga: Path of Transcendental Knowledge.

The underlying assumption of Jnana yoga is that all knowledge lies hidden within — we only have to discover it. The yoga sutra says that when the movement of the mind is freed from avidya (Sanskrit "vidya" - knowledge, science), jnana occurs spontaneously.

Karma Yoga: Path of Selfless Action.

Karma is action. We must involve ourselves in life through action, but to practice karma yoga, we must stay out of expectation and the results. Take action. Leave the rest to God and expect nothing. Karma refers to the universal principle of cause and effect. Consciously surrendering to the Lord the selfish motives that tend to abound within one’s psyche. One seeks to stop working, speaking, acting, or even meditating in a way that is to reward one’s personal desires. The individual desires to be an instrument, a servant of God's will.

Raja Yoga: Path of Stillness.

That part of us that is enlightened, the is enlightenment - Isvara. In Raja Yoga the goal is to quiet the mind through meditation where the attention is fixed on an object, mantra, or concept. Whenever the mind wanders it is brought back to what ever is the object of concentration. In time the mind will cease wandering and become completely still. A state of focused uninterrupted concentration will occur. From this state the yogi will eventually merge with the source.

Mantra Yoga: Path of Word and Sound.

Mantra Yoga finds union with God through the proper use of speech and sound. Mantra yoga meditation involves chanting a word or phrase until the mind and emotions are transcended and the superconscious is clearly revealed and experienced. Since the mind tends to wander, the rhythm of a mantra is used to bring it back to the object of meditation.

A mantra can be anything from on syllable to a phrase to a whole verse. Rhythmic repetition of a mantra called "japa," is the reason mantra yoga is also called "Japa Yoga". Most spiritual teachers in the East and West integrate some from of Mantra Yoga into their teachings.

Traditionally a person must be given a mantra by a teacher after considerable study, since it's power is believed to come both through the way it is constructed and the way it is given.

Kriya Yoga: A Spectrum of Yoga Paths.

Kriya yoga is a blend of raja, jnana, and Bhakti practices. The yoga sutras name three aspects that define Kriya: tapas, practices like asana and pranayama that remove blocks; svadhaya, the process of asking searching questions and introspection; and isvarapranidhana, actions not motivated by outcome. The word kriya means "to do, to make an effort," or "to transform." One of the main ways that kriya is practiced is a daily program of self-discipline of mind and body, introspection, and devotion to God.

Hatha, Kundalini and Tantra Yoga: The Kundalini Paths.

Central to all three of these yoga paths is the concept of kundalini. That concept is, in turn, based on a view that the human body contains many channels or "nadi" through which prana -- the life force -- can enter and leave. The three most important of these nadi — ida, pingala, and susumna — run along the spine. The nadi meet at the six points in the body known as cakras. The practice of yoga creates fire (agni) in the body which allows the prana to flow up through the chakras, burning away impurities and bringing enlightenment.

Hatha Yoga: Path of the Body.

Hatha is a yoga concerned with physical and energetic purification and training. Its goal is to bring the physical body into a perfect state of health so the soul has a fitting vehicle of expression to work through. It embraces many practices, including physical postures (asana)and breathing exercises (pranayama) which also act upon the physical nervous system and etheric body which is considered a corollary aspect of the physical body and brings the vital energies of the physical and etheric bodies under conscious control.

Kundalini Yoga: Path of Source Energy

Kundalini literally means coiling, like a snake. The image of coiling, like a spring, conveys the sense of untapped potential energy, or a great reservoir of creative energy at the base of the spine.

Practitioners think of kundalini energy as the very foundation of our consciousness so that when kundalini moves through our bodies our consciousness necessarily changes with it.

From a psychological perspective, kundalini can be thought of as a rich source of psychic or libidinous energy in our unconscious.

Tantra Yoga: Path of Transmutation

Tantra yoga considers that the human body is only an instrument in which and through which the cosmic forces operate and a microcosm of the universe, therefore all that exists in the universe should also exist in a certain form and proportion in the human body. The disciplines of Tantric schools also recognize in Kundalini the source of a mysterious energy -- an energy of paramount importance for a complete spiritual emancipation.

The word tantra literally means "expansion." Tantra focuses on the dynamic aspect of divinity called Shakti, the female principle, or the cosmic mother. The tantric devotee strives to attune with the spiritual dynamic energy in order to transform personal limitations and release subconscious blocks. Tantra yoga is not concerned with sexuality for its own sake, but with the creative force and with transmuting this energy into higher channels. The goal of tantra yoga is to awaken and harmonize the male and female aspects within each person in order to spiritually awaken and realize the whole universe as an expression of the cosmic mother, the divine life force, or spirit.

Laya Yoga: Path of Universal Body.

The Laya yogi, through meditation and asanas (posture exercises), will coax kundalini energy into traveling up the channel through each chakra until it reaches its point of origin at the top of the skull. At that point the yogi will have merged with the source of creation.

The teachings of laya yoga were initiated in Poland in 1983 by Mahaguru Swami Baba Shivananda from Darjeeling (Guru Ananda Shiv). Three years later he recognized one of his Polish disciples as an incarnation of the Himavanti chain lineage and ordained him spiritual guide or guru and master (Kandha) of this yoga school in Poland. At present he conducts teachings under his spiritual name Lalit Mohan G.K. There are about 50 active teachers and candidates who lead classes and meetings of laya yoga and related methods.

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