Almost everyone in the United States has heard the word "yoga" by the end of 2005. People often, if not always, think of people in skimpy clothes whose limbs are spreading out and twisting. This "scene" is common in health clubs, retreat centers, and yoga studios all over the country. In other words, it reminds us of the practice of asana sequences of physical movements and postures, which, as it turns out, are only a small part of the larger world's Yoga Tradition(s) (universe, cosmos). Now, there's nothing wrong with practicing asana—I do it myself and think it's great—but it might be helpful to be able to place this particular part of yoga on its larger "map," to understand the tradition(s) from which it comes and to which it returns, and to see asana as just one of many ways to enter this vast and beautiful territory. So let us investigate. For more information https://amachigeorge.com/ .
Yoga comes from the Sanskrit word Yuj, which means "to join" or "to unite" and is usually translated as "union" or "integration." In this case, "union" refers to the union of the individual soul with the cosmos and the Supreme; of the small "self" of ego and individual identity with the larger "Self" or "Spirit" of which we will all be a part. But what does this really mean? How are we going to get there?! The different types of Yoga came about as people tried to find answers to these questions.
In the world of Yoga, the biggest grouping might be based on the world's great spiritual traditions, especially their mystical branches: People in these traditions who call themselves "mystics" are looking for yoga, or a direct, unmediated union with the Divine. This level includes Buddhist Yoga (like the "Six Yogas of Naropa"), Taoist Yoga (which is the basis for all martial arts and healing arts with Chinese roots), and Yogas that come from India's so-called "Hindu" traditions.
Asana, or "pose" as it is known in this country, is part of the Hindu Yoga traditions, which is the last of these groups. But there are many parts to this tradition. One way to look at it is through "The Six Yoga Systems," which can be thought of as six different ways to approach, engage with, and enter the territory of yoga.
The Six Ways to Do Yoga
1.Asana is a type of Hatha Yoga. "Hatha" can be broken into two parts: "ha" means "sun" and "tha" means "moon." In this context, "sun" and "moon" refer to the two opposing currents that control everything in our bodies: the "masculine" and the "feminine," or, in terms of subtle anatomy, the "pingala" and the "the," the two energy channels whose union within the central channel of the "shushumna nadi" is the very definition of Yoga for those who practice in this tradition. Asanas are great for improving health and strengthening the nervous system, and this is thought to be the first and most important step on this path. Ashtanga Vinyasa, Iyengar, Kripalu, Bikrams, and Anusara are just some of the Hatha Yoga styles that are done in the U.S.
2.Raja (royal) (royal) Yoga is known as the "crown of Hatha Yoga" by most people. What makes it the "crown" is that it adds mental training to the physical practices of Hatha Yoga in order to improve concentration to the point where it flows into meditation and, finally, samadhi (which is, for this tradition, the ultimate definition of Yoga). Raja Yoga is also known by the name Ashtanga Yoga, which means "eight limbs." The following are these eight parts:
1. Yamas (restraints) (harmlessness, truthfulness, non-stealing, control of senses)
2. The Niyamas, which are also called disciplines (cleanliness, purification of body, mind and nervous system, study of metaphysical principles, contemplation on God)
3. Postures or Asanas
4. Pranayama, or separating the breath and life-currents
5. Pratyahara, or turning inward by stopping the flow of energy through the sense organs.
Dharana (concentration) (concentration)
7. Dhyana, which is also called meditation, is a long time of perfect concentration and thinking.
8. Samadhi, which is also called "mystical union,"
The Yoga Sutras by the sage Patanjali are the most well-known book to explain Raja Yoga.
Bhakti Yoga is the Yoga of Devotion, which means loving the Divine in all of its forms. Radha and the other Gopis are the best examples of what it means to be a Bhakta to Krishna, because it is through their love, devotion, and joy in Krishna's presence that they realize they are Divine. This path develops selfless love, compassion, humility, and purity, as well as the desire and serious intention to merge with God. Amachi, Shree Ma, and Karunamayi are three people who teach this path today.
4.Jnana Yoga, also called "Knowledge Yoga," uses the mind as a tool to help us realize that our true Self exists beyond and behind the mind. In other words, it is a path that uses the power of the intellect to eventually free us from all kinds of conceptual elaboration and let us relax in the space beyond all concepts of mind. For this kind of self-discovery, Jnana Yoga looks into the nature of the Self by asking, "Who am I?" Jnana Yoga is also called the Quest for the Self or the Inquiry into "Who We Are" because of this. Shankara, a yogi who is "claimed" by both Buddhist and Hindu traditions, and Ramana Maharshi, a yogi who lived more recently, are two well-known people who practiced Jnana Yoga.
5.Kriya Yoga is a system of yogic practices that includes a wide range of methods, such as mantras and meditation, for controlling the life force (prana). People often use the word "Kriya" to describe actions, whether they are done on purpose or by accident, that clear the body and/or mind of obstacles. The goal of all types of yoga is to join with pure awareness (God). Pure Awareness is our natural state, so in this system, it is also called "Self-awareness." (Yogananda's Self-Realization Fellowship is a modern group that is dedicated to this kind of practice.)
6.Karma yoga is the yoga of doing things for other people. Practitioners of Karma Yoga do "mundane" work in the world with all their heart to help other people and animals, and they give the results of their work to the Divine. Giving up hope or fear about what will happen in the future brings attention more and more into the present, which is the Divine's Heart. When a practitioner gives away all of the fruits of his or her labor, he or she paradoxically gets the best gift and the most wealth: the treasure chest known as Yoga, which is the bright "aliveness" of the Present Moment.
Another way to divide the delicious Yogic pie is into two parts: (1) Yoga as path, which includes all the different sadhanas (techniques and practices), schools, and historical traditions; and (2) Yoga as fruition, which includes the different siddhis, accomplishments, or fruits, of practice, as well as the ultimate "fruit" of Mystical Union, which, once received, goes beyond even the path/fruition polarity. The realized Masters tell us that at that point, one is both in a new place and in a place that feels very familiar. ...a place that the Sufi poet and mystic Jelaluddin Rumi may have been referring to in this poem:
There are things that go beyond the ideas of right and wrong. I'll be there to meet you. When the soul lies down in that grass, the world is too full to talk about. Even the phrase "each other" doesn't make any sense.I hope this summary (my Karma Yoga for the day!) was helpful and/or interesting to you... Georg Feuerstein's book The Yoga Tradition is a great place to start if you want to learn more about these and other Yoga Traditions.