Paths to Yoga
In the last blog post What Even is Yoga? we discovered that yoga is not just about striking a pose or perfecting your downward facing dog. It’s not about the cool arm balances or the slow and steady calisthenic handstands. Yoga is a philosophy or a discipline that serves to unite the mind, body, and spirit to recognize the true self. It is a vast and ancient path to self discovery with multiple different routes to get there.
This recognition of the true self is what can be described as Enlightenment. Enlightenment represents a state of profound understanding, inner peace, and freedom from suffering. It is seen as the end of emotional turmoil, attachment, and the cycle of pain and dissatisfaction. Enlightenment is to feel the deep understanding and purpose of our place in the universe providing ultimate meaning and connection. When we reach enlightenment, we understand the true nature of the self. In this post we will touch on the main four paths to yoga which is in turn a path to help us get to enlightenment.
Jnana Yoga
Jnana Yoga, the path of wisdom, is for those who love deep thinking and self-inquiry. Jnana yoga is also known as the Path of Knowledge. This path guides us to understand and become of aware of the difference between what is eternal and non-eternal or the real from the un-real. Another way to put this is the practice of telling the difference between what is the self, and what is the non-self or ego self. The principal techniques of this path is contemplation and meditation. Jnana yoga is also known as the “treacherous path” since it is so deep. This is typically the last path practitioners take when experiencing yoga. There are qualities and qualifications for success in the study of Jnana called the four Sadhanas. We will skip going into detail about those and go straight to the three stages of the path to Jnana.
Sravana: Listening or absorbing the instructions
Manana: Reflection or contemplation involving reasoning and arriving at intellectual convictions
Nidhidhyasana: Repeated meditation on convictions/truths accepted or implementation of convictions or attaining oneness with reality.
Bhakti Yoga
Bhakti Yoga, the path of devotion, is all about love and surrender to the divine. In Bhakti Yoga we have a unconditional and intense love for devotion, or the divine. Some people know this as god, others know this as love for something bigger than the self such as energy, the universe, mother earth. In this type of yoga we work to open the heart for the opportunity to witness the union of the lover (the yogi) with the beloved (the divine). It is important to note that Bhakti yoga does not tell you where to direct the devotion or the specific methods by which you should do it. It is left the practitioners personal preference. This path to yoga appeals to those that are intuitive or emotional in nature. Techniques of Bhakti are innumerable with examples like prayer, chanting, relating or listening to stories that feed the devotion, etc. There are nine different forms or ways to show devotion.
Shravanam: Hearing or chanting names of the divine
Keertanam: Singing praises of divine
Smaranam: Remembering the divine
Paada Sevanam: Honoring the feet of the divine “the lotus feet of the lord”
Archanam: Worshiping or “offering” to the divine
Vandanam: Bowing or saluting before the divine
Daasyam: Adopting the roll of servant to the divine
Sakhyam: Developing friendship with the divine
Aatma Nivedanam: Total surrender of self to the Divine
Karma Yoga
Karma Yoga, the path of selfless action, turns every task into a spiritual practice. This path is done by those with an outgoing/action-oriented nature. This path purifies the heart by teaching the practitioner to act selflessly without thinking of personal gain or reward. ‘Karma’ refers to ‘actions’ which include both overt actions and inner experiences. This practice is to reduce past impressions or “samskara”. In other words, whatever Karma we we preform, we have to pay for the consequences. This is the law of cosmic justice. In this path, it is said that until we are free from Samskara, we have to take birth again and again. Karma, samskara, karma, otherwise known as the life-death-life cycle. The choice for a human is not between action and in action. Instead, there are three types of ways to decipher between what types of actions to preform with what type of attitude or approach.
Virtuous or auspicious
Non-virtuous or inauspicious
A mix between the two
Raja Yoga
Raja Yoga is the combination and the highest path to all the different paths to yoga. The final goal of all forms of yoga is to have a healthy body and mind in order to transcend the mind and go to the no-mind state, or samadhi. Raja yoga has become understood as the yoga in the yoga sutras of Patanjali. This is where we begin to talk about Patanjalis Eightlimbs of yoga.
No matter which path of yoga resonates with you all roads ultimately lead to the same goal: union with the true self. Each path offers a unique way to cultivate awareness, inner peace, and a deeper connection to the world around us. The Eight Limbs of Yoga is ancient framework, outlined by Patanjali, providing a step-by-step guide to living a yogic life, blending ethics, discipline, breathwork, and meditation. In the next post, we’ll dive into these eight limbs and explore how they shape a well-rounded and transformative yoga practice. Stay tuned!
