Six Branches Of Yoga
Six Branches Of Yoga
By Carrie A.Hall
Hatha Yoga
Hatha Yoga is the path of Physical Yoga or Yoga of Postures is the most popular
branch of Yoga. Hatha Yoga considered the body as the vehicle for the soul. It
uses Physical Poses or Asana, Breathing Techniques or Pranayama, Meditation in
order to bring the body in perfect health and for the more subtle spiritual elements
of the mind to emerge freely. The practice of Hatha Yoga will result to the union
of the body and the soul, it aims to make the body perfect and fill it with life
force.
Bhakti Yoga
Bhakti Yoga is the path of heart and devotion or the Yoga of devotion. Yogis who
practice Bhakti Yoga sees the Divine in everyone and everything he encounters.
This lead him to develop love, acceptance and tolerance for all. Bhaki Yoga teaches
a person to have a devotion to God and all things through devotion to life and
love.
Raja Yoga
Raja means "royal". Raja Yoga is the path of Yoga that focuses on meditation
and contemplation. It is based on the Eight Limbs of Yoga which was discussed
in the Yoga Sutra. This Yoga path teaches deep self respect through self mastery.
The self here is honored. Raja Yoga believes that the universe exists for the
self, giving the self an illusion of centrality which results to self respect
and respect for all creatures. Raja Yoga is also referred to as the King of Yogas,
majority of its practitioners live in spiritual or religious orders.
Jnana Yoga
Jnana Yoga is the path of Yoga that deals with wisdom and knowledge or the Yoga
of the mind. Jnana Yogis pays tribute on man's intelligence. They try to surpass
limitations by unifying intellect and wisdom. Jnana Yoga tries to obtain existence
beyond doctrine and ideological controversies by accepting all other philosophies
and religion. It also uses an open, rational and curious mind in studying the
spirit.
Karma Yoga
Karma Yoga believes that your present situation is based on your past actions.
Karma Yoga is the path of service; it refers to the energy of action. This path
requires you to be selfless. Performing a selfless service is the essence of Karma
Yoga or consciously choosing a future that is free from negativity and selfishness
knowing that your life is a consequence of your
past actions. Karma Yoga practices try to change your action towards the good
- good words, good thoughts, good deeds, in order to change your soul. By being
selfless, you change your consciousness which leads to a change in your destiny.
Tantra Yoga
Tantra Yoga is the path of ritual and perhaps the most misunderstood path. Some
may think of Tantra Yoga as sorcery, witchcraft, magic spell or some mysterious
formula. Most people perceive Tantra Yoga as sexual. All of these perceptions
are far from truth. Tantra is the knowledge concerning Tattva (Truth or Brahman)
and Mantra (mystic syllables). It utilizes rituals to respectfully experience
the sacred in everything we do, not just sex though sex is a part of it. It aims
to expand our awareness in all states - whether awake or asleep. Tantra Yoga practitioners
must have purity, humility, devotion, courage, dedication to his Guru, cosmic
love, faithfulness, contentment, dispassion, non-covetousness, and truthfulness.
About the Author:
Carrie A.Hall
Yoga is for Anyone! Find
out about Yoga Exercise
Source: http://www.isnare.com
DeepCoveBC.com would like to thank the author for this article.
Please note that all opinions and facts expressed in
this article
are those of the author and not DeepCoveBC.com
View
Articles Index Page
|