Yoga Types



Yoga Types

Bhakti Yoga
Bhakti yoga involves devotion, attachment and love for God. Bhakti yoga history stretches back to before the origin of hatha yogi. It is not known exactly when it started, but it has been around since before the fifth century BC. There are nine forms of Bhakti yoga:
Sravana (hearing about God);
Kirtana (singing of the glory of God);
Smarana (remembering God's name and presence);
Padasevana (service of God):
Archana (worship of God);
Vandana (prostration);
Dasya (cultivating the Bhava of a servant);
Sakhya (cultivation of the friend-Bhava);
Atmanivedana (surrender of the self).

Karma Yoga
Karma means action or deed, and the result of that action. By practicing karma, people try to do those actions that bring the most amounts of good and the least amount of evil. Karma yoga dedicates actions to God. It is the performance of actions in union with the Divine. It also involves selfless service. The history of karma yoga dates back to before 800 BC, when yoga referred more to life disciplines and paths.

Patanjali's Ashtanga YogaAshtanga yoga started around 5000 years BC, and was began by Patanjali Yoga Sutra. So what is ashtanga yoga? It is the eight limbs or eight fold path formulated by Patanjali. The ashtanga yoga basics include paying attention to each of the eight limbs, which are:
Yama (principles or moral code);
Niyama (personal disciplines);
Asana (ashtanga yoga postures)
Pranayama (yoga breathing);
Prayahara (withdrawal of senses);
Dharana (concentration on objects);
Dhyan (meditation);
Samadhi (salvation).

Jnana YogaJnana yoga is yoga that focuses on knowledge. There are seven stages to Jnana, involving study, self-realization, desire, protection of the mind, developing indifference to objects, letting the world appear like a dream, non-attachment to the world, bliss and knowledge of truth.

Hatha YogaHatha yoga is one of the most popular forms of yoga in the western world. It is the use of yoga postures or asana. Many people practice hatha yoga solely for its physical benefit. However, the aim of hatha yoga is meant to be to condition the body, so that the mind can be prepared for its spiritual path. It is thought that when the body is in good physical condition, then the mind is freer to concentrate on spiritual matters.

Mantra YogaMantra Yoga, as the name suggests, makes use of mantras to attain a peace of mind and increase the concentration power. The mantras are chanted by the person in a thoughtful way, in order to attain certain goals. Mantra Yoga helps eliminate a number of disorders, including psychosomatic ailments and the problems of anxiety, stress and tension. It boosts the person's self-confidence as well.

Purna YogaKnown as integral Yoga, Purna Yoga offers wisdom and techniques for the unison of the body, mind and soul. It emphasizes the Karma of your everyday life. It involves meditation, pranayams and the performance of alignment-based Asanas. Purna Yoga is an improvisation of the traditional systems of Yoga.

Raj Yoga
Raj Yoga is the best way for the complete and holistic healing of one's mind and soul. This type of Yoga helps a person to alleviates himself/herself from the emotional and mental conflicts. Also called Astanga or eight-limbed Yoga, Raj Yoga helps the person to be in harmony with the co-existing creatures and the environment.