Yoga and Meditation

The sage Patanjali was the first to systematize the philosophy and practice of yoga into an eight step system called Ashtanga Yoga. This is the most comprehensive school, in that it embraces many aspects of other systems.

Unfortunately, in the West yoga has come to mean only hatha yoga or yoga postures (asanas). In fact, this is only one aspect of the yoga system. There are different yoga paths, but they all have the same ultimate goal: the union, or rather re-union, with your divine nature. In other words, what we call Liberation, Self-realization, or Enlightenment. This cannot be achieved without deep states of meditation leading to Samadhi, or merging with the Supreme Consciousness.

Ashtanga Yoga or “Eight Limb Yoga”

The eight limbs of yoga are:

1. Yama, or 5 moral restraints (dont's): ahimsa (non-violence), satya (truthfulness), asteya (non-stealing), brahmacharya (celibacy or sense control), apraigraha (non-covetousness).
2. Niyama, or observances (do's): saucha (purity), santosha (contentment), tapas (austerity), swadhyaya (study of scriptures), and Ishwara pranidhana (surrender).
3. Asanas: body postures.
4. Pranayama: breathing techniques for the control of prana and the mind.
5. Pratyahara: withdrawal and control of the senses.
6. Dharana: concentration.
7. Dhyana: meditation.
8. Samadhi: superconscious state. Here non-duality or oneness is experienced. This is the deepest and highest state of consciousness, where body and mind have been transcended and the yogi is one with the Self or God. The goal of life is to achieve and remain in that state.

Hatha Yoga ("Forceful Yoga"). Basically, the first 4 limbs of the Ashtanga system are considered hatha yoga. The main focus is the 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.

Raja Yoga ("Royal Yoga"). This is another name for Ashtanga Yoga and its focus and goals are the higher limbs of yoga —concentration, meditation, and Samadhi— also known as samyama. It includes systems such as siddha yoga, kriya yoga, laya yoga, sahaja yoga, and others.

Bhakti Yoga ("Yoga of Devotion") is the path of devotion to the Divine. It is pure selfless love from the heart. The relationship between a bhakta and God is very internal and cannot be described with words. Devotional chanting (kirtan, bhajans), prayer, worship, ritual, and mantra repetition are important aspects of this path, since they keep the devotee's mind continuously focused on God.

Karma Yoga ("Yoga of Action") is the path of selfless service. For a karma yogi, any activity of human life is an opportunity to serve God. The key to Karma Yoga is the performance of right actions and service for their own sake, without attachment to the end results or a sense of ownership of what is being performed.

Jnana Yoga ("Yoga of Wisdom") is the path of knowledge. Taking the philosophy of Vedanta the Jnana Yogi uses his mind to inquire into its own nature. He uses viveka (discernment or discrimination) for moving from avidya (ignorance) to vidya (knowledge). He discerns that the world as perceived by the senses is not real, but an illusion of the individual ego or “I-sense.” Before practicing Jnana Yoga, the aspirant needs to have integrated the lessons of the other yogic paths. Without selflessness and love of God, strength of body and mind, the search for self-realization can become mere speculation.

Kundalini Yoga. Kundalini is the dormant energy that lies at the base of the spine. Most realized teachers have agreed that awakening and raising the Kundalini Shakti (or Kundalini energy) to the crown chakra is essential for enlightenment. Various types of raja yogas have this aim and focus, so they may be also be referred to as Kundalini yoga.