Branches of Yoga



Meditation by Newsha



There are many branches of yoga:

· Raja Yoga (The system of yoga codified by Patanjali; the eight-fold path)

· Hatha Yoga (Ha stands for Surya (Sun) or Pingala nadi or vital energy (Prana). Tha stands for Chandra (Moon) or Ida or mental energy.Hatha yoga is meant to effect harmony between the discordant principles in the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems. If purity, peace, harmony and strength prevail in the nervous system, the psychic centres become awakened.)

· Jnana Yoga (The Yoga of wisdom; the branch of yoga that enables us to know what we are.)

· Karma Yoga (The path of action of selfless service.)

· Bhakti Yoga (The yoga of devotion, opens the heart.)

· Mantra Yoga (Combination of potent sounds which, when repeated, enables the practitioner to reach his goal; usually revealed to rishis in deep meditation.)

· Kundalini Yoga (Kundalini is the name of a sleeping dormant potential force in the human organism and it is situated at the root of the spinal columan.)

· Laya Yoga (is a shaivic system of practicing Yoga based on focusing the mind in specific ways on the chakras, and inducing Kundalini energy to arise.)

Each individual needs to find those yogas most suited to his/her particular personality and need. In the half of the twentieth century, Hatha yoga had become the most well known and widely practiced of the systems.