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Yoga Paths- Why are they of importance?

You've probably heard the quote that

"all roads lead to Rome" ...

well in a similar fashion the four main paths of yoga will eventually lead the student to ... a 'union with Brahman or God' ...

As in many disciplines, it's suggested that the knowledge and wisdom of each path needs to be learnt and understood before 'true wisdom' can be achieved.

Now the four paths of yoga can be described as

Raja (or Ashtanga) yoga, Bhakti yoga, Karma yoga and Jnana yoga!

Consider them all radiating inward to a focal point, that focal point being 'true wisdom' or enlightenment.

Raja Yoga or Ashtanga yoga - deals with physical and mental control

It is said to offer a detailed method to control your thought patterns by helping you use your physical and mental energy in the practice of Raja yoga and turn that energy into spiritual energy. By concentrating on the 'Eight Limbs' which are fundamental to Raja or Ashtanga yoga you progress to 'absolute' control.

Practice of the eight limbs will help you control not only your body, but your mind and senses as well. The Yamas, Niyamas, Mudras, Bandhas and others are used together to gain control of your physical body, and flowing from that your life force called Prana.

Meditation is at the focal point of Raja yoga and when you've learnt to harness your energy and your body, the meditative state will flow naturally.

Bhakti Yoga - often seen as a path of divine love and devotion

If you are an emotive person then this path may appeal more to you than others. Those practicing Bhakti yoga are primarily motivated by the power of love. They see God as the embodiment of love!

Therefore, their focus is more on surrendering themselves to God through the motions of worship, ritual and prayer. They channel their emotions into unconditional love and devotion.

So following the path of Bhakti Yoga involves a greater amount of chanting and singing the praises of God.

Perhaps not for everyone!

Each path though is suited to a different approach in life.

Compare this to Karma Yoga!

Karma Yoga - described as the path of Action

Often the people who choose to follow this path are people with an outgoing nature who perhaps find pleasure in selfless acts.

Karma yoga teaches you to act selflessly, not thinking of what you will reap in return. In this way it is said to 'purify the heart'.

It is often more difficult for students with a very definite personality as by learning not to seek benefit in return for your labors or actions, and offering those labor or actions to God, you learn to transform your ego into something more noble and refined and are no longer governed by your ego. Again not for everyone.

As a student of the Karma path, it is helpful to keep your mind focused on this goal by repeating a mantra while doing everyday things.

Lastly, let's look at the Jnana yoga philosophy.

Jnana Yoga - following its path leads to Knowledge or Wisdom

It is said to be the most challenging path to follow, requiring incredible strength of character, will and intellect.

As I have little experience with this path, I will provide a direct quote from Sivananda http://www.sivananda.org/teachings/philosophy/fourpaths.html

"Taking the philosophy of Vedanta the Jnana Yogi uses his mind to inquire into its own nature. We perceive the space inside and outside a glass as different, just as we see ourselves as separate from God. Jnana Yoga leads the devotee to experience his unity with God directly by breaking the glass, dissolving the veils of ignorance. Before practicing Jnana Yoga, the aspirant needs to have integrated the lessons of the other yogic paths - for without selflessness and love of God, strength of body and mind, the search for self-realization can become mere idle speculation."

Above you have my interpretation of the Four Paths of Yoga. But it's always interesting to read another person's version so I thought I'd include Stephen's explanation.

Yoga Paths

Contributed by: Stephen Kreutzer

Since human beings began practicing yoga thousands of years ago, the symbol of a tree has often been linked with the discipline – and for good reason! Yoga has a multitude of branches when it comes to how you choose to practice and all of them are based on the same philosophy, or trunk, of spirituality. Hatha yoga is the one most well known to Westerners – the physical act of practicing poses. Here are a few other paths that you may choose to combine with your personal yoga practice.

Raja Yoga

In raja yoga, the main goal is a calm and spiritual, meditative state. There are eight principles that are followed strictly and in order in raja yoga and, though important, physical movement or poses is not the focus. The eight principles or stages are:

1. Ethical standards or ‘yama’

2. Self-discipline or ‘niyama’

3. Posture or ‘asana’

4. Breath control or ‘pranayama’

5. Sensory withdrawal or ‘pratyahara’

6. Concentration or ‘dharana’

7. Meditation or ‘dhyana’

8. Liberation or ‘samadhi’

(You can see, these are the Eight Limbs as described by Patanjali and what was mentioned above ... author's insert)

Karma Yoga

The focus of karma yoga is on service and treatment of others. The basic idea is that our experiences today are a direct result of our past actions. Therefore, everything that those who practice karma yoga do today is in an effort to create a better future for themselves and those around them. They do this by eliminating the motivations of pessimism and egotism. This means living for others instead of ourselves.

Jnana Yoga

Those who practice jnana yoga are most concerned with the development of the mind. They are scholars interested in the philosophy behind yoga and their yoga practice focuses on studying and understanding ancient and traditional texts. This is thought to be one of the most intense yoga disciplines as the learning is intense and difficult.

Unlike branches on a tree, the paths of yoga often intersect and overlap. Though it is difficult to hang from two or three tree branches at once, it is not difficult at all to practice more than one path of yoga. Try them all if you like and choose the ones that most appeal to you.
About the Author

Stephen Kreutzer is a freelance publisher based in Cupertino, California. He publishes articles and reports in various ezines and provides yoga tips on http://www.justyogabasics.com.

I definitely agree with Stephen, that the best way to find out what you enjoy is to try each path and see whether it speaks to you and whether you feel comfortable doing it ...

Although the paths are not determined by human nature, perhaps you can understand why some people with a particular nature, may be more suited to one path over the other and find what is taught easier to comprehend and follow. However, having said that, doesn't mean that all paths are not open to the person who wishes to fully immerse themselves and reach that state of knowledge and enlightenment, advocated by Jnana Yoga.

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