| "body"> | | | | feet), Archana (worship of God), Vandana (prostration |
| With dozens of Hollywood celebrities following in their | | | | to Lord), Dasya (cultivating the Bhava of a servant |
| Guru's lotus footsteps and the sick Western | | | | with God), Sakhya (cultivation of the friend-Bhava) and |
| commercial behaviour exploding Yogas popularity to a | | | | Atmanivedana (complete surrender of the self). The |
| system that simply enhances people's health, Yoga | | | | nine modes of Bhakti are the ways in which a |
| remains a system of spiritual unity of mind, body and | | | | devotee attains the Supreme Ideal of life. A devotee |
| soul among millions of Indians and many others from | | | | can take up any of these paths and reach the highest |
| Eastern beliefs, as it has been for over five thousand | | | | state. The path of Bhakti is the easiest of all and is not |
| years. As a result, some forms of yoga have gained | | | | very much against the nature of human inclinations.o |
| significant popularity outside India, particularly in the | | | | Karma Yoga focuses on the adherence to duty |
| West during the past century. | | | | (dharma) while remaining detached from the reward. |
| Yoga is a form of mysticism that developed on the | | | | Karma means to do, action, including those acts done |
| Indian subcontinent in the Hindu cultural context. The | | | | by the individual from birth to death. "Karma Yoga is |
| origins of Yoga are difficult to track due to the lack of | | | | the selfless devotion of all inner as well as the outer |
| recorded testimony. One of the closest meanings of | | | | activities as a Sacrifice to the Lord of all works, |
| Yoga comes from the Sanskrit word "Yuj" which it is | | | | offered to the eternal as Master of all the soul's |
| generally translated as "union" or "integration" of the | | | | energies and austerities," the Bhagavad Gita says. |
| individual soul with the cosmos, or higher self. | | | | Following the practice of Karma yoga, an individual |
| Since the goal of Yoga dwells above any bodily | | | | becomes true spiritual seeker and realizes his true |
| consciousness, it has both a philosophical and a | | | | nature as Atman and he lives in this world, works for |
| practical dimension to achieve that ideal state. On one | | | | this world and still stays untouched from the grossness |
| hand, the philosophy of yoga manages the relation of | | | | of the mundane pleasures, thus doing immense good |
| both the individual soul and the cosmos. This universal | | | | to the society while on his path to salvation and spiritual |
| philophy enjoins the practitioner to pursue his or her | | | | freedom. |
| own path to enlightenment. And on the other hand, its | | | | The Swami Sivananda Yoga Venanda Center sums |
| practice can be any exercise or activity that | | | | up karma yoga into five actions: |
| approaches the yoga practitioner to self-realization. | | | | Right Attitude |
| Four Paths of Yoga | | | | It's not what you do that counts, it's the attitude while |
| Special practical yoga techniques have been | | | | doing it that determines if a job is a karma yoga job, i.e. |
| developed by experts in yoga. Traditionally, they have | | | | a liberating job, or a binding job. |
| been classified into four categories or paths: the path | | | | Right Motive |
| of meditation (Raja Yoga), the path of devotion (Bhakti | | | | Same as attitude. It is not what you do that counts but |
| Yoga), the path of selfless service to the Divine | | | | your real motive behind it. |
| (Karma Yoga), and the path of intellectual analysis or | | | | Do your duty. Give your best. Give results.o Jnana |
| the discrimination of truth and reality (Jnana Yoga). | | | | Yoga. This is the most difficult path, requiring |
| These Yoga techniques cover a broad range, | | | | tremendous strength of will and intellect. Taking the |
| encompassing physical, mental, and spiritual activities.o | | | | philosophy of Vedanta the Jnana Yogi uses his mind |
| Raja Yoga involves psycho-physical meditational | | | | to inquire into its own nature. We perceive the space |
| techniques to attain experience of the truth and finally | | | | inside and outside a glass as different, just as we see |
| achieve liberation described in Hindu thought to be | | | | ourselves as separate from God. |
| moksha. The basis of ashtanga yoga is the Yoga | | | | Jnana Yoga leads the devotee to experience his unity |
| sutras (Sanskrit Verses) of Patanjali. We will consider | | | | with God directly by breaking the glass, dissolving the |
| the different aspects of yoga while remaining under | | | | veils of ignorance. Before practicing Jnana Yoga, the |
| the guiding principles of Patanjali's Yoga (Ashtanga | | | | aspirant needs to have integrated the lessons of the |
| Yoga). Raja Yoga is a comprehensive yoga system | | | | other yogic paths - for without selflessness and love |
| which deals with the refinement of human behavior | | | | of God, strength of body and mind, the search for |
| and personality through the practice the Yama | | | | self-realization can become mere idle speculation. |
| (restraint) and Niyama (disciplines); attainment of | | | | Jnana yoga teaches that there are four means to |
| physical health and vitality through Asana (postures) | | | | salvation: |
| and Pranayama (pranic breathing techniques); | | | | Viveka - Discrimination: The ability to differentiate |
| management of mental and emotional conflicts and | | | | between what is real/eternal (Brahman) and what is |
| development of awareness and concentration through | | | | unreal/temporary (everything else in the universe.) |
| Pratyahara (sensory withdrawal) and Dharana | | | | Vairagya - Dispassion: After practice one should be |
| (concentration); and developing the creative aspect of | | | | able to "detach" themself from everything that is |
| consciousness for transcendental awareness through | | | | "temporary." |
| Dhyan (meditation) & Samadhi (absorption in the | | | | Shad-sampat - The 6 Virtues: Tranquility (control of the |
| universal identity).o Bhakti Yoga is the Hindu term for | | | | mind), Dama (control of the senses), Uparati |
| the spiritual practice of fostering of loving devotion to | | | | (renunciation of activities that are not duties), Titiksha |
| God, called Bhakti. Traditionally there are 9 forms of | | | | (endurance), Shraddha (faith), Samadhana (perfect |
| bhakti yoga. | | | | concentration). |
| Sravana (hearing of God's Lilas and stories), Kirtana | | | | Mumukshutva - Intense longing for liberation from |
| (singing of His glories), Smarana (remembrance of His | | | | temporal limitations. |
| name and presence), Padasevana (service of His | | | | |