Yoga: The path to enlightenment. Literally translated as “union” or “to yoke”, a joining of the mind and body, finding your connection with the divine, ultimately leading to liberation.
There are four main paths of Yoga:
Karma Yoga: Yoga of Action
Bhakti Yoga: Yoga of Devotion
Jnana Yoga: Yoga of Knowledge
Raja Yoga: Yoga of Mental & Physical Control
Practicing the physical postures, or asana, prepares the body to sit in meditation. The path of self-awareness begins with the postures, yet moving into pure consciousness is much, much more.
The Eight Limbs of Classical (Raja) Yoga (as laid out in Patanjali’s Yoga Sutra):
1 ) Yama – Regulations – Five Rules of Social Conduct
2 ) Niyama – Observances or Regular Habits
3 ) Asana – Steady Position, Relaxed Posture
4 ) Pranayama – Breath Awareness and Control
5 ) Pratyahara – Withdrawal of the Senses, Internal Focus
6 ) Dharana – Concentration, One Pointed Attention
7 ) Dhyana – Meditation
8 ) Samadhi – Enlightenment
The limbs sequence together as a pathway to enlightenment, nirvana, or bliss.
There are four main paths of Yoga:
Karma Yoga: Yoga of Action
Bhakti Yoga: Yoga of Devotion
Jnana Yoga: Yoga of Knowledge
Raja Yoga: Yoga of Mental & Physical Control
Practicing the physical postures, or asana, prepares the body to sit in meditation. The path of self-awareness begins with the postures, yet moving into pure consciousness is much, much more.
The Eight Limbs of Classical (Raja) Yoga (as laid out in Patanjali’s Yoga Sutra):
1 ) Yama – Regulations – Five Rules of Social Conduct
- Ahimsa: non-harming, compassion
- Satya: truthfulness
- Asteya: non-stealing
- Brahmacarya: self-control, managing energy, chastity
- Aparigraha: non-possessive, non-hoarding
2 ) Niyama – Observances or Regular Habits
- Saucha: purity, cleanliness, self-care
- Samtosa: contentment
- Tapas: focused discipline, dedicated practice
- Svadhyaya: self-study
- Isvara Pranidhana: ritual act of devotion, surrender to a higher power
3 ) Asana – Steady Position, Relaxed Posture
4 ) Pranayama – Breath Awareness and Control
5 ) Pratyahara – Withdrawal of the Senses, Internal Focus
6 ) Dharana – Concentration, One Pointed Attention
7 ) Dhyana – Meditation
8 ) Samadhi – Enlightenment
The limbs sequence together as a pathway to enlightenment, nirvana, or bliss.
