Described are the different paths (philosophies) of yoga that people fall into and are based on temperamental orientations; that of feeling, that of action and that of thought All are paths that lead to a way in which to get the mind to become still or neutralized, however the true method which inevitably becomes the only method is to Surrender.  Surrender to the constant waves of likes, dissatisfaction, frustration and planning and to sit whole, balanced and integrated. 

It is important to recognize that no Philosophy is perfect; all have their blind spots.  That is why the truth and essence of yoga and meditation is to attain a direct experience of Love and Compassion by way of the aesthetic pleasure attained through a desire to participate in, and detach from all concepts or expectations. 

Yoga means Union, which is also related to the word “yoke” as in yoking oxen together to pull a cart, also relating to the “Charioteer”.  Basically it means connecting the little self and the Bigger Self. The philosophies of Hatha Yoga, Raja Yoga, Sankhya philosophy, Karma Yoga, Gyanni Yoga, Bhakti Yoga, and Tantric practices are methods to connect to our central nervous system and to calm the fight or flight mechanisms in the brain.

Hatha Yoga is the yoga of effort and may be considered “forceful”

in its attempt to open the central channel of the body.  This form of yoga is that of action  The esoteric definition of Hatha Yoga implies duel: male/female, yin/yang, inhalation/exhalation

Ha means Sun and relates to the movement of energy on the right side of the astral spine.  It is positive, masculine and solar energy.

Tha mean’s, “moon” and is the lunar energy and denotes the energy, which travels deep on the left side of the astral spine.

Positive and negative does not mean bad or good but rather active ‘male’ and receptive ‘female’.  The purpose of Hatha yoga is to achieve asana which means posture or ‘seat’.  It does not mean a particular position rather a state of being.  Asana is a steady comfortable position, which creates an ability to sit still.  Hatha yoga strengthens the internal organs and glands of the body as well as detoxifies the bloodstream, joints and lymphatic system.  Hatha yoga emphasis is on removing waste from the body including tension, environmental toxins and toxic thoughts. Hatha is the physical branch of Raja yoga, which is what all yoga stems from and evolves into. 

Raja means ‘Royal’ which the ancient seers identified as a scientific method for reaching superconsicous state and so Raja yoga can be considered the discipline under which all yoga technique and philosophies fall.  The central theme is meditation and has an effect of realization that human nature is composed of many psychological tendencies and physical attributes that are to be joined with ones inner world and balanced with ones outer world.

All action has an element of imperfection this is considered the residue that comes out of the fire, smoke and ash.  Our human disposition is that we tend to have personal preference likes and dislikes.  It is important to pay attention to all aspects of oneself through Raja yoga (meditation).  By doing this the Soul can see what seeds have been sown and can make clear and wise choices by understanding the nature of his/her inner workings.

Sankya philosophy is the story of Purusha (pure consciousness and masculine) and Prakriti (things in form or manifest, feminine principal) The world is said to exist to provide an experience for Purusha.  All that can be experienced; including thought and emotion is Prakruti the undifferentiated seed potential of all material things.   Together they are Atman as it reflects Soul.  This philosophy could feel a bit detached in that it all boils down to the distillation of the senses into the sense organs and sense organs of actions and further into the elements.  These are called the tatwas, which are part of the conditioned mind (Manos).  Through universal laws of time/space/movement (Mahot) and the part of us, which holds ourselves in reality, Manos (the conditioned mind) Ahankara (self identity) can be experienced.

Karma Yoga, which is the yoga of service or considered the path of action.  Is a form of yoga that reduces impurities of the mind such as selfishness and egoism and develops an understanding of generosity.  Karma Yoga is about working for the joy of working.  When one does the things they need to do to fulfill their unique circumstances work becomes art and in doing their art knowledge is attained and brings about aesthetic pleasure i.e. doing work that needs to be done for example, getting a job to take care of financial matters, necessity to paint, do music or write a book, having to take care of children and raise a family or ailing parents.  Since freedom is the goal right action is wholesome and selfless.  This becomes our work, which then becomes the practice of dharma.

Gyana Yoga is the path of knowledge or discrimination.  This form of yoga removes ignorance unveils insight and detachment then replaces ignorance with wisdom.  It is considered the path of knowledge because God is experienced through inquiry. This form of yoga develops “will” and “reason” and true understanding of Self.  These individuals may appear detached and portray a dispassionate compassion.  That is because in their discrimination to see deep truths the gyani yogi may actually be feeding the ego with an inordinate amount of different deep truths and never really getting to the core.  The gyani that looks for one central truth to grasp deeply is in alignment with what is valid and real and ultimately experiences “neti-neti” which means “not this not that”.  As the fire of discernment develops in the mind the residue or by product is to be dealt with.  

Bhakti Yoga is the path of Devotion.  Bhakti produces a deep and direct experience of the beloved in this residue and acquires insight as to what colors our perceptions.  Ritual becomes a way to fulfillment, through the flavors of our own tongue, through our own breath and through our own central channel.  Its aim is to destroy the tossing of the mind and develops the heart.  This form of yoga is the outcome of all Yoga as it sees deep emotion and the need to address this depth of being in order to attain love and oneness with others.  A bhakthi saying is, “One becomes happy when the beloved is happy”.  The bhakthi cares as much about the happiness of others, as they do their own happiness in other words seeing another’s Center and experiencing the joy of another is a mirror for their own joy.  When this is realized the ultimate lesson becomes self-responsibility.  It becomes a point when we are lead into Tantric yoga as it is experiential, experimental, and dedicated to just doing it. 

Tantra means hidden and is directly related to the occult.  Its emphasis is on a practical liberation in the present moment. It is more of a collection of various practices that yoga has evolved independent of any formal schools of philosophy and religion. 

Its uses include Mantra, which are chants to bring you into the present moment and Yantra the visualization of forms (geometry) in order to contemplate the patterns of the mind, and mudra hand/finger placements in which to meditate upon sensation.  An axiom that fits tantra is that we must use the same ground in which we have fallen in order to stand up.  Likewise the mind, the ignorance, misunderstanding, misidentification with reality are all being presented to us in the present moment and are considered sacred and mysterious.  So for tantra it uses the mind in order to wake the mind up (to startle the mind in order to free the mind).  All fears are drawn out in tantric practice so that we can experience the entire potential of the imagination.

Tantric yoga always has a sexual association in that like Hatha yoga it is about taping into the core of the body.  By opening the central column and uncoiling of the kundalini, which blocks the opening and causes us to project externally we now have the space for understanding our own desires and biological urges.  Tantra realizes that we are fragmented in our understanding of desire, sensation and feeling and we attach to a subject and object based around our ego.  With tantra it is in the release that the aesthetic experienced is realized.

In summary we have looked at the different paths of yoga and how when practiced intuitively and sensitively yoga is experienced as an art as well as a science.  People are drawn toward different forms of practice based on temperament that of action, that of thought and that of feeling.  All in all there becomes only one path of Yoga, which is the Royal yoga (Raja yoga) .The yoga of meditation.  

Sankya philosophy gives us a foundation of knowledge in which to view life in its concept of masculine and feminine (purusha and prakruti) while Hatha yoga combines effort and force in an attempt to open the central channel of the body and integrate these two poles of opposites.

We then see how our motivation for enlightenment stem from our desire to be of service to others (karma yoga) or to gain knowledge in order to free our rigid minds (gyani yoga) and ultimately turn to the yoga of Love (bhakti yoga) in order to understand our feelings and how they are mirrored to us in others.  At this point we have practical tools through tantric yoga in which we become dedicated to uniting our fragmented understanding of desire and our biological urges and experience deep release when detaching from the subject and objects of our desire.

For more information Contact Karen Barbarick @ (530)305-7337

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