Classification of Yoga

Yoga is as old as the universe. It is based on the very nature of mind. On this planet it has been known from antiquity. Maharishi Patanjali formulated the classic Yoga Teachings in 196 sutras several centuries Before Christ. Yoga works on the level of one's body, mind, emotion and energy. This has  given rise to four broad classifications of Yoga:
  1. Karma Yoga: 
  2. Jnana Yoga: 
    • Jnana Yoga is the process of converting intellectual knowledge into practical wisdom. It is a discovery of human dharma in relation to nature and the universe. Jnana Yoga is described by tradition as a means to obtain the highest meditative state and inner knowledge.
    • Jnana literally means 'knowledge', but in the context of yoga it means the process of meditative awareness which leads to illuminative wisdom. It is not a method by which we try to find rational answers to eternal questions, rather it is a part of meditation leading to self-enquiry and self-realisation.
    • Some of the components of Jnana Yoga are :
      1. Not believing but realising.
      2. Self-awareness leading to self-analysis.
      3. Experiencing knowledge.
      4. Realising the personal nature.
      5. Developing intuitive wisdom.
      6. Experiencing inner unity
  3. Bhakti Yoga: 
  4. Kriya Yoga: 
    • The word kriya means 'activity' or 'movement' and refers to the activity or movement of consciousness. Kriya also refers to a type of practical or preliminary practice leading to total union, the final result of practice. Kriya Yoga does not curb mental fluctuations but purposely creates activity and awakening in consciousness. In this way all faculties are harmonised and flower into their fullest potential.
    • Kriya Yoga originated in antiquity and evolved over time through practise and experience. The full form of Kriya Yoga consists of over 70 kriyas out of which only 20 or so are commonly known.
    • The kriya practices are incribed in numerous tantric texts written in Sanskrit. To date only a few of these have been translated into other languages. The most authoritative magna opus on the subject of Kriya.
    • The practices of Kriya Yoga were propagated by Swami Satyananda Saraswati from secret teachings described in the Yoga and Tantra Shastras. The kriyas, as taught by Satyananda Yoga?, are one of only two systems of Kriya Yoga recognized the world over, the other being that of Paramahamsa Yogananda.

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