You’re at the store and you see the latest cover of Yoga Journal with a practiced yogini striking the perfect pose and you think…?
Some people might think, “Wow, that looks really hard. I could NEVER do yoga”. Or, “Wow, that looks beautiful. I hope one day that I can strike that pose”. Or, “I’d love to do yoga just because they wear such comfortable looking outfits”. Or, “Wow…what the heck is that?”.
When people say that they practice yoga, we often flash on the image that dons the cover of yoga magazines. We think of the flexibility that is often exhibited, how lean the yogi looks and what a physical undertaking it appears to be. But did you know that yoga has six systems?
Hatha
Raja
Bhakti
Jnana
Kriya
Karma
Hatha yoga is the umbrella term that covers all the different styles of yoga that are the mainstay of our yoga paradigm. Vinyasa, restorative, gentle, ashtanga, Anusara, Iyengar and Bikram are just a few of the types of classes you’ll see on a typical yoga menu. Postures, breathwork and relaxation are the construct for many of these styles.
So, what are the other five systems?
Raja means royal and adds concentration after body and mind are cleansed and trained to stay calm and centered. It includes the eight-faceted path of yoga (yama, niyama, asana, pranayama, pratyhara, dharana, dhyana and samadhi).
Bhakti is the yoga of devotion. A new wave of enthusiasm has been expressed in the Western yoga world through the practice of kirtan (keer-tan), a call and response method of music and singing that opens the heart to the Divine. Music and yoga festivals have sprung up across the country, such as Bhakti Fest and Spring OMmersion that gather like minds in a celebration of music, yoga and dance. Check out the above link to the upcoming festival in Joshua Tree this April. This practice is not limited to kirtan, but is also the practice of selfless love, compassion, humility, purity and the desire and serious intention to merge with the Divine.
Jnana yoga is practical philosophy/metaphysics. It is both theory and practice. Jnana Yoga uses the intellect as a tool to understand that our true self is behind and beyond our mind. It is a quest for the self by direct inquiry into “who we are.” It is, however, a mistake to think that the source could be found with the intellect alone. For the purpose of self-discovery, Jnana Yoga probes the nature of the self through the question: Who am I?
Kriya yoga is the yoga of action designed to rid the body and mind of obstructions. Kriya Yoga is a complete system including mantras, meditation, and other techniques towards controlling the life-force and bringing calmness and control over body and mind. These practices were the foundation of the Self-Realization Fellowship founded by Parmahansa Yogananda.
Karma yoga is the yoga of selfless service. It is the giving to others and the Divine without ego, attachment or expectation. Charity work is often a reflection of the practice of karma yoga.
(Reference: Zentrum Publishing’s Self-Realization.com)
With so many items on the menu, which practice do you choose? As I have walked down this ever expanding path of yoga, I use the guidelines of Raja yoga to follow a lifestyle that encompasses the eight-faceted path. One of the main thrusts of yoga is to find what echoes within your own being. What is it that speaks to you? That feels right? Is it experiencing your body and breath through movement? Is it connecting to that deeper place within? Is it finding a sense of calm amid chaos? Or is it all of that?
Whatever it is…take that first step and begin to explore to find it.
