"One way is wrong. All ways are right."
There are many paths of yoga: jnana, bhakti, mantra, raja, karma, kriya, hatha, kundalini, and tantra are among the most common. No form is better than the other...they are just different paths.
Jnana: "Jnana" means "knowledge". Jnana yoga describes the search for real knowledge. This path traditionally begins with listening to the words of a teacher explaining the teachings of the ancient yoga texts. Reflection, discussion with others, and clarification of doubtful points leads to the gradual recognition of the truth and then merging with it.
The underlying assumption of jnana yoga is that all knowledge lies hidden within us...we only have to discover it. The state in which true understanding occurs is none other than samadhi. (Desikachar, p. 135)
Bhakti: The term "bhakti" comes from the root "bhaj", which means "to serve". It does not mean to serve a person, however, but rather to serve a power greater than ourselves. By whatever means, in bhakti yoga we serve the divine being, which is the ultimate source of help and guidance. Following bhakti yoga, we offer all our thoughts and actions to this higher power. In everything we see, and in every other human being, we recognize God - truth. We act out of conviction that we are serving God. (Desikachar, p. 135-136)
The underlying assumption of jnana yoga is that all knowledge lies hidden within us...we only have to discover it. The state in which true understanding occurs is none other than samadhi. (Desikachar, p. 135)
Bhakti: The term "bhakti" comes from the root "bhaj", which means "to serve". It does not mean to serve a person, however, but rather to serve a power greater than ourselves. By whatever means, in bhakti yoga we serve the divine being, which is the ultimate source of help and guidance. Following bhakti yoga, we offer all our thoughts and actions to this higher power. In everything we see, and in every other human being, we recognize God - truth. We act out of conviction that we are serving God. (Desikachar, p. 135-136)
Mantra: A mantra can be a single syllable such as "ram," a number of syllables, or a whole verse. One of the most often used definitions of a mantra is something that protects the person who has received it. It is not something we can find in a book or buy somewhere.
Traditionally a mantra is given to a student by a teacher, at the time when the teacher knows exactly what the student needs. This process can take years. The mantra receives its special meaning and power through the way it is given and the way it is put together. Often there is a special image, either real or imaginary, that is linked to the mantra and visualized while the words are repeated. If we are aware of its meaning and maintain our practice over a period of time, repeating the mantra as we were taught, mantra yoga can have the same effect as jnana yoga or bhakti yoga. (Desikachar, p. 136)
Raja: The translation of the word "raja" is "king".In the context of raja yoga, it describes a king who is always in a state of enlightenment. The king stands for something in us that is more than we usually consider ourselves to be. Raja can also refer to the divine being or power mentioned in connection with bhakti yoga.
You can say that there is a king in each one of us; we understand this concept as purusa. This purusa, or the king within, normally remains hidden by our everyday actions. It is concealed by the workings of the mind, which is driven this way and that by sensual impressions, memories, and fantasies. This is avidya, of course, which conceals our purusa so that many of us are unaware of its existence. When this process is reversed and the mind becomes master of the senses, we find clarity and peace, and our purusa can take the place it rightfully should have.
So raja yoga refers to the kind of yoga where the king takes his rightful place. In the Yoga Sutra it says that when there is no more restlessness in the mind, purusa will unfold and see. That is raja yoga. (Desikachar, p. 136)
Karma: Karma is action. The Bhagavad Gita ascribes a central place to karma yoga, stating that in life we can only act, but we should not be affected by the results of our action. If the fruits of our efforts do not correspond to our expectations, we should not be disappointed, for the effort itself is often imperfect. Our actions should indeed never be determined by any expectations, for we can never be sure of the results of our actions. We should also not take the credit when things turn out well, for we are not necessarily personally responsible for successes any more then we are responsible for failures. We must involve ourselves through action, but leave the rest to God and expect nothing. (Desikachar, p. 137)
Kriya: The Yoga Sutra describes kriya yoga as the whole spectrum of practices known as yoga. Everything that we can actually practice is kriya yoga, and the Yoga Sutra names three aspects that together define kriya yoga: tapas, svadhyaya, and isvarapranidhana.
Tapas are practices such as asana and pranayama that can help us to remove blocks and tensions, both physical and mental. Svadhyaya means searching, asking questions, looking into ourselves. And isvarapranidhana, as explained above is action not motivated by outcome. When these three aspects are linked together in our practice, we are on the kriya yoga path. (Desikachar, p. 137)
Hatha and Kundalini: The fundamental idea, shared by all types of yoga that talk about kundalini, is that there are certain channels or nadi in the body through which prana can enter and leave. There are many nadi, but in the context of kundalini we need only concern ourselves with the three most important ones: ida, pingala, and susumna, all three of which run along the spine. Susumna runs straight up the spinal column, whereas ida and pingala cross over the spinal column and back a number of times. The ida nadi passes the left nostril and the pingala nadi passes the right nostril. Both have other names such as "ha" and "tha", the two syllables that make up the word "hatha". "Ha" represents ida and the cool energy of the moon (candra); "tha" represents pingala and the hot energy of the sun (surya). The nadi meet at six points in the body recognized as the cakras. There is one between the eyebrows, one in the throat, one in the heart, one in the navel, one just above the base of the trunk, and one at the base of the spine.
Traditionally a mantra is given to a student by a teacher, at the time when the teacher knows exactly what the student needs. This process can take years. The mantra receives its special meaning and power through the way it is given and the way it is put together. Often there is a special image, either real or imaginary, that is linked to the mantra and visualized while the words are repeated. If we are aware of its meaning and maintain our practice over a period of time, repeating the mantra as we were taught, mantra yoga can have the same effect as jnana yoga or bhakti yoga. (Desikachar, p. 136)
Raja: The translation of the word "raja" is "king".In the context of raja yoga, it describes a king who is always in a state of enlightenment. The king stands for something in us that is more than we usually consider ourselves to be. Raja can also refer to the divine being or power mentioned in connection with bhakti yoga.
You can say that there is a king in each one of us; we understand this concept as purusa. This purusa, or the king within, normally remains hidden by our everyday actions. It is concealed by the workings of the mind, which is driven this way and that by sensual impressions, memories, and fantasies. This is avidya, of course, which conceals our purusa so that many of us are unaware of its existence. When this process is reversed and the mind becomes master of the senses, we find clarity and peace, and our purusa can take the place it rightfully should have.
So raja yoga refers to the kind of yoga where the king takes his rightful place. In the Yoga Sutra it says that when there is no more restlessness in the mind, purusa will unfold and see. That is raja yoga. (Desikachar, p. 136)
Karma: Karma is action. The Bhagavad Gita ascribes a central place to karma yoga, stating that in life we can only act, but we should not be affected by the results of our action. If the fruits of our efforts do not correspond to our expectations, we should not be disappointed, for the effort itself is often imperfect. Our actions should indeed never be determined by any expectations, for we can never be sure of the results of our actions. We should also not take the credit when things turn out well, for we are not necessarily personally responsible for successes any more then we are responsible for failures. We must involve ourselves through action, but leave the rest to God and expect nothing. (Desikachar, p. 137)
Kriya: The Yoga Sutra describes kriya yoga as the whole spectrum of practices known as yoga. Everything that we can actually practice is kriya yoga, and the Yoga Sutra names three aspects that together define kriya yoga: tapas, svadhyaya, and isvarapranidhana.
Tapas are practices such as asana and pranayama that can help us to remove blocks and tensions, both physical and mental. Svadhyaya means searching, asking questions, looking into ourselves. And isvarapranidhana, as explained above is action not motivated by outcome. When these three aspects are linked together in our practice, we are on the kriya yoga path. (Desikachar, p. 137)
Hatha and Kundalini: The fundamental idea, shared by all types of yoga that talk about kundalini, is that there are certain channels or nadi in the body through which prana can enter and leave. There are many nadi, but in the context of kundalini we need only concern ourselves with the three most important ones: ida, pingala, and susumna, all three of which run along the spine. Susumna runs straight up the spinal column, whereas ida and pingala cross over the spinal column and back a number of times. The ida nadi passes the left nostril and the pingala nadi passes the right nostril. Both have other names such as "ha" and "tha", the two syllables that make up the word "hatha". "Ha" represents ida and the cool energy of the moon (candra); "tha" represents pingala and the hot energy of the sun (surya). The nadi meet at six points in the body recognized as the cakras. There is one between the eyebrows, one in the throat, one in the heart, one in the navel, one just above the base of the trunk, and one at the base of the spine.
Ideally, prana flows unhindered along all these passages, but this can only happen when they are not blocked by impurities and rubbish. Normally prana cannot reach susumna but only flows through the ida (ha) and pingala (tha) nadi, and often insufficiently at that. When it is possible for the prana to enter the susumna nadi, the prana of ha and tha unite (yoga), which is why we call the process of getting there hatha yoga.
The susumna or central nadi is regarded as the ideal path for prana. How and where prana flows in the body, therefore, has direct consequences for our state of mind: if we cannot keep enough prana in the nadi, if blocks hinder its flow and it cannot keep flowing in the right direction, it dissipates outside the body and results in the mind becoming dark and restless. The free flow of prana in the susumna is not normally possible because something blocks the passage. This block is symbolized by a coiled snake, the kundalini.
The kundalini can be best defined (least ambiguously) as an obstacle. Kundalini is another way of depicting what we call avidya. If we are successful in our practice, the kundalini is burned up, making the way clear for prana. The moment the kundalini is burned is the same moment that avidya ceases to exist.
When the emphasis is primarily on the concept of kundalini, then we speak of the practice as kundalini yoga. Hatha yoga is so named when our practice focuses on removing the division between ha and tha. (Desikachar, p. 137-139)
Tantra: The term tantra yoga may be used in describing a yoga practice based on kundalini. In tantra yoga the emphasis is on certain energies that are normally squandered being directed in such a way that they can reduce the blocks that stand in the way of the prana. The word "tantra" translates as "technique" in the positive sense, meaning a skill or craft. In tantra yoga the focus is on the body, and a wide range of connections and relationships between the body and other aspects of the world and cosmos is made. (Desikachar, p. 139)
*Information on this page taken from the text The Heart of Yoga: Developing a Personal Practice, by T.K.V. Desikachar (son and student of Sri T. Krishnamacharya), pages 135-139.
