| Yoga is the union of the individual with the all. The body energies of the individual person unite with the universe and universal (cosmic) energies so that they are all one. Thus the individuals are able to achieve their potential physically, mentally and spiritually. They realize themselves. There are many different kinds of yoga. Some of them are: Hatha Yoga – the yoga of force, oriented toward the physical movements and exercises. This is the balancing of the body and body energy. Ha means sun, tha means moon - the balancing of the sun and moon energy (also referred to as the balancing of the male and female energies of the body). Hatha yoga includes asana (postures and exercises), mudra (expression of self), bandha (locks), pranayama (breathing exercises). It also encompasses the cleansing and purification of the physical body. Many people misunderstand hatha yoga and think it is only asana (postures). Hatha yoga is used to keep the physical body healthy in order to do other kinds of yoga. Karma Yoga – the yoga of action, oriented toward selfless service. This is the most powerful yoga (and probably the most difficult). It means giving of yourself unconditionally, without expecting anything in return. Practice of karma yoga results in a sense of community with living things and universal force. It is the practice of action and reaction, cause and effect. Bhakti Yoga – the yoga of love, worship, adoration, oriented toward devotion. Traditionally this is the devotion of the disciple (chela) to the guru and vice versa. More broadly it may mean devotion of an individual to another individual, diety or deities, or organization: keeping a picture or statue of a saint or saints, Jesus, Buddha, Gandhi, or someone in high regard or with qualities that the individual would want to emulate, or going to church or place of worship, or even a non-religious organization that the individual believes exhibits characteristics worthy of some degree of devotion. The love toward the object broadens to encompass the cosmos (everything and everyone). Nada Yoga - oriented toward sound, especially inner sound. Sound vibrations will enable an individual to achieve yoga. The sound vibrations of an individual can vibrate on the same frequencies as universal or astral sounds. The reverse is also true; the universal vibrations can resonate on the same frequencies as the individual vibrations, bringing the individual to yoga. Jnana Yoga - oriented toward knowledge and intellect. Some may study books and scriptures and attend lectures, to achieve yoga through understanding. It takes a lot of understanding! Kundalini Yoga - oriented toward activating the primal energy or divine cosmic energy: the dormant force (potential energy) located at the base of the spine. When kundalini is activated it becomes kinetic energy (doing work). It is a catalyst to bring the individual to yoga. Swara Yoga - oriented toward observation of the breath and practice of breathing exercises (pranayama). More properly considered control of prana (life giving forces), also manipulation of cosmic energy. Raja Yoga - oriented toward the meditative practices to become ruler of ones own mind (mastery of the mind). It is the science of mental control. This is also known as the royal path, but is difficult because so much concentration, focus and relaxation is required. Many people will have difficulty with distractions! Tantra - is the expansion of the self. Expansion of the self is the individual energies expanding to the cosmos. Tantra is widely misunderstood as sexual yoga, or over-indulgence of the senses. The individual may use tools for expanding themselves: mantra and yantra – thought waves (sounds and sights) resonate the chakras. LayaYoga - is the yoga of the chakras. Studying, drawing, coloring, visualizing the chakras and the energy traveling through the chakras and nadis will enable the individual to achieve higher consciousness by absorption of the mind (dissolution). Chakra work imbues the individual with a sense of security, a healthy attitude toward sex and reproduction, a balanced ego and sense of power, compassion, willpower and the ability to communicate the truth, an enhanced intuition, and heightened sense of spirituality. CateringYoga - this is the yoga of popularity. It is not real yoga but just glamorized and made popular like a fad or trend. It can be very profitable for the teachers. Catering yoga teachers are more concerned with how many people attend their classes rather than what yoga really is. They will promote trendy practices to attract more people rather than focusing on benefiting a few serious practitioners. This kind of popularity contest is fed by the ego and by greed, and may cause problems for the students (and teachers) by haphazardly energizing them in unbalanced ways, manifested as physical and emotional problems, sooner or later. Catering yoga can be used to attract students interested in finding out about yoga, but should be recognized for what it is – an imitation of real yoga. Once the students are attracted they should be taught real yoga! Kriya Yoga - is the yoga of thought purification. Through kriya yoga practices the individuals may purge themselves of negative emotions and impure thoughts. AstangaYoga - the yoga of the eightfold path described in the sutras of Patanjali over 2,500 years ago. This outlines steps for self realization: yama (attitude toward others), niyama (attitude toward self), asana (postures/exercises), pranayama (breath control – science of breath), pratyahara (sensory control – withdrawal of senses), dharana (concentration on a single point), dhyana (uninterrupted concentration – flow), samadhi (body and senses are at rest, mind is conscious and alert – beyond consciousness – bliss). Medical Yoga - original yoga (all others are branches of medical yoga). It is structured and uses cause and effect to produce results. It has been developed over a long period of time and integrates all the kinds of yoga. One kind of yoga does not necessarily bring and individual to realization. All yogas should be practiced and used together for personal growth. Medical yoga incorporates hatha yoga for a healthy body, nada yoga to balance and energize body vibrations, jnana yoga to increase the intellect and understanding of yoga, swara yoga to calm down or energize at will, kundalini yoga to increase the internal energies, raja yoga for allowing the individual to transcend the mundane and physical existence and achieve mental and emotional clarity, laya yoga as a tool for enhancing other kinds of yoga, and tantra for expanding the individual self to become more in tune with all else. Other kinds of yoga will be included as well so that the individual will achieve a harmonious life. The Yogic Sciences Research Foundation is a karma organization (formed for the purpose of helping others achieve yoga, without benefit to the organization – nonprofit). This is achieved through teaching all the kinds of yoga. YSRF certified instructors will teach others how to integrate the kinds of yoga into the everyday life to help them achieve their potential. YSRF instructors will systematically teach the techniques presented by the YSRF. They will start at the beginning, not skipping any steps, gradually incorporating more yoga into their lifestyle. People don’t have to give anything up to do yoga and will do things they like to do. The idea is to incorporate YSRF medical yoga techniques into their everyday lifestyle. This will take 6 months or more of regular practice without mixing other exercises in with it. Bhakti yoga will help the YSRF to grow and the YSRF will help the individual grow through realizations! Note: Medical yoga and YSRF disciplines should not be confused with styles of yoga presented by different teachers, schools, and organizations such as; “power” yoga, “vinyasa”, pilates, Iyengar, Kripalu, yoga for women, and more which are usually variations of and limited to hatha yoga and not necessarily done in a balanced way. Many of these are just marketing ploys to attract more followers (catering yoga). |
| YOGIC SCIENCES RESEARCH FOUNDATION Kinds of Yoga |