{"id":3398,"date":"2025-02-19T17:46:25","date_gmt":"2025-02-19T12:16:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.vinyasayogaashram.com\/blog\/?p=3398"},"modified":"2025-02-19T17:53:41","modified_gmt":"2025-02-19T12:23:41","slug":"an-experts-guide-to-yoga-philosophy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vinyasayogaashram.com\/blog\/an-experts-guide-to-yoga-philosophy\/","title":{"rendered":"An Expert\u2019s Guide to Yoga Philosophy"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
Yoga philosophy is one of the major schools of thought that explores the fundamental qualities of our reality and existence. The word yoga is derived from the Sanskrit word yuj, <\/em>meaning union. Yoga is understood as a union on many levels\u2014the union of mind, body, and spirit; the union of various energies within us; the union of the self with the source. Philosophy is made of two words: Philo <\/em>means love, and Sophia <\/em>means wisdom\u2014<\/em>love for wisdom.<\/p> Yoga philosophy is traditionally known as yoga darshan. Darshan means \u2018to see\/ to perceive\u2019. Yoga philosophy is a means of experiencing and perceiving union.<\/p> Yoga philosophy mainly explains the different types of yoga used to attain this union. Some sacred texts of Yoga Philosophy include Patanjali\u2019s Yoga Sutras, Hatha Yoga Pradipika, Shiva Samhita, Gherand Samhita, Samkhya Darshan, Shrimad Bhagwat Gita.<\/p> This article explores the different kinds of yoga.<\/p> Paths of Yoga<\/strong><\/p> Various yoga schools have individual ideologies. However, the ultimate goal of all these schools is to experience union, whether at an individual or cosmic level.<\/p> Ashtanga Yoga: <\/strong>Perhaps the most popular form of yoga is Patanjali\u2019s Ashtanga Yoga, also known as the eight limbs. These eight steps, designed by sage Patanjali to experience liberation from the cycle of rebirth, are Yama, Niyama, Asana, Pranayama, Pratyahara, Dharana, Dhyana, and Samadhi.<\/p> Karma Yoga: <\/strong>Karma yoga is the path to liberation, fulfilling one’s duty without attachments. The word karma means action. Karma yoga is acting\/ playing your part without concern for consequences. This path of yoga is derived from Shrimad Bhagwat Gita, a sacred Hindu text, where Lord Krishna teaches his disciple, Arjuna, the importance of being a karma yogi. The fundamental principles of Karma Yoga are:<\/p> Bhakti Yoga: <\/strong>Bhakti yoga is often considered the easiest path to liberation. It is the path of utmost devotion to a guru or the divine. This devotion can sometimes be expressed towards family, friends or a lover.<\/p> Gyana Yoga: <\/strong>The word gyana\/ jnana means wisdom. Thus, Gyana yoga is the path to seek wisdom as a means to liberation. Using the intellect, one attains self-awareness. Gyana yoga is considered one of the most challenging forms of yoga, as one must have immense willpower and grace to go beyond the ego through the ego.<\/p> Raja Yoga: <\/strong>Raja Yoga is the royal path to yoga. In this form of yoga, one is taught to control the kingdom of the self and the mind. Through various practices, one masters the mind.<\/p> There are many yogic paths, and one must study each in depth to discover the most suitable one for each person. The help of a guru can be useful in this pursuit. No path is better than the other; all serve humanity in their own ways. While the way is different, the destination is the same\u2014yoga, union.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t Yoga philosophy is one of the major schools of thought that explores the fundamental qualities of our reality and existence. The word yoga is derived from the Sanskrit word yuj, meaning union. Yoga is understood as a union on many levels\u2014the union of mind, body, and spirit; the union of various energies within us; the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3400,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_coblocks_attr":"","_coblocks_dimensions":"","_coblocks_responsive_height":"","_coblocks_accordion_ie_support":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3398","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-yoga"],"yoast_head":"\nRecent Posts<\/h5>\n\t\t
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