Yoga is an ancient physical discipline which is used to create a balance between body and mind to attain self enlightenment. Yoga typically means ‘union’. Union should be between the body, mind and the soul. Yoga involves different postures by the body which are called as ‘Asanas’, in Sanskrit. It is a set of techniques that helps the human being to become aware of the deepest nature. It does not belong to any religion nor supports any but can be considered as an experimental science of self study.
Depending on the kind of things which were used to do Yoga, it is broadly divided in to six different forms. Let us have a brief look on all the six.
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Yoga Of Postures (Hatha Yoga): Hatha yoga is one of the most popular forms of Yoga. It involves a set of techniques which uses different physical forms or postures. Hence it is called as yoga of postures. Hatha yoga mainly focuses on the body since it considers body to be the vehicle of soul. It encourages the union of body and soul and makes the body perfect.
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Yoga of Devotion (Bhakthi Yoga): Every religion has their own almighty and follows particular tradition in worshiping him. But Bhakthi Yoga teaches a person to see divinity in every one and every thing, which has been in practice by many Yogis. This yoga helps in developing love, acceptance and tolerance for all.
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Yoga of Self Control (Raja Yoga): Raja Yoga is considered as the King of Yoga forms, since it has been practiced by many spiritual and religious people. It teaches how to give respect to ourselves and thus gives a path to attain self mastery. Once you respect yourself you certainly will respect others. It mainly focuses on explaining the Eight Limbs of Yoga.
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Yoga of Mind (Gnana Yoga): Gnana Yoga deals with the things related to mind like the wisdom, intellect and the knowledge. Yogis think that those things are important to know the man himself and the limitations of his body. It teaches that an open mind is important to know the spirit.
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Yoga of Service (Karma Yoga): Karma yoga considers that the present situation of the man is based on the actions performed by him in the past. Hence it teaches to follow a selfless path which involves actions like good words, good thoughts and good deeds. Its just like changing your attitude towards good, which definitely leads to change in destiny.
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Yoga of Rituals( Tantra Yoga) : The last of all the yoga forms is the Tantra yoga. This is the misunderstood path of yoga. All the perceptions according this yoga are always far from truth. It mainly teaches utilizing the rituals to experience the sacred in everything we do. Certain qualities like humility, devotion, dedication, truthfulness should be possessed by all the Tantra yoga practitioners.
These are the six types of yoga forms which are used to attain self enlightenment by unifying body and soul.
