ABOUT YOGA

What is yoga, exactly? Is it just an exercise form? Is it a religion, a philosophy, an ideology? Or is it something else entirely? The word "yoga" literally means "union The word �yoga� essentially means, �that which brings you to reality�. Literally, it means �union.� Union means it brings you to the ultimate reality, where individual manifestations of life are surface bubbles in the process of creation. Right now, a coconut tree and a mango tree have popped up from the same earth. From the same earth, the human body and so many creatures have popped up. It is the same earth. Yoga means to move towards an experiential reality where one knows the ultimate nature of the existence, the way it is made. There is four types of YOGA.

1. BHAKTI YOGA

Bhakti yoga, also called Bhakti marga (literally the path of Bhakti), is a spiritual path or spiritual practice within Hinduism focused on loving devotion towards a personal god.It is one of the paths in the spiritual practices of Hindus, others being Jnana yoga and Karma yoga. The tradition has ancient roots. Bhakti is mentioned in the Shvetashvatara Upanishad where it simply means participation, devotion and love for any endeavor. Bhakti yoga as one of three spiritual paths for salvation is discussed in depth by the Bhagavad Gita.

2. GNANA YOGA

Gnana yoga, also known as gnanamarga, is one of the several spiritual paths in Hinduism that emphasizes the path of knowledge",also known as the "path of self-realization".It is one of the three classical paths (margas) for moksha (salvation, liberation). The other two are karma yoga (path of action, karmamarga) and bhakti yoga (path of loving devotion to a personal god, bhaktimarga). Later, new movements within Hinduism added raja yoga as a fourth spiritual path, but it is not universally accepted as distinct from the other three.

3. KARMA YOGA

Karma yoga, also called Karma marga, is one of the four spiritual paths in Hinduism, one based on the "yoga of action". To a karma yogi, right work done well is a form of prayer. It is one of the paths in the spiritual practices of Hindus, others being Raja yoga, Jnana yoga (path of knowledge) and Bhakti yoga (path of loving devotion to a personal god).The three paths are not mutually exclusive in Hinduism, but the relative emphasis between Karma yoga, Jnana yoga and Bhakti yoga varies by the individual.

4. KRIYA YOGA

Kriya Yoga is described by its practitioners as the ancient Yoga system revived in modern times by avatar Babaji through his disciple Lahiri Mahasaya, c. 1861. Kriya Yoga was brought to international awareness by Paramahansa Yogananda's book Autobiography of a Yogi and through Yogananda's introductions of the practice to the west from 1920. Kriya Yoga is the "Yoga of Action According to Yogananda the ancient Yogic text the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, contains a description of Kriya Yoga in the second chapter II.49:"Liberation can be attained by that pranayama which is accomplished by disjoining the course of inspiration and expiration.