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Yoga traces it's roots back to about 3000 years ago,
and is one of the oldest known branches of spiritual
enquiry. The earliest record of Yoga is recorded in
the Vedas, Hindu literature that was written approximately
3000 years ago. More detailed discussions of Yogic practice
was recorded in the Upanishads, a religious text written
in 600 B.C.
Yoga
teaches meditation and physical exercises aimed at creating
spiritual, mental, and physical enlightenment. There
are many different types of yoga practiced today; Hatha
Yoga, Kundalini Yoga, Iyengar Yoga, Karma Yoga, Raja
Yoga, Jnana Yoga, Kripalu Yoga, and Bhakti Yoga are
among them. Yoga is Sanskrit and means union, and refers
to not only the union between body, mind, and spirit,
but also to one's individual consciousness and the Universal
Consciousness.
Yoga
usually involves hatha, physical movemen and exercises,
and meditation in an effort to move towards transcending
the ego into pure self, and becoming in harmony and
balance in the universe. Each system of Yoga involves
activating the Chakras, or energy centers of the body
and the awakening of the Kundalini, or life energy of
the body through hatha and meditation.
Yogic
practitioners believe that self discipline is required
to follow the path of Yoga, and that dedication to the
path in everyday life is neccessary for true enlightenment
and fufilment.
The
enlightenment of Yoga is the liberation from old habits
and patterns that bind individuals to the pain of the
past, and the anxiety over the future. By being in the
present, the Yogic practitioner is prepared for what
is to come, and has learned what he or she needed from
the past. This person is able to move forward and deal
with the events in his or her life as opportunities
for positive growth and change.
Each
system of Yogic practice has the goal of the individual
surrendering their ego, and the loss of the self. Only
through surrender can an individual become enlightened.
There
are 8 central traditions of Yoga:
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Hatha
- physical yoga.
This
form of Yoga practices movements, stretches, and
breathing exercises, and is usually a part of
most yogic styles.
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Bhakti
- Devotional Yoga.
This
form of yoga is known as devotional yoga. This
path believes that enlightenment comes through
devotion to a higher being, and surrendering to
a higher purpose in the universe. Prayer, hyms,
and ritual are all forms of devotion which are
practiced by a devotional yoga practitioner.
This
path believes that an individual is too limited
to gain enlightnment on his or her own, and only
through attuning one's self to the greater power
in the universe can one reach bliss. Faith is
required.
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Raja
- Mental Yoga.
Raja Yoga is known as kingly Yoga, and was created
by Patanjali. The purpose of this Yoga is to remove
suffering and limitations individuals place on
themselves in their life.
The
main concepts in this form of Yoga are the calming
of mental, emotional, and spiritual turmoil, and
the focus of mental discipline in a scientific
manner to gain controil over one's life force
through meditation, breath, and movement.
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Karma
- Work or action.
Karmic
Yoga involved leading one's life with good intentions
and doing good deeds and works in one's life.
Purity of motivation is important in Karma Yoga,
as is selflessness and movement. Each and every
action a person does in his or her life reflects
their inner self, from brushing teeth, to helping
feed hungry people. This yoga is a yoga of service
to others.
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Jnana
- Wisdom.
This
form of Yoga is based on self-knowledge. Unlike
Bhakti Yoga, which believes that surrendering
to a higher force in and of itself is sufficient
for enlightenment, Jnana Yoga believes that people
are never separate from the divine and that the
act of devotion to a god denies the fact that
the oneness with the divinity exists.
Jnana
Yoga encourages questioning and discovery rather
than faith as a path to enlightenment. This path
of Yoga moves towards the cessation of illusion
and limitations places on people by their society.
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Laya
- Esoteric.
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Mantra
- Chanting.
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Vedanta
- Philosophical.
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