VARIOUS STYLES/ TYPES OF YOGA

Yoga means union and this meaning never changes with the passing generation or changing attitudes, choices, teachers, lineages or approaches. With various teachers yoga branched itself to various styles. As we have varied cultures with varied interests and living styles so there arouse a need to satisfy all with the powerful tool called Yoga to benefit the society with universal spirit. To suit the needs of all whether physical, mental, emotional, or spiritual yoga became available in various forms. Some of them are listed below:

1) RAJA YOGA: "Royal (or kingly) yoga.” It is the yoga of Patanjali Maharishi. It directly deals with questions like “What is mind?”, “where is mind?”, “How can we control mind?” It is the yoga of intellectuals and adopts a very scientific approach. More generally, the balance of all the faculties -- physical, mental, moral, and spiritual. Raja yoga is a true system of developing psychic, intellectual, and spiritual powers and union with one's higher self, the inner divine source of all our being. This royal union with the self within must be attained by self-directed evolution. It offers a comprehensive method for controlling the waves of thought by turning our mental and physical energy into spiritual energy. According to the Sankhya philosophy, on which Raja Yoga is based, attachment to nature is the cause of the soul’s bondage, and detachment from nature is liberation.

2) KUNDALINI YOGA: The word Kundalini (a Sanskrit word) itself is a representative of coils like that of a serpent. It symbolizes the dormant vital energy at the base of the spine in the form of 31/2 coils in the consistency of honey, which when awakened through various meditation techniques, yogic Kriyas penetrates the astral channel “sushmana” to reach the crown charka or the Sahsarar for enlightenment to the practitioner. Kundalini yoga is a meditative discipline or a system of meditative techniques and movements within the yogic tradition that focuses on psycho-spiritual growth and the body's potential for maturation. The concept of intensified life-energy is central to the practice and understanding of Kundalini yoga. It also gives special consideration to the role of the spine and the endocrine system in the understanding of yogic awakening.

Viparita Karni

3) HATHA YOGA: The word "Hatha" combines two Sanskrit words: ha, which means "the breath of the sun" (prana), and tha, "the breath of the moon" (Apana) - the yoga of balancing the sun and moon currents or the positive and negative currents in the body through t the practice of Kriyas, Asanas, bandhas, mudras and Pranayam for attaining self realization. It is also called forceful yoga where through strong will one masters physical postures and breath to attain higher goals of unification with the universe. It was developed by Goraksha and other adepts’ c. 1000 CE. The most fundamental text of Hatha Yoga is the Hatha Yoga Pradipika, a Sanskrit classic written by Swami Swatamarama, a disciple of Swami Goraknath. It is said to be the oldest surviving text on the Hatha Yoga. It forms a part of Raja yoga.

4) MANTRA YOGA: Sanskrit word Man to think & tra to be free/to protect means “the thinking which protects and leads to liberation” or the union by voice or sound through the continuous repetition of certain syllables which activates energy and leads to consciousness. When the word is charged, the mantra becomes siddha and there is sublimation of energy which attunes the mantra vibration to astral and super astral vibrations. For example Beej mantras like “lum”,”vum”,”rum”,”yum”,”hum” of the spinal centers or charkas, Nirguna mantras like “Aum”,”Soham”,”Aham Brahmasmi” or Saguna mantras like “ Om Namah Shivoy, Om Gan Ganpataye Namah” etc. There are four types of mantras: Vedic, Upanishadic, and Tantrik & Puranic. Each mantra type is further classified as Sattvic, Rajasic or Tamasic as per the expected results.

5) YANTRA YOGA: The Mystic Power: Yantra literally means "Loom, Instrument or Machine". It is a Sanskrit word and is related to Hindu culture. Yantra is a symbolic representation of aspects of divinity, usually the Mother Goddess. It is an interlocking matrix of geometric figures, circles, triangles and floral pattern which acts as an efficient tool for meditation. It is also called the microcosmic representation of the macrocosm. The Yoga of union with the absolute by attuning ourselves with the geometrical figures through meditation and contemplation adopting various techniques to invoke energy is called the Yantra yoga. It is much similar to Mantra yoga, both the styles use the vibrations to commune with the higher energies in the cosmos by achieving a specific mental state. The yantras are often focused on a specific deity.

6) NADA YOGA: Nada Yoga is the yoga of focusing the self in the inaudible or Anahata sounds (subtle sounds from the heart charka). It could also be related to Mantra Yoga as both have their base in sound. Nada yogi focuses his attention on inner sounds or the Anahata sounds which is not audible to physical ears. This is not the sound which is heard when two or more object strike, it is in fact a sound heard from within.

7) LAYA YOGA: Generally called the yoga of absorption using mantra, Prakasha (inner light), mudras and Yantra for dissolving the mental impressions and dissolving karmas to elevate form sufferings. Laya Yoga is a way to unification with God through intensive prayers, singing mantras, meditations of light and revering (nods, glorification) which all leads to stimulation of Kundalini.