Yoga: the Complete Picture

Yoga is commonly known to people at large as a type of physical exercise.

However, this is but a preliminary to the four paths of yoga that truly exist. It is named
Hatha yoga, and its original purpose was to calm the mind in preparation for meditation.
It has been adapted over time to become arguably the most popular form of moderate
physical exercise in the world.
The first of the other four forms is Jnana(Gyan you) yoga, which is yoga
designed for those of an intellectual bent. Its only physical aspect is meditation, during
which one reflects on their life. It also involves the study of texts, especially religious
and academic scripture.
On the more spiritual side of things is Bhakti(Bhak tea) yoga, which is more
commonly associated with yoga as related to Hinduism. It is the path of spirituality,
which mainly involves worship and devotion to God. Interestingly enough, Hindus
believe that Christianity is just a different form of Bhakti yoga, which achieves the same
goal through different means.
The most well known of the main forms of yoga is Karma yoga, which is the way
of hard work. Its primary tenet is that if you work hard and do good deeds, than good
things will come to you in turn. It promotes the shunning of ones ego in favor of the
needs of others.
Raja, or royal, yoga is the path through experimentation on oneself. In Raja yoga,
the practitioner undertakes a number of experiments on themselves and observes the
effects on their psyche. It utilizes the layered being hypothesis of the human self.
The point is, all of the yoga types are different, but they all achieve the same
goal: spiritual enlightenment. No matter what type of person you are, you can achieve
this. Even if one is not religious it still stands, since yoga is about spirituality but not
necessarily religion. All of these paths, even Hatha, are but a portion of the greater
discipline that is yoga.

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