NEHRU COLLEGE OF

AERONAUTICS AND
APPLIED SCIENCES

ILAKKIYA R
ASSISTANT PROFESSOR
Ii-bBA
YOGA FOR HUMAN
EXCELLENCE
 UNIT - II
TYPES OF YOGA
PATHS of Yoga &
patanjalis eight
limbs o f yoga
PATHS of Yoga
Karma yoga
Bhakti yoga
Jnana yoga
Raja yoga
Hatha yoga
Karma Yoga. is the path of action. ...
Bhakti Yoga. is the path of devotion and
love for God and for the whole of creation -
animals, as well as humans, and all of nature.
Raja Yoga. is also known as the “Royal Path
of Yoga” or the “Eight Step Path”. ...
Gyana Yoga. is the philosophical path.
Hatha yoga is a practice of
physical asanas or yoga postures
 Karma yoga-
The yoga of action and selfless service

Often Karma Yoga is explained

as free service or social
service. But Karma Yoga is a
path of fulfilling your duty
without ego or attachment.
 Karma yoga
Duty (dharma) is the role we get. We get
many roles in this life, for example the role
of a parent, the role of a student, the role
of a neighbor, the role of a partner, etc.
When you do your duty without ego and
attachment, your ego dissolves and you
reach self-realization. Even though it
sounds simple, Karma Yoga is a difficult
path.
Bhakti yoga-The yoga of devotion
Bhakti Yoga is the path of devotion –
devotion to sattva (purity).
In this path you devote yourself to a life of purity. By
devoting yourself to a life of purity, you purify yourself and
reach self-realization.
It is difficult to see and understand the path of purity.
The solution is to find a role model who is pure, which is
why people often devote themselves to a deity or a master
who is considered to be pure.
In case you cannot find a suitable model, it is advised to
find a sattvic (pure) teacher or guide. This is where it can
get tricky. If you choose a teacher who is manipulative and
without pure intentions, you do not actually practice Bhakti
Yoga and you will not progress on the path to self-
Bhakti yoga-
The yoga of devotion
However, despite popular belief, Bhakti Yoga is not the
path of devotion to any kind of deity or master. Even
though you follow the example of a master or teacher,
you do so in order to devote yourself to the purity in
them.
If you have found a powerful inspiration of sattva
(purity), then Bhakti Yoga is a broadly accessible path
toward more awareness.
And therefore, Bhakti Yoga is sometimes considered an
easy path because all you must do is follow your sattvic
guide to your best ability.
Raja Yoga – the yoga of meditation
Raja Yoga is the path of control. In 
Sanskrit, Raja literally means “control.” It
shouldn’t be confused with the other use
of the word raja, which means “king.” By
controlling yourself, you control your ego
and become self-realized.
In Raja Yoga we control:
Our body
Our breath
Our senses
Our mind
 Jnana yoga
Jnana Yoga (sometimes referred to as Gyana Yoga)
can be described as the path of knowledge about the
Self.
When following this path, you gain knowledge,
analyze it and convert it into awareness. As your
awareness goes up, your ego goes down and you move
closer toward self-realization.
Jnana Yoga starts when we realize that what we
know is not true. Only then the journey towards truth
starts . . .
Even though Jnana Yoga is a very efficient path, it is
not suitable for everyone. To be able to follow the path
of Jnana Yoga, you must possess certain qualities.
 The qualities needed for practicing Jnana Yoga are:

Curiosity: If you are not curious but believe easily without

analyzing or questioning, Jnana Yoga may not be the best fit
Intellect: You must be able to analyze clearly and with
detachment
Patience: Proper understanding takes time and repetition.
Therefore, you must have patience for this path of yoga
In Jnana Yoga we convert information into knowledge
and knowledge into awareness.
In order to discern potentially true information from
illusionary information, a Jnana yogi follows the steps as
outlined in ancient scriptures. When processing information,
we intellectually analyze if it might be useful to lead us to
the truth of the Self.
The qualities needed for practicing
Jnana Yoga are:
Only information that fulfills at least one of
the conditions below should be considered
worthy enough to analyze further:
Direct perception: You can consider what you
perceive directly from your own five senses could
be true
Cause and effect: When you see an effect, you
consider there must be a cause for it and vice
versa. That is an indication that the information
can be true
 Hatha yoga - Practice of physical asanas
 or yoga postures
Hatha yoga is the branch of yoga that
typically comes to mind when you think
of yoga in general terms. The practice
involves breath, body, and mind, and
classes are usually 45 minutes to 90
minutes of breathing, yoga poses, and
meditation.
 Hatha yoga - Practice of physical asanas
 or yoga postures
Hatha yoga is the science of
harmonizing Pingala and Ida; or the solar and
lunar energies within us so as to prod our
higher consciousness to life. 
It is the science of activating the third,
central nadi- Sushumna - which is the path to
enlightenment.
Eight limbs of Yoga
Yama :  Universal morality
Niyama :  Personal observances
Asanas :  Body postures
Pranayama :  Breathing exercises, and control
of prana
Pratyahara :  Control of the senses
Dharana :  Concentration and cultivating inner
perceptual awareness
Dhyana :  Devotion, Meditation on the Divine
Samadhi :  Union with the Divine
Eight limbs of Yoga
1. YAMAS
Yamas are five restraints a spiritual aspirant
has to be aware of:
•  Non-Violence
•  Truth
•  Honesty
•  Continence
•  Non-Possession
2. NIYAMAS
Niyamas are the five observances:
•  Cleanliness
•  Contentment
•  Self Study
•  Tapas (heating up)
•  Surrender to a higher principle creating Universe
 Eight limbs of Yoga
3. YOGA ASANAS
Yoga Asanas are different physical exercises or postures for
keeping the body fit and comfortable.
4. PRANA YAMA
Prana means vital force. Yama means control. Prana Yama thus
means control of vital force. In beings the vital force operates
through the process of breathing.
Puraka, Rechaka and Kumbhaka are the three functions in the
process of breathing.
Puraka means filling and indicates the inspiration which
nourishes the system with Prana.
Rechaka means emptying which indicates expiration.
Kumbhaka is the retention or pause between inhalation and
exhalation and between exhalation and inhalation.
In Prana Yama there are innumerable techniques to establish
control over the vital force.
 Eight limbs of Yoga
5. PRATYAHARA
Pratyahara means withdrawal of senses from
external information.
6. DHARANA
Dharana means concentration. Entertaining a particular
thought for a particular period of time is concentration.
7. DHYANA
Dhyana means meditation. Meditation is when the mind
starts to flow to the point of attention continuously for a
long period of time without strain or effort.
8. SAMADHI
Samadhi means integration. Integration is a state wherei
the subject, object and the process become one.
 HAVE A HAPPY AND
HEALTHY LIFE.
STAY HOME AND STAY SAFE.

Thank you
The 5 principles of Yoga and how to integrate them in your daily life