Yoga Paths

An Overview Of Different Schools and Traditions

This overview below may help you to find your path. No form of yoga is better than the other; there are different paths as individuals exist. The common of all forms is the reconnecting, the religion or even yoga with God.

Karma Yoga

Karma Yoga achieves union with God through right action and service (Bhakti Yoga). Karma Yoga can also be summed up in a statement by Sri Bhagavan Krishna in the Bhagavad Gita: “Worshipping Him with proper actions, a man attains realization.” One key to Karma Yoga is the performance of right action and service for its own sake, without consideration of the immediate or apparent results.

Karma Yoga means “action yoga.” It consists of the sacred work of performing your daily activities in harmony with the souls’ wishes and desires. All actions are to be done with an attitude of self-surrender and with no regard for the fruit of those actions – no egoistic attachments.

• Karma Yoga (Bhikshu)
• Karma, The Law of Action, followed by Reaction (Dinu Roman)

Bhakti Yoga

It’s the Yoga of love and devotion. The Way of Transcendent Love which sees the whole universe, animate and inanimate, as being pervaded by divinity. Also very much involved with service (referring Karma Yoga), and way of the heart.

Hatha Yoga

It is a yoga concerned with physical and energetical purification and training. Its goal is to bring the physical body into a perfect state of health, so the soul has a fitting vehicle of expression to work through. It embraces many practices, including physical postures and breathing exercises (pranayama) which also act upon the physical nervous system and etheric body which is considered a corollary aspect of the physical body and brings the vital energies of the physical and etheric bodies under conscious control.

Kriya Yoga

• Kriya Yoga: The Original Kriya Science (Swami Satyeswarananda Giri)
• Kriya Yoga: a bridge between inner and the outer world (Swami Janakananda)
• Lahiri Mahasay 100 Year Mahasamadhi
• Personal experiences: An Enlightening Experience (Jon Locke)

Astanga Yoga (Eightfold Yogapath)

• Yama
• Niyama
• Asana
• Pranayama
• Pratyahara
• Dharana
• Dhyana
• Samadhi

Siddha Yoga

• Siddha Mahayoga FAQ (Kurt Keutzer)
• The Lineage of Swami Shivom Tirth (Narayan Prakash)

Raja Yoga

• The Living Tradition of Sahaj Marg (Clark Powell): Sahaj Marg: System of Raja Yoga (yoga of mind)

Sahaja Yoga

• Sahaja Yoga – An Unique Discovery (Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi): An introduction to Sahaja Yoga

Jnana Yoga

Jnana Yoga is the yoga of the philosopher and thinker who wants to go beyond the visible, material reality. The Jana Yogi finds God through knowledge. Jnana Yoga is summed up in the Upanishads by the following statement: “In the method of reintegration through knowledge, the mind is ever bound to the ultimate end of existence which is liberation This method leads to all attainments and is ever auspicious.” […]
— Excerpt of “Hidden Mysteries” by Joshua David Stone

Surat Shabd or Nada Yoga

Kundalini Yoga

Kundalini (Serpent Power) (Swami Satyananda Saraswati) : Kundalini Maha Yoga is an ancient universal science, perfected over thousands of years. Anandi Ma is an advanced disciple of Dhyanyogi and one of few people who can perform Skaktipat. Through Shaktipat the disciple can excel quickly in their spiritual journey towards Self Realization – Enlightenment.

Tantra Yoga

• Tantra, The Left Hand Path of Love (Dinu Roman)
• Sacred Sexuality List

Agni Yoga

Agni Yoga is a synthesis of all yogas, especially Karma Yoga, Bhakti Yoga and Raja Yoga. Agni is the Sanskrit word for Fire–the Creative Fire of the Cosmos–the Fire that is found in varying degrees at the foundation of all Yogas.

Mantra Yoga

Mantra Yoga finds union with God through the proper use of speech and sound. It is the power of the word to create or destroy that Mantra Yoga emphasizes. It utilizes the focus intent to make every word you speak to be in harmony with God and with your soul. […]

Yantra Yoga

Yantra Yoga is the path of union with God thorough geometric visualization. A yantra is a geometric design. They are highly efficient tools for contemplation, concentration, and meditation. […]

Laya Yoga

Asparsha Yoga

Sankirtan Yoga

Shiva Yoga

Taraka Yoga

Lambika Yoga

Sapta Yoga

Sapta Yoga is based on the ancient Yogic text, the “Gheranda Samhita.” It is both a spiritual practice and a therapeutic art, successful in removing the causes of numerous diseases highly resistant to orthodox Western healing methods. It is taught by Yogacharya Dr. Sushil Bhattacharya, director of the Patanjali Yoga Center in Kathmandu, Nepal.

Integral Yoga

“Integral Yoga” of Sri Aurobindo, the revolutionary saint of India who lived during 1872-1950.

Yoga of Synthesis (Karma, Bhakti, Jnana and Raja Yoga)

• SRYA, School for Research in Yoga and Ayurveda: A non-profit organization, “Yoga of Synthesis” (Karma-, Bhakti-, Jñana and Raja Yoga) and “Yoga and Ayurveda” (Yoga-chikitsa or Yoga-therapy and medical science of Ayurveda), developed by Sri Chandrasekhar.
• Ashram on the Internet: The spiritual group founded by Sri Sivananda-Valentina. A non-profit spiritual organization dedicated to spreading its Guru’s Teachings.
• Arhatic Yoga (Unicorn): Arhatic Yoga is called the “Yoga of Synthesis.” It deals with the activation of the chakras, and the awakening of the kundalini through a systematic and safe method.
• Sathya Sai Baba: Sathya Sai Baba is a spiritual leader and world teacher, whose life and message are inspiring millions of people throughout the world to turn Godward and to lead more purposeful and moral lives. It teaches a synthesis of different Yoga Paths.

Yoga Sample Lessons

• The Self, Maya, and the Heart (Maya Samara): Essay on Self, Maya, and the Heart, non-dualism in vedic scriptures and christian scriptures
• Mundaka Upanishad (Eduardo Gomez)
• ISA Upanishad (Eduardo Gomez)
• Diary of Awareness, Kundalini and Life (Roger Hamstra)
• Free of Illusion (Moribah Jah)
• The Yoga Sutras Of Patanjali (Alice A. Bailey)

Miscellaneous Yoga Information

• Kundalini FAQ (Kurt Keutzer)
• Kundalini Yogas FAQ (Kurt Keutzer)
• Pranayama Instruction (Ceci Henningsson)
• The Mystery Of Meditation (Dinu Roman)
• Meditation FAQ (Jeffrey Chance)
• Satipatthana Sutta (Gary Ray)
• Sidhis – Supernatural Powers (Christian Pluym)
• Gnosis and Yoga, The Relation (Mark Mays)
• Glossary of Sanskrit Terms (Luke Roberts)
• Yoga Resources (various authors)
• General information and related stuff
• Veda Bibliography (regularly updated)
• Recommended books as a bibliography
• Vedas & Upavedas (Vedic Culture)

Vedic Yoga Movements and Teachings

Here are some yoga web pages directly derived from Vedic-culture:

• Chinmaya Mission (Bharat Naik): Organization to propagate and study the Vedantic truths according to Swami Chinmayananda.
• Art Of Living, Teachings of Sri Sri Ravi Shankar (Bob Wynne): A non-profit organization established to promote the teachings of Pundit Sri Ravi Shankar
• Sivananda Yoga “Om” Page (Swami Atma): Lots of pages on Yoga, Meditation, diet, relaxation, Vedanta Philosophy and much more.

Non-Hindu Yoga Movements and Teachings

Here some yoga paths, which aren’t strongly connected to Vedic-culture, regarding Hinduism.

• Tao (Barry Pierce): A synthesis of Taoist philosophy
• Sufism, The Way of Heart (Mateen Siddiqui): Sufism is known as the Way of the Heart, the Way of the Pure, the Mystical Path of Islam