Today, all over the world, we hear the term “yoga” being used. In fact, the yoga industry is said to be worth more than $84 billion worldwide, and it’s estimated that on average, there are more than 19 million searches within Google per month in the United States alone for yoga-related terms, including search queries like “yoga classes near me,” “yoga poses,” “yoga pants,” and “yoga teacher training.” (sources: Google Trends and SEMRush)
The yoga phenomenon has grown quickly in other Western countries like the UK, Australia and Canada as well, making it one of the most widely forms of exercise around the world.
However, if we look at the primary yoga topics that people search for in these countries, they mostly center around the physical aspects of yoga, such as classes, teachers, poses, and specialty clothes and mats. This isn’t a totally negative thing; after all, people have to start somewhere! Going to a class that begins teaching the basics of movement and breathing can still be beneficial and there are numerous proven health benefits from the practice of “modern yoga” (which is usually a variation of Hatha or Bikram yoga).
However, in a way, this adoption of “yoga” is more trendy than it is true, and focusing only on the physical aspects of yoga is sort of like watching an athlete win a trophy and thinking, “Wow, how fun is that!?” but not considering the hours and hours of brutal hard work and discipline that went into winning that trophy. In other words, it’s like looking at something superficially and cherry-picking the bits and pieces that seem the most “fun” vs. being able to see the whole picture.
What is Yoga Then?
The full practice of yoga isn’t only about poses/postures (or “asana”) — it’s an entire spiritual way of life and the process of realizing one’s true nature.
Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras is the most comprehensive and direct text ever written on the science of yoga. In this succinct text, Patanjali defined yoga as “chitta vritti nirodha:” the process of ending the fluctuations in the field of consciousness. It is said that when the fluctuations end and we have complete control over our mind and senses, Samadhi or “Oneness” is realized. This is why it is called “yoga,” which literally means “to yoke together” or “to unite.”
“The goal of yoga is ultimate liberation, Kaivalya, or Oneness with God.”
Paramahansa Yogananda
Even the famous Swiss psychologist Carl Jung was a practitioner of yoga and spoke of its purpose. He once said: “…Yoga is, as I can readily believe, the perfect and appropriate method of fusing body and mind together so that they form a unity which is scarcely to be questioned. This unity creates a psychological disposition which makes possible intuitions that transcend consciousness.” (Autobiography of a Yogi, p. 254)
As we can see, the true purpose of yoga is certainly different than the westernized goal of being able to contort your body into various postures! This is why I believe that the deep purpose of yoga as a spiritual path has been lost in countries where the practice of modern wellness yoga has been popularized.
Let’s rediscover the true purpose of yoga and what it really is by using the Eightfold Path of Yoga as a guide.
The 8 Limbs of Yoga
In the Yoga Sutras, Patanjali outlined the Eightfold Path of Yoga, otherwise known as the “eight limbs of yoga.” This is different than the Buddhism Noble Eightfold Path, but what the two have in common is an emphasis on right living and the ultimate goal of Self-Realization.
Here is a brief explanation of the different aspects of Patanjali’s Eightfold Path of Yoga:
- Yama, or the “don’ts” — the Yamas could be compared to the Christian Bible’s “thou shall nots,” while the Niyamas (see below) could be compared to the “thou shalls.” The yamas are fulfilled by: harmlessness, truthfulness, non-stealing, self-restraint (particularly when it comes to sex), and non-covetousness (not being jealous of another’s life, things, or even spiritual progress).
- Niyama, or the “do’s” — The Niyamas are also seen as spiritual observances, and include: purity of body and mind, contentment in all situations, self-discipline, self-study / contemplation, and devotion to God and guru. Together, the yamas and the niyamas form the foundation of a spiritual life, leading to inner and outer wellbeing and preparing the yogi to go deeper into the process.
- Asana, or right posture — being able to keep the spine straight and body in the correct meditation posture.
- Pranayama, or life-force / breath control — “prana” refers to the life force that is pulsating and sustaining all of life itself, including us. In the human body, this life force is often related to the breath, which of course is required for living. That is why you will likely see many “pranayama techniques” which are used for controlling the breath and our life force, redirecting our energy inward so that the yogi can focus their attention on God.
- Pratyahara, or interiorization of the mind — whereas Pranayama refers to controlling and internalizing the life force, Pratyahara refers to the withdrawal of the senses from the external world. Instead, the yogi trains themself to be able to withdraw consciousness from the senses so that the mind is 100% calm and unaffected by what’s going on around them.
- Dharana, or concentration. This is the ability to hold one’s concentration on the object of contemplation (which at first may be a mantra or technique, but later becomes a fixation of awareness on the Infinite alone, where the meditator and the object of meditation become one).
- Dhyana, or meditation — essentially, meditation is the ability to calm the mind and focus the attention on Spirit without distraction. Effective meditation becomes possible through completion of the preceding six steps. In that way, meditation isn’t really a technique in and of itself — it is a state of awareness made possible through living a wholesome life, learning to circulate the life force within, and completely internalizing the senses.
- Samadhi, or Oneness / divine union — this is the ultimate goal of yoga, in which “the yogi realizes the Truth beyond all intellectual apprehension.” (Autobiography of a Yogi, p. 253) This is when our consciousness is freed from the limitations of this worldy existence and we are finally able to reunite our individualized consciousness with the Wholeness.
The first five “limbs” of yoga are said to be the initial steps to spiritual awakening and to creating a solid foundation on which the yogi can build their spiritual house. The final three make up the stage of Self-Mastery, which leads to the full realization of oneness with Spirit.
The Different Types of Yoga
In a sense, yoga is the goal in and of itself; it’s a state of oneness that is achieved after rigorous practice. To reach this goal though, there are several “paths” defined by the Yoga Sutras and texts like The Bhagavad Gita.
Generally, the six* paths or branches of yoga are considered to be:
- Jnana Yoga, or the path of knowledge and wisdom
- Bhakti Yoga, or the path of devotion
- Karma Yoga, or the path of service and right action
- Hatha Yoga, or the path of bodily mastery and discipline
- Raja Yoga, or the royal path, which incorporates all paths of yoga into one
- Kriya Yoga, or the yoga of scientific technique
*Other branches that are sometimes included are Tantra Yoga and Mantra Yoga
A note on Kriya Yoga
Kriya Yoga is the particular path that I follow and which I have studied and been initiated into. In the lineage of Kriya masters, it is considered to be an aspect of Raja Yoga. According to Parahamansa Yogananda, “is the quintessence of all yoga paths, the path especially favored by royal sages and great yogis in ancient India.” This is the practical path to liberation that “teaches the householders, as well as the man of renunciation, to commune with God as his first duty; and then to perform all proper physical, mental, moral and spiritual duties with divine consciousness.” (Yogananda; God Talks with Arjuna: The Bhagavad Gita, pp. 659-60)
Kriya is said to be the preferred path to Self-Realization because it not only encompasses and encourages all paths and limbs of yoga, but is meant to be a practical path for all spiritual aspirants — whether you work in advertising or computers, the scientific techniques and philosophies of Kriya can help.
Kriya, controlling the mind directly through the life force, is the easiest, most effective, and most scientific avenue of approach to the Infinite. In contrast to the slow, uncertain “bullock cart” theological path to God, Kriya Yoga may justly be called the “airplane” route.
Paramahansa Yogananda, Autobiography of a Yogi p. 270
In sum
I hope this post has helped give you a better idea of what yoga truly is, which is a complete system of both practical living and spiritual transcendence. While there are several paths, the goal remains the same: To fully realize who you are, and to merge your individual consciousness with God-consciousness (here, “God” does not refer to the theological Christian myth of a paternal figure in the sky; it refers to the Infinite consciousness of which we are all a part).
I wish you all the best on your path to enlightenment. Namaste.