There are Many Yoga Paths

by Nina

Travelers on a Mountain Path at Night by Hiroshima

“Yoga is a spectacularly multifaceted phenomenon, and as such it is very difficult to define because there exceptions to every conceivable rule.” 

“So when we speak of Yoga we speak of a multitude of yogic paths and orientations with contrasting theoretical frameworks and occasionally even divergent goals, though all are means to liberation.” — Georg Feuerstein

Although Ram has written an entire series on the eight-fold path of yoga (also called Raja Yoga) as described in Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras, it is important to understand that there are many other paths besides the eight-fold path to achieving the same yogic goals. I mentioned this in my post 8 Essential Yoga Concepts last week, when I discussed the essential yogic concept of “many paths.” 

Since then I’ve been doing some research on those paths. In 8 Essential Yoga Concepts I said that the Bhagavad Gita mentioned three different paths and that Vivekananda described four. At that time my intention was to describe the four paths that Vivekananda identified in more detail. And, in order to help you, my readers, to better understand each path, I also wanted to find a well-known yogi or two who traveled each one path (for example, Mohandas K. Ghandi is the considered by many as the ultimate practitioner of Karma Yoga.)

To learn more about these paths, I turned to The Yoga Tradition by Georg Feuerstein, my go-to resource on yoga history. When I read the following, I wasn’t completely surprised (I knew from having already read the book about the multitude of yogic paths and crazy twists and turns of yoga history), but I soon realized that my original plan wasn’t going to work:

“Within the realm of Hinduism, six major forms of Yoga have gained prominence. They are Raja-Yoga, Hatha-Yoga, Jnana-Yoga, Bhakti-Yoga, Karma-Yoga and Mantra-Yoga. To these must be added Laya-Yoga and Kundalini-Yoga, which are closely associated with Hatha-Yoga but are often mentioned as independent approaches. These two are also subsumed under Tantra-Yoga.”

In the same chapter, Feuerstein also mentioned Aurobindo’s Integral Yoga as a separate path from the “modern” era. Finally, he pointed out something I knew but wasn’t taking into consideration, which is that there are “Yogas” within the Jaina, Buddhist, and Sikhism traditions (something I will not be going into today).

I quickly realized that if I was to describe each of those paths and come up with a representative yogi for each one, I’d be writing a whole chapter! Instead, I’m just going to recommend that for those of you who are interested in learning more about all these paths and more that you read "Chapter 2: The Wheel of Yoga" in The Yoga Tradition yourself. I will, however, provide a very brief summary of the paths he described below.

But I was also left with several questions. Which of these paths am I on? Maybe Hatha-Yoga with some Raja-Yoga and Karma-Yoga mixed in? And does it matter if I mix it up like that? Do I have to follow only one path? Or any path at all?

According to Feuerstein, not only do I not “need” to become a convert to any path, but also I should not accept yogic ideas and practices without questioning them. 

“In our struggle for self-understanding and psycho-spiritual growth, we can benefit immensely from a liberal exposure to India’s spiritual legacy. We need not, of course, become converts to any path, or accept yogic ideas and practices without questioning. C.G. Jung’s warning that we should not attempt to transplant Eastern teachings into the West rings true at a certain level; mere imitation definitely does more harm than good. The reason is that if we adopt ideas and lifestyles without truly assimilating them emotionally and intellectually, we run the risk of living inauthentic lives.”

When I read the above quote, I felt very relieved! For one thing, yes, I guess it is okay for me to mix it up and not be committed to a single path. But also I realized that this is what my post about “many paths” should be about: just a sort of general statement that, as Feuerstein said, there is a “multitude of yogic paths.” And as you learn about these paths, you may find ideas and practices that are useful to you (or not). So keep an open mind, and don’t get stuck on one path or with one teacher’s interpretations of what “yoga” means just because it’s the one you started out with.

Some of the Yoga Paths (Summarized from The Yoga Tradition)

Raja-Yoga: The yoga system (eight-fold path) of Patanjali described in the “Yoga Sutras,” which emphasizes meditative introversion.

Hatha-Yoga: A psycho-spiritual technology intended to fortify the body to withstand transcendental realization. Unlike Raja-Yoga, Hatha-Yoga expresses the ideal of Tantra, which is to “live in the world out of the fullness of Self-realization rather than to withdraw from life in order to gain enlightenment.”

Jnana-Yoga: The path to Self-realization through wisdom, in which you learn to discern the Real from the unreal or illusory.

Bhakti-Yoga: Self-realization is achieved through devotion to God or the Divine, who can be worshiped in song, ritual action or meditation.

Karma-Yoga: The “yoga of action” described in the Bhagavad Gita, in which every action is turned into a “sacrifice,” where you surrender outcome of the your action to Divine.

Mantra-Yoga: The use of sacred utterances, numinous sounds, or sounds charged with psycho-spiritual power as rituals to achieve Self-realization. Has 16 limbs, including conduct, concentration, mediation, breath, and mudras, so more than just mantras are required.

Laya-Yoga: Self-realization or Samadhi is achieved through “absorption.” Central to this path is the concept of the kundalini-shakti (the serpent power).

Integral-Yoga: Developed by Sri Aurobindo, this form of yoga has the purpose of bringing “divine consciousness” back into the human body and into ordinary life. It has no prescribed techniques because the individual must simply open himself or herself to the higher Power.

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