Types
& Styles of
Yoga -
Hatha
Yoga
- Pranayama
- Other
Styles
Bhakti
Yoga
- The
path of love and devotion especially in
a spiritual connection, a heart centred
journey.
•
Gnana Yoga
- The
path of knowledge and wisdom and deep
understanding of the self through the
study of ancient and modern wisdoms.
The path of the intellect.
•
Karma Yoga
- The
path of selfless action and service
without seeking reward, the journey of
the active person.
•
Ashtanga or Raja (Royal)
Yoga
Raja
Yoga is the 8-fold path as first
written down by Patanjali in the Yoga
Sutras, thought to have been written
around 200 BC.
- Yamas
- Five moral principles
- Niyamas
- Five personal
disciplines
- Asana
- postures - Physical movements
preparing the body for sitting in
meditation, for purifying the body
and improving one's posture to allow
the free flow of energy.
- Pranayama
- control of the breath and the flow
of energy in the body, which in turn
brings balance to the body, mind and
emotions.
- Pratyahara
- drawing the senses within, letting
go of external distractions and
stimuli.
- Dharana
- total concentration on a chosen
point of focus whether this is an
object, sound, symbol, concept,
movement or a task.
- Dhyana
- meditation, an experience of inner
peace and stillness
- Samadhi
- Self-realization, the merging with
universal consciousness.
Raja
Yoga leads to mastery of the mind
through meditation, the path of the
spiritual person.
•
Laya and Kundalini
Yoga
- Union
by awakening psychic
energies
•
Mantra Yoga
- The
use of sound (repetition of word or
phrase) to influence the
consciousness
•
Tantra Yoga
- A
general term for the physiological
systems of Yoga.
•
Yantra Yoga
The use
of sight (form/colour) and
concentration to influence the
consciousness.
Breath
of Life / Pranayama
Slowing
and deepening the breath has been shown
to have a profound effect on the
heartbeat, and therefore mental
attitudes and relaxation. It improves
the elasticity of the lungs and
maintains optimal oxygen/carbon dioxide
balance in the body.
Pranayama
("prana"- life force/"yama"-
regulation) utilises and directs the
energy of the breath to aid healing, to
revitalise and calm and gain mastery
over the mind. This involves slowing
the breath, breath retention and in its
more advanced forms the bandhas to
direct the prana in the
body.
Types
of Pranayama
include:
- Nadi
Sodhana - alternate nostril
breathing
- Bhramari
- humming breath
- Sitali
- cooling breath
- Sitkari
- the hissing breath
- Ujjayi
breath - the psychic
breath
- Surya
Bheda breath - Sun breath &
Chandra Bheda - Moon
breath
- Bhastrika
- bellows breath
