c. What are Four Paths of Yoga?

The four paths of yoga are Bhakti, Karma, Gyana and Raj Yoga. These are four different approaches to connecting with the Divine or connecting with the Self. All individuals can benefit from any or all of these paths in their spiritual journey.  However, it is up to the individual to find the right mix to devote their time towards the practice of each path. Most Hindus follow all of these in some manner. All four paths lead to the ultimate goal of Enlightenment.

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Bhakti Yoga, or the path of love and devotion to the Divine is ideal to rid the mind of negative thoughts and emotions and replace it with blissful love of the divine.  It teaches us to see the divinity or the Supreme Self in everything and everyone.

Karma Yoga teaches selfless action.  It encourages the practitioner to seek perfection in actions without attachment to the fruits of the actions.  It is also a central teaching based on the famous doctrine of Karma–actions have consequences.  It is the best path for individuals seeking to make a positive difference in this world with their actions.

Jnana (Gyana) Yoga is the path of pursuit of divinity through pursuit of knowledge of the Self.  It provides a set of reasoning contained in scriptures that allow the practitioner to achieve Enlightenment or Self-realization.  It is the path that most directly addresses the famous question “Who am I?” or the process of Self-realization.

Raj yoga is the path for those seeking a spiritual journey through self-discipline. Many Hindu scriptures provide a detailed guide to the spiritual journey of a Raj yogi. This is also the path which is the basis of what most westerners know as ‘Yoga’ and meditation. Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras provide an eight-step approach to enlightenment through the control of the body, mind and its senses.

Other reading material:

https://chopra.com/articles/the-4-paths-of-yoga

https://sivanandayogafarm.org/blog/4-paths-of-yoga/

https://www.ekhartyoga.com/articles/philosophy/the-4-paths-of-yoga

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Contributor: Shan

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