YOGA-ASANAS

How many of you, sisters and brothers, find in yourselves the unmistakable signs of disease,

declining health, vim, vigour and vitality? How many of you, may I ask again, feel actually the grip of premature old age? Why do you unjustly throw the whole blame on heredity without for a moment realising that for nearly thirty or thirty-five years you have been flouting the laws of life? Thirty-five years of wrong living! Thirty-five years of wrong feeding! Thirty-five years of wrong breathing! Thirty-five years of wrong thinking! Thirty-five years spent in abject ignorance of the relationship between brain and brawn! Thirty-five years, in fact, spent in doing everything possible to develop the disease of “Old Age!”.

Now suppose the whole situation is reversed, and in place of wrong living, wrong feeding,
wrong breathing, etc., there is introduced right living, right feeding, right breathing, and so forth,
what will be the effect? Will physical and mental degeneration give place to physical and mental
regeneration? The answer given by the Seers of the East is an emphatic “YES”. The Indian Yogins have conclusively proved that by following a regimen it is quite possible to rebuild the human body, to reconstruct the human mind, to regain lost youth, strength and beauty. The key to accomplish this remarkable feat according to the Saints, Sages and Rishis of yore is to be found in Yoga-Asanas.

You know what the word ‘Yoga’ means. It is union of the individual soul (Jivatman) with the Supreme Soul (Paramatman). Asana is an easy and comfortable seat or pose or posture. Thus the term Yoga-Asanas means certain postures by assuming any one of which the individual soul is united with the Supreme Soul quite easily by the Yogic practitioner. The relationship between mind and body is so complete and so subtle that it is no wonder that certain physical training will induce certain mental transformations.

A good many of you might have come across several persons capable of demonstrating these Yoga-Asanas some of which may seem at first sight disgusting and tiring. At any rate such persons are not uncommon in India. Some of my own students who are specialists in this branch of Yoga can do the various exercises with amazing grace and finish. It is wrong to suppose that these Yoga-Asanas are merely physical exercises founded by the ancient Rishis of India just as so many systems of physical culture have cropped up now both in Europe and in America. There is something spiritual, something divine at the bottom of this system for it awakens the sleeping

Kundalini-Shakti, helps the Yogic student a lot in establishing himself fully in meditation and finally makes him taste the nectar of Cosmic Consciousness.

It is important to know what an ideal system of physical culture should be, so that you will be able to judge for yourself the value of Yoga-Asanas in the light of the ideal. That system can be safely said to be an ideal system which requires the smallest amount of energy to be spent in order to secure the greatest amount of benefit; which can effect a maximum increase in the vital index; which can build up a healthy nervous system; which can ensure health for the excretory organs of the body; which can take care of the circulatory system; and which can also develop the muscular system. Let us now see how far these few conditions are fulfilled by Yoga-Asanas.

Let me now prescribe a short but complete course of Yoga-Asanas which is more than sufficient for an average man (or woman) of health not only to maintain a high standard of health but also to achieve true success in Yoga. Yogic physical culture is only a means to an end, and not an end in itself. You need not, therefore, attach undue importance to this branch of Yoga alone to the gross neglect of the others. All the Asanas mentioned and illustrated in this book can be successfully practiced without the personal contact of a teacher. Thousands are benefited in various ways by regularly practising these Asanas. The various exercises given in this book have been so arranged that strict adherence is expected of you. All Asanas should be done invariably in the morning, and not in the evening as you will find in some books on the subject. The reason for this emphasis is that in the evening everybody is tired of a day’s work and as such will not be able to do the various exercises with a feeling of exhilaration and freshness which he or she would otherwise feel in the morning. There should absolutely be no feeling of depression or fatigue either before or during the performance of these exercises. This is an important point to remember, if you wish to enjoy the benefits of these exercises in the fullest measure. You need not go through the whole course everyday. but you must by all means be regular and systematic in the very little that you do, and be amaster of all the exercises given in this book. Another point to remember is that the amount of energy expended in these exercises should on no account strain your system. Those of you who wish to do muscular exercises may do so in the evening. All Yoga-Asanas must be done on an empty stomach; but there is no harm if a small cup of milk, light tea or coffee is taken before commencing the exercises.

Asana is the third limb (Anga) of Yoga. If you are firmly established in Asanas, you will not feel the body at all. When you do not feel the body, qualities of the pairs of opposites will not affect you. When you are free from the effect of the pairs of opposites such as heat and cold, pleasure and pain, you will be able to take up the next higher step viz., Pranayama and practice it with an unruffled mind. Therefore you should select that posture which is easy and comfortable and in which you can remain long, say, three hours. Lord Krishna says: “Having in a cleanly spot established a firm seat, neither too high nor too low with cloth, skin, and Kusa grass thereon; making the mind one-pointed, with the actions of the mind and the senses controlled, let him, seated there on the seat, practise Yoga for the purification of the self. Holding erect and still the body, head and neck, firm, gazing at the tip of the nose, without looking around, serene-minded, fearless, firm in the vow of godly life, having restrained the mind, thinking on Me, and balanced, let him sit, looking up to Me as the Supreme.” (Bhagavad-Gita Ch. VI-11, 12, 13).

Yoga aims at developing, will-power. Aman of strong and dynamic will-power will always sit upright and walk with his chest thrown in front of his head; but a weak-willed person will change his posture often and often, while sitting or standing, will walk in a zigzag fashion, betraying infirmity and want of resolution of mind in every step. The practice of Asanas is of vital importance, and though the practice may be found to be painful and troublesome at the outset, when once the habit of sitting on one Asana for a considerable length of time is formed, you will feel a peculiar thrill and pleasure while seated there, and you will not like to change the pose on any account.According to Patanjali Maharshi, posture is that which is firm and comfortable. He does not lay any special stress on either Asana or Pranayama. It was only later on that the Hatha-Yogins developed these two limbs of Yoga, and, no doubt they are of tremendous help to the Yogic student.

While the Hatha-Yogins aim at the control and culture of the body, the Raja-Yogins aim at the control and culture of the mind. And as body and mind are interdependent, physical culture is a sine qua non to mental culture.It is wrong to suppose that Yoga-Asanas are purely meant for the Indians and that they are ideally suited to Indian conditions. That it is not the case is proved by the following few instances. Mr. Harry Dikman, the Director-Founder of the Yoga Centre in Riga, Latvia (Europe) is a good specialist in these Yoga-Asanas, Bandhas and Mudras and his opinion and advice to persons suffering from various kinds of diseases, curable and incurable, are increasingly becoming popular in Europe. I have not heard of another man either in Europe or in America, who takes such a keen and lively interest in this subject and is making researches in the same. You will be surprised to know that Mr. Harry Dikman is essentially a philosopher and a sage.

In California (U.S.A.) a young girl of about two and twenty, weighing 280 lbs., due to much adiposity and therefore feeling completely dejected and forlorn, finally took recourse to Yoga-Asanas on the recommendation of a friend of hers, and in the course of six months time, to the astonishment and wonder of all, was able to reduce her body-weight to 180 lbs., by following the instructions of a specialist! The photographs of the girl taken before, during and after the six months course were lavishly published in various American journals and high tributes paid to theremarkable efficacy of Yoga-Asanas as the means of building up a radiant and healthy body and eradicating all kinds of diseases.Mr. Ernest Haekel of Los Angeles, California, Mr. Boris Sacharow of Berlin and several others interested in acquiring psychic powers by awakening the Kundalini are all instances to prove that Yoga-Asanas can be practiced and are intended not only for India and the Indians but for the whole world and the humanity at large.

Practise either Padmasana or Siddhasana for meditative purposes and the various other Asanas, Bandhas, etc., for maintaining, a high standard of health, vigour, strength, vitality, and for keeping up Brahmacharya.

PRANAYAMA

WHAT IS PRANA?

Prana is the sum total of all energy that is manifested in the universe. It is the vital force,
Sukshma. Breath is the external manifestation of Prana. By exercising control over this gross
breath, you can control the subtle Prana inside. Control of Prana means control of mind. Mind
cannot operate without the help of Prana. It is the Sukshma Prana that is intimately connected with
the mind. Prana is the sum total of all latent forces which are hidden in men and which lie
everywhere around us. Heat, light, electricity, magnetism are all the manifestations of Prana. Prana
is related to mind; through mind to the will; through will to the individual soul, and through this to
the Supreme Being.
The seat of Prana is the heart. Prana is one; but it has many functions to do. Hence it assumes
five names according to the different functions it performs, viz., Prana, Apana, Samana, Udana and
Vyana. According to the different functions they perform, they occupy certain places in the body.
The table given in the following pages will give you a clear idea.
Breath directed by thought under the control of the will is a vitalising, regenerated force
which can be utilised consciously for self-development, for healing many incurable diseases and
for many other useful purposes. Hatha Yogins consider that Prana Tattva is superior to Manas
Tattva (mind), as Prana is present even when mind is absent during deep sleep. Hence Prana plays a
more vital part than mind.
If you know how to control the little waves of Prana working through mind, then the secret
of subjugating the universal Prana will be known to you. The Yogin who becomes an expert in the
knowledge of this secret, will have no fear from any power, because he has mastery over all
manifestations of power in the Universe. What is commonly known as Power of Personality is
nothing more than the natural capacity of a person to wield his Prana. Some people are more
powerful in life, more influential and fascinating than others. It is all through this Prana, which the
Yogin uses consciously by the command of his will.
Having acquired a thorough knowledge of the seat of Nadis and of the Vayus with their
functions, one should begin with the purification of Nadis. A person possessed of Yama and
Niyama, avoiding all company, having finished his course of study, delighting in Truth and virtues,
having conquered his anger, being engaged in the service of his spiritual instructor and well
instructed in all the religious practices, should go to a secluded place for Yoga Abhyasa.
niyama, avoiding all company, having finished his course of study, delighting in Truth and virtues,
having conquered his anger, being engaged in the service of his spiritual instructor and well
instructed in all the religious practices, should go to a secluded place for Yoga Abhyasa.

Kapal Bhati Pranayam

 

Procedure : Push air forcefully out. Stomach will itself go in.
Duration : Start with 30 times or 1 min. increase upto 5 mins min. upto 10 mins max.
Benefits : aabha, tej, obesity, constipation, gastric, acidity, Croesus(liver), hepatitis B, uterus,
diabetes, stomach problems, cholesterol, allergic problems, asthma, snoring, concentration,
and even cancer and AIDS.
Tips : heart and high BP patients, and weak people do it slowly.
Swamiji says "dharti ki sanjivini hai kapal-bhati pranayam" and that it "cures all diseases of
world".

Bhastrika Pranayam

 

Procedure : Take deep breaths and then completely breathe out.
Duration : 2 mins atleast. 5 mins max.
Benefits : heart, lungs, brain, depression, migraine, paralysis, neural system, aabha

Weighing the Benefits of Yoga with Weights

 

Before you take the plunge and give yoga with weights a try, you may be

interested in knowing what the many health benefits of yoga with weights
are. Here’s a catalog of health benefits you may experience if you devote
yourself to yoga with weights.
Making you stronger
Yoga makes you stronger and tones your muscles, but by adding the weights,
you give additional boost to the muscle strengthening and toning powers of
yoga. When you stress a muscle with exercise or a repeated activity, the muscle
increases in strength and diameter as the muscle fiber expands. In other
words, the muscle is toned. The weight-bearing aspect of yoga with weights
improves the oxygenation of muscles, which promotes the muscles’ growth
and repair. The stretching improves the flexibility and health of muscles and
tendons. Yoga with weights also reduces the risk of muscle tears and strains
because weightlifting, when properly done, integrates the muscles closer to
the bones.
Building your core strength
You read a lot about your “core” and “core strength” in this book. When we
write about your core, we’re referring to the muscles of your trunk and torso
that support your spine. These muscles are the major players in balancing
and coordination. The core muscles also support your shoulders and hips.
Most people don’t know it, but the abdominal muscles, which are also core
muscles, are very important for supporting your spine.
Unless your core muscles are strong, you can’t develop the muscles of your
arms and legs to their fullest potential, in much the same way that tree
branches can’t grow big unless the trunk of the tree is strong enough to support
the branches.
Your core muscles are responsible for good posture. They keep your back
straight and your shoulders square, and they keep you from slouching. Your
core muscles also support and protect your internal organs. For example, if

the muscles around your back and abdomen aren’t strong, sitting up straight

for long periods of time is hard, because the muscles of your back and
abdomen take some of the weight-bearing stress off the smaller muscles in
your head, neck, and even your shoulders. Without strong core muscles,
you’re more susceptible to back problems.
When most people think of getting stronger, they imagine being able to lift
heavier weights or run faster. But before you can accomplish such feats, you
need to develop the core muscles of your trunk and torso. Deep strength
begins in these core muscles — your power source, the axis around which so
many muscles move. Yoga with weights is a superb program for reaching into
the center of your body to engage, utilize, and exercise the core muscles that
really matter.
Toning your muscles
Yoga-with-weights exercises are designed to work and tone all the muscles of
your body. If you think your arms are too flabby, if you want to develop your
abdominal muscles, or if you want to strengthen your legs, you can find many
yoga-with-weights exercises that target those areas. In traditional yoga, you
can tone and refine parts of your body with exercises. The addition of
weights makes it possible to really dig into a muscle or muscle group and
work it hard. Chapter 15 describes exercises that target different body areas.

Being more beautiful

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, of course. But beauty is also a matter of
confidence, poise, and bearing. We’ve seen older people with wrinkles and
thinning silver hair who don’t fit the standard definition of beauty but who
are nevertheless very beautiful. These people radiate an inner glow that has
ripened during the years. They have a light in their eyes that tells you that
they’re very much alive to the world around them and living their lives in a
way that’s full of enthusiasm. They have what’s sometimes called inner
beauty or an inspired state of being.

MIND AND BODY

BODY, THE MOULD FOR MINDS ENJOYMENT

The body with its organs is no other than the mind. The physical body is the outward manifestation of the mind. Mind is the subtle form of this physical body. The mind contemplating upon the body becomes the body itself and then, enmeshed in it, is afflicted by it. All the bodies have their seat in the mind only. Should the mind be paralysed, then the body will not evince our intelligence. Without water, can a garden exist? It is the mind which transacts all business and is the highest of the bodies. Mental actions are the real actions. The mind performs all actions very speedily in the Linga Sarira and fluctuates thereby. But, the gross body knows not anything and is inert. Even should this gross body be dissolved, the mind will assume fresh bodies to its liking very quickly. This physical body is the mould, as it were, made by the mind for its own enjoyment, for its outpouring of its energy and thereby gaining different experiences of this world through the five avenues or channels of knowledge, the five Jnana-Indriyas (organs of knowledge or perception).

THOUGHTS MAKE THE BODY

The actions of the mind alone are indeed actions; not so much those of the body. The body is really our thoughts, moods, convictions and emotions objectivised, made visible to the naked eyes. It is a point worthy to note with care that every cell in the body suffers or grows, receives a life-impulse or a death-impulse, from every thought that enters the mind, for you tend to grow into the image of that which you think about most.When the mind is turned to a particular thought and dwells on it, a definite vibration of matter is set up and often more of this vibration is caused, the more does it tend to repeat itself to become a habit, to become automatic. The body follows the mind and imitates its changes. If you concentrate your thought, the eyes become fixed. Every change in thought makes a vibration in your mental body and this, when transmitted to the physical body, causes activity in the nervous matter of your brain. This activity in the nervous cells causes many electrical and chemical changes in them. It is thought-activity which causes these changes.

What Yoga Can Do for You

Yoga is an ancient health-art developed and perfected over the centuries by the Sages and Wise Men of ancient India. Yoga is _not _a religion, a metaphysical doctrine, or a philosophy. It is not magic or mysticism, although the amazing improvements it can make in your health, your appearance and your youthfulness may often seem magical, even miraculous. For thousands of years the Yogis of India have used the simple, reasonable principles of Yoga to regain the zest and enthusiasm and good health of their youth, to preserve into middle age the clear-thinking and sound physique of manhood, and to continue enjoying _even in old age _ the resilience, healthfulness, and well-being of their younger years. Yoga can take years off your face and years from your body--and add years to your life. There are certain secret methods by which the Yogis keep the flexibility and "spring" of early youth in their joints and muscles and limbs well into the declining years. It is a common sight to see, in the crowded, colorful strets of Bombay or New Delhi, Yogis well into their seventies and even their eighties, with the straight, graceful posture of a boy, walking with the elastic, springy step of youth... with firm, healthy bodies, their hair dark and glossy and un-streaked with grey. Firm, unlined faces .. . clear, undimmed eyes. Not only does Yoga make you look and feel years younger, years healthier, but it lends your body superb healthiness. This system of Yoga does not demand difficult positions and postures, uncomfortable exercises or strenuous diets. This is where it differs from every other book on Yoga previously published. It describes the simple, easy, "common sense" secrets of _using the natural health God gave you. _It works like magic because it enables the body to realize its full potential of good health. You know that Nature built into your body certain natural safeguards against disease, certain "defense mechanisms" for self-repair. Well, modern Yoga helps the body's machinery function smoothly, efficiently, at pet performance. It encourages your body to derive every last possible atom of nutritive value from the food you now eat (so different from the natural diet of your ancestors) ... to get every second of refreshment and rest from your sleep ... to attain regularity, relief from little aches and pains, the ability to sleep deep and wake refreshed that can make the difference from feeling "pretty good" to feeling "terrific!" Yoga assists _all _your muscles and bones and organs to operate at top masculine or female vigor. Yoga stimulates into peak performance the latent abilities of your body to throw off the attacks of disease, the psychosomatic "nervous illnesses" that nag and plague millions. Do you suffer from insomnia, "nerves"? Are you without appetite? Do you find it hard to relax? Do you smoke too much, feel "worn out" by afternoon, find as you grow older that you cannot enjoy full life and day to day vitality? Yoga has the...............

YOGA AND ITS OBJECTS

Yoga Philosophy is one of the six systems of Hindu Philosophy which exist in India. Unlike so many other philosophies of the world, it is a philosophy that is wholly practical. Yoga is an exact science based on certain immutable Laws of Nature. It is well known to people of all countries of the world interested in the study of Eastern civilisation and culture, and is held in awe and reverence as it contains in it the master-key to unlock the realms of Peace, Bliss, Mystery and Miracle. Even the philosophers of the West found solace and peace in this Divine Science. Jesus Christ himself was a Yogi of a superior order, a Raja-Yogi indeed. The founder of the Yoga Philosophy was Patanjali Maharshi, who was not only a Philosopher and a Yogi, but a Physician as well. He is said to have lived about three hundred years before Jesus Christ.

Patanjali defines Yoga as the suspension of all the functions of the mind. As such, any book on Yoga, which does not deal with these three aspects of the subject, viz., mind, its functions and the method of suspending them, can he safely laid aside as unreliable and incomplete.

The word Yoga comes from the Sanskrit root “Yuj” which means “to join.” Yoga is a science that teaches us the method of joining the individual soul and the Supreme Soul. It is the merging of the individual will with the Cosmic or Universal Will. Yoga is that inhibition of the functions of the mind which leads to the absolute abidance of the soul in its own real nature of Divine Glory and Divine Splendour. It is the process by which the identity of the individual soul and the Oversoul is established by the Yogi. In other words, the human soul is brought into conscious communion with God. Yoga is the Science of sciences that disentangles the individual soul from the phenomenal world of sense-objects and links with the Absolute, whose inherent attributes are Infinite Bliss, Supreme Peace, Infinite Knowledge and unbroken Joy.

Yoga is that state of Absolute Peace wherein there is neither imagination nor thought. Yoga is control of mind and its modifications. Yoga teaches us how to control the modifications of the mind and attain liberation. It teaches us how to transmute the unregenerate nature and attain the state of Divinity. It is the complete suppression of the tendency of the mind to transform itself into objects, thoughts, etc. Yoga kills all sorts of pain, misery and tribulation. It gives you freedom from the round of births and deaths, with its concomitant evils of disease, old age, etc., and bestows upon you all the Divine Powers and final liberation through super-intutional knowledge.

The word Yoga is also applicable in its secondary sense to the factors of Yoga, viz., self-training, study, the different actions and practices that go to make up Yoga as they are conducive to the fulfilment of Yoga and as such indirectly lead to emancipation. Union with God is the goal of human life and that ought to become the touchstone of all human endeavours. That is the be-all and end-all of existence.

Equanimity is Yoga. Serenity is Yoga. Skill in actions is Yoga. Control of the senses and the mind is Yoga. Anything by which the best and the highest in life can be attained is also Yoga. Yoga is thus all-embracing, all-inclusive and universal in its application leading to all-round development of body, mind and soul.

The object of Yoga is to weaken what are called the five afflictions. The five afflictions are: Ignorance, Egoism, Likes, Dislikes and the instinct of self-preservation (or clinging to bodily life). Ignorance is the fertile soil which bears an abundant crop of the rest. On account of ignorance only egoism has manifested. Wherever there is egoism, there invariably exist likes, dislikes and the rest side by side. Clinging to bodily life or fear of death is born of likes only. It is nothing but attachment.

Egoism is a specific form of ignorance. The mind gets itself attached wherever there is pleasure. If the mind likes pomegranate, it gets itself attached to this fruit, as it derives pleasure from eating it. The mind runs after things that have been associated with agreeable experiences in the past. This is attachment (like). The mind runs away from objects which have caused pain. This is dislike. These are all the faults of man himself. The world can never hurt you. The five elements are your best teachers. They help you in a variety of ways. The things created by the Lord are all beneficial. It is only the creation of man that brings pain and misery. These five afflictions bind you to the outside objects and reduce you to piteous slavery. These afflictions remain as tendencies even when they are inoperative. These afflictions and tendencies can be attenuated by Yogic discipline.

On account of ignorance you have forgotten your primitive Divine Glory. On account of this evil you are not able to remember your old status of Godhood, your original immortal, blissful, divine nature. Ignorance is the root cause of egoism, likes, dislikes and the rest. These five afflictions are great impediments to Yoga. They stand as stumbling-blocks to the attainment of Self-realisation.

These five afflictions remain in a dormant, attenuated, overpowered or fully developed state. When the husband begins to quarrel with the wife, his love for her becomes dormant and he shows dislike for her for the time being. In a Yogic student these afflictions become thinned out or attenuated by the spiritual force of his Yogic practices. But they do exist in a subtle state. They cannot do any havoc. They are like the cobra whose poisonous fangs have been extracted by the snake-charmer. The “overpowered state” is that state in which one set of impressions is kept under restraint for some time by another powerful set of impressions; but they manifest again, when the cause of the suppression is removed. In a worldly man with passions and appetites these can be seen operating in fullest swing. But in a fully developed or full-blown Yogi these afflictions and impressions are burnt in toto.

Owing to ignorance you have mistaken the physical body for the Self and this is all the mistake you have committed. But it is a serious mistake indeed. By changing your mental outlook, by purifying your heart and intellect, you can attain Knowledge of Self. Mind, Prana, body and the senses are all instruments only. The real Seer is the Self who is pure, unchanging, eternal, self-luminous, self-existent, self-contained, infinite and immortal. When you begin to identify yourself with this immortal, all-pervading Self, all miseries will come to an end.

Likes and dislikes are the causes for doing good and evil deeds. Good and evil deeds bring pleasure and pain. Thus the round of births and deaths is kept from time immemorial by the six-spoked wheel of Likes, Dislikes, Virtue, Vice, Pleasure and Pain.

The Yogic student should first try to weaken these five afflictions. Three practices are prescribed for this purpose. They are: Austerity (Tapas), Study of Scriptures (Svadhyaya) and Resignation to the Will of the Lord (Isvara-pranidhana). The practitioner should have intense faith in the efficacy of his practices. Then the energy to carry on with the practices will manifest by itself. Then the real memory will dawn. When there is memory, then there is no difficulty in practicing concentration. If there is concentration, discrimination will dawn. That is the reason why Patanjali says: “Samadhi will come through faith, energy, memory, concentration and discrimination.”

Therefore, to get success in concentration, meditation and the practice of Yoga, you must have tremendous patience, tremendous will and tremendous perseverance. Plunge yourself in concentration. Merge the mind in the one idea of God and God alone. Let the mind fully get absorbed there. Forget other things. Let the whole body, muscles, tissues, nerves, cells and brain be filled with the one idea of God. This is the way to positive success. Great sages and saints of yore have practiced Yoga in this way only. Work hard. You will reach the goal. You will also become a great saint. Whatever one has achieved can be achieved by others also. This is the Law.

THE TREE OF YOGA

Yoga is frequently likened to a tree. Akin to a tree, it is a living, vibrant system, comprised of many branches and limbs. Akin to a tree, it sprouts new growths as it develops and evolves over time. Each of these branches and limbs has its individual name, as well as its own subsystems with their unique names. It is for this reason that yoga can sometimes seem confusing. Anyone interested in yoga soon comes to realize the myriad diversity of these systems of yoga—hatha yoga, power yoga, kundalini yoga, tantric yoga, and Iyengar yoga are just a few of the more frequently encountered terms. Understanding that yoga has developed over a 5,000-year period and has extended its reach into many cultures and belief systems can help explain why there are so many approaches to yoga. It is important to realize, however, that as a tree, all the branches and limbs of yoga developed from one initial seed: the goal of liberating the self through the union of body, mind, and soul.

Virtually each system of yoga represents a path of inquiry that unfolded from a single starting point: responding to the question, “Who am I?” Each of the systems of yoga represents a particular approach to realizing self-understanding and liberation. None of the systems is superior or inferior to any other. Each system or approach merely emphasizes certain aspects of yoga as the path to liberation. These systems do not have to be viewed as mutually exclusive. Each system offers valuable insight.We have arrived at an exciting time in the development of yoga. As practiced in India for millennia, yoga has frequently entailed detailed study of a particular path of yoga under the tutelage of a venerated teacher, or guru. As the tree of yoga is becoming embraced in the West, it, in turn, is being influenced by and benefiting from the uniquely individual and creative input from the haracteristically Western style of thinking. By understanding what each system of yoga teaches and emphasizes, each individual can decide for himself which elements are most appropriate to his needs. He can then create a uniquely personal practice by drawing selectively from the best elements of yoga.Those men who prefer a more methodical,organized approach are also free to follow the teachings of a particular school or teacher in the time-honored tradition of guru study. Your practice of yoga will be your own personal decision. The following outline of the major branches and limbs of yoga will help demystify the many diverse names you may have heard for systems of yoga. It will help you to get a bird’s eye view of the overall organizational system of yoga without becoming overwhelmed in the intricacies of the details of each. You can then choose, through the remaining chapters in this book, to learn more about a particular style of yoga or practice. Throughout this book,you will also find a wealth of resource information to help you learn more about a particular approach to yoga you might like to explore further.

The Branches of Yoga

While yoga is a diverse system of practice comprised of many approaches to self realization,

many authorities on yoga concur that there are four major branches of yoga that

over time have served as a point of origin for developing a practice of yoga. In addition to

these four branches, there are several other systems of yoga that have gained widespread

interest and attention in building a yoga practice. These might be considered offshoots, or

mini-branches, of the main four branches of yoga. The following descriptions will help you

understand the four main branches of yoga, with some of their most important offshoots.

The Four Major Branches of Yoga

As most commonly presented, the four major branches of yoga are bhakti yoga, jnana

yoga, karma yoga, and raja yoga. Understanding the nature of each can help you incorporate

yoga into your life in the most meaningful way.

Bhakti Yoga: The Yoga of Devotion

Bhakti literally means “devotion” in Sanskrit. Bhakti yoga is known as the yoga of

devotion. Following the path of bhakti yoga requires one to surrender oneself completely to

a force or power greater than oneself. That power might be a deity, saint, revered teacher, or

a quality, such as love. Through the force of opening one’s heart with undivided love and

devotion to this higher force, one enters the grace of self-realization. Faith, grace, and love

are the hallmarks of bhakti yoga. Mahatama Ghandi and the Dalai Lama, with their open

hearts and unswerving devotion to serve, are excellent examples of a bhakta, the term that

describes a practitioner of bhakti yoga.

Jnana Yoga: The Yoga of Knowledge

Jnana literally means “wisdom” or “knowledge” in Sanskrit. Jnana yoga is known as the

yoga of wisdom. Of all the branches of yoga, this path requires the greatest concentration of

mental activity. Jnanins (“knowers”), or practitioners of jnana yoga, seek enlightenment

The Tree of Yoga

through the power of mental discrimination and inquiry—learning to differentiate the real

from the unreal, and the limited personal self from the unlimited infinite self that is the

source of all being. Meditation is the most powerful tool used in the practice of jnana yoga.

Karma Yoga: The Yoga of Action

Karma literally means “action” or “cause” in Sanskrit. Karma yoga is known as the yoga

of action. Following the path of karma yoga involves seeking liberation through one’s actions

in the world. Devoting selfless service to others and practicing one’s tasks in life—

professional, familial, and otherwise—with perfect awareness and mindfulness without regard

for success or failure permits the practitioner of karma yoga to achieve enlightenment and

self-liberation. Through karma yoga, even simple and routine tasks such as driving a car or

mowing the lawn can be acts of yoga practice if they are offered selflessly and to benefit

others in an act of service. Many people associate yoga with asceticism and withdrawal from

the external world and the company of others. Karma yoga offers those who are interested

in pursuing its path a way of practicing yoga actively in the world.

Raja Yoga: The Royal Yoga

Raja means “royal” in Sanskrit. Raja yoga is known as the royal road to yoga, or the

yoga of enlightenment. Of all the branches of yoga, raja yoga is probably the best-known

approach to yoga in the West. The practitioner of raja yoga follows a carefully prescribed

path composed of eight practices, or limbs, known as ashtanga (“eight limbs”), to achieve

self-realization. These limbs include many of the best-known and most frequently engaged

yoga practices, including physical postures, breath control, and concentration. (These practices

will be described in much greater detail in the chapters that follow.) Raja yoga is

sometimes referred to as classical yoga because the practices that comprise it are detailed in

Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras, one of the earliest extant texts on the practice of yoga.

The four major branches of yoga form the overall umbrella under which all other yoga

practices are subdivided. Each branch, however, need not be considered mutually exclusive.

Some practices, such as meditation, are common to more than one branch of yoga. A

follower of yoga can also engage in practices from more than one branch—a man can open

the heart through bhakti yoga, engage the world mindfully and dutifully through karma

yoga, seek mental discernment through jnana yoga, and engage in the liberating practices

of raja yoga all at the same time. In fact, a devotee who follows the teachings of all the

branches of yoga will find in yoga a nearly perfect system leading to right living, thinking,

and self-realization.

The Eight Limbs of Yoga

Raja yoga is frequently described as the scientific path to yoga. This is because it lays

out in a very clear, simple, and systematic way a series of steps that a practitioner of yoga

can follow to achieve enlightenment. These steps, which are detailed in Patanjali’s Yoga

Sutras, form a sort of ladder, each practice building sequentially on the practice that precedes

it. The eight limbs, or rungs, of raja yoga, presented from the first to the eighth are as

Introduction Of Yoga

Yoga is a millennia-old body of wisdom that is now exploding in popularity.From urban health clubs to rural retreats, more and more men are experiencing firsthand yoga’s power to relax, rejuvenate, and restore balance, harmony, and inner peace.my own exploration of yoga began more than 30 years ago when I was a young Fulbright teaching assistant pursuing postgraduate studies in Paris. One of my French teaching colleagues invited me to accompany her to a yoga class she was taking to de-stress her life.Curious about this practice called yoga, I accepted her invitation. The class was taught by a young housewife in the somewhat crowded living room of her suburban home. I do not remember much about the actual exercises or other practices we did in that first class. In fact, I slept through much of the hour-and-a-half class despite the intermittent cries that emanated from the upstairs bedroom where children were at play.I do remember, though, how relaxed and rejuvenated I felt as a result of the class. I was so impressed with yoga’s power to balance and to heal that yoga has remained an integral and important part of my life in the decades since then. Upon returning to the united states, I discovered that instruction in yoga is available virtually anywhere.My life has taken many twists and turns since my student days in Paris. I have earned multiple graduate degrees, and have pursued numerous career paths, including working in publishing, teaching, and wielding the power of a senior financial executive for several of the world’s largest and most prestigious companies. And along every step of my way, yoga has been there to support, guide, and encourage me not only to optimize my physical well being, but also, and perhaps most important, to become who I truly am. without the courage of self-knowledge that yoga has allowed me to access, I doubt that I could have made any of these changes.