types of yoga
We can describe the varied types of Yoga in many ways, but largely they are grouped into four categories:
Jnana Yoga: The first category is the Jnana Yoga, or the Yoga of Intellect. This is the practice of honing your mind through intellectual reasoning. The constant intake of learning and knowledge about the nature of Reality brings greater understanding of the nature of Truth.
Bhakti Yoga: The second type of Yoga is Bhakti Yoga, or the Yoga of Divine Love. This practice of Yoga focuses on the emotional connection that one can have with the Divine, and building a deep love with the Divine that completely integrates you into the practice.
Karma Yoga: The third system is the Karma Yoga, the exercise of building your life through good deeds in a pattern that brings you closer to unity with the Divine. Your unselfish acts propel you closer to the understanding of Reality.
Raja Yoga: The last exercise is the Raja Yoga, or the Yoga of Meditation. One becomes more and more aware of the Divine as the Center of Being. Your thoughts are challenged and controlled so that they connect in a greater way with the Divine, and the manipulation of the body enables the mind to be set free. In this way the practitioner seeks to elevated beyond the level of the mind, so that they can be released from the physical shackles of the body and from death itself.