Before this, much of a yoga practice was based upon worship, visualisation and meditation. For over 1000 years it was the primary belief system of India in its less extreme forms and is the first time the physicality of the human body started to become important within a yogic context. It explores all aspects, sensations and energies that weave through the body and mind and actually began as a religion around 500BC. Meaning: The root word of Tantra is ‘Tan’ meaning ‘to expand’ or ‘to weave’. Jnana Yogis are often relatively ‘open minded’ and inquisitive about life and the process of yoga. Dual or Non-Dual belief: Either,dependent upon the practitioner’s perception and perspective.Primary practices: Meditation and Svadhyaya.Study of philosophical and yogic texts, along with discrimination and inquiry are the ways these practitioners understand the depths of the body, mind and spirit. Priests and scholars are most likely to be considered Jnana yogis through their practise of constant inquiry. First mentioned around 400BC, this is thought of as one of the most direct paths to insight and illumination, but also as one of the most difficult. This is the yoga of ‘knowing’, of realising the truth of oneself. This type of practice was originally intended only for high caste royals who had the time, the education and the means to practise this. Primary practices: Meditation, Svadhyaya (self-inquiry and study of texts) and Tapas (self-discipline), Brahmacharya (purity).As a primarily interior practice with little outward spiritual expression, it is thought that Raja yoga requires much self-discipline. A connection with ‘God’ or ‘consciousness’ is worked towards by un-identifying with the ego-based self and identifying with the universal true Self. It aims to ‘control’ the intellect and thoughts through meditation. Closely linked to Patanjali’s Eight Fold Path of Yoga, Raja yoga is also known as ‘Classical Yoga’. Meaning: ‘Royal’, ‘Chief’ or ‘King’, alluding to being the ‘best’ or ‘highest’ form of yoga. Many years ago, Brahmins would have been royals, priests or scholars.Ī ‘ Householder’ refers to someone most likely just like you and me a person in the world with a job who works to maintain their livelihood and their family and who grapples with the daily challenges of life. These people are often born into affluent families and usually have well-paid and respected jobs. In the context of Indian social tradition, someone who is considered a ‘ Brahmin’ is thought to be of a high caste. It denotes that everything is One that nature, consciousness, the divine and ourselves are all made up of the same thing and that there is no separation between anything or anyone. You could also think of this as separating us and everything around us, and God. In this piece, I refer to a few terms you may not have come across before: ‘Dualism’ and ‘Non-Dualism’, ‘Brahmins’ and ‘Householders’.ĭualism refers to a belief system that separates nature (known as Prakriti) and consciousness. Key terms: Dualism, Non-dualism, Brahmins and Householders More than just different styles of physical yoga, these ‘branches’ have different histories, philosophies and intentions to each other – although it is possible to practise more than one together. Let’s dive in, uncover the true depths of the practice that has existed for thousands of years, understand where yoga comes from and the different branches this ancient tree has. Here we’ll look closely at the six most widely practised ancient branches or paths of yoga. You may be surprised to know that asana is not only a very tiny part of yoga, but a tiny part of just one tiny branch of yoga. However, there is so much to learn about when it comes to yoga and you may even be surprised to know that asana is not only a very tiny part of it, but a tiny part of just one tiny branch of yoga. Whilst there seems to be a ‘new yoga’ almost every day (Doga, Voga, SUP Yoga, Naked Yoga and so on) and even though they may all be relevant to healing and serving each person (or animal!) who practises them, these all tend to focus on the asanas (the physical postures) and could all be classed as Hatha yoga – as we’ll explain later. Yoga can also mean separation – as in separating the real from the unreal, truth from ignorance and the true Self from the Freudian ‘ego’. As you’re likely to have heard before the word yoga is often translated as ‘union’ or ‘connection’ – as in connecting to the true Self, God or consciousness.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Details
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |