The holy book of yoga is the Bhagavad-gita, the pearl of ancient Indian literature. It describes many types of yoga: Karma yoga - action yoga, Jnana yoga - yoga of cognition, Sannyasa yoga - yoga of self-denial, Dhyana yoga - yoga of meditation, Abhiyasa yoga - yoga of constant effort, Bhakti yoga - yoga of worship of the deity “Buddhi yoga is the yoga of wisdom, Atman yoga is the yoga of one’s essence - the true Self.”
All of them are largely intertwined. It is impossible to engage in any one without using the elements of the other. Karma, Jnana, and Bhakti Yogis are considered leading; they include the characteristics of others.
Karma yoga is the path of selfless labor. For the yogi, the main thing is the benefit for others, and not the benefit for himself. All attention is focused on the ongoing business. The task is maximum responsibility, efficient and quality work. This is yoga meditation in action.
It is this approach that often leads to high results. A balanced and calm attitude to work, a deep immersion in it, meditation on the usefulness of one’s work is not only a guarantee of its effectiveness, but also a reliable way to harmonize the psyche.
Jnana yoga is a path of knowledge, a path of development of a higher mind in oneself. She does not exclude the use of the methods of other yogis, but she is independent, since she is completely focused on developing the ability of thinking.
The first stage of Jnana Yoga is the purification and development of the logical mind. The goal is to achieve a filigree clarity of logical reasoning, good memory. Constant self-control of purity of mind is a momentary meditation.
The next stage is the development of the ability to intuitively comprehend the nature of phenomena. His task is to master the mechanisms of inspiration, transform it from the privilege of Genius into a familiar tool for understanding the world. Ascending to this stage of development of consciousness will at some point allow penetrating into the depths of the problem, incomprehensible to the ordinary mind. In these depths, accessible only to higher consciousness, the truth will be found. Mastering intuition and insight is a powerful tool for enhancing and increasing the effectiveness of scientific knowledge. This is the yoga of scientists, inventors, politicians, all who need a quick, flexible and clear mind.
Bhakti Yoga is the path of religious worship. It requires heartfelt simplicity and a constant expression of love for the chosen deity.
There are many gods in India, representing a single sacred Principle and reflecting the various aspects of the Cosmic Mind. Among them, the so-called Hindu Trinity stands out: Shiva, Vishnu and Brahma.
Shiva is a frantic character. He is a destroyer, which is necessary to fight the demons. Its symbol is the phallus, and the personifying animal is the bull.
Vishnu is the savior, guardian, god of happiness and prosperity. Brings prosperity, patronizes all beings and worlds. Vishnu has many Ava Tara (earthly incarnations), including popular heroes Krishna, Rama, and Buddha.
Brahma, often confused with Brahman, or the Supreme Reality, represents the divine power of creation. There are also Great Mother Goddesses, such as Durga, Kali and Shakti.
For a Hindu, true worship is associated with the acquisition of good Karma, so the path of Bhakti naturally merges with the path of Karma Yoga. Adoration, contemplation, meditation on the deity should be carried out without selfishness or expectation of rewards. There is no habit, like the Christians, in prayers to God with various requests. Consciousness and morality are cleansed as the steady flame of love of Bhakti burns out such spiritual impurities as hatred, malice, greed, pride and other destructive emotions. Bhakti embodies the main goal of all esoteric oriental teachings, which is to dissolve egoism and reveal its divine "I".
Worship in different cultures takes many forms. Among the Indians, this is the singing of hymns of glory, dances and the repeated repetition of mantras (standard sound combinations, phrases, prayers). In Bhakti Yoga, all life turns into a ritual of worshiping a deity: "Whatever you do, whatever you eat, whatever you sacrifice, do it for Me, and I guarantee your well-being" (Bhagavad-gita). Ritual rules that require offering one's food to the deity, concentrating on it when chanting mantras, addressing it with love at all moments of life, cause an involuntary concentration of attention on one thing. It instills thinking management skills. Meditation becomes a natural state of consciousness. Contributes to this and the observance of moral and ethical standards, assimilated through religious education.
Yantra and Mantra Yoga. Along with the considered types of yoga, there are others that focus solely on the sensory abilities of a person. This is Yantra Yoga, using graphic symbols, and Mantra Yoga, based on the use of rhythmic phrases, sounds and syllables.
The active principle here is not only concentration, which in itself affects consciousness in the right direction, but color, shape and sound.