Yoga

574 Words2 Pages

Yoga

The four paths of yoga are used in different ethnic backgrounds. In my understanding of yoga which in today’s society many believe the same. I believed that yoga was a form of exercise which you contort your body in different angles. I was sadly mistaken by what I believed was right was not right at all. As a matter of fact Yoga is actually a form of religion. In Yoga religion they have different paths. One path is the Jnana or better known as “Way of Knowledge”. In this path which from what I have learned is that those who practice it uses the rational mind rather than trying to transcend it by concentration practices. In my own words this means that the person believes that instead of focusing straight ahead that you should focus on all that is around you and to keep an open mind. It states in the Jnana path that the seeker must also develop the spiritual virtues (calmness, restraint, renunciation, resignation, concentration, and faith) and have an intense longing for liberation.

Another form of yoga is the Bhakti yoga “Way of Devotion or Love”. Bhakti means, “to share,” To share a relationship with the Supreme. This relationship is that of intense love. Bhakti Nam Dev described this deep love in sweet metaphors:

Thy Name is beautiful, Thy form is beautiful, and very beautiful is Thy love, Oh my Omnipresent Lord.

As rain is dear to the earth, as the fragrance of flowers is dear to the black bee, and as the mango is dear to the cockoo, is the Lord to my soul.

As the sun is dear to the sheldrake, and the lake of Man Sarowar to the swan, and as the husband is dear to the wife, so is God to my soul.

As milk is dear to the baby and as the torrent of rain to the mouth of the sparrow hawk who drinks not...

... middle of paper ...

...ind’s ability to concentrate. They learn how to regulate their breathing to calm nerves and increase their body’s supply of invisible life energy. Like I have seen in television these practices include forms of exercise and breathing techniques which enable the person to focus on their energy throughout their body.

As I have stated before I would choose the path closely relating to my personal being as a whole but I would still keep my mind open to other aspects of religion. I believe that most other religions believe in the same God, as we all know. These other religions just have a different way of expressing their undying devotion to their God.

Works Cited

Fisher, Mary Pat. “Living Religions” third edition. Upper Saddle River: NJ. 1991

Swami Sivananda. Sivananda Yoga "Om" Page. 1 July 1999

*http://www.sivananda.org/4paths.htm

Open Document