Yoga Compare Contrast Essay

583 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Essay of yoga

In a world that is stitched together by barriers, we become one within our religion. It is our sacred worships that helps us tune into our personal beliefs and practice the way to follow the path of God. Stepping out of your own religion into another you must be open to the knowledge, love, work, and most importantly the psychophysical exercises that is practiced within the religion. Hinduism is understanding the paths to the goals which is known as the "Yoga's". Designed as a pathway to God, each of the yoga's served God through knowledge, love, work, and the psychophysical exercises.
The yoga's are broken down into four paths: Jnana yoga, Bhakti yoga, Karma yoga, and lastly Raja yoga. Each of the four paths create a connect to God through appropriate practices. In a Review of Spiritual …show more content…

A healthy spiritual connection through these aspects promotes the concept of the yoga's together. The yoga's approach is to discipline the body and guide it into unification within the four paths.
Jnana yoga, the first path, was designed as a pathway to God through knowledge. The knowledge is to truly understand oneself internally and externally. According to Huston Smith, "It is, rather an intuitive discernment that transforms, turning the knower eventually into that which she knows" (Smith 29). The Hindus believed that there is more to themselves internally just as much externally. Once the connection is made between the two points it creates the opening of the jnana yoga. This starts the processes which the first one is learning. During this process, the knower is able to establish discrimination. For example,

Show More
Related

  • Buddhism And Comparative Religions Similarities

    1986 Words  | 4 Pages

    Buddhism and Hinduism share many similar beliefs. The idea of being reborn after death until one reaches a certain point to which they reach their Nirvana, or Moksha as they refer to the action of being set free of the life, death, rebirth cycle. Both of these religions share a belief in karma being one of the defining factors of a person’s place in the world. Similarly, both religions advocate for nonviolence against all living beings. In Hinduism and Buddhism there are many different levels of heaven and hell and higher or lower worlds. Each of these religions practice spiritual meditation, concentration, and cultivations of special states of mind. The idea of detachment, or the renunciation of worldly life being a precondition to enter the Nirvana or spiritual life is shared by both religions as well. Desire is considered to be the main cause of suffering of people and each religion aims to teach their followers to shed the want and desire out of their lives in order to get closer to attaining Nirvana. While there are many similarities in both religions, they each contrast each other in many ways as well.

    Read More

  • College Admissions Essay: Aunt Joan and Yoga

    624 Words  | 2 Pages

    Yoga is a discipline with a scientific background that was developed over 2000 years ago. In this system of self-development the restless mind is calmed and energy is placed into constructive channels. It is not a religion as some people may be led to believe. It is a philosophy of life. The lessons learned are just as relevant today as they were when they were first created, still keeping the main principle that before you can train your mind to reach a higher consciousness you must first discipline your body. Yoga's popularity is largely due to its wide range of benefits, including therapeutic effects, muscle toning, energy increasing and concentration of the mind.

    Read More

  • Sasara Yoga Essay

    856 Words  | 2 Pages

    It is the most appropriate yoga for those who are more intellectually or philosophically inclined. This yoga can be broken into three distinct steps. The first step is to learn, this means seeking out teachers and gurus who can pass their knowledge unto you. The second step is to think; this step requires you to separate your true Self from the self you are currently occupying. The final step is to change, that is, to change your self-identification to your true Self. This step can often include referring to yourself in the third person to further drive a wedge between Self and self.

    Read More

  • Healthy Yoga Essay

    806 Words  | 2 Pages

    It’s a low impact exercise. Rarely will you come across a weight bearing exercise that is gently on the joints. Most of the weight bearing exercises such as running will put too much pressure on the cartilage and joints unlike yoga.

    Read More

  • The Five Yamas of Hatha Yoga

    980 Words  | 2 Pages

    Yoga is a discipline both involving physical and mental control that originated in India. The word Yoga is derived from the Sanskrit word, "yug", meaning union and it means the joining of the individual spirit with the universal spirit. The type of yoga known as Hatha Yoga, ("Ha"- sun, "tha"-moon) is what is most commonly practiced and this yoga involves the path of the mind and body and is the most physical. There are eight limbs or steps of Hatha Yoga, the first step being the five Yamas. There are five yamas and these concern your behavior to the world.

    Read More

  • Yog Yoga And The Practice Of Yoga

    741 Words  | 2 Pages

    Yoga is the practice of active stretching and also involves the art of meditation. No one knows when this practice started, but it predates written history. Various stone carvings have been found in archeological sites in the Indus Valley depicting figures in Yoga positions. These carvings are thought to be dating back to at least 5,000 years or more. The most common mistake people make is associating Hinduism with Yoga; Yoga, however, came along way before Hinduism evolved into a religion and incorporated the practices and ideas of Yoga into its religion. Yoga as a tradition has always been passed down from teacher to student through word of mouth and practical demonstration. Therefore, the practice of Yoga and its techniques are based solely on the combined experiences of individual spanning over thousands of years. One of the earliest documents about Yoga was written by a scholar named Patanjali; He established the most widely recognized theories and practices used in Yoga called Yoga Sutras dating between the 1st or 2nd century BC or as late as the 5th century AD. The method he compiled is known as “Ashtanga Yoga,” or the eight limbs of Yoga. This practice is what is commonly known today as Classical Yoga. The eight steps are:

    Read More

  • Essay On Origin Of Yoga

    1903 Words  | 4 Pages

    They noticed that the conditions related to their muscular system, respiratory system, nervous system, and the digestive system improved notably. It has been studied and suggested that regular practice of Yoga increases the brain gamma-Aminobutyric acid levels which helps in regulating the excitability of the nervous system and muscle tone as well. This helps in reducing anxiety and improving mood functions, letting people lead much more emotionally balanced lives. Apart from the abovementioned advantages, yoga also helps in keeping cardiovascular diseases in check. The three principles of yoga: asana (exercise), pranayama (breathing), and drishti (meditation) help in monitoring heart activities and keeping it functioning healthily. It does so by reducing blood pressure, speeding up recovery related to heart failures or cardiac arrests, and lower other cardiovascular risk factors that some people might have genetically imbibed in them. Similarly, it helps people with chronic back aches. Regular practice of yoga can bring relief over a period of time, than medications alone. Pain medications for back ache or spine-related spasms generally have dangerous side effects such as gastric problems, nausea, and the relief they provide last for a very short period of time. Yoga on the other hand gives back pain sufferers a much necessary relief through stretching exercises and also by meditating which plays a major role in alleviating any kind of

    Read More

  • Karma Yoga and Bhagvad Gita

    1874 Words  | 4 Pages

    Atman supplies light to the intellect itself and therefore it is above all these instruments utilized by it.” Personally, among the three margas (karma-bhakti-jnana) in Hinduism to attain Kaivalya, I am attracted and influenced by the karma marga or also called as kriya yoga. Karma means work or action and involves connecting with God by performing one’s duty. Bhagvad Gita is an example of Karma Marga, Mahatma Gandhi is a great example of the notion. The main idea of Karma yoga is – do your duty and do not be concerned with the results.

    Read More

  • World Religions

    651 Words  | 2 Pages

    Much like the pillars of Islam, within Hinduism there are four goals: dharma, performance of duty; artha, pursuit of prosperity; kama, the pursuit of pleasure; and moksha, the pursuit of enlightenment. Along with these four goals, Hindus believe that a lot of problems can be solved through yoga. Hindus perform four main types of yoga: karma yoga, the path of action of selfless service; bhakti yoga, the path of devotion; jnana yoga, the path of knowledge; and raja yoga, the path of

    Read More

  • Yoga and its Positive Effects on the Mind and Body

    1543 Words  | 4 Pages

    Yoga could be described as the practice of holding different poses, and using diferrent breathing techniques that strengthens the mind and body, by bringing the practitioner into a new state of awareness. The practice of yoga increases blood flow to internal organs, brings more oxygen to the cells in your body, while strengthening and calming the nervous system. There are many different types of yoga. In the United States the most widely practiced form is known as Hatha, which is a combination of poses taken from all types of yoga b...

    Read More

  • Liberation Thought and Bhakti-yoga

    1089 Words  | 3 Pages

    For Hinduism, the ultimate liberation is returning to Braham. According to Bhagavad Gita, there are three ways of practice that lead to liberation.¬¬¬¬. These are janna-yoga (the way of knowledge), bhakti- yoga (the practice of devotion) and karma-yoga (the course of action). In other words, one can practice any of these methods to achieve union with God. This paper I will analyze some important aspects of bhakti-yoga and how it can lead one to attain ultimate liberation—return to Atman. In doing this investigation, I hope to help the reader broaden their knowledge on liberation in Hinduism. As Radhakrishnan says we may climb the mountain from different paths, but the view from the summit is identical for all.

    Read More

  • The Health Benefits of Yoga

    1182 Words  | 3 Pages

    There are thousands of different varieties of yoga, which is how it helps a large sum of people in a diverse number of ways. One style is called Ananda. This yoga gains control over delicate energies in the body. It helps spiritual growth while it releases unwanted tension. The Ananda poses are designed to bring energy upwards to the brain, and through these poses, harmony is brought to the body, mind, and emotions (Cook).

    Read More

  • Hindu Religion Essay

    1336 Words  | 3 Pages

    While most traditional religions are easy to define and comprehend, Hinduism is not. It cannot be spoken about as one single entity but rather a label for many different traditions within itself that originated in India. It is the world’s third largest religion with a following of a billion people. Hinduism, at its most basic definition, is the belief in either several gods or goddess, or the belief in one God with many faces. It is a way of life that relies heavily on the ideas of cause and effect. They believe in reincarnation with a desire to be liberated from the cycle of birth and death. They believe it is the key to a lifetime of happiness, prosperity and love. While it is considered to be the oldest

    Read More

  • Reflection On The Practice Of Yoga

    729 Words  | 2 Pages

    Through the practice of yoga, I have begun to learn many things about myself that I did not know before. These new findings are due to the implementation of the practice of yama and niyama into my everyday life. Yama means restraint or behavior to avoid. While, niyama means observance or conduct to cultivate. Yama principles focuses on a person’s interactions with the world while niyama is more of a self observation and how to deal with ourselves. I find that these ten commandments of yoga have caused me to examine myself and the world around me in a way that isn’t negative but of understanding. I think that as humans we tend to fear the unknown but the unknown is only unknown until we actively engage in finding the truth. Thus, we can go on in life being afraid of the things that we don’t know about ourselves and the world around us or we can enthusiastically search for the truth.

    Read More

  • Yoga Reflection Paper

    722 Words  | 2 Pages

    This week’s analysis is associated with the yoga class provided online to help with stress reduction. The first term that I came across was psychophysiology and how this principle is based on the mind and body being one and how our thinking affects all physiology. This principle was the perfect definition of yoga because yoga focuses on how the mind and body connects with each other. It gives you a sense of relaxation throughout your mind and body together. Furthermore, the yoga that was in the video was a yoga style called hatha. Which practices asana (yoga postures) and pranayama (breathing exercises). According to the book, this practices helps bring peace to the mind and body and prepare our body to do deeper exercises. The art of breathing was mentioned during the exercise and in the book. Breathing is very important when trying to unite the mind, body, and spirit. So, having slow, deep breathes was a main focused during the exercise. Another term that was used in the video was the art of stretching, which allows us to become aware of our flexibility of our muscle while moving. Lastly, the art of balance is significant because it allows us to move into the next form of position on both sides of our body. Some of the workouts pose that was mention in the textbook that I did was two knees to the chest, cobra, and head of cow. Overall, hatha

    Read More

More about Yoga Compare Contrast Essay

Open Document