Hinduism and Yoga

Although the words "Hinduism" and "yoga" are commonly known by Westerners to have an association, few truly understand how yoga and Hinduism fit together. Hindu yoga is a major aspect of the third largest religion in the world. Practiced primarily by ethnic Indians and Asians, Hindu meditation and yoga are paths to achieve the purpose of life, refinement of the soul.

The ultimate goal is the achievement of oneness with the absolute reality of the universe.

Right-minded living and good works are part of this process but the use of yoga in Hinduism is the most prevalent method of refinement. This is not, however, yoga as Westerners know it, as a low impact form of exercise. The practice is much more complex in Hinduism beliefs. Yoga as practiced by devout Hindus is a mystical and meditative practice designed to bring the soul and the eternal together in union.

How Does Yoga Influence The Hindu Belief System?

The four types of yoga in Hinduism are Raja, Karma, Jnana, and Bhakti. Each has specific sub-traditions. For instance Samata yoga is a form of Raja passed down in a lineage from teacher to teacher. Swami Vivekananda (1863-1902), a teacher considered by millions of Indians to have been a holy messenger, authored an influential body of work on the four paths.

Raja Yoga

Using psycho-physical techniques of meditation, Raja yoga, seeks to attain control of the mind. The goal is an experience of truth and ultimately of liberation. Also known as Ashtanga yoga, Raja yoga harkens back to the eight limbs of yoga established by the father of the practice, Patanjali, around 200 B.C.E.

Unlike Hatha yoga (the form best known in the West) which begins with control of the body through postures and thought control, Raja yoga begins with meditation. The eight limbs of the practice are self-restraint, commitment to practice, integration of the mind and body through physical activity, regulation of breathing, abstraction of the senses, concentration, meditation, and blissful awareness or super-consciousness.

The Brahma Kumaris World Spiritual Organization is a major proponent of Raja yoga. The group borrows much of its symbolism and terminology from traditional Hindu belief but goes farther in perceiving the world as a family tree with each branch being a religion in search of God. Among its other beliefs, Brahma Kumaris asserts that each human is an eternal soul living in physical body and that reincarnation occurs when the soul moves from one body to the next.

Continue to: Relationship between Hinduism and Yoga

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