Hindu Yoga

As a "discipline of action," Karma yoga draws its inspiration from the teachings of the holy Hindu scripture the Bhagavad Gita. As a major pillar of yoga, Karma yoga emphasizes adherence to dharma or duty while, at the same time, maintaining detachment from any reward. By performing your duties unselfishly, an individual hopes to attain Moksha or salvation.

The best known modern teacher of Karma yoga is Ram Dass (Dr. Richard Alpert), the founder of the Seva Foundation whose life was forever changed by both a yoga retreat and India herself. His books include Be Here Now, Doing Your Own Being, Journey of Awakening: A Meditator's Guidebook, and Paths to God: The Bhagavad Gita.

Jnana Yoga

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"Jnana" from the Sanskrit for "knowledge," is the name for the pillar of Hindu yoga that seeks to move beyond visible, material reality through rigorous intellectual analysis to discriminate between what is real and eternal as opposed to that which is unreal and temporary. This is achieved through dispassion, control of the mind and senses, a renunciation of activities that are not duties, endurance, faith, and perfect concentration. The principle modern guru of Jnana yoga was Jiddu Krishnamurti.

In the 1960s Krishnamurti's works became particularly popular with the counterculture in America. Seeking to distance themselves from the capitalist minded thinking of the "establishment," the "hippies" were attracted to the high-minded analysis present in works by Krishnamurti such as Think On These Things.

Bhakti Yoga

Bhakti is the Hindu term for the practice of cultivating a sense of loving devotion to God. This is generally considered to be the easiest of the four yoga paths. The cardinal principal is to learn the feelings and emotions present in the human mind and to prevent them from taking control unbidden. There is to be no hatred of any other human being. The body must be kept scrupulously clean and the mind cheerful so that it can cope with the difficulties it encounters. The goal is mental equilibrium.

The best known teacher of this form of yoga was His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. With more than 50 books to his credit, His Divine Grace, who died in 1977, is the world's largest contributor to the published literature regarding yoga and India in terms of its religion and philosophy.

With some ancient Hindu yoga exercises dating to 200 B.C.E., the relationship between Hinduism and yoga is ancient and complex. While in the Western setting yoga has become a mild and low impact form of exercise, Hindu yoga is a rich meditative process in search of spiritual refinement.

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