Since human beings began practicing yoga thousands of years ago, the symbol of a tree has often been linked with the discipline and for good reason! Yoga has a multitude of branches when it comes to how you choose to practice and all of them are based on the same philosophy, or trunk, of spirituality. Hatha yoga is the one most well known to Westerners the physical act of practicing poses. Here are a few other paths that you may choose to combine with your personal yoga practice.
Raja Yoga
In raja yoga, the main goal is a calm and spiritual, meditative state. There are eight principles that are followed strictly and in order in raja yoga and, though important, physical movement or poses is not the focus. The eight principles or stages are:
* Ethical standards or yama
* Self-discipline or niyama
* Posture or asana
* Breath control or pranayama
* Sensory withdrawal or pratyahara
* Concentration or dharana
* Meditation or dhyana
* Liberation or samadhi
Karma Yoga
The focus of karma yoga is on service and treatment of others. The basic idea is that our experiences today are a direct result of our...