The 5 paths of yoga

The history of yoga dates back over 5,000 years, with its origins located in the geographical region of South Asia, recognized as India today. Its roots are found in the Vedas, some of the oldest living scriptures available to us, with some dating as far back as the 3rd or 4th century BCE. There you’ll find that long before yoga was understood as physical postures, it was the practice of unifying the individual self with universal consciousness.

One of the earliest understandings of yoga as unity is Ātman = Brahman, the individual soul self (jīvātman) is one and the same with the ultimate source reality (Brahman). This is one of the mahavākyas, great pronouncements or revelations that the original truth seekers (rishis) uncovered during meditation, found in the scriptures called the Upanishads. Each of the mahavākyas reveal the unity between all creation and the Whole, which is the true meaning of yoga, to yoke, or the unity, oneness, connection, and relationship that we hear about in more modern definitions of yoga today. So if yoga was not physical postures at this time, how was this unity realized? As a means to understand this question and the early roots of yoga, let’s begin with an overview of the original 5 paths of yoga, known as Rāja yoga, Jñāna yoga, Karma yoga, Bhakti yoga, and Hatha yoga. 

Rāja Yoga

Rāja yoga, the royal path, was historically practiced by the kings and queens of ancient India. It is the practice of mastering the mind, opening the sahasrara (crown) chakra and illuminating the true Self, or pure consciousness, that is universal and present in all beings. In meditation, this practice of mastering the mind begins with observing how the mind functions. When we sit to observe the fluctuations of the mind, established in uninvolved watchfulness, we see that there is something that exists beyond the thinking mind. The Sāmkhya philosophical system defines the pure conscious state of the mind as Purush, and the modifications of the mind as Prakriti. Just like the mind, Prakriti is always in a state of flux, everything is changing all of the time, but when we know ourselves as Purush, the pure witness, we see that the Self is in fact never changing. So the functioning of the mind in its whirling state, is Prakriti, governed by the constant interplay of our human attributes, called the gunas (tamas – inertia, illusion; rajas – activity, passion; sattwa – harmony, bliss). When we access the Self behind the wavering mind and the dynamic interaction of the gunas, we realize Purush, our true nature, and our mind can be made still.

The practice of rāja yoga is happening through meditation and is described in the sūtras of sage Patañjali, found in the scripture Yoga Darshan, where Ashtānga Yoga, or the eight-limbed path is explained. Transcending the mind and realizing the Self is made possible through the eight-limbs by adhering to the ethical principles (yama) and personal guidelines (niyama) that regulate ones thoughts, actions and behaviours; restoring harmony and balance in the body to sit with ease by practicing physical postures (āsana); utilizing the breath to regulating one’s vital energy (prānāyāma); the practice of gaining mastery over senses and impulse so that the mind can reach a focused state (pratyāhāra); fixing the mind on a single object, thought, or subtle form to establish one-pointed concentration (dhāranā); sustaining a continuous and effortless meditative state of awareness (dyhāna); and complete absorption in the realized state of supreme consciousness, known as the true Self (samādhi). Meditation is the tool that the rāja yoga practice utilizes, as set out by the eight-limbed path, to transcend the fluctuating state of the mind so that the individual self can know its unity with the universal Whole.

Jñāna Yoga

Jñāna yoga is the path of knowledge. It is the practice of knowing the Self (Ātman) by transcending the power of māyā, which is an illusory force that veils the world we see around us, causing us to feel separate. The jñāna yoga practice teaches Ātman = Brahman, the Self is one with all that is, and in this realization, the self (jivātman) becomes free (mukti). In following this path, one sees that the true Self is never separate from the Whole and whenever that truth is forgotten, it is only being concealed (māyā) by the illusion of separation.

The jñāna yoga path evokes an inner wisdom that goes far deeper than the intellectual or thinking mind can comprehend. This higher mind is attuned beyond rational logic; it uses discernment (vivek) to distinguish between what is real and what is appearing to be real. This vivek illuminates the ignorance (āvidya) that conceals the true Self, and the feeling of duality. With vivek, one realizes that there is nothing that exists outside one’s Self, or that the Self is not already, tat tvam asi, meaning thou art that.

Tat tvam asi is another great mahavākya, found in the Chandogya Upanishad, in a dialogue between a parent and child. Here Shvetaketu asks “What is this wisdom, father?” and Uddalaka explains, “… all of life is one. …There is nothing that does not come from That. Of everything, Brahman is the inmost Self, the truth, the Self Supreme, That Thou Art”. This dialogue is profound because it reveals the great truth that what you seek is already within yourself. There is not some real Self out there; you are That, you are that Self you seek.

While the path of jñāna yoga uses the intellect to study the scriptures and understand their teachings, it is through meditation, direct experience, and by renouncing all that is untrue - the practice of ‘neti neti’, or ‘not this, not this’, that one realizes the Self. In order to reach this Self realized state, one uses wisdom and discernment (vivek) to transcends the illusionary power of māyā, to unite the individual self, Ātman, with the oneness of all that is life, Brahman.

Karma Yoga

Karma yoga is the practice of wisdom in action. It is the transformation of one’s action in accordance with yogic wisdom. When we are acting in accordance with our ego identity, the underlying driver is - ‘how will this benefit me?’, ‘what will I gain?’, be it wealth, praise, possessions, relationships, or the pursuit of a particular emotion or sensation. When we act with yogic wisdom, we are able to let go of the self-serving need to control or achieve a particular result, as well as the aversion to actions we believe wont benefit us. This is made possible by releasing attachment to outcome and the selfish desires that confine us - “the ego cage of I, me, mine” as described in the Bhagavad Gītā. But how do we decide what to do or how to act, if we have no outcome in mind? That brings up the notion of dharma and the first lesson of karma yoga taught by Krishna to Arjun in the Bhagavad Gītā.

Lesson 1. Know your dharma and act accordingly

Dharma is the cosmic law of reality, the universal truth that underlies all action. There is a collective dharma that represents the highest good of all, and an individual swadharma, one’s own duty, nature, or role in the social and cosmic order. Krishna says in Bhagavad Gītā “It is better to strive in one’s own dharma than to succeed in the dharma of another. Nothing is ever lost in following one’s own dharma, but competition in another’s dharma breeds fear and insecurity.” ch. 3, v. 35. This is teaching us that we must live and act in accordance to our truth.

Lesson 2. Selfless service

The second lesson of karma yoga teaches that within that truth, you must act selflessly. You must let go of selfish desires and act according to the highest good by releasing the need for personal gain and informing all action with the intent to serve others.

Lesson 3. Renounce the fruit

The third lesson of karma yoga is to let go of attachment to the results of action.“You have the right to work, but never to the fruit of work. You should never engage in action for the sake of reward, nor should you long for inaction.” ch. 2, v. 47. This is a difficult concept to understand and an even more difficult standard to live by. Is it really possible to act without any attachment to the outcome? Would that cause indifference? When action is fuelled with yogic wisdom and you understand that there is a universal duty that all right action is informed by, it becomes clear that nothing in fact belongs to you. Results, outcomes, success and failures, all belong to a future time that you have no control over. In order to be free you must learn to be established in action with selflessness and compassion, detached from what you cannot control.

Lesson 4. Surrender

There is a sense of bliss that comes from letting go of attachment and knowing that you can only truly attend to the action in the present moment. Bringing us to the fourth lesson of karma yoga – surrender. When you understand that nothing belongs to you, and everything is a part of the cosmic law, you can see that there is something outside of your own doing that is at play. This is where bhakti yoga shows itself within karma yoga, teaching us to surrender all action to God, Source, the true Self, or Pure Consciousness, whatever force you are comfortable relating to. In this letting go you become free.

Karma yoga transforms your everyday actions with the wisdom to act according to right duty, selflessly unattached to the result and with devotion and trust in the highest, so that you can become free from all that keeps you bound. “The one who sees action in the midst of inaction, and inaction in the midst of action is wise and can act in the spirit of yoga. With no desire for success, no anxiety about failure, indifferent to results, this person burns up their actions in the fire of wisdom. ch. 4 v. 18-19.

Bhakti yoga

The path of bhakti yoga is the practice of complete and utter love and devotion to the Divine. It is an unwavering, unconditional, all consuming love that is so powerful it unifies the individual self with all of existence. Often, the love that we experience towards another person comes with a multitude of strings attached, in one moment it brings pleasure and in another moment it brings pain. This is because it exists in the changing field of reality (Prakriti), and therefore it wavers, has conditions, and can leave you feeling separate. The devotion to the Divine that the bhakti yogis practice belongs to the unchanging field (Purush), surpassing feelings of longing, attachment, or separation, and embodies unconditional love to the highest (Brahm), ensuing absorption in the Self (samādhi). 

This path to enlightenment through devotion can include concentrating one’s mind, emotions, and senses on the Divine through meditation, mantra repetition, chanting, forms of worship through ceremonies and rituals, selfless service, and love and kindness to all beings, without exception. Those with an aversion to religious modalities may not feel connected to this path in the traditional sense. However, the same universal love can be experienced by simply sitting in nature, at the lake for example, and as you look out into the vastness of the water, hear the whispering hush of the wind moving through the leaves in the trees, and feel the brush of the air across your skin, perhaps even for a moment, you can feel connected to everything around you with great love and devotion.

Hatha yoga

Hatha yoga is the path of purifying the physical and mental body. It may be the most recognizable path today, as it is where, most distinguishably the modern āsana practice was developed. However, while hatha yoga does utilize the body as a means to Self-realization through the purification of the body and its subtle energies, the body is not its only concern. It moves on to the deeper aspects of the being, to harmonize the energetic dualities in the human system, known as ‘ha’ and ‘tha’, ha-tha.

The ‘ha’ represents the solar energy, which is the active, life bringing energy, and the ‘tha’ represents the lunar energy, the calmer, more passive energy. The ‘ha’ also represents the ‘idā nādī’, the left channel of the body, and ‘tha’ the ‘pingalā nādī’, the right channel. These nādī’s interweave in a crisscross formation along the sushumnā nādī, or central channel, which runs up the spinal column and through the seven major chakras, psycho-energetic centres. Physical and mental purity is obtained by balancing the prāna (energy) in the left and right channels of the body, which opens the central channel, creating harmony and unity between the opposing forces.

You can see that hatha yoga being understood as only a physical practice is not the full picture, as purification is not only on the level of the body, it is on the level of the whole structure. Further, hatha yoga was traditionally meant to be studied in preparation for rāja yoga, as a means to reaching samādhi, absorption in the absolute Self, obtained through the culmination of sādhana, practice. Some hatha yoga practices include āsana (physical postures), prānāyāma (yogic breathing), mudra (body gestures), bandha (energy locks) and shatkarma (internal cleansing). All of which harmonize and purify the physical and mental system, priming the body and the mind to eliminate the obstacle of duality and clear the path to Self-realization.

All paths lead to Me

In the Bhagavad Gītā, Krishna says to Arjun “All paths lead to Me”, meaning the goal of all spiritual paths lead to the same end - the realization that the individual self and the universal Self are one and the same. The ultimate goal of yoga is the realization of this fundamental unity that you are not separate, you are already That which you seek, pure, free, forever. 

*Gratitude to my teacher Hali Schwartz for teaching me this knowledge.