Paths of Yoga

 Paths of Yoga 



“O Arjuna! In Whatever way people are devoted to Me, in that measure I manifest Myself to them. All men, in every manner of seeking Me, pursue a path to Me.”
~ Bhagavad Gita 4:11  

There are different branches or paths of yoga for different types of people. For a yoga student, understanding the different paths helps to orient oneself in better alignment with their individual dharma. 

For a yoga teacher, knowing the different paths of yoga, how they manifest in various practices and where they show up in different styles or areas of life can help you to better understand and orient your student for their own unique predispositions. There is a path for everyone, and masters of each path. Your personal goals and interests may change throughout your life. 
I myself began yoga with a very Hatha focus, and after many years incorporated more Bhakti and Kundalini yoga. This may be the case for you as well: as your practice and understanding of yoga and yourself deepen over time you may be drawn to different paths accordingly. This is a beautiful and organic part of the yoga journey. 
It is important to humble oneself and understand that no path is better or worse, inferior or superior. Although there are always practitioners and teachers who claim their path to be more or less advanced etc.; this usually comes from a very understandably developed bias. If you practiced a lot and got really good at guitar, you may be inclined to think that guitar is the best instrument rather than remembering that it is all music. Compassion and understanding is the best route to take, especially if another’s views do not resonate with your own. You can save yourself a lot of inner turmoil letting go of “my yoga is better” right from the beginning and notice when comparison or competition arise. Find the yoga path that suits you and practice it. 

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Golwalkar Mission of Hindu Rashtra

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