By  Dr.P.M.Sharma  


In the first article of the series THE FACT FILES OF YOGA – I we have come to know about the word meaning of the yoga and the authentic and logical knowledge to study yoga in correct manner. Every yoga enthusiast should come across to this fundamental information so that he or she can achieve the most favorable results from yoga.
It is just like the Anatomy or the Physiology of yoga. As you know that without being well introduced with both of them, nobody can become a complete doctor. However in this article of the series we will we will come upon some new subjects related to yoga. The overture of yoga:
Is there only kind of yoga or some more types of yoga are there? These questions can arise in any intellect of us. Though there not any categorization was available in ancient India but when Indian yoga experts started to make yoga more widespread and easier to understand they classified into two major categories. A – main yoga and B – supplementary yoga.

THE MAIN YOGA:
As we know the meaning of yoga that is (sort of) to unite or to be associated with, a yogi can unite with a – the knowledge, b – good, c – the devotional enthusiasm, and d. enthusiasm for salvation or total freedom from the cycle of birth – death.
On the behalf of these demands we categorized the main yoga in four categories: --
1. GYAN or JNANA YOGA – in this yoga the yogi collects knowledge about different subjects. Gyana or Jnann means knowledge. Subjects of science, Economics, Law, Sociology, Psychology, Medicine, Engineering, Philosophy, and almost immediately all are the subjects of GYANA but not of GYANA or JNANA yoga. In GYANA or JNAN yoga the yogi feels presence of Supreme Being in any form through the knowledge, intellect, and wisdom.

2. BHAKTI YOGA – this is a religious zeal or willingness to serve God. The bhakti yoga is that yoga wherein a person has feelings of ardent love to his divinity. All those who meditate long they are in point of fact, be strenuous on his ISHTA or god and that should be because if someone is praying but thinking apart from god he is in fact, spoiling the time or cheating to himself. In the practice of this yoga the yogi and his god became one or unified. This stage is ultimate yearning goal of a yogi. All saints or Rishees are the superlative examples to make it apparently clear.

3. KARMA YOGA – This is a way of god realization through dedicating the fruits by own. According to Shri Mad Bhagwat Geeta –
VIHSYA KAMAN YAH SARVAN
PUMASHCHA CHARATI NIHSPRAH
NIRMAMO NIRHANKARAH
SA SHANTIM ADHIGACCHATI—chap.2/71.
A person who has given up all desires, for gratification, who lives free from desires, who has given up all sense of proprietorship and is devoid of false ego, he alone can attain real peace.
To become desire less means not to desire anything for sense gratification. In other words, desire for becoming god or divine conscious is actually desire less.

4. RAJ YOGA— Tough this was described in Vedas but it was scattered and was not elaborated well. It was concealed in shlokas and to find out the meaning of them was not so easy. Maharishi Patanjali was the first person that compiled all yoga aphorisms in a book the Yoga sutra. However as its name implies it is the king of all yoga. According to this yoga one has to exercise control over the mind to augment the will power and by strictly following suggested path, one achieves consciousness.
The yoga Sutra has four chapters and 196 Sutras (formulae). The four chapters are SAMADHIPADA, SADHANPADA, VIBHUTIPADA, and KAIVALYAPADA. The yoga Sutra is discipline the Rajyoga. You can make yoga your life style but you will have to eight-fold path of yoga sutra. They are as follows – YAMA, NIYAM, ASAN, PRANAYAM, PRATYAHAR, DHARANA, DHYANA and SAMADHI.

Supplementary or auxiliary yoga –
To practice any one yoga or yogic system is auxiliary yoga, like to practice only pranayama or meditation at that time it will consider as supplementary yoga. It always is practiced for a peculiar reason. For example if somebody is suffering from any disease and a particular yoga-asana is recommended helpful to manage the difficulty at that time the patient will try that particular yoga-asana.
Some yogis try Hath-yoga so that they can enhance their contemplating capacity. Only practice any one particular yoga-asana or any one or more system from eight-fold Rajyoga is auxiliary yoga.
We are here with the second edition of facts file of yoga so that not any confusion may remain in any mind of yoga seeker.