Branches of Yoga

Branches of Yoga 

There are total six branches of yoga which you can adopt and in this chapter, I will tell you about all of those 6 branches in detail.

 Hatha yoga 
 Bhakti yoga 
 Raja yoga 
 Jnana yoga or yoga of mind
 Karma yoga 
Tantra yoga 

As I mentioned above that Yoga was originated from Indians and it is a very ancient art with lots of skills and complexities involved. If you think that yoga is just about posing your body in difficult positions then, you are mistaken because there are different branches of yoga which are listed below.  

Hatha Yoga 

Hatha yoga is also called yoga of postures and it is most famous branch of yoga in west which you must have seen. In this branch, body is twisted in different difficult and easy postures. The basic emphasis of this branch is to achieve peace through physical exercises, breathing techniques and mediation. Basic purpose of this yoga branch is to achieve better health along with spirituality.  

This is the easiest branch as well because it does not take too much time from your busy routine and you can learn and master this art along with your daily work. You can easily adjust your schedule to practice and your daily routine will not be disturbed with this yoga branch.  

Bhakti Yoga 

Bhakti yoga is not very popular in the west but it is most practiced branch of yoga in India. This involved spirituality more than physical gestures and it revolves around heart and divine. You have to choose a path which suits 


your hear desires most and then, you have to see everything and everyone through that path. Bhakti yoga allows you to develop your faith in something and they take that faith to that level where it can tell you the exact way to catch.  

Raja Yoga 

Raja yoga is also called yoga of self-control. Even though self-control is characteristic of almost every yoga branch but this branch pays special attention to self-control. Most of the people who practice this branch of yoga are members of some religious prestige. Raja yogi sees him as central and gives respect to everything around.  

The basic step in mastering self-control is to allow you to be discovered. Discipline learning is the basic characteristic of raja yoga and if your life is distracted and undisciplined then, you must practice raja yoga to gain control of your life and make it more disciplined. 

Jnana Yoga or Yoga Of Mind 

Jnana yoga which is also called yoga of mind deals primarily with human brain and it tends to control the intelligence of people. In this yoga people learn to integrate wisdom and intellect and with combination of these two, they try to create a perfect moment in their life when they never make wrong decisions. People who practice jnana yoga are very open minded and they keep learning about other religions, professionals, in order to expand 


their knowledge as they believe that expanding the knowledge expands their mental and intellect strength.  

Karma Yoga 

Karma yoga believes that you can make your future better by doing kind and selfless deeds in the present. It also believes that if your present is uncertain and hard then, it is the result of your past deeds.  

Yogis, who practice karma yoga, do selfless help of other people, in order to make sure that their kindness to other people will make their future a better place. Karma yoga changes their whole concept of good and evil which changes their internal soul and makes them a better person with a bright destiny.  

Tantra Yoga 

Tantra yoga is the yoga of rituals but most of the times; it is misunderstood by many people because they rename it as sex yoga. Sex is just another part of this yoga but this is not all about tantra yoga. Yogis who practice tantra yoga possess certain qualities like purity, humility, devotion, dedication to his Guru, cosmic love and some others. 


These are all the branches of yoga but there are some misconceptions also there about yoga for example some people say yoga is a religion but it is not. Yoga is just a way to make your life better and integrate peace in your life. It helps you to achieve a better life with more control over your mind, thoughts and actions. Yoga is also taken as just an exercise to keep your body fit which is true to some extent but it is not the whole concept of yoga. Exercise and physical health is just small portion of yoga but the higher aim of yoga is lot more sacred and important.