There seems to be a little confusion in the yoga world between ‘types’ of yoga and ‘brands’ of yoga. Here is a guide to help you sort out the differences. This will provide you with a basic understanding of the 4 different types of yoga and how you can practice them.
Hatha Yoga
Hatha yoga makes up the bulk of all the yoga being practiced these days. Hatha yoga is what you are practicing when you do your yoga poses (asanas), breathing exercises (pranayama) or concentration techniques (dharana). Basically, anything done on your yoga mat is Hatha.
Within Hatha yoga, there are now many different yoga brands. Each brand may focus on a particular aspect of Hatha yoga, like which poses you do, how exactly you do them and how fast. Regardless of their divergences, they are all forms of Hatha yoga.
Karma Yoga
The concept of Karma is pretty well-known, and you may have noticed the term being used by yoga studios to describe their work-exchange programs.
This is because Karma yoga is the practice of selfless service. The fundamental principle is that you are devoting your time and energy towards the spiritual and practical well-being of others, without seeking any personal benefits for yourself.
Your practice of Karma yoga could involve organized volunteer work or simply helping a stranger in need. The interesting inner-work you gain from this type of yoga is noticing how your intention to help others can often be driven by selfish motives.
Karma yoga is about releasing your attachment to the results or outcomes of your actions — all of which is easier said than done.
Bhakti Yoga
Bhakti yoga is the yoga of devotion. This type of practice is meant to connect you to the divine and to tap into universal love.
Anytime you are partaking in rituals that are heart-centered and reverential, like chanting, praying or repeating mantras, you are engaged in Bhakti yoga. Bhakti is about sincerely opening your heart to the world.
Jnana Yoga
Jnana yoga means the ‘path of knowledge and wisdom’. Interestingly, this type of yoga recognizes two sources of knowledge. One is gained through reading and studying the yogic texts, such as the Upanishads and the Yoga Sutras. The other is gained through self-observation.
This is why Jnana yoga usually begins later in your yoga practice, once you have already worked at length with Hatha, Karma, and Bhakti yoga. Based on your personal experiences with these types of yoga, you start to ‘see’ yourself — or the aspects of yourself that are hidden behind the mind. Once you start to peek into this aspect of yourself, deep transformation is bound to happen.
Challenge yourself to not only explore the numerous brands of yoga, but also the 4 types of yoga. Which brands incorporate more than one type of yoga? Which types of yoga resonate with you the most?
Answering these questions will deepen your knowledge of yoga and help you find the type and style best for you.