More than 100 different schools of yoga exist, according to the American Yoga Association. Some types of yoga are practiced more in the United States than others. When you start a yoga program, look into what type of yoga you will be practicing. You may also want to experiment with several types of yoga to find one that is the best fit for you and your needs.
According to YogaWorld, there are eight main yogas: Bhakti, Karma, Jnana, Raja, Mantra, Laya, Tantra and Hatha. These eight are described below.
Bhakti: Considered the simplest of the yogas, Bhakti yoga usually involves silent worship of a particular object using visualization and repetition of a mantra, or chant.
Karma: Karma yoga emphasizes selfless action and service. The goal of karma yoga is to positively influence one’s karma, the doctrine of inevitable consequence in which a person’s deeds follow them through into a new life after death.
Jnana: Jnana is considered the most difficult path, because it requires a radical shift in perception. The goal is to seek knowledge through questioning, meditation and contemplation.
Raja: Raja yoga is sometimes called the “royal road” because it focuses on both the mind and body. This form of yoga incorporates exercise and breathing practices with meditation and study, producing a complete yoga program.
Mantra: Mantras are words, phrases, or syllables that are chanted until the mind and emotions are clear and focused.
Laya: The techniques used in Laya yoga are physical and intended to purify the body and arouse and move the force of Kundalini up through the different energy centers where, at the crown center, it unites with the Higher Self, and one enters a state of “being” with a higher spirit.
Tantra: A way of showing the unseen consciousness in form through specific words, diagrams, and movements. One of the diagrams that is used to show the joining of the physical and spiritual bodies is two triangles superimposed upon one another. The downward-pointing triangle represents the physical body having to do with work, action, and movement; the upward-pointing triangle represents the spiritual body of support, energy, and vastness.
Hatha: Hatha yoga is the most common and well-known form of yoga in the West. It consists of physical exercises including controlled breathing.
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