What is yoga philosophy

Yoga philosophy offers a path, a lifestyle and practices that lead us towards freedom and takes us off the wheel of suffering. There are a multitude of yoga philosophies that can be explored which all vary in their approach yet ultimately believe that ignorance creates suffering and our job as yogis is to wake up from our deep slumber. This process of waking up is known as moving from avidya (ignorance) to vidya (clarity).

An underlying principle of yoga philosophy believes that our path to freedom must go beyond just the physical body and dive into the complexities of the mind and the energetic systems such as chakras and nadis. Through a variety of practices such as asana, mediation, pranayama, bandha, kryia, self inquiry, ethical conduct and the study of sacred scriptures we transcend the mind and experience our “true nature”. The concept of our true nature is to experience who we are beyond the dramas of life, beyond our aches and pains, beyond our fleeting pleasures like money, sex and short lived highs. Yoga philosophy take us deep into the core of who we are. 

Different paths of yoga each have their own unique way to arrive in vidya, here are some methods and their underlying principle. 

Yoga of The Upanishads:
The Upanishads are a part of the Vedic texts that incorporate the teachings of the Śramanas. Here we find yoga as a system moving towards liberation, there are 3 stages to yoga of The Upanishads. This type of yoga was aimed towards the renunciant. 

  1. Sravana: Listening, seeking to understand.

  2. Manana: Reflecting, contemplation.

  3. Nididhyasana: Meditating.

Sankhya philosophy:
Dualist philosophy where the world is perceived to have two components Purusha (eternal spirit) and Prakriti (all matter). The goal of this philosophy is to no longer be entangled and lost in the world of prakriti and merge with purusha our true nature.

Śramaṇa Buddhist:
Buddhism is a faith that was founded by Siddhartha Gautama “the Buddha'' in the region of India. Buddhism is a monistic view believing that all is made of one essential essence, substance or energy. The teachings are based on the 4 noble truths which are;

  1. There is suffering (duhkha)

  2. We suffer because we thirst / crave / desire

  3. The cessation of dukkha comes with the cessation of craving.

  4. There is a path that leads from duhkha

Tantra philosophy:
The word Tantra in Sanskrit means “to weave” or “to expand”, weaving together the physical and the spiritual. Tantra offers a path of yoga which celebrates coming into an intimate relationship with the presence and sacredness in this realm. There are six elements that constitute the prominent features of tantra : yogic meditation, yantra, mantra, mandalas, guru, initiation and ritual worship. Tantra's teachings do not reflect renunciation, rather it teaches us that every situation and experience can be transcendental and sacred. 

Tan- Expand
Tra- Tool
Tantra- Tool for expansion 

Yoga of the Bhagavad Gita:
The Bhagavad Gita taught yoga in the middle of a battlefield. The concepts taught did not exclude women and taught that you do not have to renounce the world to reach god, rather renunciation is internal by cultivating a sense of detachment. The yoga taught in this epic dialogue between teacher and student vary including Karma yoga, Jana yoga and Bhakti yoga. 

Karma Yoga- The yoga of selfless action. Following your Dharma and living your truth.
Jnana Yoga- The path of knowledge. Self study and meditation to lift the veil of illusion.
Bhakti Yoga-  The yoga of love and devotion towards God. 

Patanjali philosophy:
Follows closely to the Sankhya philosophy. Patanjali made the melting of the three philosophies The Śramaṇas (Jaina and Buddhism) and The Upanishads. The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali’s focus mainly on controlling the mind whereas Hatha pradipika focuses mainly on breath control. Patanjali's Yoga Sutras teaches us how to understand the fluctuations of mind, what creates suffering and how we can radically shift our own perspective to see our own true nature (purusha).

Hatha philosophy:
Hatha’s literal Sanskrit translation means force. However when breaking the word up into seed mantra Hum- Sun, Tham-Moon this is where ideas of Hatha mean sun and moon. Hatha was the first to introduce non seated asana, however most of The Hatha Pradipika (pradipika transluates as; to cast light) is about pranayama and mastering the retention, kumbhaka. The aim of this practice is to purify the body and redirect prana upward to still the mind and reach high states of consciousness. 

Each of the philosophies take a different path however they all lead in the same direction, which is to become free from suffering and find union with our inner self.

The Essence of Sadhana