YOGA

Ashtanga yoga (Sanskrit: अष्टाङ्गयोग)  “The eight limbs of yoga" is Patanjali's classification of classical yoga, as set out in his Yoga Sutras. He defined the eight limbs as yamas (abstinences), niyama (observances), asana (posture), pranayama (breathing), pratyahara (withdrawal), dharana (concentration), dhyana (meditation) and samadhi (absorption).

The eight limbs form a sequence from the outer to the inner. The posture, asana, must be steady and comfortable for a long time, in order for the yogi to practice the limbs from pranayama until samadhi. The main aim is kaivalya, discernment of Puruṣa, the witness-conscious, as separate from Prakṛti, the cognitive apparatus, and disentanglement of Puruṣa from its muddled defilements.

(Sanskrit: कर्म योग), also called Karma marga, is one of the three classical spiritual paths mentioned in the Bhagavad Gita, one based on the "yoga of action", the others being Jnana yoga (path of knowledge) and Bhakti yoga (path of loving devotion to a personal god). To a karma yogi, right action is a form of prayer.[5] The paths are not mutually exclusive in Hinduism, but the relative emphasis between Karma yoga, Jnana yoga and Bhakti yoga varies by the individual.

Of the classical paths to spiritual liberation in Hinduism, karma yoga is the path of unselfish action. It teaches that a spiritual seeker should act according to dharma, without being attached to the fruits or personal consequences. Karma Yoga, states the Bhagavad Gita, purifies the mind. It leads one to consider dharma of work, and the work according to one's dharma, doing god's work and in that sense becoming and being "like unto god Krishna" in every moment of one's life.

(Sanskrit: भक्ति योग), Also called Bhakti marga (भक्ति मार्ग literally the path of bhakti), bhakti is a spiritual path or practice within Hinduism focused on loving devotion to any personal deity. It is one of the three classical paths in Hinduism that lead to moksha, the other paths being jnana yoga and karma yoga.

The tradition has ancient roots. Bhakti is mentioned in the Shvetashvatara Upanishad, where it simply means participation, devotion, and love for any endeavor. The Bhagavad Gita discusses Bhakti yoga as one of three spiritual paths for salvation.

The personal god varies with the devotee. It may include a god or goddess such as Krishna, Radha, Rama, Sita, Vishnu, Shiva, Shakti, Lakshmi, Saraswati, Ganesha, Parvati, Durga, and Surya among others.

The bhakti marga involving these deities grew with the bhakti movement, starting about the mid-1st millennium CE, from Tamil Nadu in South India. The Saiva Nayanars and the Vaisnava Alvars led the movement. Their ideas and practices inspired bhakti poetry and devotion throughout India over the 12th-18th century CE. Bhakti marga is a part of the religious practice in Vaishnavism, Shaivism, and Shaktism.

(Jñāna yoga, also known as the jnana marga (jñāna mārga), is one of the three classical paths (margas) for moksha (liberation) in the Bhagavad Gita, which emphasizes the "path of knowledge", also known as the "path of self-realization".The other two are karma yoga (path of action, karma-mārga) and bhakti yoga (path of loving devotion to a personal god, bhakti-mārga). Modern interpretations of Hindu texts have yielded systems, techniques and formulations such as raja yoga and kriya yoga.

The jñāna yoga is a spiritual practice that pursues knowledge with questions such as "Who am I, what am I?" among others. The practitioner studies, usually with the aid of a guru, meditates, reflects, and reaches liberating insights on the nature of one's own Self (Atman, soul) and its relationship to the metaphysical concept called Brahman in Hinduism. The jñāna-mārga ideas are discussed in ancient and medieval era Hindu scriptures and texts such as the Upanishads and the Bhagavad Gita.