Yoga
Hindus believe that yogaAny form of religious practice. Often used to mean meditation or adopting various forms of posture for the purpose of spiritual development. is an important practice that helps them to be close to BrahmanIn Hindu belief, the absolute reality that is the true essence of all existence, God.. The idea is that, through yoga, Hindus can reach God either as a personal god (called vaikuntha) or as the God within humans (called antaryami).
As yoga is a practice, it is something that Hindus have to work at over many years to be able to do it successfully. There are four different types of yoga, and each one needs different qualities or skills. Hindus choose the type of yoga they want to practise depending on the stage they are at in their life, as they will require different things at different times.
| Type of yoga | Its meaning |
| Jnana yoga | A disciplined type of yoga that is done by Hindus who have given up worldly possessions and want to focus on trying to be in unity with God. They try to connect themselves and the world with Brahman. They study the Hindu holy books to understand Brahman in more depth. |
| Raja yoga | This is focused on antaryami, which means Brahman within humans. It is a meditation yoga that is mainly used by Hindu holy men, who complete mantras to focus on Brahman. |
| Karma yoga | This type of yoga is about focusing on doing good things around you and helping others. The idea is to try not to focus on the material objects in life and instead focus on the spiritual. Doing good things will gain a person good karma and therefore help towards achieving moksha. In the Bhagavad Gita, which is an important Hindu holy book, Lord Krishna explains that selfless action is the best example of karma yoga. |
| Bhakti yoga | This type of yoga is about worship and showing God love and devotion. This might be done through prayer to an image of a deity in the shrine at home. Hindus want to make it clear to Brahman that the most important being is Brahman. Bhakti yoga is about showing this through worship. |
| Type of yoga | Jnana yoga |
|---|---|
| Its meaning | A disciplined type of yoga that is done by Hindus who have given up worldly possessions and want to focus on trying to be in unity with God. They try to connect themselves and the world with Brahman. They study the Hindu holy books to understand Brahman in more depth. |
| Type of yoga | Raja yoga |
|---|---|
| Its meaning | This is focused on antaryami, which means Brahman within humans. It is a meditation yoga that is mainly used by Hindu holy men, who complete mantras to focus on Brahman. |
| Type of yoga | Karma yoga |
|---|---|
| Its meaning | This type of yoga is about focusing on doing good things around you and helping others. The idea is to try not to focus on the material objects in life and instead focus on the spiritual. Doing good things will gain a person good karma and therefore help towards achieving moksha. In the Bhagavad Gita, which is an important Hindu holy book, Lord Krishna explains that selfless action is the best example of karma yoga. |
| Type of yoga | Bhakti yoga |
|---|---|
| Its meaning | This type of yoga is about worship and showing God love and devotion. This might be done through prayer to an image of a deity in the shrine at home. Hindus want to make it clear to Brahman that the most important being is Brahman. Bhakti yoga is about showing this through worship. |