Yoga

Yoga (devanāgarī: योग) is a Sanskrit term derived from the root yuj, "to join, to unite, to attach", which can be interpreted as "union of ātman (the individual Self) with paramātma (the Universal Self)". It is one of the six darśanas (orthodox āstika schools) of Hinduism based on the Vedas, and prescribes spiritual practices performed primarily as a means to enlightenment.

Traditionally, there are four main paths to attain union, namely, karma yoga (through action), bhakti yoga (through devotion), jñāna yoga (through knowledge), and rāja yoga (through meditation). According to the late Yogatattva Upanishad, yoga is divided into four forms — Mantrayoga, Layayoga, Hathayoga and Rajayoga.

Scholarly research shows that Theosophy "was the first movement that popularised yoga on a worldwide scale," and that, "It was due to the impact of the TS, then, that yoga penetrated Western culture in a number of previously little-known but important ways."

See also

• Rāja Yoga
• Yoga Sutras of Patanjali
• Jñāna Yoga
• Haṭha Yoga
• Meditation

Online resources

Articles

• Yoga in Theosophy World
• Karma Yoga in Theosophy World
• Kriyā Yoga in Theosophy World
• Dhyāna Yoga in Theosophy World
• Bhakti Yoga in Theosophy World
• Brahma Yoga in Theosophy World
• Buddhi Yoga in Theosophy World
• The Hatha-Yoga and Raja-Yoga of India by Annie Besant
• Questions Answered about Yoga Vidya by H. P. Blavatsky
• The Yoga Philosophy by H. P. Blavatsky
• Delight as a Form of Yoga by Radha Burnier
• The Universal Yoga Tradition by Radha Burnier
• Yoga-Practice in the Roman Catholic Church by Franz Hartmann
• Explorations: Meditation and Yoga by Kay Mouradian
• By What Knowledge is the Spirit Known? by Ravi Ravindra
• True and False Yoga by Arthur A. Wells
• Yoga in Daily Life by Ernest Wood
• Yoga: A Theosophical Perspective by The Theosophical Society in America
• Yoga - A Study and a Practice by The Theosophical Society in Australia

Books

• An Introduction To Yoga by Annie Besant.
• Tukaram Tatya, editor.The Yoga Philosophy: Being the Text of Patanjali, with Bhoja Raja's Commentary. Bombay: Subodha-Prakash Press, 1885. 2nd edition revised, edited, and reprinted for the Bombay Theosophical Publication Fund by Tookaram Tatya, with introduction by Col. Olcott. Translations in English by Dr. Ballantyne and Govind Shastri Deva. Available at Blavatsky Archives.

Audio

• The Psychedelic and Yogic Pathways to Reality by Geoffrey Hodson

Video

• Theosophy as a Path of Yoga by Pablo Sender

Additional resources

• Bibliography on Yoga at the Henry S. Olcott Memorial Library