Gyana Yoga is the spiritual path of 'knowledge'. It aims at realising the Supreme Spirit through deep enquiry and constant contemplation upon the eternal truths. In Gyana Yoga, you will endeavour to achieve enlightenment through the study of sacred books of wisdom and truth.

Normally, people who are very well versed in religious and other scriptures (Scriptural scholars) are considered 'gyaan yogis'. But it is important to note that if knowledge is not balanced with devotion to God, then it will carry the danger of developing arrogance and one-sidedness.

Love sweetens our understanding just as knowledge sharpens and directs our love. Love that is uncontrolled by knowledge can be much like a hose that is turned on and then left without a guiding hand; it neighs and just gushes forth making it impossible to use it effectively.

(See also: Yoga Systems, Yoga, Yoga and Health, Yoga Systems, Yoga Positions)

Jnana yoga is the yoga of knowledge - not knowledge in the intellectual sense-but the knowledge of Brahman and Atman and the realization of their unity. Where the devotee of God follows the promptings of the heart, the jnani uses the powers of the mind to discriminate between the real and the unreal, the permanent and the transitory.

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Yoga piracy is the appropriation of postures and techniques that are found in ancient and traditional yoga treatises belonging to Hinduism and India. India yogis have been concerned by such people as fitness instructors in the West who claim patents and copyrights on asanas (yoga poses) and pranayama techniques and sequences; and ayurvedic medicine. Typically, western practitioners and teachers have taken over the traditional knowledge, ...

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Jnana Yoga - The Yoga of wisdom or knowledge

Jnana means wisdom or discernment. Commonly known as Yoga of the knowledge, Jnana focuses on man's intelligence. Yogis have an open mind for everything, they accept all philosophies and religions. Their unity of intellect and wisdom enables them to surpass boundaries and look beyond ideological controversies.

Read more here: » Yoga Branches: Jnana Yoga

Sankalpa Yoga is 'reso-will', the power that is born of resolve, will and determination. This esoteric yogic science was widely practised 5,000 years ago.

Sankalpa Yoga is the science of creation. Like everything in nature, gyana (knowledge) comes through sankalpa. Sankalpa Yoga does not belong to anyone in particular, nor is it registered by any organisation. It belongs to all those who want to practise it. There is no one to command you, no bondage, no milestones.

(See also: Sankalpa Yoga, Yoga, Yoga and Health, Yoga Systems, Yoga Positions)

Patanjali’s Yoga Sutra forms the basis of all yoga that is practised today. It contains knowledge which is useful for all, whether one is an evolved yogi, a developing sadhaka or an uninitiate.

In the Astanga Yoga, the eight constituents of yoga are discussed. Of these, the first constituent talks of the five Yama. These are the restraints every human being is advised to practise in day-to-day living.

(See also: Patanjali Yoga Sutras, God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

In Kundalini Yoga the creating and sustaining Sakti of the whole body is actually and truly united with Lord Siva. The Yogi goads Her to introduce him to Her Lord. The rousing of Kundalini Sakti and Her Union with Lord Siva effects the state of Samadhi (Ecstatic union) and spiritual Anubhava (experience). It is She who gives Knowledge or Jnana, for She is Herself That. Kundalini Herself, when awakened by the Yogins, achieves for them the Jnana (illumination).

Read more here: » Kundalini Yoga: The Importance Of Kundalini Yoga

The Brahmakumaris practise Raja Yoga, particularly the trataka form of meditation in order to achieve union with God. It involves keeping your eyes open and fixing your gaze on a tiny red spot with total attention. Raja Yoga gives knowledge of self and enables one to attain peace, purity and harmony.

Dawn is preceded by the darkest hour of the night. The Brahmakumaris consider the present time as the most critical period. This will be followed by a new age - the dawn in the great cycle of time. The agent of transition may be the person possessing knowledge of the true self, of a positive soul. One who reaches the highest stage of this knowledge becomes Brahma. The supreme divine being is Shiva, who is an embodiment of knowledge, peace, purity and harmony.

(See also: Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

The Bhagavad Gita has been universally hailed by the learned as truly reflecting the essence of all the Vedas. Its depth, richness and rationality of philosophy have universal appeal.

It teaches man that the true goal of life is union with God or the Supreme Impersonal-Personal Brahman, and the principal means to attain it are the four paths of karma or work, jnana or knowledge, yoga or psychic control and bhakti or loving devotion.

(See also: Bhakti Yoga, God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

Ayurveda is a Sanskrit word derived from two roots: ayur, which means life; and veda, which means knowledge. It has its roots in ancient vedic literature. Ayurveda, a system of diet, healing and health maintenance, is probably the oldest science of life, just like the science of Yoga.

Read more here: » Ayurveda � an introduction - I

When we study the construction, location and function of the Spinal Cord and the Sushumna Nadi, we can readily say that the Spinal Cord was called Sushumna Nadi by the Yogins of yore. The Western Anatomy deals with the gross form and functions of the Spinal Cord, while the Yogins of ancient times dealt with all about the subtle (Sukshma) nature. Now in Kundalini Yoga, you should have a thorough knowledge of this Nadi.

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Lalana Chakra is situated at the space just above Ajna and below Sahasrara Chakra. Twelve Yoga Nadis emanate from Lalana Chakra. The vibrations that are made by the 12 Nadis are represented by the Sanskrit letters: (Ha, Sa, Ksha, Ma, La, Va, Ra, Ya, Ha, Sa, Kha and Phrem). It has OM as its Bija. At this centre the Yogi concentrates on the form of his Guru and obtains all knowledge. This has control over the 12 pairs of nerves that proceed from the brain to the different sense-organs.

Read more here: » Lalana Chakra: Lalana Chakra and the Kundalini

This is a world of diversity. Intellects are different. Faces are different. Religions are different. Sounds are different. Faiths are different. Colours are different. Faculties are different. Tastes and temperaments are different. But one thing is common in all. Everyone of us wants Nitya Sukha (eternal happiness), infinite knowledge, immortality, freedom and independence. These things can be obtained by knowledge of the Self alone.

From "Easy Steps to Yoga" by Sri Swami Sivananda.

Read more here: » Self-Knowledge: Who Am I?

There is no hope for you to have Self-realisation or knowledge of the Self if you are not well established in Brahmacharya. Brahmacharya is the master-key to open the realms of eternal bliss. Brahmacharya is the very foundation of Yoga. Just as a house that is built on a rotten foundation will surely fall down, so also you will fall down from your meditation if you have laid no proper foundation, viz., the attainment of perfect Brahmacharya.

From "Easy Steps to Yoga" by Sri Swami Sivananda.

Read more here: » Brahmacharya: Power of Lust

Jñāna is the Sanskrit term for knowledge. In Buddhism, it refers to pure awareness that is free of conceptual encumbrances, and is contrasted with vijnana, which is a moment of 'divided knowing'. Jnana yoga is one path (marga) towards moksha (liberation). jnana yoga involves obtaining knowledge through studies of sacred texts and learning from a teacher, however experiential knowledge is usually emphasized. The other margas are the karma (ac ...

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In Yoga, Self-realization is knowledge of one's true self. This true self is also referred to as the atma to avoid ambiguity. The term "self-realization" is a translation of the Sanskrit expression atma jnana (knowledge of the self or atma). The reason the term "realization" is used instead of "knowledge" is that jnana refers to knowledge based on experience, not mere intellectual knowledge. As discussed in the article on yoga, while the goal of self-realization is the same in all yoga paths, the means used to ach ...

Including:

• Self-realization - Self-realization in Sahaja Yoga
• Self-realization - Self-realization in Reiki Tummo
• Self-realization - Self-realization according to Paramhansa Yogananda
• Self-realization - Self-realization in Surat Shabd Yoga
• Self-realization - Note

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The adept masters the highest of esoterical knowledge. Adepts are identified in yoga, the craft and other systems of occultism, spiritualism and magic. Although the term often denotes specifically initiatory knowledge, in many traditions it is accepted that nature (as well as nurture) can bestow mastery of the purported knowledge, art and power. Also a special skill in the video gam ...

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Jnana in Sanskrit means "knowledge", and is often interpreted to mean "knowledge of the true self". In the Vedanta school of the Hindu religion, to know Brahman as one's own Self is jnana. To say, "I am Brahman, the pure, all-pervading Consciousness, the non-enjoyer, non-doer and silent witness," is jnana. To behold the one Self everywhere is jnana. Jnana yoga is one of the four bas ...

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Samapatti stands for correct (samyag) acquisition (apatti) of Truth. It is a form of alaukika-pratyaksa (extraordinary perception) forming thus a legitimate part of the perceptual (pratyaksa) instruments of adequate knowledge (pramana). Samapatti is a common term for both Theravada Buddhism and Hindu Yoga, quodammodo also for Jainism, frequently used as a synonym for samadhi. In the Patanjala Yoga, samapatti is discussed as the universal form of the Yoga called samprajnata-yoga, or cognitive Yoga, fo ...

Including:

• Samapatti - More about Samapatti

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A kriya (from the Sanskrit, "deed, operation, effort") is a technique or practice within a yoga discipline, or more generally any practice with the goal of attaining higher knowledge. Different yoga schools often maintain different practices of yoga, and so the kriyas involved may vary widely. One form of kriya is the spontaneous movement of the physical body caused by voluntary action, prana, or Kundalini energy. These movements are designed to break up blockages in the physical, emotional (or subtle), and causal (or mental) bodies. Certain kriyas eventua ...

Read more here: » Kriya: Encyclopedia - Kriya