Roanne

Jnana indicates the knowledge. This yoga is the yoga for the intelligent and selected people. This yoga is the ultimate aim of all the other varieties of yoga. This yoga teaches you to look at the globe as it is without having any ignorance and bias. You can accomplish this state by practicing rigorous mental discipline and virtue. This yoga is also called Raja Yoga or the king of all the yogas, since it is of the highest variety and rules more than all the other varieties. This is the Yoga that Patanjali has described in his Yoga Sutras.

advertiser

This yoga is made up of eight components of which five are external and the other three are internal. Two of its parts, viz yama and niyama deal with kinds of behaviour that the student of yoga should keep away from like lying, cheating, stealing and so forth. and these behaviours that he ought to cultivate like cleanliness, non-collection etc. Asanas and Pranayama are the next two parts of this yoga. Asanas are the physical movements that assist in establishing the suppleness of the physique and therefore cure any diseases. You can handle your breath by using pranayama which increases the capacity of the lungs to take in air and therefore increases the vitality of the body. The next portion Pratyahara denotes the withdrawal of the sense organs from objects of enjoyment. The remaining 3 parts deal with intense mental concentration.

Patanjali maintained that practicing these eight parts of yoga faithfully and intensely will, more than a period of time, erase all the impurities of the body and mind and as a result attain understanding that will liberate the individual from bondage and ignorance. This yoga is referred to as Ashtanga Yoga since it is made of eight parts. It is also known as as Dhyana yoga due to its pressure on mental concentration. Therefore, anytime there is any mention of yoga, it is normally implied that the person is speaking about Jnana Yoga