Choosing a Path:

The four paths of Yoga as per the Bhagavadgita are Jnana Yoga, Bhakti Yoga, Karma Yoga, and Raja Yoga. These four paths of Yoga are aspects of a whole that is called Yoga. The four paths of Yoga work together, like fingers on a hand. Yoga means the realization in direct experience of the preexisting union between the individual consciousness and the universal consciousness. There are different ways of expressing this, including that Atman is one with Brahman, Jivatman is one with Paramatman, or Shiva and Shakti are one and the same. Each of these ways of saying it come from a different viewing point, while they are not essentially different points of view. They all point in the same general direction of union or Yoga. It has become common to say that this union is merely the union of the physical body and the mind. This allows both teachers and practitioners to dodge the true meaning of Yoga so as to present it as being something other than a spiritual path such as only physical/mental health or fitness. It also allows people to avoid any sense of conflict with limited religious views that have no place for such high direct experience.
The four paths of Yoga: There are four traditional (as per popularly often spoken about) schools of Yoga, and these are: Jnana Yoga, Bhakti Yoga, Karma Yoga, and Raja Yoga. While a Yogi or Yogini may focus exclusively on one of these approaches to Yoga, that is quite uncommon. For the vast majority of practitioners of Yoga, a blending of the four traditional types of Yoga is most appropriate. One follows his or her own predisposition in balancing these different forms of Yoga.
Jnana Yoga: Jnana Yoga is understood as the path of knowledge, wisdom, introspection and contemplation. It involves deep exploration of the nature of our being by systematically exploring and setting aside false identities.
Bhakti Yoga: Bhakti Yoga is understood as the path of devotion, emotion, love, compassion, and service to God and others. All actions are done in the context of remembering and surrendering to the Divine.
Karma Yoga: Karma Yoga is understood as the path of selfless action, service to others, mindfulness, and remembering the levels of our being while fulfilling our actions or karma in the world without expecting anything in return (Nishkaama Karma).
Raja Yoga: Raja Yoga as promulgated by Patanjali and also called Ashtanga Yoga is understood as a comprehensive method that emphasizes meditation, while encompassing the whole of Yoga. It directly deals with the encountering and transcending the mind.
Integration: It is popular these days for teachers and institutions to develop some approach to Yoga that "synthesizes" or "integrates" these four widely known paths of Yoga (along with other component aspects of Yoga). However, that is misleading in that they were never really divided in the first place. It is not a matter of putting together separate units. Rather, they are all a part of one whole which is called Yoga. Virtually all people have a predisposition towards one or more aspects of Yoga, and will naturally want to emphasize those practices.
Other aspects of Yoga: Yoga is traditionally taught orally, rather than organized in books, which naturally are linear in nature, and are clustered into chapters. In oral teachings, there is a natural transition from one to another of the aspects or levels of Yoga, including between the so called four paths of Yoga. Books and organizations are useful, but we need to remember that Yoga is, in fact, a whole which has several aspects and levels. For example, in the text Hatha Yoga Pradipika, Hatha Yoga (often called "physical yoga") is described as also related to Kundalini Yoga (in terms of awakening the kudalini energy). It also explains that the purpose of Hatha Yoga is to train for Raja Yoga. Thus, we can easily see the relationship of Hatha Yoga and Kundalini Yoga as being integral parts or aspects of Raja Yoga, which is one of the traditional four paths of Yoga.
We can't abandon the others: While it is definitely true that we each have predispositions towards one or another of the four paths of Yoga, we cannot really avoid or abandon the others.
Jnana Yoga: While Jnana Yoga deals with knowledge, wisdom, introspection and contemplation, everybody has a mind and at some point will need to examine it, wherein quiet reflection naturally comes.
Bhakti Yoga: All people will experience emotions such as love, compassion, and devotion at points along the journey, regardless of which of the four paths of Yoga is predominant.
Karma Yoga: Nobody can live in a body and the world without performing any actions. Even a renunciate living in a Himalayan cave has to perform some form of actions, and thus, some degree of Karma Yoga is practised.
Raja Yoga: Everybody will become still and quite through all of the other three paths of sadhana or spiritual practices, and will naturally purify their various layers of personality, and meditate, thus touching on Raja Yoga.
Yoga classes: One thing that can lead to some confusion about the four paths of Yoga is the modern "yoga class" which often focuses mostly (if not completely) on physical postures or asanas. By referring to postures classes as "yoga classes" one is left with the false impression that this, unto itself, is the meaning of "Yoga." It is important to understand that asanas (postures) are a small, though surely useful, part of Yoga. It would be far better that such classes be called "postures classes" though that seems now unlikely to happen. In any case, the seeker of the only goal of Yoga will need to discern amongst usages of the word "Yoga" so as to follow the four paths of Yoga.
Choosing a path: Although the four paths of Yoga work together, along with the companion aspects of Yoga, it is extremely useful to be mindful of which of the four paths of Yoga is most in alignment with your own predispositions. By identifying that path, it can be emphasized in life, and the others can be wisely, and lovingly used to support and enhance the chosen path of Yoga. Here at Sri Bindu Yoga Meditation Center we have a slightly wider meaning of the word "integration". As our belief remains that Yoga science is one, we have studied the various teachings and practices of several authentic living schools, systems and traditions (Parampara) of Yoga such as Traditional Hatha-yoga, Raja-yoga, Tibetan Yoga, Buddhist Meditation Tradition, Vajrayana Tantra Tradition, Tao, Sufi Meditations, Kashmir Shaivism, The Sacred Feminine Worship, Samaya Sri Vidya Tantra and so on and so forth, we have found that the practices of all the mentioned schools, systems and traditions have an common basis and culminate with "expansion of consciousness". And this phenomenon is termed in different schools, systems and traditions in different ways, but are essentially the same. Thus we can integrate the practices without any conflicts and derive the full benifit from it. The teachers of traditional schools prescribe a particular practice to the student as per the student's pre-dispositions and personality needs. This way the student on absorbing the teachings and being regular in her/his practice will derive the optimum benefits from the teaching.