Tap Into Your Inner Wisdom With Jnana Yoga

Yoga started as a way to help your mind get rid of unnecessary stress and tension. With time, this ancient art has diversified and helped millions express their individuality in a variety of ways. The art of yoga considers four types of practices namely Karma, Bhakti, Raja and, Jnana yoga.

Out of these four, Jnana or wisdom is the toughest path of yoga. Practicing Jnana yoga requires strong willpower and intellect. If you want to practice this yoga style make sure you look for the best Indian yoga teacher training course. For starters, Jnana yoga is the path to realizing your true nature with meditation and contemplation.

With that said, let us find out a bit more about Jnana yoga.

Jnana Yoga – In Brief

Jnana in the Sanskrit language means “wisdom or knowledge”. In other words, it is the path to attaining knowledge of your true self with regular practice of yogic techniques like meditation and self-inquiry.

The practice of Jnana yoga requires using your mind to inquire into its nature and transcend its identification with thoughts and ego. The end goal of this yoga style is to help you overcome the illusion of Maya (perception and self-limiting thoughts) and achieve union with the true self (Atman).

In other words, Jnana yoga helps you identify the temporary nature of this world and see oneness in all things.

However, before you decide to move ahead and practice this yoga style it is necessary you know the four tenets of Jnana yoga.

Four Pillars Of Jnana Yoga

There are a total of four pillars (Sadhana Chatushtaya) in Jnana Yoga that help you achieve liberation. However, you must practice all these four pillars in a sequential order. These help you acquire a deeper understanding of life and reduce unnecessary suffering.

Given below are 4 pillars of Jnana Yoga.

1. Viveka

The intellectual effort to help you distinguish between real and unreal, the permanent and temporary, and self and not-self.

2. Vairagya

The idea of cultivating non-attachment towards this temporary world, especially bodily possessions and the ego-driven mind. When your mind is free of attachment the path to true knowledge begins.

3. Shatsampat

These include the six mental practices to stable your mind and emotions. You should enroll in a quality yoga teacher training to do these practices and let go of the illusions of Maya. These six mental practices include;

Shama (Calmness)

Dama (Restraint)

Uparati (Withdrawal)

Titiksha (Endurance)

Shraddha (Faith)

Samadhana (Focus)

4. Mumukshutva

The passionate desire to achieve liberation from suffering. You have to commit to this path to let go of attachment to the temporary.

Besides these four, there are three practices of Jnana Yoga you should include in daily life.

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Three Core Practices Of Jnana Yoga

 

After you have included the four pillars into your daily life, you are eligible to start with the three pillars of Jnana yoga.

1. Sravana

Hearing the sacred knowledge found in the ancient Vedic texts of Upanishads. A yoga teacher guides you via discussions towards the philosophy of non-dualism. You have to read and understand the yogic texts to understand the concept of Atman and Brahman in detail.

2. Manana

The act of thinking and following teachings of non-dualism is Manana. You spend hours at a yoga teacher training in thinking and contemplating on the idea of Svadhyaya and Sravana.

3. Niddhyasana

The continuous meditation of the inner self is Niddhyasana. It includes meditation and reflection on the real meaning of Maha-Vakyas or the primary sayings in the Upanishads. With regular and dedication you can achieve unity of thought and action.

That being said, you should practice Jnana Yoga to experience mental peace and achieve liberation from Maya.

Conclusion

Jnana yoga is the sacred art of achieving liberation by getting over the illusion of this temporary world. However, you should find and enroll in a quality yoga teacher training program to understand this yogic concept in depth.

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