The Purpose of Yoga - Empowerment with Jnana Yoga

Jnana Yoga is one of the four primary forms of Yoga. Raja, Karma, and Bhakti Yoga are the other three primary forms of Yoga. When you consider the potential of Jnana Yoga applied to life, you will see that success is also a coordinated effort and a spiritual path of compassion, discipline, study, visualization, and meditation. Jnana Yoga is coordinated power.

Anyone can improve himself or herself with applied thought, action, and perseverance. Personal development requires desire, guidance, and a steady stream of motivation. For all of these ingredients to come together at the correct time, one must study under the guidance of a Guru, Swami, Yoga teacher, mentor, or coach.

At this time, and thanks to the Internet, children have access to information beyond our childhood dreams, but the amount of information is overwhelming for one person. In fact, you would need a team to work together, just to decipher facts from fiction, in order to acquire reliable information.

Being smart does not translate into being successful. You could memorize libraries of information, but if you do not apply any of it to real life, it is just trivia. Applied knowledge must be put into action for self empowerment to take place.

Therefore, reading scriptures and classics is a noble pursuit. You are practicing the foundation of Jnana Yoga, but you must visualize, meditate, and act ethically, for your Jnana Yoga practice to reach its maximum potential.

Some people may say it is wrong to have goals, to improve yourself, and to visualize a better life for your family. Yet, the world would be a much better place in the hands of empowered Jnana Yoga practitioners.

© Copyright 2007 - Paul Jerard / Aura Publications

Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500, has written many books on the subject of Yoga. He is a co-owner and the Director of Yoga Teacher Training at: Aura Wellness Center, in Attleboro, MA. riyoga.com riyoga.com He has been a certified Master Yoga Teacher since 1995. To receive a Free Yoga e-Book: "Yoga in Practice," and a Free Yoga Newsletter, please visit: yoga-teacher-training.org/index.html yoga-teacher-training.org/index.html