What defines my yoga?

I recently attended a workshop weekend with Amy Ippoliti and something she said really resonated with me. She spoke about the paths of yoga and what they mean. She inspired me to think and assess both myself and my practice. I started to ask myself, what is my yoga? What is the yoga that I practice? What is the yoga that I want to share with others as I teach?

The context behind this question is that in light of recent events, what is the yogic response to the world we are living in?

Do we simply meditate more? Do we devote more time to practicing yoga more? Or do we get engaged and stand up for what we believe in? Too often it seems that the yoga response to events is to be passive and try to shine brighter to counteract the darkness that seems to keep descending upon us.

To me, yoga is about making a disciplined effort. Yoga is not about taking the easy path. Yoga is about taking a disciplined approach to conquering obstacles and exploring options.

I have a one a day calendar featuring quotes from the Dalai Lama. In one quote he says “It is easier to meditate than actually do something for others. I feel that merely to meditate on compassion is to take the passive option. Our meditation should form the basis for action, for seizing the opportunity to do something.”

This quote resonates within me. I have often been passive and taken the path of non-action.

There are many paths of yoga, but the three main paths are described below:

Karma

Karma refers to the actions that we do in terms of the body and senses. This can be for ourselves or for others. Karma yoga is the yoga of action and of serving. Our experiences today are created by our actions in the past. This path seeks to liberate from negativity and selfishness. This path realizes that the karmic wheel is what drives our interactions with the world. For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.

Bhakti

Bhakti yoga is the yoga of devotion. This is a path of ultimate surrender to the Divine. Bhakti yoga seeks to bring the Divine into every aspect of life. A devotional practice aims to explore the Divine and bring a sense of gratitude into the most mundane of activities. The Bhakti practice is one that embodies personal relationship with the Divine. Bhakti yoga is also defined as the yoga of the heart. Essentially, leading and living with the heart. This yoga works through and with our emotions, creating a more powerful connection between our actions and our minds.

Jnana

Jnana yoga is the yoga of the mind. This is the path of wisdom. This path is for the intellectually-inclined as it involves a direct approach to reading yogic texts and studying scripture. This path both asks and answers the philosophical questions in life such as: Who am I? Why am I here? What is the purpose of life?

What will my yoga be? Why not practice a mix of the three?

Each path has its merits and its faults. I can see the benefit to each of the paths. While I personally can see the benefits of individual paths, I see a little of myself in each of these paths. I am a curious person and I feel called to Jnana yoga but I also want to practice Bhakti yoga and open my heart, letting my heart and compassion lead my life. I also feel called to Karma yoga in the sense that I am aware that every action has its consequences and it is best to live a life that yields as few negative consequences as possible.

I cannot commit to one path over another. I am choosing the eclectic route and I will have a practice that serves my entire being: intellectually, emotionally, and through my actions.