In the West, yoga typically means physical postures—asana. But traditional yoga is primarily about meditation. The postures were originally preparation for sitting—keeping the body healthy enough to meditate for hours. The deeper practices of Hindu tradition remain largely unexplored by those who stop at the physical level.
These traditions offer complete systems for transformation: ethical living, breath work, concentration, and meditation leading to liberation (moksha). Understanding them opens doors beyond what most Western yoga classes offer.
The Major Paths
The Four Yogas
Hindu tradition describes four main paths suited to different temperaments:
Jnana Yoga (Knowledge): The path of wisdom. Direct inquiry into the nature of self and reality. "Who am I?" asked with total sincerity.
Bhakti Yoga (Devotion): The path of love. Devotion to God in whatever form resonates. Surrender of the ego through love.
Karma Yoga (Action): The path of selfless service. Acting without attachment to results. Work as worship.
Raja Yoga (Meditation): The "royal path"—systematic meditation practice. What Patanjali codified in the Yoga Sutras.
In practice: Most practitioners combine elements of multiple paths. They're not exclusive but complementary approaches to the same goal.
The Goal: Moksha
Liberation: All Hindu meditation ultimately aims at moksha—liberation from the cycle of birth and death, realization of one's true nature.
What liberation is: Not annihilation but recognition. You discover what you've always been—not the limited ego but pure consciousness, identical with the ultimate reality (Brahman).
Different views: Various schools describe the liberated state differently—union with God, recognition of non-dual awareness, dwelling in divine presence. The practices vary accordingly.
Raja Yoga: The Eight Limbs
Patanjali's System
The Yoga Sutras: Compiled around 400 CE, Patanjali's Yoga Sutras systematize yoga into eight limbs (ashtanga)—a complete path from ethics to enlightenment.
The definition: "Yoga is the cessation of the fluctuations of the mind." When the mind becomes still, your true nature is revealed.
The Eight Limbs
1. Yama (Restraints): - Ahimsa (non-violence) - Satya (truthfulness) - Asteya (non-stealing) - Brahmacharya (moderation) - Aparigraha (non-possessiveness)
2. Niyama (Observances): - Saucha (cleanliness) - Santosha (contentment) - Tapas (discipline) - Svadhyaya (self-study) - Ishvara pranidhana (surrender to the divine)
3. Asana (Posture): Stable, comfortable sitting position for meditation. Not the elaborate poses of modern yoga—simply the ability to sit.
4. Pranayama (Breath Control): Techniques for regulating breath and life energy. Preparation for concentration.
5. Pratyahara (Withdrawal): Turning attention inward, withdrawing from sensory engagement.
6. Dharana (Concentration): Fixing attention on a single point—breath, mantra, image, or concept.
7. Dhyana (Meditation): Sustained concentration becoming continuous flow of attention.
8. Samadhi (Absorption): Complete absorption where subject-object distinction dissolves. The goal of the path.
Practice Implications
Sequential development: The limbs build on each other. Ethics (yama/niyama) support practice. Posture and breath prepare for concentration. Concentration deepens into meditation and absorption.
Not linear: Though sequential, you work with multiple limbs simultaneously. You don't perfect ethics before starting meditation—you develop them together.
Pranayama: Breath Practice
The Theory
Prana: Life energy that flows through the body via subtle channels (nadis). Breath is its grossest manifestation.
The connection: Breath and mind are linked. Disturbed mind, disturbed breath. Steady breath, steady mind. Work with breath to influence consciousness.
Key Techniques
Nadi Shodhana (Alternate Nostril): Breathing alternately through each nostril. Balances left and right energy channels, calms the mind.
Kapalabhati (Skull Shining): Rapid, forceful exhalations with passive inhalations. Clears the mind, energizes the body.
Bhramari (Bee Breath): Humming on exhale. Calms the nervous system, prepares for meditation.
Ujjayi (Ocean Breath): Slight constriction in throat creating a soft sound. Develops concentration and control.
Kumbhaka (Retention): Holding the breath after inhale or exhale. Develops stillness and intensifies practice.
Practice Guidance
Learn from a teacher: Advanced pranayama can be destabilizing if practiced incorrectly. Get proper instruction.
Build gradually: Don't force. Increase duration and intensity slowly over months and years.
Before meditation: Pranayama calms and focuses the mind. Even a few minutes before sitting improves meditation quality.
Mantra Meditation
The Practice
What it is: Repetition of sacred sounds, words, or phrases—either aloud, whispered, or mentally.
The mechanism: The mantra occupies the mind, preventing wandering. Its vibration is said to have purifying and transformative effects.
Types: - Bija (seed) mantras: Single syllables like Om, Hrim, Shrim - Name mantras: Divine names (Om Namah Shivaya, Hare Krishna) - Vedic mantras: Passages from scriptures (Gayatri mantra)
Common Mantras
Om: The primordial sound. Contains all other sounds. Represents ultimate reality.
Om Namah Shivaya: "I bow to Shiva." One of the most popular Hindu mantras.
Om Namo Narayanaya: "I bow to Narayana (Vishnu)." Vaishnavite devotional mantra.
Gayatri Mantra: Ancient Vedic mantra invoking the divine light of the sun. Considered among the most sacred.
Hare Krishna Maha-Mantra: "Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare; Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare." Central to the Hare Krishna movement.
Japa Practice
Japa: The systematic repetition of mantra. Often counted on a mala (string of beads, typically 108).
How to practice: - Choose a mantra (traditionally received from a teacher) - Sit comfortably, hold mala in right hand - With each repetition, move to next bead - Complete one or more rounds (108 repetitions each) - Practice daily at consistent times
Mental japa: Mental repetition is considered more powerful than vocal. The mind becomes absorbed in the mantra.
Vedantic Self-Inquiry
The Approach
Advaita Vedanta: The non-dual philosophy of Hinduism. Reality is one—Brahman—and your true self (Atman) is identical with it.
The problem: We mistake ourselves for the limited body-mind. This ignorance (avidya) is the root of suffering.
The solution: Direct inquiry into "Who am I?" Not intellectual analysis but direct looking.
Ramana Maharshi's Method
The question: When a thought arises, ask: "To whom does this thought arise?" The answer: "To me." Then ask: "Who am I?"
The direction: Attention turns from objects (thoughts, perceptions) to the subject—the sense of "I" that knows them.
The discovery: The "I" cannot be found as an object. What remains is awareness itself—not awareness of something but awareness as such.
Neti Neti
"Not this, not this": A method of negation. Whatever you can observe, you are not. You are the observer.
The practice: "I am not this body—it is observed." "I am not these thoughts—they are observed." "I am not these emotions—they are observed." What remains after all negation?
Who It's For
Prerequisites: Self-inquiry is often considered advanced—requiring sufficient preparation and mental stability.
The directness: For those ready, it's the most direct path. No gradual development—just immediate investigation.
Bhakti: The Path of Devotion
The Practice
Devotion: Directing love toward the Divine in personal form—Krishna, Shiva, Devi, or others.
Surrender: Offering everything to God. The ego dissolves through love rather than analysis.
The practices: - Chanting and singing (kirtan) - Worship (puja) - Hearing and reciting sacred stories - Service to the deity and devotees
How It Becomes Meditation
Absorption in the beloved: Intense devotion becomes meditation naturally. The mind becomes absorbed in its object of love.
Constant remembrance: Keeping the divine constantly in mind through the day. Every action becomes offering.
Grace: In bhakti, liberation comes through divine grace rather than personal effort. Surrender opens you to receive.
Who It Suits
Emotional temperament: Those for whom love is natural, for whom the heart leads, often find bhakti accessible.
Without abstraction: Unlike jnana yoga's abstract inquiry, bhakti works with concrete images and relationships.
Yoga Nidra and Visualization
Yoga Nidra
Conscious sleep: A state between waking and sleeping where awareness remains while the body deeply relaxes.
The practice: Lying down, moving awareness systematically through body, breath, and visualization while maintaining consciousness.
The effects: Deep restoration, access to subconscious, potential for transformation through sankalpa (intention).
Deity Visualization
Practice: Constructing detailed mental images of divine forms—their appearance, colors, symbols, environments.
The purpose: Develops concentration while invoking divine qualities. The deity becomes present through focused imagination.
With mantra: Often combined with mantra repetition. The visualization gives form to what the mantra invokes.
Integration and Practice
Choosing Your Path
What resonates: Different practices suit different temperaments. Intellectual types may prefer jnana. Devotional types, bhakti. Active types, karma yoga. Systematic types, raja yoga.
Try and see: Don't choose based on theory alone. Practice different approaches and notice what works.
Combinations: Most practitioners combine elements. Mantra with concentration. Devotion with service. Inquiry with meditation.
Finding a Teacher
The tradition: Hindu meditation traditions emphasize guru—the teacher who transmits knowledge and practice.
Modern options: Ashrams, yoga centers, visiting teachers, online instruction. More accessible than ever, though quality varies.
Authenticity: Look for teachers with clear lineage, consistent teaching, ethical conduct, and students who've benefited.
Daily Practice
Consistency: Regular daily practice matters more than occasional intensity.
Sandhya: Traditional practice times: dawn, noon, dusk. Dawn is especially valued for meditation.
Structure: A session might include: pranayama, mantra, concentration, meditation, and dedication.
The Deeper View
Hindu meditation traditions share a common insight: your true nature is not the limited self you take yourself to be. You are consciousness itself—unlimited, free, ever-present. The various practices are methods for recognizing this.
Whether through stilling the mind (raja yoga), inquiring into self (jnana), dissolving ego in love (bhakti), or purifying through action (karma)—the goal is moksha: liberation from suffering, realization of truth.
The physical yoga popular in the West is a tiny fraction of this vast tradition. Those drawn to go deeper find practices refined over thousands of years, tested by countless practitioners, pointing always toward freedom.
Return is a meditation timer for practitioners of any tradition, including the profound practices of Hindu yoga. Set your session, practice your path, and let the minimal interface support your journey to moksha. Download Return on the App Store.