Within the Indian spiritual heritage, yoga is understood as a disciplined path that unites the individual self with ultimate reality, and several principal types of yoga are traditionally recognized. The Bhagavad Gita highlights four classical paths: Karma Yoga, the way of selfless action and service; Bhakti Yoga, the way of devotion and love for the Divine; Jnana Yoga, the way of knowledge and self-inquiry; and Raja Yoga, the “royal” way of meditation and mental discipline, articulated in Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras. Each of these emphasizes a distinct doorway into the same inner realization: action purified of ego, devotion suffused with love, inquiry grounded in discernment, and meditation rooted in mastery of the mind.

Alongside these classical paths, the tradition also speaks of several additional, but closely related, forms of yoga. Hatha Yoga focuses on physical postures, breath control, and energetic regulation, serving as a preparatory discipline that refines body and mind for deeper contemplative practice. Kundalini Yoga centers on the awakening and guiding of dormant spiritual energy, while Tantra Yoga employs ritual, mantra, and energy practices to sanctify and transform all aspects of experience. Mantra Yoga, for its part, relies on the repetition and contemplation of sacred sound as a means of concentrating and elevating consciousness.

Raja Yoga, as codified by Patanjali, is often summarized through the eight-limbed (ashtanga) framework, which systematically maps the inner journey. It begins with yama (ethical restraints) and niyama (observances), proceeds through asana (postures) and pranayama (breath control), and then turns inward with pratyahara (withdrawal of the senses), dharana (concentration), and dhyana (meditation), culminating in samadhi (absorptive union). Seen together, these limbs illustrate how ethical living, bodily discipline, and mental stillness interlock as a single, integrated path.

Although these various yogas are named and described separately, they are not mutually exclusive, nor are they rigid compartments. A sincere practitioner of Karma Yoga may naturally be moved by devotion, a student of Jnana Yoga may rely on meditation, and one who follows Hatha or Kundalini methods may find that ethical refinement and devotion arise as indispensable supports. All these paths, whether approached through action, love, knowledge, or inner stillness, ultimately converge toward the same goal: moksha, or spiritual liberation through realization of the true Self and union with the Divine or universal consciousness.