The Four Paths framework groups yoga into Karma Yoga (action and service), Bhakti Yoga (devotion), Raja Yoga (meditative discipline), and Jnana Yoga (knowledge and inquiry). This is a teaching map associated with particular modern lineages, not an exhaustive or universal taxonomy of yoga.
Karma Yoga: action and service
In this framework, Karma Yoga emphasizes action carried out with attention to motive and service.
Interpretations of action, duty, and non-attachment are rooted in particular texts and traditions. This short overview is not a substitute for studying a named source or teacher.
Bhakti Yoga: devotion
Bhakti Yoga describes devotional approaches found across diverse Hindu traditions.
Forms of devotion, theology, ritual, and community practice vary. Presenting Bhakti as one uniform technique would flatten those differences.
Raja Yoga: meditative discipline
Raja Yoga is often associated in modern teaching with a systematic contemplative path.
Some presentations connect it to the eight-limbed framework of the Yoga Sutras, but terminology and historical usage are not identical in every source.
Jnana Yoga: knowledge and inquiry
Jnana Yoga is framed in some Vedanta contexts as a path of inquiry into knowledge and the self.
The philosophical claims involved are tradition-specific and should be read through identified texts, commentaries, and teachers rather than presented as settled scientific fact.
Where does this four-path framework come from?
The four-path grouping is used by Sivananda-oriented schools as an accessible curriculum framework.
Other yoga traditions classify paths and practices differently. The categories on this page are attributed to this framework rather than offered as a complete account of yoga history.
References and further reading
- Karma Yoga path Sivananda Yoga Ranch. Owner-supplied source for this path within the Sivananda curriculum. The source page was not machine-extracted for this summary.
- Bhakti Yoga Sivananda Yoga Ranch. Owner-supplied source for this path within the Sivananda curriculum. The source page was not machine-extracted for this summary.
- Raja Yoga Sivananda Yoga Ranch. Owner-supplied source for this path within the Sivananda curriculum. The source page was not machine-extracted for this summary.
- Jnana Yoga Sivananda Yoga Ranch. Owner-supplied source for this path within the Sivananda curriculum. The source page was not machine-extracted for this summary.