Bhakti Yoga

In Hinduism Bhakti Yoga is a term which indicates the spiritual practice of nurturing loving devotion to God, called ‘bhakti’. Traditionally there are nine forms of bhakti-yoga. Bhakti yoga is generally considered the easiest of the four general paths to liberation, or moksha. The other paths include Karma, Raja and Jnana Yoga. In Bhagavata Purana, bhakti is portrayed as a perfection stage in itself which surpasses even moksha as a level of spiritual realization. Hindu movements in which bhakti yoga is the main practice are called bhakti movements.

Bhakti Yoga is the system in which love and devotion are highlighted. Bhakti Yoga traditions do not teach about main aspects of yoga like asana, pranayama, mudra or meditation. Love of God, love of God in man, and surrender to God's will are the major points in Bhakti Yoga approach.

There are no certain ways to execute Bhakti yoga. Some people find that external abets can contribute to a devotional attitude. For instance an altar used during prayer and meditation; using of pictures of Gods to serve as inspiration; chanting or singing of mantras to help in creating a mood as preparation for meditation.

Raja Yoga

Raja Yoga is also known as ‘Classical Yoga’, ‘Royal Yoga’ or simply ‘Yoga’. It is one of the six traditional schools of Hindu philosophy, abridged by the sage Patanjali in his ‘Yoga Sutras’. The word ‘Raja’ means ‘king’ in Sanskrit and this form of yoga is called Raja yoga because the mind is believed to be the king among the organs.

Raja Yoga follows consists of chanting of mantras, transcendental meditation, Meditation on music, trataka (Concentration method), mirror gazing, humming, visualization vipassana, kriya yoga, chakra breathing and sound etc. 

Some people consider that the practices of raja yoga, was known as long ago as the Neolithic Age and were practiced in the Indus Valley culture. Raja yoga is concerned principally with the cultivation of the mind using meditation (dhyana).

The term Raja Yoga is introduced in the 15th-century in Hatha Yoga Pradipika’s fourth chapter to distinguish the school based on the ‘Yoga Sutras’ of sage Patanjali. The term was later used to describe the entirely unrelated meditation practice of the Brahma Kumaris, which involves the focus of one's mind and surrender to a striated body they believe to be the Supreme Soul.

Raja yoga refers to the state-of-being characterized by perfect equilibrium, in which nothing is lacking. Some times Raja Yoga is referred to as Astanga Yoga  because there are eight aspects to the path to which one must be there.