Truth about who we are and what we are going through in our lives is something we are all eager to learn about. But the truth is often hidden behind veils, veils of misconception and illusions for us to uncover. Unraveling the truth can be anything but easy. However, it is not impossible. If you turn to the way of life that was practiced thousands of years ago and which is believed to cure illnesses of the body, the mind and the soul; namely yoga, the truth can, indeed, be found. Though there are many different yoga types that lead to the truth, nothing does that better than Jnana yoga.
Jnana yoga, also called Gyana yoga, is one of the types of yoga mentioned in Hindu philosophies. The word Jnana means “knowledge” in Sanskrit and thus, Jnana yoga is a yoga type often referred to as “path of knowledge”. Jnana yoga is the path of knowledge, the path to the truth. Based on the Hindu philosophy of non-dualism called Advaita Vedanta, Jnana yoga helps you realize who you are and what experiences you are having thus leading you closer to the truth. Jnana yoga helps you clear the fog and see your true selves in a whole new light. The illusion with which we view ourselves and our life is removed and the void is filled by the truth, the enlightenment which people want to attain.
In the practice of Jnana yoga, the prime focus is on mediation when the practitioner sheds all deluded feelings of life and oneself to learn the absolute truth. The deluded thoughts and feelings are patiently removed, time and again if required, to become in tune with the reality. One common technique used to obtain this attunement with reality is neti-neti which means “not this, not this”. Should any thought, concept, image or sound that is not related to the goal of mediation appear during the meditation to distract the practitioner, he is simply to say neti-neti to dismiss it.
The best thing about Jnana yoga is that you are not forced to accept any preliminary idea or dogma when practicing it. Attainment of Jnana arises from experiences anyone can have but they need deep contemplation and meditation. And mediation is not the only way of practicing this yoga type; you practice it as you live! When you know your true self and the reality about life, you can deal with worries and fears easily. When you apply the comprehension attained from mediation to your reactions to experiences, you live Jnana yoga.