Yoga is a generic term for a multitude of Sadhanas.

A Sadhana is a methodical discipline to attain desired knowledge or a goal like Nirvana or any kind of Samadhi. A practitioner (sādhaka) is one who skillfully applies and controls mind and intelligence in practice towards a spiritual goal.

A Sādhanā can involve Asanas,  chanting or meditation on mantras - sometimes with the help of prayer beads, puja to a deity and yajña.

Normally a sadhana like Ashtanga-Yoga  starts with a kind of introspection. In prior centuries Sadhus were then initalized (Diksha) und then led by a guru.

The most known Yogadirections are the

• Hatha Yoga and the
• Ashtanga Yoga (Raja-Yoga) of Patanjali.

Well known Yoga scools are

• Kriya-Yoga
• Japa -Yoga ( Mantra - Repetition)
• Sivananda - Yoga^[1]
• Nada-Yoga (Wiki)
• Surad Shabda Yoga - a variant of the Nada-Yoga
• Pranava Yoga with Om- Meditation (Praṣna - Upanishad 5:1,5,7)
• Siddha Yoga (So-Ham ; Shivo-ham; Om Namah Shivaya ; Guru-Gita)
• Purna-Yoga of Sri Aurobindo
• Kundalini-Yoga and the higher
• Laya-Yoga
• Dreamyoga - and the Lucid dream
• Tao Yoga : Meditations and Qigong^[2]
• Meditation-Yoga as in daoist meditation and in Chan- and Zen-meditation
• Japa-Yoga with Japa - Meditation
• Jnana-Yoga

and  the less exercise-oriented  Bhakti-Yoga and Karma-Yoga, which also the Bhagavad Gita mentions.

Tantric vajrayana buddhism has further the tibetan Yantra - Yoga (Trul khor) and  Mahayoga, Anuyoga and Atiyoga.

== References ==

== Literature ==

• A systematic course on the ancent tantric techniques of Yoga and Kriya, Swami Satyananda Saraswati, 2008 – ISBN: 9788185787084 – Verlag: Yoga Publications Trust
• Kundalini Tantra, Swami Saraswati ,  2001,  ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 9788185787152  ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-8185787152
• The Heart and Soul of Spiritual Practice  by Swami Krishnananda
• Sri Aurobindo : Letters on yoga (PDF-1) (PDF-2) (PDF-3)(PDF-4)
• Sri Aurobindo : Letters on Yoga : The foundation of Sadhana

== Weblinks ==

• Daily hindu puja - an example
• Home - puja