Jnana yoga means the path of wisdom or the path of knowledge. This form of yoga is a spiritual practice that uses yoga and meditation to withdraw the mind and emotions in order to live connected with the Spirit and attain enlightenment.
The ideas that form Jnana yoga is found in Hindu philosophy of nondualism and in Buddhism. In this philosophy, the knowledge is described as having the power to liberate the individual, namely liberation from egoism, desire and the illusion of being separate from the rest of the world.
Through Jnana yoga, the student learns to control the mind and emotions to focus on the deeper, more spiritual self. This concept can be used, even for people practicing other religions. Modern authors, such as Eckhart Tolle and others have used this concept in their work to teach people how to stop identifying with the thinking mind and get in touch with the true nature.
There are several techniques used in Jnana yoga. One is discernment, which means to understand that your true self is not the body or mind, but something completely separate from the physical world. To discover this true self, a technique known as Neti-Neti, or not this – not this is used. In this technique, the student examines the mind to discover all the thoughts that are not the self, but egoism.
Another technique that is used in Jnana yoga is a process of self examination. In this process, students examine themselves from within through meditation. This is done to discover and develop an awareness of the true nature of the self, which leads to liberation and enlightenment.
In Jnana yoga, the individual examines the ultimate truth of the nature of the true self and absolute truths of existence, rather than the ego based opinions the mind accepts as truths. This knowledge and understanding leads to enlightenment. The practice does not require a specific set of religious beliefs, but seeks to learn the ultimate truth through meditation.
You can learn more about this type of yoga and many others through the Yoga Research and Education Foundation at yref.org.