In Sanskrit, jñāna means ”knowledge” or “cognition.” It’s the branch of yoga that is concerned with refining the intellect, accessing wisdom, and using spiritual knowledge in order to enter the state of yoga, of unity with Totality. In writing this post I’ve come to realize that jñāna yoga is quite possibly the most difficult aspect or form of yoga to write and talk about. But it’s also crucial that we explore it. It’s one of my favorite yoga practices.

We can refine the intellect in a number of ways. We can study sacred yogic texts (or any spiritual texts), like the Yoga Sutras or the Bhagavad Gita. We can spend time in sangha (spiritual community) and attend satsangs (wisdom talks) with spiritual teachers. Meditation is especially powerful as a jñāna practice.