Yoga — in the classical Indian sense — is not merely physical practice but a comprehensive system for liberating consciousness from the cycle of birth, death, and rebirth (samsara). Georg Feuerstein’s The Yoga Tradition documents the full spectrum of yogic paths and their relationship to karma and liberation (moksha / kaivalya).

Samkhya: The Philosophical Foundation

Classical Samkhya, one of the six orthodox schools, provides the metaphysical framework for much of yoga: the universe consists of two eternal principles — purusha (pure consciousness, the soul) and prakriti (primordial matter, nature). The soul, through misidentification with matter, becomes entangled in samsara. Liberation is the realization of the soul’s absolute distinction from matter — a “aloneness” (kaivalya).

The Yogas

Feuerstein surveys the major yoga traditions:

Raja-Yoga (Patanjali) — The eight-limbed path (yoga-sutra) systematically addresses the mind’s conditioning (kleshas) — ignorance, egoism, attachment, aversion, and the will to live — which are the root of karmic accumulation. Through meditative absorption (samadhi), the yogi achieves kaivalya.
Jnana-Yoga (Vedanta) — The path of knowledge realizes non-duality (advaita): the soul (atman) is already one with Brahman (absolute reality). Karma and rebirth are products of ignorance, overcome by direct realization.
Bhakti-Yoga — The path of devotion transforms karma through love of God. In the Bhagavata Purana and Gaudiya Vaishnavism, sincere devotion (bhakti) burns away karmic traces and liberates the soul.
Karma-Yoga — The path of selfless action, taught in the Bhagavad Gita: act without attachment to results; dedicate actions to the divine; thereby avoid accumulating new karma while exhausting old karma.
Hatha-Yoga — The physical path uses the body as an instrument of transformation, purifying the subtle channels (nadis) and energy centers (chakras) to accelerate karmic purification and prepare for liberation.

Liberation (Moksha)

Moksha — freedom from samsara — is understood differently across traditions:

In Advaita Vedanta, moksha is the realization that one was never truly bound — bondage is an illusion created by ignorance.
In Samkhya, moksha is the soul’s recovery of its eternal aloneness.
In theistic Vedanta, moksha is eternal loving service to God in the spiritual world.
In Jainism, moksha is the soul’s ascent to the highest realm, free from all karmic matter.

Iyengar and Modern Yoga

B.K.S. Iyengar’s Light on Life presents yoga as a path of holistic integration — body, mind, and spirit — that addresses karmic conditioning through conscious practice, self-study, and surrender to the divine. Iyengar emphasizes that yoga is not about escaping life but about living fully, with awareness and responsibility for one’s actions.

Vedantic Paths

Subramuniyaswami’s Merging with Siva presents the Saiva Siddhanta path of liberation through the Four Yogas (service, worship, meditation, and knowledge) and the concept of the soul’s evolution across many births toward perfect union with Siva.

The Yoga Vasishta — a vast philosophical text attributed to Valmiki — presents a radical non-dual vision: the world is a projection of consciousness, and liberation is the direct recognition of one’s identity as pure awareness. Rebirth, like waking life, is a form of dreaming; awakening to the Self frees one from both.

The Bhagavata Tradition