[QUOTE=Mirjana;5400]
… the link. I found it very refresing:-) !
[/QUOTE]

Commentary (Asana Pranayama Mudra Bandha -Saraswati)
just to mention: the book is from Satyananda; Saraswati is the order he belongs to.
…?In raja yoga, asana refers to the sitting position, but in hatha yoga it means something more. Asanas are specific body positions which open the energy channels and psychic centres. They are tools to higher awareness and provide the stable foundation for our exploration of the body, breath, mind and beyond. The hatha yogis also found that by developing control of the body through asana, the mind is also controlled. Therefore, the practice of asana is foremost in hatha yoga.?
Sorry I just didn’t had the time to read all in detail, but maybee the following quotes gives you an answer:
"Patanjali called his sytem yoga. He did not give it a specific title or differentiate it from other yogic paths. Since the time of writing the Yoga Sutras, however, his method has come to be called Patanjali yoga (the yoga of Patanjali).
Patanjali yoga is widely identified as being the same as raja yoga (the royal path of yoga). We, however, prefer to define Patanjali yoga as a specific system within the wider framework of raja yoga. According to our definition, raja yoga includes the following system:
- Kundalin i yoga; also called laya yoga
- Kriya yoga
- Mantra yoga
- Dhyan yoga as described in the Bhagvad Gita
- Patanjali yoga
Raja yoga (including Patanjali yoga) is the science of the mind. …
Specifically, Patanjali yoga is the system which consists of eight stages: yama, niyama, asana, pranayama, pratyahara, dharana, dhyana and samadhi. It is therefor widley called ashtanga yoga (the yoga of eight stages)."
[from Swami Satyananda Saraswati in “Four Chapters on Freedom”]
“The beauty of the Hatha Yoga Pradipika is that it solves a very great problem faced from every aspirant. Swatmarama has completely eliminated the yama (moral codes) and niyama (self-restraints) which are the starting point in Buddhist and Jain systems as well as in Patanjalis raja yoga.”
[Foreword from Swami Satyananda in “Hatha Yoga Pradipika”]
There are probably even more other definitions and classifications around; even Satyananda might have said somewere something different (?).
…