The Bihar School of Yoga stands out for treating yoga as an integrated way of life rather than a set of isolated techniques. Its vision brings together the “yoga of the head, heart and hands”: jñāna yoga through study and self-observation, bhakti yoga through devotion and mantra, karma yoga through selfless service, and the disciplines of rāja and haṭha yoga through āsana, prāṇāyāma and meditation. Practice is meant to permeate daily life, with karma yoga and ashram-style discipline regarded as equally important to formal sitting practices. In this sense, yoga is framed as a twenty‑four‑hour discipline directed toward inner transformation and spiritual awakening, not merely toward physical fitness or stress relief.

A distinctive hallmark is its systematic and research‑oriented approach. Practices are organized into clear, graded systems—such as the pawanmuktāsana series, structured prāṇāyāma progressions, and stepwise meditation methods like antar mouna and ajapa japa—so that they can be taught, repeated and studied in a consistent way. This methodology is supported by extensive literature and manuals that codify āsana, prāṇāyāma, mudrā and bandha, and by collaboration with medical and therapeutic settings to observe physiological and psychological effects. Yoga is thus presented as a disciplined, documented field of knowledge, without losing its spiritual orientation.

Another defining feature is the strong tantric foundation. The school emphasizes classical, scriptural tantra, including kundalinī yoga, chakras, nāḍīs, mudrā, bandha and kriyā yoga, yet avoids sensationalism by presenting these as systematic internal disciplines and as a form of tantric psychology. Yoga nidrā, for example, is developed into a detailed, staged practice used for deep relaxation, inner reconditioning and support in therapeutic contexts, rather than as a simple guided rest. Throughout, the focus remains on transforming unconscious patterns and expanding awareness, rather than on occult display or purely external performance.

In its attitude to lifestyle and accessibility, the Bihar tradition combines traditional ashram values with an inclusive, non‑sectarian presentation. Communal living, early rising, disciplined routine, simplicity and seva are upheld as a practical training ground for yoga, while householders are encouraged to adopt these principles in forms suitable to their circumstances. At the same time, practices are made accessible to people of different ages, capacities and backgrounds, with an emphasis on comfort, awareness and gradual progression over intensity or athletic achievement. Scriptural grounding in texts such as the Upaniṣads, the Bhagavad Gītā and classical haṭha and tantric works is maintained, yet symbols, mantras and deities are often explained in psychological and energetic terms so that seekers from any faith, or none, can engage deeply without the pressure of religious conversion.