Daoism vs. Yoga [Compare/Contrast]

               Daoism and Yoga are similar in many ways.  For one, both speak of balance in some form or another.  Yoga speaks of balance with the mind and body, and Daoism refers to the balance in nature, Yin and Yang.  "Yin is the murkiness that gradually clarifies.  Yang begins with clarity and moves toward dispersion and murkiness." (The Tao Te Ching A New Translation and Commentary, pg. 93) Yin and yang are seen as rest and motion, in this instance, alternating with one another. 

               Also, Daoism and Yoga are a like because they both speak of being aware of the self but also in different ways.  Yoga speaks of self-awareness in a way that we are all accountable for our actions, and Daoism refers to having the awareness to know our true, natural desires. Yoga is about having a lot of discipline and being within ones' own mind, but Daoism is about getting out of your head and being spontaneous, just being.  There is no God stated in Daoist beliefs, instead it speaks of just becoming one with nature/the universe.  Yoga practice is all about ultimately becoming one with God or a supreme being.

               In Yoga, once you have achieved the highest level of samahdi, you are reincarnated as a god, a higher level of consciousness.  If you have had a bad karma, when you die you will be reincarnated as a lesser consciousness.  In Daoism, you go into the darkness when you die, the abyss/cosmic pool, and come out as something new.  There is no heaven or hell or karmic cycle.