The Fourth Way is an approach to self-development described by George Gurdjieff.

It combines and harmonizes what he saw as three established traditional ways or schools, permanent forms which have survived throughout history mostly unchanged, and are based on religion: those of the mind, emotions, and body, or of yogis, monks, and fakirs respectively.

The Yogi works to obtain mastery of the attention (self mastery) through struggle with mental habits and capabilities.

The Monk works to obtain mastery of the attention (self-mastery) through struggle with the affections, in the domain, as we say, of the heart, which has been emphasized in the west, and come to be known as the way of faith due to its practice particularly in Catholicism.

The Fakir works to obtain mastery of the attention (self-mastery) through struggles with the physical body involving difficult physical exercises and postures.

The Fourth Way addresses the question of humanity’s place in the Universe and the possibilities of inner development. It emphasizes that people ordinarily live in a state referred to as a semi-hypnotic waking sleep, while higher levels of Consciousness, virtue, unity of will are possible.

The Fourth Way teaches how to increase and focus attention and energy in various ways, and to minimize day-dreaming and absent-mindedness. This inner development in oneself is the beginning of a possible further process of change, whose aim is to transform man into what he ought to be.

The Fourth Way is a quicker way than the first three ways because it simultaneously combined work on all three centers rather than focusing on one. It could be followed by ordinary people in everyday life, requiring no retirement into the desert.

The Fourth Way does involve certain conditions imposed by a teacher, but blind acceptance of them is discouraged. Each student is advised to do only what they understand and to verify for themselves the teaching’s ideas.