What is yoga? Practically everyone has heard of yoga, but what is it? Hatha yoga is the physical postures that most people have heard of, though what IS yoga, is given far broader range. Hopefully the reader is educated at least so far. This article is not for beginners though beginners would get benefit from it also.
Yoga means 'union'. Yoga is the method whereby one is enabled to gain union with God or the Divine. Yoga is also the hindu word for religion, so yes yoga is a religion. Most people don't realise this when they practise yoga. All religion is a method for gaining union with God. This is what religion and life is all about. The purpose of life is to find God. Yoga and religion fulfills that purpose. I trust that your misgivings about religion have been abated. Let's hope you have this in mind when practising yoga, for as it says in 'The Hatha Yoga Pradipika', "Yoga succeeds by these six: enthusiasm, openness, courage, KNOWLEDGE OF TRUTH, determination and solitude."
Knowledge of truth is perhaps more important than the other five, because with it the other five will follow, and so much more. We will deal with Truth in a later article.
More on the foundations of yoga. Yoga is a method for EVOLVING you. It is a spiritual discipline. It seems many people neglect this spiritual discipline in their yoga practise. It is not a physical discipline. You should not consider it purely physical. You will get nowhere with yoga if you neglect this point. So remember it is a SPIRITUAL discipline.
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