The meaning of Yoga

Freedom, happiness or love is experienced when there is no other thought taking us away from that specific moment. There is peace and all is in harmony.

The practice of Yoga supports in how to achieve this ’state’ of happiness. Yoga can be translated to union. Union of the individual Self with the absolute Self. Slowly through practice it creates better conditions that will contribute in understanding this truth. In Yoga we are not so much concerned in how to change the outside world, but in how to change our inner world. Once we work on the inside the outside will gradually change as well.

Today we mostly practice the physical part of Yoga, which makes perfectly sense as we are looking for direct ways to reconnect with our body and mind. This way we gain body awareness and create better health, making it easier to understand the other parts of the practice. Most importantly is that Yoga is here for us. It’s an incredible tool that learns how to listen, to feel, to surrender, to accept, to let go and how to handle life appropriate with kindness and care. Yoga can be practiced by anyone and everyone regardless of race, religion, ethnicity, gender, age or seize. A universal system with its roots in India that has blossomed across the whole world. A true gift it is.

Benefits of a regular asana practice are;

• making the body strong and flexible

• connecting directly to the breath which calms down the nerveus system

• reducing stress

• giving inner peace

• and much more

“योगश्चित्तवृत्तिनिरोधः
yogaḥ citta-vṛtti-nirodhaḥ”

— THE YOGA SUTRAS OF PATANJALI

Yoga is ‘controlling’ the conditions of the mind. Controlling means that through Yoga, space is revealed in order to see the mind operating. In this space we experience Yoga, oneness, knowing who we truly are. (It’s not emptying or destroying the mind or having no thoughts at all). Life will still unfold the way it has to unfold and thoughts will keep on coming and going. But when there is space a more appropriate decision can be made and if thoughts are ‘managed’ properly we feel happy and free.

A way of life

To ‘attain’ Yoga, unity or oneness in all that we do we can follow a system of practices, the eight limbs of yoga called Ashtanga Yoga. This is as explained by Patanjali in the Yoga Sutras. A practical system that works on the different levels of our being, helping us to connect, ground, focus and grow.

Ashtanga Yoga

• Yamas: social restraints - how we interact with the outside world

• Niyamas: self disciplines - how to observe and control our inner world

• Asana: posture - practice of Hatha Yoga, being comfortable in any pose the body takes

• Pranayama: breath expansion - controlling Prana, life energy

• Pratyahara: sense withdrawal - controlling the senses

• Dharana: concentration - being one pointed

• Dhyana: meditation - having the continuous flow of being present in awareness

• Samadhi: absorption - the knower is completely dissolved ‘into’ the knowing, no difference is experienced, all is one

The Yoga Sutras is a well known text about the Yoga practice, but Yoga is rooted in the Veda’s, the Upanishads, the ancient scriptures that provide us from knowledge about self inquiry, our true selves and all the practices and ways that come along with this. One of the most famous text about this is the Bhagavad Gita, which to may humble opinion is a unique and profound scripture that one can not study enough. It shows the struggles, the ways, the obstacles and solutions to our fundamental problem that we don’t see ourselves as whole and complete. Be inspired to discover your own true nature and live a life in harmony.