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What is Yoga?

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Yoga is both a state of being and a path of discovery.

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While many people associate yoga with physical postures, the tradition presents a much broader vision. Yoga is the journey of moving from fragmentation to wholeness, from distraction to clarity, and from limitation to freedom. Different individuals may walk different paths, yet all are directed toward the same essential goal: a deeper connection with our true nature.

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Yoga as Union

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One of the traditional definitions of yoga comes from the Sanskrit expression:

Yujyate anena iti yogah
"That by which one becomes united is Yoga."

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In this understanding, yoga is the means by which the individual self (jivatma) recognizes its connection with the Universal Self (paramatma).

The path may take different forms:

  • Karma Yoga – the path of selfless action

  • Bhakti Yoga – the path of devotion

  • Jnana Yoga – the path of knowledge and inquiry

  • Raja Yoga – the path of meditation and self-mastery

Though the approaches differ, their purpose remains the same: inner integration and freedom.

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Yoga as Concentration, Union, and Integration

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The Sanskrit root word "Yuj" carries several meanings, each revealing a different dimension of yoga:

  • To concentrate the mind

  • To unite what appears separate

  • To harness or bring under control

Together, these meanings point toward a practice that gathers our scattered energies and directs them toward clarity and wholeness.

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Yoga as a Support for Life

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The ancient Sanskrit lexicon Amarakosha describes yoga as:

  • A protective support for life's higher pursuits

  • A method or skillful means

  • A state of concentration and meditation

  • A coming together or integration

  • A path toward union

Yoga is therefore not merely an activity we perform. It is a practical framework for living with greater awareness, resilience, and purpose.

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Yoga as a Way to Calm the Mind

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Sage Vasistha offers a beautifully simple definition:

"Yoga is a skillful method for calming the mind."

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Much of our suffering arises not from circumstances themselves but from the constant movement of thoughts, reactions, and mental agitation. Yoga provides tools that help us cultivate steadiness amidst life's changing conditions.

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Yoga as Mastery of the Senses

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The Kathopanishad describes yoga as the state in which the senses become steady and well-governed.

Rather than being pulled in every direction by external stimuli, the practitioner develops the ability to remain centered, attentive, and present.

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Yoga in the Bhagavad Gita

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The Bhagavad Gita offers some of the most widely quoted definitions of yoga:

  • Yoga is Equanimity

    • Samatvam Yoga Uchyate - "Yoga is evenness of mind."

    • Yoga invites us to meet success and failure, gain and loss, praise and criticism with balance and acceptance.

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  • Yoga is Excellence in Action

    • Yogah Karmasu Kausalam -"Yoga is skillfulness in action."

    • This is not merely efficiency or performance. It is the ability to act wholeheartedly while remaining free from anxiety about outcomes.

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  • Yoga is Freedom from Sorrow

    • Tam Vidyad Duhkha-Samyoga-Viyogam Yoga-Samjnitam -"Yoga is the disconnection from union with sorrow."

    • Through inquiry and self-understanding, we gradually loosen our identification with the changing body, mind, and emotions, discovering a deeper source of peace within.

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Yoga According to Patanjali

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Perhaps the most well-known definition comes from Sage Patanjali:

Yogah Chitta Vritti Nirodhah

Yoga is the stilling of the fluctuations of the mind.

 

When the mind becomes quiet and clear, we are able to see reality as it is and rest in our true nature. In this sense, yoga is both the path and the destination.

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