Yoga is not a religion.
It is a spiritual science. The word yoga is a generic
term that means union.
This union refers to one's union with God, the Divine,
or whatever your word is for That Special Something
that is bigger than an individual ego.
A science demands consistent proof.
The veracity, or proof, of yoga is found through persistent
metaphysical experience (I use the word metaphysical with
some reluctance because true yoga includes the physical
while at the same time going beyond it) which is reached
through special practices done over a period of time. Yoga is
an experiential science that is concerned with the individual.
Where the western world tends toward organized social religion
in which there is an agreed upon belief system among its members,
yoga epitomizes individuality and spirituality.
The most prevalent use of the word yoga in
our time applies to various forms of physical exercise involving
postures and physical flexibility. The
more precise term for this is asana. Asana represents
only one facet of yoga and
can be applied to the mind and the emotions as well as the physical
body.
The word yoga consists of the Sanskrit
root yuj (to yoke, link or harness together, unite, unify)
to which is added ghan (uninterrupted, deep, complete,
auspicious). The word samadhi, the highest stage of yoga
sadhana (the spiritual practices of yoga),
is ultimately synonymous with the word yoga. This state,
arrived at by means of profoundly deep meditation, is achieved
when the fluctuations of the mind cease.
To state it metaphorically, the
process of yoga sadhana
is like removing a veil or sweeping the floor — union is
already in place (it was never otherwise) but has become covered
with the many misconceptions produced by the indirect perceptions
in the mind. You're not really getting "united with God",
you're just getting things back to their natural state — you've
always been one with God, Truth, Unconditional Divine Love, the
Ultimate, the Absolute, etc.
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