The definition of yoga

The definition of yoga according to Swami Sivananda:

The word "yoga" comes from the Sanskrit root "Yuj," meaning "to join, to unite." In the spiritual sense, it is the process by which the yogin realizes the identity of the individual soul and the Supreme Soul. The human soul is brought into conscious communion with the Divine Reality. Just as camphor melts and becomes one with fire; just as a drop of water thrown into the ocean becomes one with the ocean; so too the individual soul, once purified, once freed from desire, greed, hatred, and egoism, once it becomes pure (sattvic), becomes one with the Supreme Soul.

Yoga, in its general sense, refers to karma yoga, bhakti yoga, raja yoga, jnana yoga, hatha yoga, mantra yoga, laya yoga, or kundalini yoga. In a narrower sense, it refers solely to the Ashtanga Yoga, or Raja Yoga, of Patanjali Maharishi.

The word "yoga" also refers, in a secondary sense, to all the factors and practices that favor the ultimate attainment or fulfillment of Yoga, and which thereby indirectly lead to ultimate freedom or perfection. Similarly, while the one who has attained the final Asamprajnata Samadhi — union with Reality — is called a yogin, the one who is striving toward perfection in Yoga is also called a yogin.

The philosophy of yoga is one of the six systems of Hindu philosophy. Unlike many other philosophies of the world, it is an entirely practical philosophy. Yoga is an exact science, grounded in certain unchanging Laws of Nature. It is well known to people from every country in the world who take an interest in studying the civilization and culture of the East, and it is held in reverence and respect because it holds within it the key to a world of Peace, Bliss, Mystery, and Wonder. Even the philosophers of the West have found comfort and peace in this Divine Science. Jesus Christ himself was a yogin of the highest order, a true raja-yogin. The founder of yoga philosophy, Patanjali Maharishi, was not only a philosopher and a yogin, but also a physician. It is said that he lived around three hundred years before Jesus Christ.

Yoga is a state of Absolute Peace, in which there is neither imagination nor thought. Yoga is control over the mind and its modifications. Yoga teaches us how to control the modifications of the mind and attain liberation. It teaches us how to transform our unregenerate nature and attain a state of Divinity. It is the complete suppression of the mind's tendency to transform itself into objects, thoughts, and so on. Yoga destroys all pain, misery, and anguish. It gives you freedom from the cycle of birth and death, together with the miseries that accompany it, such as disease and old age, and it bestows upon you all the Divine Powers, along with final liberation through supra-intuitive knowledge.

Peace of mind is Yoga. Skill in action is Yoga. Everything that allows one to attain the best and the highest in life is also Yoga. Yoga is therefore all-encompassing and universal in its application, leading to the all-round development of body, mind, and soul.

Yoga is, above all, a way of life, not something detached from life. Yoga is not a renunciation of action, but effective action carried out in the right spirit. Yoga is not an escape from home and human existence, but a process of shaping one's attitude toward home and society with a new understanding. Yoga is not a turning away from life; it is life's spiritualization.

Yoga is universal

Yoga is for everyone. Yoga is universal. It is not a matter of sectarianism. It is a path to God, not a denomination.

The practice of yoga does not oppose any religion or any sacred church. It is purely spiritual and universal. It contradicts no one's sincere faith.

Yoga is not a religion, but a help in practicing the fundamental spiritual truths common to all religions. Yoga can be practiced by a Christian, a Buddhist, a Parsi, a Muslim, a Sufi, or an atheist.

Being a yogin means abiding constantly in God and living at peace with others. Yoga is union with God. Yoga is union with everything. God dwells in everything.

THIS IS NOT YOGA:

A man has himself buried in a chest underground. He does this by sealing his nostrils by means of Khechari Mudra. This is, without doubt, a difficult Kriya. He attains Jada Samadhi. This is a state resembling deep sleep. The Samskaras and Vasanas (subtle desires) are not extinguished by this Samadhi. He does not return with supra-intuitive knowledge. This cannot give Mukti or Liberation. It is merely a kind of feat. It is not a sign of spirituality. People use this Kriya to gain money, fame, and recognition. When they come out of the chest, they hold out their hand for money. They arrange the transaction before they even go into the chest.

Bind a man's hands and feet with an iron chain and lock him in a room. Before you even close the door, he will be standing in front of you. Enter the room. He will be there again. Without doubt, this is very, very astonishing. It is a mere trick. It is a kind of Jaalam (illusion). Some people are able to sit on a board studded with sharp nails and chew snakes like chocolates. If a long needle is pushed through their arm, no blood flows. Some are able to draw water from a stone. A yogic charlatan can do all of this by means of some trick or Jaalam (illusion). But this has nothing whatsoever to do with real yoga.

Society will recognize someone as a yogin or guru only when they display certain Siddhis. This is a serious mistake. People must not be excessively naive. They can easily be deceived by these yogic charlatans. They must make use of their capacity for discrimination and reasoning. They must study the guru's methods, habits, nature, conduct, Vritti, Swabhava, previous experience, and so on, and examine their knowledge of the scriptures, before arriving at any final conclusions.

The benefits of yoga practice:

Life today is full of stress and tension, of strain and nervous irritability, of passion and haste. If a person puts into practice even a few basic principles of yoga, they will be far better equipped to cope with their complex existence.

Yoga brings perfection, peace, and lasting happiness. By practicing yoga, you can attain peace of mind at any moment. You can enjoy restful sleep. You can increase your energy, vigor, vitality, and longevity, and enjoy good health. You can perform efficient work in a short time. You can succeed in every area of life. Yoga will fill you with new strength, confidence, and self-reliance. Body and mind will be entirely at your command.

Yoga allows you to control your emotions. It increases your capacity for concentration at work. The discipline of yoga brings balance and calm, and wonderfully rebuilds one's life. Yoga deepens a person's understanding and allows them to know God and their relationship with Him.

Yoga leads from ignorance to wisdom, from weakness to strength, from disharmony to harmony, from hatred to love, from craving to fullness, from limitation to infinity, from diversity to unity, and from imperfection to perfection. Yoga gives hope to the sad and the forsaken, strength to the weak, health to the sick, and wisdom to the ignorant.

Through the discipline of yoga, mind, body, and the organ of speech work together in harmony. For the practitioner of yoga, a new outlook, new health, new awareness, and a new philosophy break through and radically transform their life.

The lust for power, material greed, sensual excitement, egoism, a passion for wealth, and base desires have drawn people away from true spiritual life toward a materialistic one. They can recover their lost divine glory if they practice, with full seriousness, the principles of yoga. Yoga transforms one's animal nature into a divine nature, and raises a person to the summit of divine glory and splendor.

Piyush Mittal

Nirmala Institute of Yoga and Ayurveda