The basic idea of yoga is to unite the atman or individual soul with the paramatma or the Universal Soul. According to Yoga philosophy, by cleansing one’s mind and controlling one’s thought processes one can return to that primeval state, when the individual self was nothing but a part of the Divine Self. This is the sense encapsulated in the term samadhi. The aim of the yogi is to be able to perceive the world in its true light and to accept that truth in its entirety.

In Sanskrit, the term ‘yoga’ stands for ‘union’. A yogi’s ultimate aim is to be able to attain this `union’ with the Eternal Self with the help of certain mental and physical exercises. It is often said that Hiranyagarbha (The Cosmic Womb) Himself had originally advocated the traditional system of yoga, from which all other yoga schools have evolved. But for all extant knowledge of yoga and its practices, such as yogasanas and pranayama, the entire credit goes to Maharishi Patanjali. Patanjali systematized the various yogic practices and traditions of his times by encapsulating them in the form of aphorisms in his Yoga Sutra. In this momentous work, he describes the aim of yoga as knowledge of the self and outlines the eight steps or methods of achieving it. These are:

• Yama or eternal vows,
• Niyama or observances,
• Asana or yoga postures,
• Pranayama or breath control exercises,
• Pratyahara or withdrawal of the senses from distractions of the outside world,
• Dharana or concentration on an object, place or subject.
• Dhyana or the continuance of this concentration-meditation and
• Samadhi or the ultimate stage of yoga meditation.

Yoga is a science of right living and it works wonders when integrated into our daily life. It works on all aspects of the person – the physical, emotional, intellectual and spiritual. The different branches of Yoga prescribe different approaches and techniques, but ultimately lead to the same goal.

The essence of Yoga is practical and scientific as it lays emphasis on direct experience and tangible results. It is not a religion, but a practice of self-inquiry and inner exploration. As a cultural and religious diversity of practitioners’ attest, yogic philosophy speaks of universal truths that can be incorporated into any belief system. All Yoga practices have the same goal or destination – the discovery and fulfilment of the human potential.