The Relationship Between Yoga And Spirituality
Yoga has become a popular practice worldwide. It is considered to be some mystical, Divine Indian concept that gives instant peace or promotes ultimate physical fitness. People also believe that Yoga is about the union of the body, mind, and Soul. Yoga is so popular that it has spread its influence globally. There are many Yoga journals, Yoga institutes and several million people around the world practice Yoga on a regular basis. The numbers continue to grow! Yoga, today, is primarily taught as a set of body postures or Asanas. Some people also include breathing exercises referred to as Pranayama. But this is not true Yoga. All this may be good for our overall well-being but true Yoga is something completely different. So, while people enjoy a good workout of the body and mind through what they call Yoga, they have not discovered the Divine Truth about Yoga.
Yoga, in reality, has very little to do with physical and breathing exercises. In fact, Yoga is actually a spiritual practice. It is all about transcending the body and mind. Yoga is the way to connect with the Divine. It is the way to attain the ultimate purpose of life — to realize we are the Divine Soul, to attain Enlightenment, Moksha, Liberation, God-realization and be united with God.
If we look at the word Yoga, it comes from the word Yuj, which means to be in Union with the Divine. Therefore, Yoga is a state where we are connected with the Divine, we are in Union with the Supreme Immortal Power we call God. A true Yogi, or a true practitioner of Yoga is not one who can stand on one leg in perfect equilibrium and calm, but one who is connected with the Divine, at all times, just like a SIM card is ever-connected to the satellite. To be in Yoga, thus, one needs to disconnect from Bhoga, this worldly and material world we live in, and connect with the Divine.
There are four known states of Yoga: Dhyana Yoga or the Yoga of Meditation, Karma Yoga or the Yoga of Action, Bhakti Yoga or the Yoga of Devotion, Gyana Yoga or the Yoga of Education. Besides these four states of Yoga, I discovered the 5th State of Yoga - Prema Yoga, the Yoga of Divine Love. When we love the Beloved as the Lord and love one and all as a manifestation of God, it is Prema Yoga. It is imperative that a Yogi moves from one state of Yoga to another, in a cyclic manner. We can begin our day with Dhyana Yoga, being in silence, in meditation. Then move on to Karma Yoga, doing actions as an instrument of the Lord, in surrender and acceptance. Then, to Bhakti Yoga. When devotion becomes so passionate that we disconnect from the world and are united with God, then our Bhakti becomes Bhakti Yoga. Gyana Yoga is a very important Yoga. In fact, Gyana Yoga is the spark that creates Yuj or Yoga that unites us with the Divine. A Yogi also follows the spiritual practices of Viveka (discrimination), Vairagya (dispassion and detachment) Shatsampat (discipline of the body, mind and ego) and Mumukshutva (desire for the Divine and Lineration). As we can see, Yoga is much more than Asanas and Pranayama. It is a way of life, it is the way to realize God.
The ultimate purpose of life is Moksha, Liberation from all suffering on earth and the cycle of death and rebirth. Yoga can lead us to that though Yoga is just the beginning. Therefore, we must realize that Yoga is, in fact, a spiritual word and an integral part of spirituality.
