Yoga Wisdom

Yoga is one of the six systems of Indian philosophy. Yoga means union. The word yoga is derived from the root ‘Yuj’ meaning to join, to yoke, to concentrate one’s attention on. Yoga is the union of our self with our ‘true self’, sometimes referred to as Ätman, purusha or god. The root cause of all our sorrows and sufferings lies in our inability to connect with this true self, the supreme spirit pervading the universe. This is a result of our ignorance of the self as the only reality, subjecting us to a world of delusion and desires. This ignorance can be dispelled only by reestablishing contact with our true, inmost self.

As shown in the Yoga Tree above, yoga prescribes many paths to attain self knowledge, depending on a person’s physical and mental dispositions. One can never really be on just one path because we are constantly indulging a little in activities such as devotion, meditation, contemplation and action. However, we might be inclined more towards one path, which is perhaps a manifestation of our karma. The goal of all paths is self liberation, to free ourselves from the bondage of the mind and realize our true identity.

This section has a number of articles on the philosophy of yoga and the practical aspects of embracing a yogic life. The links to the left will take you to articles on different topics, categorized into two broad groups: "Yoga Philosophy" and "Yoga In Action".