Ask anyone what the goal of yoga is, and very likely someone would say, to stretch and to relax. While those two benefits are definitely available to a practitioner, the original goal of Yoga is lesser known to many who are practising it today.
To begin with, what most yoga studios are teaching now are yoga asana classes, i.e. yoga posture classes. There is a vast and deep yoga knowledge that have been filtered mainly by the West and through the years, the contact with Yoga has been reduced to mainly physical postures and breathing exercises. This change, reduction and adaption of the yoga practice is not unique; as with many systems of philosophy and traditional practice, the practice of Yoga has evolved over the centuries and will continue to evolve with changes in our context and culture.
Nevertheless, it may interest you to know that in the history of yoga, there are two important texts that form the foundation of yoga philosophy and practice: one is Yoga Sutra by Sage Patanjali (500 BC) and the other is Hatha Yoga Pradipika by Yogi Swatmarama (15th century).
While many of the physical yoga practices including asanas and cleansing and breathing exercises we practise now can be found in the Hatha Yoga Pradipika, in Sage Patanjali's Yoga Sutra there is the mention of only one asana - "a posture that is comfortable and allows one to sit at ease in meditation".
It is important to note that although Sage Patanjali is often credited as the author of Yoga Sutras, he was in fact the compiler, not author, of the various practice of yoga during his days by yogis of different lineages. The 'yoga practice' of those days include intense renuniciation and austerity to realize the truth -- the real truth of the Self and the truth of our true nature.
What is stopping us from knowing the real truth and knowing our true nature?
The main obstacle that stops us from knowing our true nature is our attachment and identification with false identities. These false identities form a veil that obstructs and clouds our ability to see what our true nature is. The goal of Yoga is to uncover these veils through a systematic series of practices which includes physical and mental conducts, which ultimately leads one into deep meditation. Eventually this meditation leads you beyond all the levels of your being, and you can come to rest in your true nature.
Sage Patanjali's Yoga Sutras, the first sutra reads:
Sutra 1.1
atha yogānuśāsanam
atha = now
yoga = the absorption in samadhi (deep absorption)
anuśāsanam = instruction, discipline, teaching
"Now, after having done prior preparation through life and other practices, the study and practice of Yoga begins."
It signifies that the teachings of yoga are not simply taught to everyone but only to those who have done prior preparation; those who are ready to go deeper into the practice to attain the goal of self-realization.
The next post, we will uncover Sutra 1.2, what Sage Patanjali says the goal of yoga is.
