The word Yoga is derived from the Sanskrit expression yuj, which means “to join” or “to unite”. Therefore, Yoga means “union” or “oneness”, which refers to a union between the individual consciousness with the cosmic consciousness. In other words, a union between us and the divine.
The art of Yoga can be described as a group of physical, mental, and spiritual practices aimed to purify and transform the mind, invoking a shift in our consciousness to higher levels of perception.
The practice is meant to awaken our inner spiritual consciousness and unlock the divine potential within, a source of bliss, inspiration, and creativity. It means that Yoga will help you awake to a more blissful and joyful life:
The question is: how Yoga can lead us to discover our inner power?
Hindu philosophy sees a human being as a microcosm. It means that each of us is a small world and our structure corresponds to the macrocosm, that is, the Universe. In other words, we are a microcosmic copy of the Universe, and the energies found in the cosmos also exists inside us.
Each one of us has a divine essence called Atman. Yoga helps us to quiet our conflicting impulses and turbulence of thoughts to connect to our divine essence, the higher Self or divine Self.
The sage Patañjali, who codified the “Yoga Sutras”, describes in this classic book the eight limbs of Yoga, which are guidelines of practices that one must go through before achieving the goal of Yoga: union with the Divine. Along the way, the practices of self-discipline and meditation help us to purify the body and mind to develop virtuous habits, radiant health, increased mental strength and a profound sense of peace, joy, and fulfillment.
There are six different paths of Yoga that lead to this goal:
- Karma yoga (path of activity)
- Bhakti yoga (path of devotion)
- Jnana yoga (path of wisdom)
- Raja yoga (path of introspection)
- Hatha yoga (path of inner power and self-transformation)
- Mantra Yoga (path of sacred sound)
Like the branches of a tree, which are attached to a single trunk, the Yoga paths are all connected to the same purpose, which is to guide us to the longest journey of our lives: the journey inwards to discover our true divine nature.
