The Yogic Journey

“Most of those who begin to practice yogasana, the poses of yoga, do so for the practical and often physical reasons. Perhaps it is for some medical problem such as a bad back, a sport injury, high blood pressure, or arthritis. Or perhaps it is as a result of a broader concern to do with achieving a better lifestyle or coping with stress, weight problems, or addiction. Very few people begin yoga because they believe it will be a way to achieve spiritual enlightenment, and indeed a good number may be quite skeptical about the whole idea of spiritual self-realisation. Actually, this is not a bad thing because it means most of the people who come to yoga are practical people who have practical problems and aims - People who are grounded in the ways and means of life, people who are sensible.

When I set off in yoga, I also had no understanding of the greater glory of yoga. I too was seeking its physical benefits, and it was these that truly saved my life. When I say that yoga saved my life, I am not exaggerating. It was yoga that gave me a new birth with health from illness and firmness from infirmity.

…Yoga releases the creative potential of life. It does this by establishing a structure for self-realisation, by showing how we can progress along the journey…The light that yoga sheds on life is something special. It is transformative. It does not just change the way we see things; it transforms the person who sees.

You do not need to seek freedom in some distant land, for it exists within your own body, heart, mind and soul. Illuminated emancipation, freedom, unalloyed and untainted bliss awaits you, but you must choose to embark on the Inward Journey to discover it.”

Light on Life by B.K.S Iyengar