Yoga

The ultimate goal of yoga is self-realization. You do not need to go to the mountaintop to find it or pay

a teacher to show you the way. There are currencies that we exchange with one another that are much

more valuable than money: kindness, selflessness, being one part of the greater good. Nor do you

need to look outside yourself. If you have an open mind, a sincere desire to learn and to apply that

knowledge on a daily basis, and the commitment to follow through on what you’ve begun, you can

achieve self-realization.

Self-realization is the knowledge that we sentient beings are interconnected and that what we think,

say, and do affects those around us. Burdened by the pressures and demands that exist outside of

ourselves—of our jobs, bills, desire for status and for material possessions—we forget this. Selfrealization is the ability to achieve freedom from these demands and to know that true happiness

comes from fulfilling our own potential and from lifting up those around us without the thought of selfgain. Dedicating yourself to the regular practice of yoga can help bring you back to this place.

Yoga is, indeed, an excellent form of exercise that carries with it many immediate and long-term

physical benefits from improved flexibility to stronger muscles and bones. However, yoga is not just

about moving through the poses. Mindfulness plays an essential part in any dedicated yoga practice. If

performed properly, yoga quiets the mind of all distracting thoughts from the outside world

(chittavritti, meaning mind chatter), bringing you to a place of peace within. In turn, being mindful of

your thoughts will allow you to be mindful of, and truly connected with, your body, thus completing

the cycle of mental and physical health that will allow you to enjoy all the wonderful things that life

has to offer.

For the past eleven years, I have dedicated my life to yoga, teaching an average of twenty-five classes

seven days a week. I have done this to make a difference in the lives of my students. Now it’s my

pleasure to share this passion and dedication with you.

Most of us know yoga as a set of poses performed in a gym or yoga studio setting. The majority of

yoga styles practiced today were invented in the last quarter of the 20th century and are either a far

cry from yoga’s roots or have no authentic lineage.

If we really want to examine the roots of yoga, we need to go back to the Harrapan culture, datingback 3,500 years, when yoga was a meditative practice. According to some, around 1500 BCE,

Harrapan culture was diminished due to Aryan invasion. Barbarians from Normandy introduced the

caste system and enforced a set of religious rituals that involved blood sacrifice practices. Along

with these religious practices came sacred scriptures called the Vedas, a large body of spiritual texts

originating in India. The word “yoga” was first mentioned in the oldest of the Vedas, Rig Veda. It

referred to the concept of discipline.

Fast forward to 800 BCE. The Upanishads, a collection of texts that contain some of the earliest

concepts of Hinduism, prescribed the method of achieving enlightenment by studying under a teacher

and dedicating one’s life to a yoga practice. The Upanishads outlined two paths to enlightenment:

Karma Yoga (selfless dedication to the service of others) and Jnana Yoga (intense study of spiritual

writings). Around the 3rd century BCE, the Maitrayaniya Upanishad prescribed a six-step process to

enlightenment, which included mastering pranayama (breath control), pratyaharia (sense

withdrawal), dhyana (meditation), dharana (one-pointed concentration), tarka (self-reflection), and

samadhi (absolute absorption) in order to unite the Atman (individual’s spirit) and Brahman

(universal spirit or source of creation).