What exactly is Yoga? To some, it is the performance of exercises called asanas, to improve body flexibility and strengthen muscles. Others see it as a way of relieving mental stress through specific body postures. Yes, yoga asanas certainly make spine supple and tone up muscles. And it can bring relief to many body ailments and relax the mind. But yoga is all these and much more.

The classical yoga as a science and philosophy has been influencing the physical, mental and spiritual life and health of human beings in this subcontinent for thousands of years. The concept of yoga and its definition in the teachings and ideas of many great thinkers of India like Sri Aurobindo (1872 - 1950) and Acharya Vinoba Bhave (1895 - 1982) has influenced even the western minds in the recent decades. Consequently yoga, the ancient Indian wisdom has enthusiasts from all over the world.

Yoga is neither a set of difficult physical postures nor certain principles on renunciation of worldly life. To understand it we must go deeper.

Yoga – Union with the Supreme Being
The word yoga is derived from the Sanskrit root yuj meaning ‘to unite’.  Here the union referred to is that of man with God. In other words, the union of the individual self with the all pervading spirit.