Approach of Yoga

Yogic philosophy views an individual person as a whole being, which includes the mental, physical, intellectual, emotional, and spiritual natures. Its view of an individual is much broader than any of other philosophy, because it sees people both within and without the limits of time and space. It regards one's entire being and not just one or few of its aspects.

The final conception is that of a 'perfect being' with a body free from disease or decay, and a cosmically vast mind free from all limitations. In other words, a divine human. Therefore, Yoga is a process of growing, unfolding, and becoming conscious as a whole, not a partial being, and in this way reaching perfection.

Thus, the approach of Yoga is to unfold the real nature of the self by bringing out all that is best from within and thereby leading a finite human being toward the infinite. Yogic discipline enables one to differentiate between one's ego and the true self by developing proper discrimination and right knowledge. Such discrimination and knowledge spontaneously dawn within an individual through the practice of Yoga. They are born of actual spiritual experience, which deepens at each succeeding stage of the practice.

The knowledge acquired by reading books or hearing discourses is merely dry understanding. It is devoid of experience, and is quite likely to be incorrect. Moreover, such acquired knowledge depends upon one's memory and is often forgotten or distorted with the passage of time, and is certainly lost after death. Contrary to this, real knowledge borne of Yogic experience is always true, and being transcendental, beyond the scope of intellect and memory, it can never be forgotten.

Thus, Yoga does not recognize body, mind and soul as separate components, but treats all levels of a human being as parts of a whole. It approaches each unrealized idea of human nature and expands human consciousness beyond the ordinary levels of existence. It makes one fully aware and inwardly conscious of one's 'whole being' through experiences on the spiritual and causal plane.

Yoga, therefore, should not be misunderstood as being only physical or mental discipline, or even purely a spiritual discipline. It is a unified system of all three. Beginning with the physical purification at the gross level, an aspirant of Yoga progresses towards the subtler phases of mental and spiritual development. Because of its unified approach, Yoga is frequently referred to in ancient texts as a process by which the gross body and subtle elements of the mind are purified and elevated to a level of complete integration with the inner self.

Approach of Yoga

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