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Yoga is both a philosophy and a science

Facts & Figures > Articles > Yoga is both a philosophy and a science

Yoga is the greatest philosophy of India. It addresses the mysteries of individual life as well as those of the universe. It deals especially with those aspects of life that are beyond the comprehension of the normal human intellect. Its doctrines are based on actual spiritual experience, and as such lend themselves more to intuitive understanding than to intellectual consideration.

The doctrines of Yoga are of a profound nature because they directly address the root problems of human existence. They have stood the test of time for millennia because they have ongoingly proved themselves to be in conformity with the unchanging patterns of mystical experience. These doctrines are not mere dogmas, but are scientific truths, and those who have experimented with them have invariably borne witness to their transformative power.

This means that Yoga is not merely theoretical philosophy, but a practical discipline based on an unfailingly recurrent path of spiritual experiences. It is an ancient yet timeless science of spiritual self-development, based on the laws governing the natural forces and their relation to the supreme essence; a science that is as perfect as it is exact in its methodology and techniques. It is not only lays down philosophical precepts, but also teaches the practical means by which a human being can realize them, and eventually attain liberation.

Basically, Yoga is meant to be quantified through actual practice and not merely theorized. When practiced, it leads an aspirant deep within his or her own being to experience in a gradually unfolding pattern the exact same experiences minutely described by predecessors in texts written thousands of years ago. Thus, Yoga is at once both philosophy and science.