Hatha Yoga is great, but…
When “yoga” is mentioned today, almost everyone thinks of people doing postures, In the world of Yoga, this is Hatha Yoga, working with the body to come into the state of Yoga, UNION. This ancient science called “Yoga” brings those practicing it into a conscious awareness, which unites our individualized ego-centered finite sense of self with our eternal Self. We still have our sense of individuality, but there’s no sense of separateness. We are consciously aware of the Absolute throughout all, including ourselves, while having the individuality to be in relationship, to explore, to create, to play and love. This is “Yoga.”
All of us have have experienced this beautiful, timeless state… those times whenever we’ve slipped into “the zone.” Perhaps you’ve found yourself in this beautiful union while absorbed in reading a good book, while out in nature, or while dancing, or performing, or engaged in some sports activity, or focused on solving a “problem,” or meditating, etc. This blissful, delightful state is free of any sense of time. We’re aware of being part of the All. The yoga practices were created to bring us into this state, and eventually have it become our way of being.
My beloved Gurudev, Swami Satchidananda, played a big role in making yoga part of our everyday life. Yoga is now present in books, movies, advertisements, etc., and yoga classes are included at health clubs and gyms, your place of work, adult schools, high schools and universities.
But, again, almost all of this is Hatha Yoga, working through postures to get to this state of Yoga, and many practitioners are not yet aware of what the actual purpose and goal of their yoga practice is. Still, this ancient science effectively moves us toward the “union.”
Swami Satchidananda explained, “Hatha Yoga is Yoga’s calling card to the West.” Hatha Yoga was initially developed to help us make our bodies limber and comfortable, to purify our organs and glands, to bring balance to our emotional state, to give us a much stronger energetic capacity, and to move us into more subtle states of consciousness ~ mostly to prepare us for meditation.
Once we understand what yoga is, and if we embrace the intention of awakening to this state of Union, then our Hatha Yoga will move us there more quickly, and we’ll start to expand our “Yoga” to include things like daily Meditation, repetition of Mantra, reading inspiring texts, gathering with others excited about their spiritual development to discuss, encourage and enjoy their uplifting company, perhaps engage in wonderful worship services and programs, and find ways to be of service to others and our world. All of this is Yoga. In truth, once we let go of the separation and behold the Union, everything becomes part of our yoga ~ all of our emotions, all of our activities, sadness, gladness, compassion, even those times of confusion… everything.
“Serve Love Give Purify Meditate Realize” ~ Master Sivananda