Yoga

The word yoga is derived from the Sanskrit root word “yug” which literally means yoke or union.

This connection does not involve touching your toes or bringing your nose to your knees. It also does not involve the union of mind and body, although this is commonly done in the yogic community.

The connection that the word yoga implies is the union of individual consciousness with divine consciousness (the essence of truth as perceived when we quiet the five senses and connect with the Supreme Self).

Yogic philosophy is one of the six branches of the Vedas, which are considered one of the world’s oldest scriptures.

The first branch, called Vedanta, explains that all knowledge and experience come from one basic consciousness, or reality.

The second branch is Sankhya, describing how one consciousness has differentiated and manifested many things.

The third part, which is the philosophy of yoga, describes the processes required to realize our oneness with the One Consciousness in order to be freed from our stress.

All yogic practices serve to develop the infinite potential of both the human mind and the eternal Self.

Through ultimate union with God Himself, we experience lasting bliss, or Bhoga, and liberation from suffering.