The Truth about Yoga

The underlying principle to all of yoga is that with the release of obstructions in the subtle body (energy body), there is greater physical, mental and spiritual well being. Yoga is not about trying to get something that we don't have, rather it is about uncovering and releasing the obstructions that we do have so that the body's innate intelligence can then reorganize itself in an optimal way. Until we begin the practice of yoga, we may not be aware that these obstructions exist because they operate beneath the level of our consciousness. Through the practice of yoga, these long stored energy patterns rise to the surface of our consciousness facilitating the process of letting go. 

A useful analogy is a farmer who has to break a dam in order for the water to flow to his fields. The dam is the obstruction and the water flowing to the fields is the inflow of profound intelligence which like water seeks its own level and will do its own thing. The implication is that there is a certain natural state of being in the system which can arise when everything that's in its way is taken care of.

In the same way the practice of hatha yoga may feel like a lot of exertion at first. However with regular practice and under the tutelage of an experienced yoga teacher, the body's natural intelligence transforms and heals. With sustained practice the body reorganizes itself optimally allowing prana, the universal life energy, to flow freely just like water finding the path of least resistance and nourishing everything along its way. 

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Comment by David Schouela on February 12, 2013 at 10:55am

Hi Shalini, Patanjali refers to asana as sitting meditation. In fact asana comes from the root Sanskrit word "aste" which means "to sit". What we think of as asana in the West (i.e. downward dog, cobra, and bridge pose) did not develop until the advent of tantric yoga in the second millennium CE. Hope that helps.

Comment by Shalini Bahl on February 12, 2013 at 10:44am

Thanks David! I have read Patanjali's Yoga Sutra and really resonated with that and was wondering how Hatha yoga related with that if at all. Thanks for your clarifications :)

Comment by David Schouela on February 11, 2013 at 9:40am

Hatha yoga is often referred in the West as the yoga of physical exercise and movement. Historically the term dates back to the Hatha Yoga Pradipika, a 15th century treatise on yoga credited to the sage Yogi Swatmarama. Raja Yoga also known as royal yoga that dates back to the 1st century sage Patanjali has to do with meditation and contemplative practices to achieve awakening and enlightenment. Karma yoga is the yoga of selfless service, and bhakti yoga is the yoga of devotion. These are just a few of the main ones. 

Comment by Shalini Bahl on February 10, 2013 at 8:55pm

Nice to hear from you David, its been a while :)

I like the explanation of Yoga as removing the obstructions to connect with our innate intelligence as that is what I have been moving towards, being most natural in my responses to what ever surprises show up in life. This requires freeing ourselves even from concepts we learn in mindfulness to be fully what we naturally experience in that moment. And the more in tune we can be with that innate intelligence the better our responses in the world are, I guess.

Do you know the difference between hatha yoga and other forms of yoga