What is Yoga ? (explained by my own words, not to sound bookish)

Yoga is a experiential science of the body, mind & spirit

Yoga comes from the root sound yuj which in turn means to join ultimately meaning union of the body & mind and in more spiritual terms union of the soul with god.

When I mention god, I don't think of a big blue man or woman (although sometimes my imagination wanders in that way) ..
God can be the aliens (lol), the elementals (Fairies), a dog, birds (angels), the trees (nature) & ultimately space, the cosmos.

God is all around us & within us.
In essence, it is the union of the microcosm with the macrocosm.
WE ARE 1. There is no separation. Separation is an illusion. The famous tactic of the powerful dark magicians " Divide & conquer".

Yoga holds its origin pre vedas though we can't prove this but I am not going to recall the history, this is for another article.
The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali were popularised in the west in the 20th century with a number of various gurus who travelled to America spreading the bliss of Yoga. This text which is composed of 196 sutras (threads) is dated back from the 1st century before christ. Nowadays, we have access to many commentaries of the Yoga sutras from countless yoga schools & gurus.
Everyone had there own interpretation so therefore subjective to the matter.
Most of us can just find out for ourselves without having to impose any ideas of Yoga on others.

Yoga is and we are !

In my intuition, the Yoga Sutras are the keys to self mastery & therefore unplugging from the matrix while remaining in a physical body. I do think that the directors/ writers of the movie Matrix where truly inspired by these threads of Yoga.

The Ashtanga (8 limbs of Yoga) is the most important part of the sutras :

1. Yamas (external codes of conduct)
2. Niyamas (internal codes of conduct)
3. Asanas (posture)
4. Pranayama (breath control)
5. Pratyahara (withdrawal from the senses)
6. Dharana (focus & concentration)
7. Dhyana (meditation)
8. Samadhi (the eternal, the absolute, the void, the nothingness, the bliss)

Applied focus of the 8 limbs will give access to deep Samadhi & therefore the emptying of the mind so we can be fully aware in the present moment

AUM NAMO NARAYAN
(I bow to the divine in you)

****My next article will be on the different types of yoga****