Yoga Is Union

There are different definitions of the word yoga, including to yoke or bind. Here, I'd like to give you another definition which is union. Both union within (body, mind, spirit), and union with all other living beings. Yoga allows you to see the interconnectedness of all things, that you are part of a much larger whole.

For example, you may see a beautiful tree and reflect on how it gives you oxygen to survive. You in turn, give it carbon dioxide. It's a simbiotic relationship. Or, you may go to the grocery store and recognize the people who work there are not just "other people", but that they are the reason you have the food you eat and the supplies you need. You may also think of those who work on farms picking the fruits and vegetables. You literally eat and live because of other's hard work.

When you experience this kind of interconnectedness, you realize how important it is to treat others with compassion.

You might also reflect on your place in the world or universe, on the fact that every atom in your body right now was created by stars long ago and far away. These things can invoke a deep sense of gratitude and awe for the fact that we are alive right now, that life is even possible.

The Experience of Awe

In fact, the sense of awe can be likened to the state of yoga. You've probably had times in your life when you felt a deep sense of peace and connection, where time seems to stop, perhaps you felt a sense of Awe. This is in many ways, similar to the state of Yoga. Perhaps you experienced this when you held your child for the first time or felt a deep connection with someone you love. The love itself is so great that it can even feel overwhelming.

We can also experience the state of Awe when we see an amazing piece of art or hear a beautiful piece of music. Or, when we bare witness to the story of an inspirational, perhaps historcal figure, someone who embodied what it meant to perservere against all odds. Someone who inspires within us a tremendous sense of hope and love for our fellow humans. Or, by observing the amazing world around us, anyone who studies the universe is in awe of it.

Awe, I believe, is when we get a glimpse of this interconnectedness. Something deep inside us yearns for it, craves it. Our consiousness expands and we see things from a much larger perspective.

Maya

(the illusion of seperatness)

If this feeling of being connected is so wonderful, why do we so often feel alone and separate? In yoga philosophy, suffering (dukha) is caused by Maya (illusion). This illusion causes you to confuse your true self (soul or Parusha), which is eternal, with the transient natural world around you, called prakriti. For example, you may believe you are your thoughts and emotions, instead of an eternal conscious that is observing these thoughts and emotions. The thoughts and emotions emotions are transient, impermanent, they belong to nature (prakriti). The consiousness or Parusha however, is eternal and is simply observing prakriti.

I know...that might be confusing, bear with me here. For example, you might feel sad, but instead of recognizing that you are actually something beautiful, eternal and divine witnessing the sadness, you believe "you are sad". The sadness can feel all consuming, like that's all there is. But in truth, the emotion of sadness is transient, it belongs to the impermanent nature of prakriti. Having this understanding can allow you to witness the thoughts, ideas and emotions that come and go without becoming consumed by them. They are not you.

In essence, yoga is about recognizing the interconnected nature of all things and that your thoughts, speech and actions have an effect on others, as theirs have an effect on you. Nobody is an island unto themselves. If you are feeling alone or separate, that is an illusion, that is maya. Think of yourself as a drop of water, believing yourself to be separate from the ocean around you. You are not alone, you couldn't be if you tried.

Yoga is Union.