In terms of yoga there are several facets. The science of yoga, and it is a science. There is also the philosophy of yoga, and there is the practical process of following the yogic path.

In truth every one is a yogi, everyone is spiritual, every one is religious. All paths use similar techniques. My understanding is that yoga as the full set of tools which other non yogic traditions/religions make use of. Of course yoga doesn’t own all these tools, just that yoga seems to have the knowledge about all these tools. Importantly different yogic traditions might not know of all the tools and may co-operate with other yogic traditions.

Anyway, back on track, the philosophy of yoga helps one understand the science and the practical process of walking the yogic path.

So what is the yogic path? it is simply the art of transforming oneself to a point where the need for a physical body to evolve is no longer needed. It is transcendence, on the way it is transcending limited beliefs and understandings leading ultimately to the final transcendence of the body/maya(illusion) which is overcoming the ignorance of our true nature – we are spiritual beings incarnate in human form.

A famous phrase in yoga is “start where you are” and “honor your body” (said in physical posture – asana – classes) in fact it really means honor every facet of your being, which leads as I have found to naturally being able to have this attitude to everyone.

The main premise in yoga is that we are ignorant of our true nature, and that this ignorance is one of five forms of suffering. The difference being that ignorance is the cause of the other four – this I will cover in another article.

So if we start where we are, and honor every facet of our being, we will be kind, gentle, understanding and accepting of ourselves. Or at least we will cultivate this as we progress and dispel aspects of ignorance on our journey.

The first step is to become aware of ourselves and then to cultivate and refine this awareness. The science and the philosophy are tools in helping to bring awareness of our situation to our consciousness. And this, helps us heal and evolve.

That is the essence and the starting point for yoga as I understand it.

Copyright © 2009 Russell Smithers

Trying to understand the true nature of reality – that which is beyond the immediately obvious – is like trying to understand nature (planets, sun, stars, people, hills, animals, rivers) when you have only ever existed inside a box, having never seen the outside world.

Until you break free of the box and see the vast outside world, you can never hope to realise the vastness due to your ignorance. You are limited by your senses, but once you have broken out of the box and witnessed nature for yourself you no longer need to believe, for you know it to be true.

It is in the same way as someone born in a box becomes free of it by breaking through to the outside world, that we, like a box within a box, are born from one box (our mothers womb) in another box (the world), and yet we take this box (the outer world) to be all there is. Where did the consciousness come from that animates the baby, is the world not a box to be broken free from?

Copyright © 2008 Russell Smithers