Approach of Yoga
Yogic philosophy views an individual person as a whole being, which includes the physical, mental, intellectual, emotional, and spiritual natures.
Its view of an individual is much broader than that of any other philosophy, because it sees people both within and without the limits of time and space.
It regards one's entire being and not just one or a few of its aspects.
The final conception is that of a "perfect being" with a body free from disease or decay, and a cosmically vast mind free from all limitations.
In other words, a Divine human.
Therefore, Yoga is a process of growing, unfolding, and becoming conscious as a whole, not a partial being, and in this way, reaching perfection.
Yogic discipline works gradually through its various techniques to unfold and develop all the different levels that comprise a human being: physical, psychological, and spiritual.
The process begins at the gross level of the physical plane, and then proceeds slowly toward the subtler levels, finally culminating in the plane of cosmic consciousness.
Of course, such transformation occurs very slowly, and usually continues for many years before one fully realizes the inner Self.
The achievement of the final stage of perfection, in which an individual Self merges into or becomes one with the Universal Self, is extremely difficult.
It remains beyond the reach of even many advanced Yogis.
This means that very few can reach the final stage of perfection after passing through the various planes below that highest level.
Only a few exceptional Yogis, who have developed unstoppable momentum through efforts continued through many lifetimes, can attain such a level of perfection.
For most ordinary human beings it remains beyond conception, let alone experience.
Thus, the approach of Yoga is to unfold the real nature of the Self by bringing out all that is best from within, and thereby leading a finite human being toward the Infinite.
Yogic discipline enables one to differentiate between one's ego and the true Self by developing proper discrimination and right knowledge.
Such discrimination and knowledge spontaneously dawn within an individual through the practice of Yoga.
They are born of actual spiritual experience, which deepens at each succeeding stage of practice.
The knowledge acquired by reading books or hearing discourses is merely dry understanding.
It is devoid of experience, and is quite likely to be incorrect.
Moreover, such acquired knowledge depends upon one's memory and is often forgotten or distorted with the passage of time, and is certainly lost after death.
Contrary to this, real knowledge born of Yogic experience is always true, and being transcendental, beyond the scope of intellect and memory, it can never be forgotten.
Even the catastrophe of death cannot destroy it.
Once it dawns upon a soul, it becomes eternally enjoined with that soul, even in subsequent rebirths.
The principal factor of Yogic practice is the total utilization of all of one's inner resources.
As such, Yogic discipline is an inward journey not depending on any type of outer aid.
Its external techniques, only so-called, are concerned fully with the body and partly with the mind: its internal techniques are concerned partly with the mind and fully with the soul.
These external and internal techniques together constitute the scientific system of Yoga; which is designed to bring about a complete and harmonious development of the threefold aspects of a human being: body, mind, and soul.
Thus, Yoga does not recognize body, mind, and soul as separate components, but treats all levels of a human being as parts of a whole.
It approaches each unrealized area of human nature and expands human consciousness beyond the ordinary level of existence.
It makes one fully aware and inwardly conscious of one's "whole being" through experiences on the spiritual or causal plane.
Yoga, therefore, should not be misunderstood as being only a physical discipline, or a mental discipline, or even a purely spiritual discipline.
It is a unified system of all three.
Beginning with physical purification at the gross level, an aspirant of Yoga progresses toward the subtler phases of mental and spiritual development.
Because of its unified approach, Yoga is frequently referred to in the ancient texts as a process by which the gross body and subtle elements of the mind are purified and elevated to a level of complete integration with the inner Self.
Its view of an individual is much broader than that of any other philosophy, because it sees people both within and without the limits of time and space.
It regards one's entire being and not just one or a few of its aspects.
The final conception is that of a "perfect being" with a body free from disease or decay, and a cosmically vast mind free from all limitations.
In other words, a Divine human.
Therefore, Yoga is a process of growing, unfolding, and becoming conscious as a whole, not a partial being, and in this way, reaching perfection.
Yogic discipline works gradually through its various techniques to unfold and develop all the different levels that comprise a human being: physical, psychological, and spiritual.
The process begins at the gross level of the physical plane, and then proceeds slowly toward the subtler levels, finally culminating in the plane of cosmic consciousness.
Of course, such transformation occurs very slowly, and usually continues for many years before one fully realizes the inner Self.
The achievement of the final stage of perfection, in which an individual Self merges into or becomes one with the Universal Self, is extremely difficult.
It remains beyond the reach of even many advanced Yogis.
This means that very few can reach the final stage of perfection after passing through the various planes below that highest level.
Only a few exceptional Yogis, who have developed unstoppable momentum through efforts continued through many lifetimes, can attain such a level of perfection.
For most ordinary human beings it remains beyond conception, let alone experience.
Thus, the approach of Yoga is to unfold the real nature of the Self by bringing out all that is best from within, and thereby leading a finite human being toward the Infinite.
Yogic discipline enables one to differentiate between one's ego and the true Self by developing proper discrimination and right knowledge.
Such discrimination and knowledge spontaneously dawn within an individual through the practice of Yoga.
They are born of actual spiritual experience, which deepens at each succeeding stage of practice.
The knowledge acquired by reading books or hearing discourses is merely dry understanding.
It is devoid of experience, and is quite likely to be incorrect.
Moreover, such acquired knowledge depends upon one's memory and is often forgotten or distorted with the passage of time, and is certainly lost after death.
Contrary to this, real knowledge born of Yogic experience is always true, and being transcendental, beyond the scope of intellect and memory, it can never be forgotten.
Even the catastrophe of death cannot destroy it.
Once it dawns upon a soul, it becomes eternally enjoined with that soul, even in subsequent rebirths.
The principal factor of Yogic practice is the total utilization of all of one's inner resources.
As such, Yogic discipline is an inward journey not depending on any type of outer aid.
Its external techniques, only so-called, are concerned fully with the body and partly with the mind: its internal techniques are concerned partly with the mind and fully with the soul.
These external and internal techniques together constitute the scientific system of Yoga; which is designed to bring about a complete and harmonious development of the threefold aspects of a human being: body, mind, and soul.
Thus, Yoga does not recognize body, mind, and soul as separate components, but treats all levels of a human being as parts of a whole.
It approaches each unrealized area of human nature and expands human consciousness beyond the ordinary level of existence.
It makes one fully aware and inwardly conscious of one's "whole being" through experiences on the spiritual or causal plane.
Yoga, therefore, should not be misunderstood as being only a physical discipline, or a mental discipline, or even a purely spiritual discipline.
It is a unified system of all three.
Beginning with physical purification at the gross level, an aspirant of Yoga progresses toward the subtler phases of mental and spiritual development.
Because of its unified approach, Yoga is frequently referred to in the ancient texts as a process by which the gross body and subtle elements of the mind are purified and elevated to a level of complete integration with the inner Self.
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