Yoga is here and now. Yoga literally means to “unite” or “to join" one's individual consciousness with Universal Consciousness. The essence of yoga is to awaken from the dream of a separate self, from the dream of duality, and realize the underlying, ever-present, Truth of Oneness. Yoga is not a religion or creed, and thus, is not opposed or contradictory to any one religion. Yoga is not a turning away from life, it is a spiritualization of life, a celebration of life. To be a yogi is to live in full-awareness of the Divine Spirit pervading all of life. It is a celebration of the Divine, knowing that the Divine is non-other than your true Self.

In yoga there is no insistence that someone must follow one path or another. Yoga encourages us to choose the path or paths that our heart most wants us to follow. Relative to the inclinations and aspects of our own unique personality, there are several different paths and styles of yoga to choose from. These paths can be summarized into five different areas, though all are connected at the core. These being, the path of Karma Yoga (the yoga of action and selfless service), Bhakti Yoga (the yoga of love and devotion), Jnana Yoga (the yoga of knowledge and wisdom), Hatha Yoga (“forceful yoga”), and Raja Yoga (the Royal yoga), an integration of the 4 other paths mentioned. The path of Hatha Yoga, as we know it today, is a later development, which is based primarily on the 3rd and 4th limbs of Raja Yoga. In truth, Hatha Yoga and Raja Yoga are inseparable. Hatha Yoga (posture and breathwork / energywork) naturally leads into Raja Yoga (meditation / mind-control) as one's practice becomes more subtle and refined.

Hatha Yoga is a child of Tantra. Tantric philosophy arises from the experiential viewpoint that all things in the universe, including the physical body, are simply different aspects of the same Divine energy. Therefore, within this philosophy we begin to truely see that all is good, and all is God. With this experience, we begin to engage with life in a more flexible and gracious way, and respect and care for all things with a greater sensitivity and appreciation for their worth.

Recommended Reading:
- “The Bhagavad Gita,” translated by Eknath Easwaran.
- “Light on Yoga,” by B.K.S. Iyengar.
- “The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali,” traslated by Swami Satchidananda.
- "Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind ," by Shunryu Suzuki.

---> Sanskrit Chants

---> The Eight Limbs of Raja Yoga

"Practice yoga with detachment to the results. Practice with stillness of mind. Practice with your whole being. Let the practice be a direct expression of your true nature, of pure beingness."