Goal Of Yoga

The ultimate goal of Yoga is to gain mastery over the mind. The word Yoga means “Unity” or “Oneness.” It means balancing and harmonizing the body, mind, and emotions. It was always thought that growth does not cease with the maturity of the physical body. Each one of us has unlimited potential for mental and physical growth to influence our personalities.
Asanas are specific body positions, which open the energy channels and psychic centers. They are the tools for higher awareness and provide a stable foundation for our exploration of the body, breath, mind, and beyond. By doing Yogasanas one can gain mastery over one’s own desires and this can lead us to overcome worries, anxiety, and tensions. Yoga starts working from the body level, the mind, or the emotional level to maintain the balance and calmness of the mind.

The purpose of asanas is to gain mastery over the body and physical health.
The goal of Pranayama is to gain mastery over the mind, through our breath and that of Pratyahara is to gain mastery over the mind through our senses. Yoga works on all aspects, the physical, vital, mental, emotional, psychic, and spiritual. Yoga can be taken as a way of life in our culture.
Yogasanas have often been thought of as forms of exercise. They are not exercises but techniques that place the physical body in a position to cultivate awareness, relaxation, concentration, stimulation, and meditation. Therefore, Yoga should be practiced with the mind and the body fully involved, not separately.
All Yogis share a common lineage to Maharishi Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras. The text outlines the basic philosophy and practices of classical Yoga which is separated into eight limbs, each a part of the complete system of mental, physical, and spiritual well-being. While the first four limbs are considered external cleansing practices, dealing with mental and physical exercises, designed to bring the mind and body under control, the next four deal with different stages of meditation. These eight limbs of Yoga are a progressive series of steps that purify the body and mind, ultimately leading the practitioner of Yoga (a yogi) to enlightenment.
The following are the eight limbs of Astānga Yoga.
Yama- Restraining harmful thoughts and impulses.
Niyama- Cultivating good habits.
Asana- Learning postures suitable for prolonged contemplation.
Pranãyãma — Learning the technique of rhythmic breathing.
Pratvãhāra- Withdrawing the senses from their objects of enjoyment.
Dharana- Fixing the mind on the object of contemplation.
Dhyana- Uninterrupted contemplation, also called meditation.
Samãdhi- Total absorption of the mind in the object of contemplation.

Finally, Yoga when practiced sincerely helps us to live a happy, fulfilled life and leads us to experience our True-Self.

Thank you for reading.