What is Yoga? Yogascittavrittinirodha Yoga - union Citta - mind stuff Vritti - things that roll over Nirodha - stop That is, Yoga is a unitary state of consciousness that arises from stopping the things that roll over in the mind. This is the definition of Yoga in the Yoga Sutras : Yogascittavrittinirodha - Yoga is a unitary state of consciousness that arises from stopping the things that roll over in the mind. The Yoga Sutras are a clear exposition of what Yoga is all about – and obviously, the stretch and bend aspects are not the major feature. Thus the foundation of Classical Yoga is meditation, or stillness of mind. The entire practice of Yoga, including the famous Eight Limbs, and Asana, the physical aspect, is aimed at helping us become free of the compulsions of the mind, free to respond by choice to whatever life brings us, not to be locked into reaction and to be driven along a line of expectation and habit. When Yoga was brought from the India to the West, often this was either misunderstood or else it was thought too difficult to communicate to a society that did not have any history of meditating, or any idea of self beyond egotistic desires. Anyway, the big picture was left out. Or else 'meditation' was given as a little guided relaxation at the end of a Yoga session. This is antithetical to Yoga! You will find that in all our classes, although you may receive a satisfying stretch for your muscles in the physical practice, the deeper possibilities of Yoga are also there for you to explore if you wish.
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