The Purpose Of Yoga

Excerpts from a discourse by Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

- Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

The purpose of yoga is not only to retain a good physical shape but also to experience infinity and timeless expansion. And that starts happening to you with a little practice.

The definition for ‘asana’ is ‘Sthiram sukham asanam’, that which is stable and pleasant. You should feel comfortable when doing yogasanas. Yoga is that which gives you pleasure and comfort.

So, how do get into a posture? ‘Prayatna shaithilya’! Get into a position and let go of the effort, then what happens? Ananta samapathibhyam - infinity abides in you. So, each asana should be done keeping in mind that the goal is not the correctness of the posture but to experience infinity.

What is the definition of comfort? When you don’t feel the body. If you are sitting in some odd position then you feel those parts of the body. Your focus is more on the discomfort. When you do any asana, first you feel discomfort. But, if you take your mind through it, you will find that in just a few minutes, the discomfort has disappeared and you don’t feel the body, only a feeling of lightness. You feel expansion or infinity in the postures. This is the most important thing in yoga asana.

What is the other definition of yoga?

‘Chitta vritti nirodha‘ ‘tada drushta swarupe awasthanam’. From the scenery, you get back to the seer.

Now, I am the scenery and you are the seer. For me, you are the scenery and I am the seer. So, I take my attention from outside to inside. First, from the environment, I bring my attention to the physical body. Then I go one step further because even the body is the scenery and I take my attention to the mind. Now, when I witness the thoughts that are coming in the mind, even thoughts become the scenery and so I go deeper.