The Purpose of Yoga

Sadhguru: “Understanding the mechanics of how this life functions and what we can do with it. This mechanics, this technology, this science, we are referring to as yoga”.

When we usually think about Yoga, we might think of bending our body or sitting quietly with our eyes closed. We might even relate it to being a type of exercise. But is that really all there is to it? Is the purpose of Yoga to make our body more flexible or to allow us to sit for hours with our eyes closed? What if there is more than meets the eye?

First we must understand what is being referred to as a science and a technology. A science is, in simple terms, a systematic study of the structure and behavior of the physical and natural world. A technology, as defined by Oxford Languages, is the application of scientific knowledge for practical purposes. And now Yoga…

Yoga, or the Yogic system, is an ancient science for self-transformation. It is an amalgamation of methods through which we, as human beings, can experience that which is beyond our senses.

The word “Yoga” literally means “union”. You see, for us to be able to breathe, trees are necessary. For the Earth to exist as it is, the sun and the moon are essential. Without the solar system the sun would be just a star but without the galaxy it wouldn’t exist. We might be born as an individual but, without our mother and father we wouldn’t have come into existence. As we grow we need to eat food that comes from the Earth, and when we die we will become one with the Earth. Even looking at life from a logical perspective, we can see that we are unequivocally connected with everything around us.

Yoga is not a practice that only allows us to make our body more flexible nor a tool that just allows us to sit for prolonged hours with our eyes closed. Yoga is a technology that enables us to experience how we are connected to everything. To experience life as life, not as it should be, but as life is.