In this post, you’re going to learn about yoga and spirituality and how yoga can help you move forward on your spiritual journey.
If you’re interested in:
- Finding an authentic spiritual path
- Growing sustainably on that path and
- Connecting with a global community of people on the path
You’re in the right place.
What is Yoga?
To understand the connection between yoga and spirituality, let’s first understand yoga.
Today, when the word yoga is mentioned, an image of a studio with extremely flexible men and women in specific postures comes to mind.
This is what we understand the entirety of yoga to be.
In actuality, this is only a tiny part of the practice of yoga.
Thousands of years ago, Sage Patanjali compiled the knowledge of yoga into the Patanjali Yoga Sutras. These short, concise sutras, lay out the entire science of yoga. In those sutras, yoga postures as a whole are only touched upon in 2 sutras.
So then what is yoga?
The word yoga comes from the root word yuj in Sanskrit. Yuj means union and this is a union of the body, breath and mind.
When the 3 are in union, you feel peaceful, present and in alignment. Your mind will stop doubting, worrying, planning, reliving past experiences and all the things it does to keep you away from the present moment.
Becoming established in this state, in the present moment, is the spiritual journey and the path to the present moment, is yoga.
The 4 Paths of Yoga
There are 4 paths that you can take to become established in the present moment.
That is, there are 4 categories that all spiritual paths fall under.
Bhakti Yoga
Bhakti yoga is the yoga of devotion; or union through devotion. Here you will find singing, dancing, devotional music, prayer and the like.
Bhakti yoga is based on faith and love for God, the universal consciousness or the higher intelligence.
Karma Yoga
Karma is action and karma yoga is union through selfless service. Here you will find charity and volunteer work.
The key to karma yoga is not being attached to the fruits of your actions. Doing charity work for the sole purpose of having your name etched on a plaque loses its merit. It is no longer charity work, it is just stroking your ego.
Gyana Yoga
Gyana yoga is union through knowledge of the Self. This comes through studying scriptures and studying your own Self.
The Self has many names; God, the universal consciousness, the higher intelligence, Brahman, Shiva, Shankara, Allah and many more.
Raja Yoga
Raja yoga is the royal path, it is a very scientific path and works regardless of if you believe in it or not. Here you will find yoga posture practice and the other 7 limbs of yoga.
Raja yoga approaches the journey from many different prongs and gradually takes you deeper and deeper into the present moment and further and further on the spiritual path.
The 8 Limbs of Yoga
The 8 limbs of yoga address every aspect of the journey and of your being.
How can you understand the journey to establish yourself in the present moment?
This can be done by looking at everything that keeps you from the present moment.
And what is it that keeps you from the present moment?
Most of the common answers I get here are: too many thoughts, stress, work, home-life, kids, responsibilities, and so on and so forth.
The truth is that there is one thing that underlies all of these and makes them seem stressful. That is your mind. Your mind is the root of all obstacles in your life.
If you’re able to properly care for your mind and your consciousness, you’ll be able to overcome the mundane aspects of life and establish yourself in the present moment.
Becoming established here is what is known as enlightenment, moksha or liberation. People who are established here are in a constant state of samadhi which is the 8th limb of yoga.
The 8 limbs are:
yama niyama–asana pranayama pratyahara dharana dhyana samadhayo-‘stavangani
|2.29| Patanjali Yoga Sutras
Restraint, observance, postures, regulation of breath, substitute food for the mind, ability of the mind to focus, meditation and higher states of consciousness are eight limbs of yoga.
The beautiful part about the 8 limbs of yoga is that they develop together. Similar to how pulling one leg of a chair results in the entire chair coming toward you, when you practice one limb of yoga, the other limbs begin to develop as well.
The table below translates and defines specific aspects of your life that each limb of yoga (when followed and practiced) purifies.
| Sanskrit | English | Aspect of Life |
| Yama | Restraint | Outer world, how you interact with the world |
| Niyama | Observance | Outer world, how you take care of and keep yourself, your personal discipline |
| Asana | Postures | Your physical body |
| Pranayama | Regulation of breath | Your energetic body |
| Pratyahara | Substitute food for the mind | Your mind |
| Dharana | Ability of the mind to focus | Your mind and intellect |
| Dhyana | Meditation | All aspects of your being |
| Samadhi | Higher states of consciousness | All aspects of your being, reaching this state brings about deep healing |
What is the Purpose of Yoga?
Following any one of the 4 paths of yoga will lead you to moksha.
Many believe that moksha is freedom from this life, in fact it’s freedom from the very source of misery: your own mind.
“Nothing in the world can bother you as much as your own mind, I tell you. In fact, others seem to be bothering you, but it is not others; it is your own mind.”
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
When you’re joyful, happy and peaceful, you are free from misery. In this state, you are resting in your true nature and that itself is freedom.
That is the freedom that yoga brings you and that is the purpose of yoga.
What is Spirituality?
Spirituality is not well defined.
When you think about spirituality, many, many different things come to mind.
And it’s because of this that the general public dismisses spirituality as something woo-woo, not grounded and not practical or necessary for daily life.
Instead, I’d like you to think about spirituality as being in alignment with yourself.
As I mentioned earlier, spirituality is the journey to reconnect with the present moment.
You do this by reconnecting with your Self. This journey becomes real when you realize that it’s your own thought patterns, stresses and traumas that keep you away from your Self.
Working through these things is part of the spiritual path.
When I try to define spirituality, the first word that comes to mind is healing.
The only way to get back to the present moment is to sit with everything that keeps you away from it and work through it.
Let’s take the example of being triggered over and over by a person, situation or event.
- Why does that person, event or topic trigger you so much?
- What is behind the anger?
- Where are those underlying feelings coming from?
- What emotions and bodily sensations are you ignoring?
When you sit with these questions, get to the root of them and release the underlying stresses and traumas, the person or topic in your external world will no longer bother you.
This is true healing and this process is what will allow you to establish yourself in the present moment.
The journey of turning inwards, facing your inner demons and overcoming them is spirituality.
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Are Religion and Spirituality the same?
To be able to accurately answer this question, it’s important to accurately define both terms.
If we take spirituality to mean what I’ve laid out above and religion to mean the institution of religion as it is today, the answer is no.
The longer, more accurate answer is that religion and spirituality are two sides of the same coin.
Religion comes from spirituality and it’s the process of time that has eroded away the core of some religions.
If you sit and study scriptures as they were originally given, you will find the essence of spirituality. However, this essence is not always reflected in religious institutes and no one is to blame.
Over time, people have lost sight of the science and reasoning behind the traditions given by religion and the traditions become mechanical; they lose their juice.
It’s only through sincere seeking that you would be able to reconnect with the authenticity of any religion.
Diving into any religion, you will find spirituality, your Self and the magic of the present moment.
What is Consciousness?
To truly understand spirituality, your Self and why the present moment is given so much importance, you need to understand consciousness.
Consciousness is your very existence.
It is the core of who you are.
It is the source of your ego, memory, intellect, mind, breath and body. These 7 layers (including the Self), make up the panchakosha or the 5 levels of your existence.
Getting back to the present moment means to be in yoga or be in union. And if you recall, that union is a union of the body, the breath and the mind.
To establish yourself in yoga or in this alignment, all the things being stored in the consciousness (i.e. traumas, self-limiting beliefs, false notions, ideas) need to be removed.
This is healing and this is the spiritual path.
Getting in touch with your consciousness is spirituality.
What are Higher Levels of Consciousness?
Reaching higher levels of consciousness means that you are doing the work to remove what no longer serves you from your consciousness.
When you’ve healed the stresses and traumas that keep you away from your Self and the present moment, you are closer to your nature and at a higher level of consciousness than you were before the healing.
So, you can understand a person who is at a higher level of consciousness as someone who has done the work to heal their mind and their inner world. This person is closer to their true nature and more easily reflects the light of the Self.
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What does it mean to Raise your Consciousness?
Raising your consciousness means to uplift your energy.
When you’re bogged down by the stresses of daily life and the aftereffects of childhood traumas, it’s hard to remain in a peaceful, content, positive state.
Raising your consciousness means to go in and do the inner work to heal your mind, body and soul.
Here, you’re letting go of conditioning, breaking the mould of the ego and allowing the light inside you to shine through.
How are Yoga and Spirituality related?
Now that you have a foundational understanding of what yoga and spirituality are, let’s take a look at how the two relate.
If spirituality is the road of self-healing, yoga is the vehicle.
A regular asana practice (yoga posture practice) with an experienced teacher established in the practice and the space of the Self will accelerate your healing journey.
By attending regular yoga classes, you will find that your body heals, your breathing becomes deeper and your mind becomes more and more settled. By the end of each class, you will rest peacefully in the Self.
As I mentioned earlier, when you practice one limb of yoga, the others follow.
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The practice of yoga will safely and gradually take you inwards toward your Self through the maze of the mind.
Is Yoga a Religion?
No.
Yoga is the science of consciousness.
It can be practiced by people of all faiths. Though it is deeply entwined in the Hindu scriptures, it is not restricted to Hindus. In fact, yoga comes from the Vedas which predate Hinduism.
Do I need to Renounce the World to be a Yogi?
A common misconception in yoga and spiritual circles is that you need to renounce the world in order to be a yogi.
This is completely false.
When yoga speaks about renunciation, it is inner renunciation. It means that you shouldn’t become stuck on anything or anyone. Inner renunciation is freedom from the outer world and establishment in the inner.
It follows that as a yogi, you’re allowed to enjoy both your material and spiritual lives.
Conclusion
In this article, we covered a lot about yoga and spirituality!
You learned:
- Yoga is not just postures, it’s the science of consciousness and who you are.
- Spirituality is healing yourself so that you can reconnect with your authentic Self and the present moment.
- Yoga is the vehicle for healing your consciousness and reaching higher states of consciousness.
If you’re interested in starting or deepening your yoga practice, Parm’s Yoga is currently offering virtual and in-person yoga classes.
Each class is taught intuitively and designed to help you reconnect with your authentic Self.