The Meaning of Yoga

The Meaning of Yoga

To most people, Yoga means the physical poses (asanas).

I remembered once when I was still teaching at a club. Before the class began, the participants and I were talking about the subject on yoga.

A Caucasian lady commented, "But that's what yoga is. Physical. All yoga is physical."

I smiled and told her 'no'.

To a certain extend, it is physical.

But that's just scraping the surface.

In Absolute sense, yoga is more than physical.

To put simply, yoga means join or union.

That's why in class, especially when there are beginners, I always say, "Yoga - the union of the mind and the body through the breath."

What this means is uniting the body and the mind as One using the breath.

In other words, fusion.

Two-in-one.

Just as in 2-in-1 coffee mix (coffee + cream together),

or 2-in-1 shampoo (shampoo join with conditioner).

It's when you become the pose and the pose become you.

In Buddhism, yoga means Meditation, which is very true.

There's a meditation technique which the Buddha taught, and used, to gain Enlightenment :

Anapanasati - using the breath as the meditation object to still the mind so that the mind stays with the body at the present moment.

What this means is 2 (Mind and Body) become 1 (Union of Mind-and-Body).

When the mind stays with the body, you'll be mindful every moment,

Whether you stand, walk, sit or lie down, the mind is with the body in every movement,

In the present,

Merging into,

Together with,

The body.

That's why I always feel The Buddha is one really smart being who truly understands the meaning of yoga.

And that's also the reason why I honour and respect this Great Teacher so much, and have absolute faith in His Teachings.

For truly He is the Devamanussanam ... ie. The Teacher of (ALL) gods and men.

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"It is not by or through the use of force do your body get into a pose;

Rather, it's by letting go, do your body then get into the pose."





"Every movement of yoga is a moment of Consciousness.

Every movement of yoga is a moment of Awareness.

Every movement of yoga is a moment of Mindfulness.

And, Every movement of yoga is a moment of Quiet Reflection and Observation.

In short, Meditation."





"Go into the pose, but do not do the pose;

Go into meditation, but do not 'do' meditation.

Stop ALL doing.

Doing = control = force = tight

Be soft, Be gentle, Be Light."





"Rely on the Dhamma, not on people;

Rely on Wisdom, not accumulation of knowledge.

Rely on the meaning of the words, not the words.

Rely on the complete meaning, not the partial meaning."

- The Buddha

"Dhamma can't be taught;

It has to be 'seen' and experienced by oneself - in one's heart."

"No matter how much of the Dhamma you've studied,

It will serve no purpose other than simply being an obstacle to your Meditation."

- Venerable Ajahn Mun




"The defilements don't lie in the body;

They lie in the heart (mind)."

- Venerable Ajahn Mun