Yoga has become so mainstream today that it is even offered at my family’s tennis and beach club. Almost every time I tell someone I meditate, almost inevitably, their immediate response is, “I practice yoga!”
When I ask them what type of yoga they do, it is always some postures they practice, and rarely does it involve any form of meditation. At the end of some yoga practices, sometimes the class will have a couple of minutes of meditation silence.
In ancient India, where yoga comes from, the understanding of yoga, which means union, meant the union of mind, intellect, emotions, and body, and union of the individual with the universal. It is a physical, mental, and spiritual discipline.
The ultimate goal of yoga was enlightenment, whereby one is living unity consciousness. Unity consciousness is a state in which one realizes the supreme oneness of life in terms of oneself, whereby no diversity of life can detract from this state of oneness.
In the ancient Vedic literature of the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, it says yogaś Citta-vṛtti-nirodhaḥ) “Yoga is the complete settling of the activity of the mind.”
After doing an hour of Yoga, one does feel more settled and clear. But the most profound experience of that complete settling of the mind is the experience of Transcendental Consciousness, effortlessly experienced through the technique of Transcendental Meditation.
I say effortlessly because many of the people who tell me that they do yoga have said that they also have tried meditating but find it difficult to be quiet—they are restless and have lots of thought.
The settled state of Transcendental Consciousness unites the mind, intellect, emotions, and body. This state is also an experience of the union of the individual with the universal.
This experience of unity grows firstly in meditation and then over time even inactivity resulting in the experience of Unity Consciousness. The more your activity is infused with the silent level of transcendence, or unity, the more smoothly and effortlessly every aspect of your life will flow in the evolutionary direction, leading to tremendous success and fulfillment. The growing state of enlightenment and the true meaning of Yoga practice!!! Listen to an interview Ann gives on how to Get Fit and Feel Fabulous.
–Ann Purcell is a teacher and long-time practitioner of Transcendental Meditation. Her latest book, The Transcendental Meditation Technique and the Journey of Enlightenment, has just been published. Get more details about her new book, here!