YOGA is a system. A holistic system of refining the body, the mind and the spirit in unison. Ultimately, it is well-being, peace, and bliss.

Because it is a practical science, it can work for you or for anyone and can be applied in many different ways. This multitude of ways makes it difficult to define yoga. Yoga is far more and beyond the yoga that we know or practice today. A lot of us are drawn to physical yoga (hatha yoga). We can assume that it is because of the fast results that are evident on those slim, fit bodies. If applying yoga to physical development works magnificently, what can we expect of yoga applied to physical, mental and spiritual development in unison?

We hear people speak of new-found freedom and happiness from yoga.

But who cares? One can be happy and free if one wishes to. Well, I thought so too until I realized they were speaking of the real freedom, the real happiness, the ones that are not temporary or of-the-moment kind, the ones that you can control, the ones that are stable. All along, people have been resorting to different ways to achieve this kind of "high". Material things, drugs, alcohol, vices are stuff that gives us that "fake" high. We thought that that fake high could let us lose touch with our normal state of mind, give us the freedom to find and be ourselves; be no longer imprisoned by our fears, inhibitions, normal concerns; be able to communicate and love; be able to reach and explore new levels of awareness.

Well, maybe those things can take us to an ecstatic state. But those things often leave us craving for more. Obviously, you get high while you are intoxicated with those mundane, temporary relief but you also become its slave.

The holistic approach of yoga encompasses the development of the body, the mind and the spirit. This is a natural way of developing qualities such as fitness, discipline, confidence, awareness, intuitiveness and intelligence gradually leaving one contained, more stable and more contented.

Pages and pages on this site will not suffice to discuss yoga, its philosophies, its benefits. The yoga experience is always different for each individual but the goal is always the same. Definitely, we can all use some peace of mind, bliss, strength and inspiration to make it through this life!