The Objective of Practice

There are many, many ways to practice yoga. Obviously, the method of choice among millions of Americans is asana practice.  Yoga’s history and roots go deep into the past.  The theories and methods that support the practice have been experimented with and refined over the course of thousands of years.

The objective of all of this practice has been stated in many ways, and the significance of all of these narratives could be a whole entry unto itself.  For our purposes here, let’s say that the practices really are about freedom.  I don’t mean freedom in the patriotic sense, but rather, freedom from our self imposed limitations and sense of finite self.  The traditions assert that we are much more than our individualized mind can conceive of.  The pursuit and realization of awakened freedom is the underlying goal of all yoga practice –at least, traditionally.