Definitions of Yoga

There is a lightness to the definition of yoga that says: ‘yoga means keeping in touch with the Supreme’. It’s a friendly invitation to an important connection. In other parts of the yoga teachings, life is defined as a ‘struggle for existence’. We have all experienced blood, sweat, and tears - no matter who we are, how much money we have, or where we find ourselves. If we add yoga, that which ‘keeps us in touch with the Supreme’, we can step away from the struggle for existence and feel better.

There are many types of yoga, from hatha to jnana to karma. The yoga we practice at the Temple is bhakti. Bhakti yoga particularly talks about the heart connection. We may know the Supreme in theory (jnana yoga), we may offer things to the Supreme (karma yoga), but do we love the Supreme? Can we love the Supreme? And who is the Supreme - a He or a She or both?

This is the yoga of Krishna Bhakti - a journey that takes us deep within the heart, beyond the body and mind, and into the realm of spiritual emotions. The interesting thing about this yoga is that love of the Supreme is already in us, is part of us, and the practice is the way to uncover it. Our soul, our being, is filled with love for Krishna. Answering the invitation to ‘keep in touch’ through Bhakti is a yoga that is both easy and pleasing, offering unlimited love as both the way and result of the practice.