Why Yoga? People who take the decision to start on this path do so for a variety of reasons, primary of which is good health, closely followed by a means to bust stress and relieve tension, of late it has become a fashion statement. Rarely is the reason spiritual pursuit, at least at the beginning. But all practising yogis know that the moment a seeker steps on the path of yog sadhana with the first pranayama breath or asana, the irreversible journey towards the divine has begun.

Introduction to hatha yoga practice is the beginning of this quest. The yogic postures or asanas work on the muscles, the organs and the skeletal system inducing them to become more efficient. So as the muscles elongate and become more flexible, the skeletal system strengthens, the joints get lubricated and the organs rejuvenate by throwing out toxins that make them sluggish. At the start a general feeling of well being floods the physical body. When a beginner first learns to perfect yogic postures subtle chemical alterations take place in the body.

These alterations allow the body to adjust internal climate to external factors. Yoga postures that are specified for particular disease work on that organ. For example asanas prescribed for the diabetic work on enhancing the insulin producing pancreas, those for asthma and bronchitis will be lung specific. Once the physical ailments are taken care of the seeker is ready to move on to higher levels of the emotion, mind and spirit. Though it must be remembered here that the process is holistic and the very practice of asanas also starts the healing and transformation in the emotional and mental bodies, it is the awareness of the one practising yoga that takes time to develop.

The nature of the individual soul is to evolve and yoga creates the ambience that helps this natural process. Without effort the practitioner easily moves from the realm of physical well being to emotional nurturing under the guidance of a sincere teacher. Since the whole process of yoga is of cleansing and refinement, the emotional body too starts to rid itself of excess baggage in the nature of emotional trauma, hurt, grief, anger, hate etc. leading to a state of unexplainable joy and bliss. Finally the mind itself loses its clever conniving ways to become more clear and innocent; acting instead of reacting the yogi moves through life unaffected by external circumstances and becomes free to move forward towards realising spiritual potential.