What is Yoga?
Yoga is a union or a joining of atman (individual consciousness) with paramatman (universal consciousness).
We all have different theories, beliefs and understandings of what this means. I understand individual consciousness as the soul or the unknown energy that separates a string of amino acids from a living single celled organism. A drop from the ocean of universal consciousness, kept in a container until it is ready to return.
Universal consciousness is a little trickier to define. Is it god? Is it an energy that organises and binds the universe together? Whatever you believe paramatman to be, yoga can help you to become closer to it.
Yoga is not a religion. It is a science of living.
Yoga is not exercise. It is relaxation.
Yoga is not practised only by thin & flexible people or by just by those people who are intrinsically connected with their spirituality. It is something that I believe everyone practises at some point or another. Those moments when we sit by ourselves and focus our mind on a distant memory; or when we take a little time to do something selfless; or when we turn over a new leaf and change to a healthier diet. That is yoga.