For the next five weeks starting this Sunday, I will be exploring why we do yoga in the first place -- which is ultimately for moksha, or liberation. Each week I will be covering an essential element of this path.
So, to start off, what is moksha anyway?
Moksha is the Sanskrit word for "release" and refers to the liberation from the suffering of samsara (the cycle of repeated death and rebirth or reincarnation). This concept comes from traditional vedanta philosophy. It is a release from one's worldly conception of self, the loosening of the shackle of experiential duality, and a realization of one's own fundamental nature, which is Brahman.
A jivamukta is one who becomes liberated, or attains moksha, while living. Self-realization is the key to liberation and this is done through yoga.
So, in other words, yoga is both the path and the goal.
As we explore the elements of the yogic path to moksha, use this wonderful graphic to help keep things in perspective. It was a gift from my dear friend and fellow teacher Hari-kirtana das. It clearly shows our progression as yogis from the material world of ignorance towards the spiritual world of transcendence. And, provocatively, it shows that moksha is really only the beginning towards our ultimate goal........
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