I recently facilitated a workshop for a group of executives from a center of learning. I had criss-crossed the path of these executives for sometime and knew most of them individually. I had also executive coached some of them over a period of time. When I designed the workshop with the objective of aligning their personal definite purpose with their professional objectives, I slotted in an hour for Yoga. I was alerted by the HR responsible for contracting this workshop, that I may fall short of meeting expectations as most executives will be accomplished Yoga practitioners. I took the risk nonetheless, as is my want, and discovered what I have always believed to be true. Lot of people know a lot about Yoga. However, they have no direct experience of the same. They have acquired the knowledge through vicarious sources of TV, Books and living room discussions. Intellectually they are aware, but they come up short in practice.

I was a bit amused ( I am sorry, amused as in humor and not arrogance) that almost all of them could write a treatise on Yoga and it's various characteristics, styles and benefits but had never done a short practice to internalize the experience. They knew the names, (especially the difficult ones) of some of the Asanas (sitting or exercise postures) and Pranayamas (breathing exercises) and were obviously very impressed with their knowledge, but none of these was for real practice. Practice was somehow meant for those who lived on another plane.

Yoga is believed by some to be a religion, some consider it a philosophy and some a cult - as in Tantrism. It remains to be verified; I recently read a report that the Malaysian government has banned Yoga as it is deemed to be a religious practice not in alignment with Islamic practices. Some of this misconception is justified as Yoga is mentioned for the first time (to my knowledge) in the Geeta, which is the religious book of the Hindus. There is no date to the Geeta, so it is not really known as to when the practice of Yoga came into existence. Patanjali himself does not write about any religion or God.

It is known that like all Indian traditions the Yoga was handed down in the oral tradition from the Master to the student until extensively mentioned in the Geeta. Chapter two and three of the Geeta are entitled the "Yoga of Knowledge" and the "Karma Yoga". In chapter II, from stanza 47 to 60 we have an exhaustive sketch of the "Yoga of Action" from 61 to 70 the 'Path of Love' or 'Bhakti Yoga, and in stanzas 71 and 72 'Path of Renunciation' or 'Sanyasa Yoga'. After having explained the basics of Yoga in the second chapter, the third chapter "Karma Yoga" extols Arjuna to action, by explaining to him that the "Path of Action" is a means to an end to ultimately achieve the goal of "Path of Knowledge". Moksha cannot be achieved by inaction or mere renunciation, but by active practice and duty.

The only codification of Yoga practices that ever took place was by Patanjali in his treatise famously known as the "Yoga Sutras". For the purpose of this article this is the one and only manual for Yoga Practice. Yes, as written and expounded by Sri Patanjali, the Yoga sutra is an instruction manual for Yoga practice. It is neither a religion, nor a philosophy. It is a step by step guide to achieve the goals of Yoga. As is the human tendency the Sutras have been interpreted and re-interpreted by various schools of thought to suit their purpose. The Yoga Sutras describe processes and practices as to how a normal person may be so motivated as to rid themselves of negative tendencies by reuniting with their source, which is their true form, and thus achieve their highest potential for which they exist.

Patanjali's Yoga Sutra is divided into four chapters. The first known as "Samadhi Pada" outlines the basic context, outlines, processes and goals of Yoga. The entire Yoga Sutra is written in 195 sentences (Sutras) - a Sutra is no more than a sentence, literally a string of words. Brevity thy name is Patanjali.

The first three Sutras define Yoga. Since, this article is entitled, "What is Yoga?" I will try to explain the first three Sutras as I have read, understood and experienced. They together define Yoga. There is no other definition that is universally accepted.

In Sanskrit the first Sutra reads, "Atha Yoganusasanam".

Atha - Now, here,

Yoga from the word Yuj meaning conjoining, combining, connecting

Anusasanam - The discipline, the instructions

Patanjali if he was writing in English would read, "This is the authoritative instruction of the discipline of Yoga".

If Yoga means Yuj and Yuj means joining, combining, what is the combination that would be called Yoga? This will become clear if all the 195 Sutras are read and combined to understand the meaning of many words that Sri Patanjali uses but does not explain. The commentaries to the Sutras are not that of Sri Patanjali himself. On my understanding of the Sutra the joining seems to be that of the body and the mind. With breath being the connecting agent. Therefore the three components of Yoga are the body, the breath and the mind. We have heard the famous quotes, "Emotion is created by motion", "Physiology is psychology" - all these seem to follow from Yuj or Yoga.