- śrī bhagavān uvāca
- yogasya lakṣaṇaṁ vakṣye
- sabījasya nṛpātmaje
- mano yenaiva vidhinā
- prasannaṁ yāti sat-patham
- (SB 3.28.1)
So this word yoga is very popular in the Western countries. Practically everyone knows the word at least, yoga. And many so-called yogīs come here, and I do not want to discuss. But yoga is a very nice process by which you can make your mind very peaceful, and then you can make progress towards spiritual life, sat-pathe. Our . . . there are two ways. One is called sat-patha, and one is called asat-patha. Asat-patha means . . . asat means which will not exist. That is called asat. And sat means which will exist. The spirit will exist; matter will be finished. Now you have got this body. You have got this body. This body will be finished, everyone knows. But the spirit soul within the body, that will not finish. Na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20). That is spiritual education in the beginning. We should understand what is spirit, sat. Asato mā sad gamaḥ. This is the Vedic instruction. "Don't make much progress on the path of nonpermanent things." This is Vedic injunction. Asato mā sad gamaḥ. Tamasi mā jyotir gamaḥ: "Don't keep yourself in darkness. Make progress towards the light."
So here also the same thing is stated—that yoga process is to keep the mind in peaceful condition, tranquility, and then you can concentrate your mind towards the Supreme Absolute. This is yoga process, not a gymnastic, a gymnastic āsana: yāma, niyama, aṣṭāṅga-yoga. Aṣṭāṅga, eight kinds of practices, āsana. Āsana . . . the generally the yogīs come here to show you the āsana, how to sit in different posture. That is mechanical. That is also very nice, how to bring the mind under control. But real business is after your mind is controlled. These processes which generally the yogīs demonstrate, that is the process of controlling the mind. The real meaning of yoga: yoga indriya-saṁyamaḥ. The authorities of yoga practice, they say the yoga practice means to control the senses. That is the yoga practice.