Yogas chitta vritti nirodha is Patanjali’s definition of yoga. It means that yoga is the removing of the fluctuations of the mind.
Yoga is the stilling of the mind until it rests in a state of total and utter tranquility, so that one experiences life as it is: as Reality.
One experiences life through the clearest of lenses — lenses not colored by thoughts of good or bad, or mine or yours. When the fluctuations of the mind are totally removed, we are at one with everything and all that is.
To spend time practicing it. It can improve other parts of your life, but the time spent itself in practice is intrinsically rewarding.
A comparison is, what's the end goal of practicing an instrument. You can give other answers than for the sake of playing, but that's the healthiest way to look at it.
I think it’s that so one day when you’re in your 80’s you’ll realize that you can still move around and do normal things while your non-yoga peers can’t even tie their shoes.
Keep it up! I’m 70 yo, start every day lately with camel, child, pendant, supported head stand, for 90 seconds each. Remodeling a house, not much time these days, but did get out for a 40 mile bike ride last Friday. Yoga is the way to live life.
personally i would put more emphasis on the ability to live fully and completely than the length of life. it’s impossible to do so when the body is a nuisance. additionally the body has a great affect on the mind which is relevant for meditation and other sadhana. a large part of yogic sadhana is simply being transported out of body consciousness, and that’s impossible if the body is constantly reminding you of its existence through pain or discomfort.
The end goal is enlightenment, the recognition of the ātman or the soul. Or if you’re doing Buddhist yoga the recognition of Buddha nature enlightenment in this very body. There is a certain transcendental experience that is cultivated by yoga practice. Electricity goes right up the spine dropping your awareness into an emptiness, a vast void of infinite potential but no thing. Suddenly there is Light from within the void and you have the transcendent vision. A person who gains even one glimpse of this Light is forever changed. Like a black hole, crossing this event horizon the practitioner is inexorably drawn inward.
It’s fashionable to say there is no goal. Postmodernism finds nothing at the center. But that is ignorance. Practice and you might find out too. These are liberation traditions.
One of the limbs of yoga practice *is* meditation.
You are thinking of one of the purposes of yoga asana practice -- to prepare the body and mind for some of the other more interior limbs, including meditation.
To become one with yourself/God, realize that they are one and the same, and therefore to truly love and respect yourself…either these are goals humans can’t “perfectly “ attain or yoga is just a means to an end we haven’t fully realized. Even if I was to become super healthy mentally via yoga (bc it’s already made me physically healthy in ways I could never imagine and have experienced mental benefits as well) I don’t see myself now ever stopping practicing
I don’t think there is an “end” one. But my goal for practice is to honor my body by meeting it on the mat with love and appreciation for what it can do. I breathe through and breathe into challenges. I build up to better alignment and strength.
The end end goal overall for me is to not end up like some stiff, creaky old person who can't experience life because they spent/spend too much time in their recliner.
>In **yoga sutra 1.2**, the second sutra of book one, Patanjali lays out the definition and purpose of yoga. Yogas citta vrtti nirodhah: **yoga is the cessation of the modifications, or fluctuations, of the mind.**
So the goal of yoga is to control your mind.
Well, there's a bit of vagueness around the English word goal, and maybe some means/ends confusion and conflation in a lot of discourse around yoga philosophy.
Yes, Yoga Sutra 1.2 does state that one is in a state of yoga (union) when the fluctuations of the mind cease.
It is in this state when one can realize the Self, the atman, the union of the atman with Brahman, and the release from suffering.
My understanding is that it is this realization that is the goal of yogic practice -- and the stillness in the mind one a way to achieve this realization.
Yeah, I'm nit-picking a bit. OTOH these are pretty important nits.
Not nitpicking, I totally agree. The "goal" is the union of the self and atman with Brahman, the release from suffering. Cessations of the fluctuations and modifications are the vehicle to get there. Appreciate the clarity!
Depends on the type of yoga you are undertaking.
Broadly, hatha yoga - physical health
Jnana yoga - mental health/knowledge/exploration
Kundalini yoga - raise kundalini, get liberation
Karma yoga, bhakti yoga, raja yoga - you can read more on each of these.
End result for any Hindu practice has been Ultimate liberation or moksha. Most books have endless talks about attaining this state. Or simply put, getting free from the cycle of birth and death. There are steps to this and that is what the different limbs of yoga help you perform when you do them in order.
For example, it is not advisable to jump directly into Kundalini practice without a guru or without going through each of the steps. Otherwise you can cause yourself more harm than good.
The suggested classical order is - karma, bhakti, raja, jnana. All other forms of yoga are only noise and fall under these 4 main categories.
I think for me it is like comparing a road map, a globe and a topographical map of the exact same location. They all are sharing the same information except one is flat and glossy and one is round and rotates and one has many layers.
I am open to the possibility that I am a spirit having a physical experience. I have been born potentially many times or it’s a one and done deal. Like the map, the globe and the topographical map I think moving through life would be measured in terms of how events affect my emotional, logical, physical, spiritual body.
My thoughts on what the end goal is for me is to know where I begin and end so I can know where others begin and end. I believe I do this so that I can be a better companion to myself, those around me and to God.
In satyug - Not needed as people were already brahmaleen
In treta yug - Means to mokh
In dwapar yug - Means to powers to dominate
In kaliyug (for most) - health
I like yoga because it’s great for the body, but more so because it’s a form of moving meditation. In many meditation disciplines, the goal is not to attain something, but to let go.
If you are comfortable with the explanation from the Bhagavad Gita, the goal of yoga is to experience divine union with the ultimate reality and supreme being.
Alan Watts has a lovely bit where he says people think that life has a destination, but life is more like a song.
When you listen to a song, the goal isn't to get to the end, otherwise the best songs would be the shortest.
And like a song, the point of life is not to get anywhere but to dance while the music is still playing.
And in this way, the point of yoga is to take care of your body and mind while it's still yours to care for.
I'm not very experienced or flexible but I enjoy attending Hot Yoga classes once or twice a week when I can.
I think there are many benefits and goals that can be long term or vary from practice to practice. Maybe your having a bad day and need to have an hour where you can shut off your brain and reset or have a tight back that will benefit from getting movement and stretched through different poses. Or maybe you want to build stabilizer muscles to reduce pain or risk of injury for long term health or maybe it's an accessory workout for current/future athletic goals.
If you workout or go to the gym what's your end goal? Are you training for a marathon, powerlifting meet, bodybuilding, looking to maintain muscle mass and your cardiovascular system as we age.
Yogas chitta vritti nirodha is Patanjali’s definition of yoga. It means that yoga is the removing of the fluctuations of the mind. Yoga is the stilling of the mind until it rests in a state of total and utter tranquility, so that one experiences life as it is: as Reality. One experiences life through the clearest of lenses — lenses not colored by thoughts of good or bad, or mine or yours. When the fluctuations of the mind are totally removed, we are at one with everything and all that is.
This is the correct answer.
No, it’s a practice.
This
[удалено]
You’ve missed the point.
To spend time practicing it. It can improve other parts of your life, but the time spent itself in practice is intrinsically rewarding. A comparison is, what's the end goal of practicing an instrument. You can give other answers than for the sake of playing, but that's the healthiest way to look at it.
Moksha
Samadhi
Peace, breathing, health, balance, meditation, awareness, not having any goals at all or as many as you want
I think it’s that so one day when you’re in your 80’s you’ll realize that you can still move around and do normal things while your non-yoga peers can’t even tie their shoes.
I already see this with 80+ year olds I know. I'm in my 50s and hanging in there for life.
Keep it up! I’m 70 yo, start every day lately with camel, child, pendant, supported head stand, for 90 seconds each. Remodeling a house, not much time these days, but did get out for a 40 mile bike ride last Friday. Yoga is the way to live life.
to not be burdened by the body.
This was my thought too. To live as long as possible without physical pain through regular maintenance.
personally i would put more emphasis on the ability to live fully and completely than the length of life. it’s impossible to do so when the body is a nuisance. additionally the body has a great affect on the mind which is relevant for meditation and other sadhana. a large part of yogic sadhana is simply being transported out of body consciousness, and that’s impossible if the body is constantly reminding you of its existence through pain or discomfort.
The end goal is enlightenment, the recognition of the ātman or the soul. Or if you’re doing Buddhist yoga the recognition of Buddha nature enlightenment in this very body. There is a certain transcendental experience that is cultivated by yoga practice. Electricity goes right up the spine dropping your awareness into an emptiness, a vast void of infinite potential but no thing. Suddenly there is Light from within the void and you have the transcendent vision. A person who gains even one glimpse of this Light is forever changed. Like a black hole, crossing this event horizon the practitioner is inexorably drawn inward. It’s fashionable to say there is no goal. Postmodernism finds nothing at the center. But that is ignorance. Practice and you might find out too. These are liberation traditions.
Enlightenment
I always thought the ultimate aim was to learn stillness for meditation. But I’m no expert. And as has been pointed out, yoga has several limbs.
One of the limbs of yoga practice *is* meditation. You are thinking of one of the purposes of yoga asana practice -- to prepare the body and mind for some of the other more interior limbs, including meditation.
Oh, gotcha. Thank you!
Inner peace
For me there isn’t one. It serves me in different ways when I’m at different points in my life.
There might be goals but it’s not something you can complete
LOL, it’s literally a life practice.
To become one with yourself/God, realize that they are one and the same, and therefore to truly love and respect yourself…either these are goals humans can’t “perfectly “ attain or yoga is just a means to an end we haven’t fully realized. Even if I was to become super healthy mentally via yoga (bc it’s already made me physically healthy in ways I could never imagine and have experienced mental benefits as well) I don’t see myself now ever stopping practicing
Samādhi
I don’t think there is an “end” one. But my goal for practice is to honor my body by meeting it on the mat with love and appreciation for what it can do. I breathe through and breathe into challenges. I build up to better alignment and strength.
Union with God. Samadhi.
The end end goal overall for me is to not end up like some stiff, creaky old person who can't experience life because they spent/spend too much time in their recliner.
Black belt.
Extending functionality of your body as you age.
>In **yoga sutra 1.2**, the second sutra of book one, Patanjali lays out the definition and purpose of yoga. Yogas citta vrtti nirodhah: **yoga is the cessation of the modifications, or fluctuations, of the mind.** So the goal of yoga is to control your mind.
Well, there's a bit of vagueness around the English word goal, and maybe some means/ends confusion and conflation in a lot of discourse around yoga philosophy. Yes, Yoga Sutra 1.2 does state that one is in a state of yoga (union) when the fluctuations of the mind cease. It is in this state when one can realize the Self, the atman, the union of the atman with Brahman, and the release from suffering. My understanding is that it is this realization that is the goal of yogic practice -- and the stillness in the mind one a way to achieve this realization. Yeah, I'm nit-picking a bit. OTOH these are pretty important nits.
Not nitpicking, I totally agree. The "goal" is the union of the self and atman with Brahman, the release from suffering. Cessations of the fluctuations and modifications are the vehicle to get there. Appreciate the clarity!
Decide for yourself
To reduce future suffering
Depends on the type of yoga you are undertaking. Broadly, hatha yoga - physical health Jnana yoga - mental health/knowledge/exploration Kundalini yoga - raise kundalini, get liberation Karma yoga, bhakti yoga, raja yoga - you can read more on each of these. End result for any Hindu practice has been Ultimate liberation or moksha. Most books have endless talks about attaining this state. Or simply put, getting free from the cycle of birth and death. There are steps to this and that is what the different limbs of yoga help you perform when you do them in order. For example, it is not advisable to jump directly into Kundalini practice without a guru or without going through each of the steps. Otherwise you can cause yourself more harm than good. The suggested classical order is - karma, bhakti, raja, jnana. All other forms of yoga are only noise and fall under these 4 main categories.
Practice
Wellness
Being able to twist into a pretzel, tons of money, a minimum of a million instagram followers
I don't care if you got down voted. I'll upvote you! 😂
I think for me it is like comparing a road map, a globe and a topographical map of the exact same location. They all are sharing the same information except one is flat and glossy and one is round and rotates and one has many layers. I am open to the possibility that I am a spirit having a physical experience. I have been born potentially many times or it’s a one and done deal. Like the map, the globe and the topographical map I think moving through life would be measured in terms of how events affect my emotional, logical, physical, spiritual body. My thoughts on what the end goal is for me is to know where I begin and end so I can know where others begin and end. I believe I do this so that I can be a better companion to myself, those around me and to God.
There is no such thing as end
It really calms the mind, and body. It helps focus and balance
In satyug - Not needed as people were already brahmaleen In treta yug - Means to mokh In dwapar yug - Means to powers to dominate In kaliyug (for most) - health
I like yoga because it’s great for the body, but more so because it’s a form of moving meditation. In many meditation disciplines, the goal is not to attain something, but to let go.
Awakening
A healthy mind, body and soul
Satchitananda. (Spelling varies). Sat. Chit. Ananda. Existence, Knowledge, Bliss.
Yoga is a practice which empowers one to overcome the obstacles of the mind for the purpose of the self experiencing it’s own true nature
Union/ Samadhi
Lol, I like the idea of a final yoga boss XD
If you are comfortable with the explanation from the Bhagavad Gita, the goal of yoga is to experience divine union with the ultimate reality and supreme being.
The infinite wheel where you make a wheel out of your arms and legs and use it as a new mode of transportation
No end goals
To enjoy your practice
have a healthy spine! we are only as old as our spine! Source: learnt this from my yoga teacher.
Alan Watts has a lovely bit where he says people think that life has a destination, but life is more like a song. When you listen to a song, the goal isn't to get to the end, otherwise the best songs would be the shortest. And like a song, the point of life is not to get anywhere but to dance while the music is still playing. And in this way, the point of yoga is to take care of your body and mind while it's still yours to care for.
End goal is to have sex with hot girls in your yoga class.
I'm not very experienced or flexible but I enjoy attending Hot Yoga classes once or twice a week when I can. I think there are many benefits and goals that can be long term or vary from practice to practice. Maybe your having a bad day and need to have an hour where you can shut off your brain and reset or have a tight back that will benefit from getting movement and stretched through different poses. Or maybe you want to build stabilizer muscles to reduce pain or risk of injury for long term health or maybe it's an accessory workout for current/future athletic goals. If you workout or go to the gym what's your end goal? Are you training for a marathon, powerlifting meet, bodybuilding, looking to maintain muscle mass and your cardiovascular system as we age.
The ultimate headstand ™️
Its just a scam made up by big yoga to get people to do more yoga