In ancient yoga literature, the various ways of practising yoga were intimately linked to the goals of those practises. The definition of Yoga is not restricted to bodily postures rather means to connect with one’s highest potential. In the Bhagavad Gita, a key yoga classic, the word yoga appears for the first time as a solution Krishna offers Arjuna for overcoming his refusal to engage in his life. Arjuna has become despondent, and Krishna offers him yoga as an alternative way of life. When Arjuna was feeling the most stuck in his life, Krishna, his companion and chariot driver, appeared to him. Krishna mentions yoga more than 100 times in the Bhagavad Gita, indicating that he has a lot to say about it! The word yoga has appeared approx seventy-eight times in the Bhagavad Gita and thirty-six times in its verbal form as yukta in the original Sanskrit text. In the Gita, yoga is a vast, multifaceted, and colourful experience that encompasses all aspects of life and human existence.Yoga, as described in the Bhagavad Gita, is something that practically every human being engages in to some degree or another. They simply aren't aware of it. Because, in addition to asana and pranayama, the Bhagavad Gita defines yoga as:
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Participation in one's life that is clear, discriminating, completely voluntary, and dynamic.
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The archetypal light is eternal, primal, and revealing, and it is fueled by love.
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Sacrifice that uplifts, encourages, informs, and actively involves us while remaining in harmony with all other living beings.
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Actions based on a vision of peaceful interconnectedness with others that are selfless, cleansing, freeing, balanced, motivating, and gladly executed.
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Nourished in the presence of other yoga practitioners, through love offerings and the insights they provide.
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Increased sensitivity and awareness of all life around and within us, as well as an outpouring of love in return for life's wonder and beauty.
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Unafraid, enlightening, and a voyage that doesn't end with death.
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A vision that does not exclude anything from its application.
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Intimate connection with the entire cosmos, eternal realms beyond the manifested universe, and our own infinite ability to love.
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A pure, resolute energy that draws us toward the strange and hidden, and connects us to the wonders of existence, being, and all life.
These are Krishna's descriptions of yoga in the Bhagavad Gita, as well as the order in which he offers them.