The word yoga comes from the sankrit root yug, meaning to yoke or join together. It represents both the unifying process and the state of union. If we accept these terms, then yoga is only necessary at all because our current state is separation. If we did not have a sense of separation, or if we did not engage in the process of separation, we would have no need to actively engage in yoga.

The word 'svarupe' from this quintessential sutra from Patanjali is often translated to: 'one's true nature.' One's true nature is a fundamental concept to be understood for every yogi, for one can hardly be true to their own nature if they do not know what that is. Being such a vital part of the yoga journey, it may be of benefit to explore the concept from different angles. In this post, we will explore the idea of 'one's true nature' from the perspective of nature as we usually understand it. Earth's nature, or Mother Nature.

For some of us, this radical simplicity of Yoga can be easily forgotten. We get caught up in the details: the position of our legs, the timing of the breath, which day of the week to fast on, which mantra to recite. We become very good at following prescriptions about how things should be done and then measure our success by the external outcomes.