2700 ASANAS : The Complete Yoga Poses

The ultimate goal of yoga is self-realization. You do not need to go to the mountaintop to find it or pay

a teacher to show you the way. There are currencies that we exchange with one another that are much

more valuable than money: kindness, selflessness, being one part of the greater good. Nor do you

need to look outside yourself. If you have an open mind, a sincere desire to learn and to apply that

knowledge on a daily basis, and the commitment to follow through on what you’ve begun, you can

achieve self-realization.

Self-realization is the knowledge that we sentient beings are interconnected and that what we think,

say, and do affects those around us. Burdened by the pressures and demands that exist outside of

ourselves—of our jobs, bills, desire for status and for material possessions—we forget this. Self-

realization is the ability to achieve freedom from these demands and to know that true happiness

comes from fulfilling our own potential and from lifting up those around us without the thought of self-

gain. Dedicating yourself to the regular practice of yoga can help bring you back to this place.

Yoga is, indeed, an excellent form of exercise that carries with it many immediate and long-term

physical benefits from improved flexibility to stronger muscles and bones. However, yoga is not just