The term yoga means “to unite” — but what is being united?

The word is sometimes said to stem from a Proto-Indo-European root language spoken approximately 7,000 years ago, which is believed to be the origin of languages spoken by about half of the world’s population.

The term yoga, as we commonly use it, derives from the Sanskrit word yuj, which means to join — to unite — to bind together — but also to put to work.

In English, it is related to the word yoke, a device for pairing oxen, or used metaphorically to describe a bond such as marriage.

I am jumping in at the deep end here — I tend to do that when it comes to philosophical reasoning — but it seems to me that this unification involves bringing together two seemingly separate spheres.

Through asanas we keep our bodies balanced and healthy, and through meditation we keep our minds stable and focused — and this gives us a firm foundation from which to expand.

At the same time, we are already one with the eternal and infinite whole.

Being alive, then, can be seen as the ongoing process of engaging with both these seemingly contradictory spheres. It is a task to be carried out — and at the same time, it is already eternal blissful joy.