Devotion to the Lord of Yoga

Devotion to the Lord of Yoga Yoga, in the western world has many meanings and purposes, to keep your body healthy, to bring your mind, body and soul in perfect harmony, and to stretch your muscles and strengthen the body. Yoga is a very simple set of exercises that some people practice as to keep themselves fit. Yoga began as an ancient Hindu practice, but in the course of time, it has conquered the world and today, several people practice it as a way of life. despite the several reasons the western world might give yoga, according to the Yoga Sutra, the core of yoga is the dedication to the Lord of Yoga. In the Yoga Sutra, it states “The active performance of yoga involves ascetic practice, study of sacred lore, and dedication to the Lord of Yoga” (2.1). It is evident that dedication to the Lord of Yoga is one of the core purposes of Yoga. One of the reasons dedication to the Lord of Yoga is so important is because “Cessation of thought may also come from dedication to the Lord of Yoga” (1.23). Cessation of thought is important because only when thought ceases, can a spirit stand in its true nature as an observer to the world. Only when the mind is silent, is when one can reflect objective reality. Yoga assists in the transformation of the mind from a noisy on to a still one. It is not specified who the Lord of Yoga is, but yoga is an integral part of the Hindu religion. Since yoga is associated with asceticism, and Shiva is the Lord of asceticism, we can assume that Shiva is the Lord of Yoga. Shiva uses his yogic power to project the universe from himself. In Shiva the art of meditation takes its absolute form. His seated posture is similar to the posture one sits in while they are meditating.
The sound “AUM” that is repeated over and over again, is meant to express ultimate reality in the cosmos, in the Lord of Yoga - Shiva, and in the individual. The quote “His sound is the reverberating the syllable AUM” (1.26), suggests AUM is the Lord of