Yoga is a holistic science of the development of body, mind and spirit. Yoga is not just a set of physical stretches and postures, as some people think. It is a spiritual way of life and philosophy. The goal of yoga is self-realization. The means to achieve that goal are physical, mental and spiritual practices, of which meditation is the most important one. The foundation on which yoga is practiced is ethical conduct.

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“Excuse me . . . excuse me?” a voice said. It was a beautiful fall day and, on a long break between two classes at the university, I was practicing meditation in a quiet spot under the shade of a tree. I continued to meditate thinking they must want someone else.

“Excuse me . . . EXCUSE ME?” the voice persisted more loudly. Relenting, I opened my eyes. Before me stood a student with a pile of books in his arms.

“Yes?” I responded.

“I was just wondering, are you practicing yoga or meditation?” the young man inquired.

I stared dumbly back for a moment. “Well,” I said, “I was practicing yoga meditation,” putting perhaps a bit too much emphasis on the word “was.”

He looked surprised. “Oh!” he said before walking away to contemplate this piece of information.

Yoga is a science of self-development that leads to physical health, mental expansion, and culminates in spiritual realization. Meditation is an indispensable part of this science, along with ethics, service and other practices. The postures that many think of as “yoga,” while important for health and mental balance, are only one part of the full practice of yoga.