瑜珈意味著只是在消除外在的身體問題、情緒壓力，或者還有更多呢?
起初我們都是為了身體或情緒問題而開始瑜珈，當我們從中得到舒緩之後，為什麼還要繼續練習?
是為了強化身體? 或是轉化心智? 透過自己的練習，我們觀察並了解身體，某種程度上，也觀照到心智。
最終，瑜珈的目標是照見靈魂(sight of the soul)。從尋道者(seeker)成為觀照者(seer)，這是所謂的Atma
darshana(atm--靈魂、宇宙真我; darshana--照見)。所以問題在於，我們在強化身體同時，可以將動機提升到更高的層次嗎? 真我體現(self-realization)是一個很自然的發展過程，我們沒有必要去尋求atma
darshana的境界，如果我們知道已知的身體，那就是sharira darshan(sharira--身體)，如果你能覺察到意識的波動並停止它，就了解心智，就是所謂的mano darshana,照見心智。觀照者將很自然的浮現。
我們練習通常都只是"做”，當我們在做的時候帶入觀察、覺察，或許就會改變整個態度，並感受到隱藏於後所要傳達的藝術，開始進行從身、心與靈的轉化。我們必須要學習提升轉化外在身體、心智體與靈性體到另外一個層次，而不只是索求在每日的生活所需。
作者：B.K.S Iyengar
譯者：Yiying
原文:
Is
yoga meant only to remove structural disorders and emotional stresses and
strains, or has yoga something more to offer?
In the beginning all of us are motivated to get rid of physical or emotional problems. When
we get relief from these, why do we continue to practice? Is it just to tone
the body, or is it to tune the mind? Through our practices, we gain some sight
and understanding of the body and, to some extent, the sight of the mind also.
Ultimately,
the aim of yoga is to have the sigh of the soul – the seeker becoming one with
the seer. This is called Atma darshana. So the question becomes, can we
transform our lower motivations into higher level ones as we tone our bodies?
Self-realization is an automatic process. There is no need to seek in the field
of atma darshana. If you know the known, the body, well that is sharira
darshana. If you observe the fluctuations and oscillations and stop them, you
understand the mind. That is called mano darshana, or sight of the mind. Then
the seer comes to the surface automatically.
We
normally practice as doers. When we begin to see and observe while doing, we
may change our attitudes and feel something hidden expressing as an art. This
becomes a source for the transformation of the physical and mental to the
spiritual. As doers we have to learn to transform the physical body, the mental
body, and the spiritual body to another level, not dependent on the day to day
needs of life.
