Introduction by Sri Chinmoy

Sri Chinmoy: God is seated in the hearts of all human beings, so when one practises Yoga, one is entering into God’s presence. Yoga is not a religion; it is something infinitely deeper than religion. The so-called religions are satisfied with moral canons, ethics, creeds, and so forth. But Yoga helps a human being to transcend these finite, human standards. That does not mean that one has to act like an animal or violate civilized morality. It means that one has to be constantly in touch or in contact with one’s Inner Being and listen to the dictates of his Inner Being. One has to go beyond the snares, the boundaries of morality. So we can say that religion is a human endeavour, while Yoga is a soul endeavour. The difference between Yoga and religion is the difference between the body and the soul. At the same time, there is no ultimate difference, because the body needs the soul and the soul needs the body. So religion needs Yoga and Yoga needs religion.