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The main philosophy of yoga is simple: mind, body and spirit are all one and cannot be clearly separated. Inspite of this there are several philosophical ideas developed by looking into the deeper dimensions of the body, mind and spirit.
The Law of Karma
Central to the philosophy of yoga is the universal spiritual concept of reaping what you sow, the law of Karma.
The Cause of Suffering: The Kleshas
The Kleshas are the causes of our suffering. These afflictions which distort our mind and our perceptions effecting how we think, act and feel. The kleshas not only create suffering, but are said to bind us to the endless cycle of birth and rebirth, and thus prevent us from achieving enlightenment.
The Inward Journey Through the Koshas
The koshas are imagined as layers of an onion and form a barrier from realizing our true nature of bliss and oneness with the universe. Yoga helps us to peel back these layers to bring our awareness deeper and deeper into our bodies, eventually reaching the innermost core, our True Self.
Moksha and Maya
Moksha (i.e. liberation, freedom) is the state of non-ego, where the "me" vanishes and one stands free from all desires, actions and consequences in a total state of oneness.
The 3 Gunas of Nature
In the philosophy of Yoga, all matter in the universe arises from the fundamental substrate called Prakriti. From this ethereal Prakriti the three primary gunas (qualities) emerge creating the essential aspects of all nature - energy, matter and consciousness. These three gunas are tamas (darkness), rajas (activity), and sattva (beingness).
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