18 Amazing Benefits of Yoga, According to Science

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Summary

Yoga has become one of the most widely practiced disciplines in the modern world, with over 300 million practitioners globally and a market valued at more than $80 billion. Science has confirmed that regular yoga practice confers 18 remarkable benefits to human health, encompassing cardiovascular improvement, neurological enhancement, endocrine regulation, and psychological well-being. Yet this scientific validation has arrived alongside a profound spiritual tragedy: the systematic stripping of yoga’s original sacred purpose.

This paper presents a comprehensive review of the 18 scientifically proven health benefits of yoga, drawing upon peer-reviewed clinical research and meta-analyses. It then delivers a rigorous scholarly critique of the modern secularization of yoga, arguing that the Western fitness industry has corrupted an ancient spiritual science by reducing it to a physical exercise regime. Drawing upon the Devi Gita, the Bhagavad Gita, the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, the Upanishads, and the Katha Upanishad, this paper demonstrates that the true and ancient purpose of yoga was never physical fitness, but the realization of moksha — the liberation of the individual soul (Atman) through its union with the Supreme Self (Brahman). The commercialization of yoga is not merely a cultural appropriation; it is a spiritual desecration of the highest order.

Introduction

The word yoga derives from the Sanskrit root yuj, meaning “to yoke,” “to unite,” or “to join.” In its original conception, this union referred to the highest metaphysical reality conceivable to the human mind: the merger of the individual consciousness (Atman) with the infinite, undivided consciousness of the universe (Brahman). Yoga was never designed as a fitness regimen. It was a complete science of liberation, a systematic path through which the human being could transcend the limitations of the ego, the body, and the material world, and realize their identity with the Divine.

Modern science has, in recent decades, confirmed that the physical and psychological practices associated with yoga produce extraordinary health benefits. These findings are valuable and should not be dismissed. However, the scientific validation of yoga’s secondary benefits has paradoxically accelerated the abandonment of its primary purpose. As yoga has been embraced by the Western fitness industry, it has been progressively stripped of its philosophical and spiritual content, transformed into a commodity, and marketed as a tool for weight loss, flexibility, and stress management.[1]

This paper examines both dimensions of yoga with equal rigor: first, a detailed review of the 18 scientifically proven health benefits; and second, a critical analysis of how the modern world has betrayed the ancient tradition by reducing a sacred path to liberation into a secular exercise class.

Benefit 1: Relieves Stress and Anxiety

Perhaps the most widely documented benefit of yoga is its powerful capacity to reduce stress and anxiety. Stress has become endemic in modern society, with high-pressure careers, economic insecurity, and social fragmentation contributing to dangerously elevated cortisol levels in the general population. Those who experience chronic stress face elevated risks of clinical depression, hypertension, chronic disease, and insomnia.[2]

Preliminary and advanced research alike demonstrate that yoga produces stress-reducing effects comparable to — and in some cases exceeding — those of conventional exercise and relaxation techniques. The controlled breathing (pranayama) that is central to all yoga practices is the primary mechanism of stress reduction. When practitioners focus on breath, they interrupt the cycle of irrational fear and obsessive thought that sustains anxiety. Yoga also cultivates mindfulness and gratitude, both of which are independently validated as anxiety-reducing practices. Clinical studies confirm that yoga decreases the stress hormone cortisol, deactivates the sympathetic nervous system’s “fight or flight” response, and activates the parasympathetic “rest and digest” system.[3]

Benefit 2: Improves Cardiovascular Health

Heart disease remains the leading cause of death globally, and yoga has emerged as a scientifically validated intervention for cardiovascular health. Research published in peer-reviewed journals shows that long-term yoga practice improves ambulatory systolic blood pressure, making it a lifestyle change that can significantly reduce hypertension.[4]

The combination of breathing, meditation, and slow controlled movement makes yoga one of the most effective relaxation-based exercises for heart health. It relaxes blood vessels, reduces blood pressure, and increases blood flow to the heart. More energetic forms of yoga, such as Ashtanga, also elevate heart rate sufficiently to provide aerobic conditioning. A study of individuals over the age of 40 demonstrated that yoga can reduce age-related cardiovascular deterioration. For those recovering from cardiac events, yoga provides gentle exercise without overtaxing the heart, while simultaneously addressing the psychological distress that follows life-threatening illness.

Benefit 3: Strengthens Brain Activity

One of the most remarkable findings in yoga research concerns its effect on brain structure. Using MRI scans, scientists have detected greater gray matter volume in certain brain regions of regular yoga practitioners. Specifically, yoga practitioners show larger brain volume in the somatosensory cortex, visual cortex, hippocampus, precuneus, and posterior cingulate cortex — areas governing visualization, self-concept, memory, and directed attention.[5]

These neurological changes are attributed to the focused breathing of yoga, which maximizes oxygenation and cerebral blood flow. The result is improved memory performance, fewer depressive symptoms, and enhanced cognitive function. Yoga also appears to “rewire” the brain’s default mode network, reducing rumination and negative self-referential thought, and encouraging a more positive, present-focused cognitive orientation. A 2019 systematic review in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease confirmed that yoga practice positively impacts brain health, with promising implications for the prevention of neurodegenerative diseases.[5]

Benefit 4: Lowers the Risk of Cancer

Cancer remains one of the leading causes of death worldwide. Research indicates that yoga may contribute to cancer prevention by reducing fat stores in the body, which decreases the likelihood of cancer developing and spreading. More significantly, yoga may prevent the expression of genetic mutations in those with a family history of cancer. Chronic stress, which yoga effectively reduces, weakens the immune system and elevates negative hormones and growth factors that enable cancer cells to proliferate.[2]

For those already battling cancer, yoga has demonstrated measurable benefits. One study showed that a three-month yoga practice significantly improved the negative moods of patients undergoing breast cancer treatment. Yoga also combats the fatigue and loss of strength that accompany chemotherapy and radiation, improving range of motion and helping patients remain active during treatment.

Benefit 5: Improves Digestion

Traditional yoga philosophy holds that all health originates in the gut. Modern science increasingly supports this view, recognizing the gut-brain axis as a critical determinant of overall well-being. Yoga improves the body’s internal rhythms, assisting in digestion and detoxification. Deep breathing — the cornerstone of all yoga practice — acts as a gentle massage for the digestive tract, stimulating peristalsis and facilitating the removal of toxins.[2]

Specific yoga poses, such as Mayurasana (Peacock Pose) and Nauli, are designed to stimulate the digestive organs and encourage the movement of waste through the colon. These poses are particularly beneficial for those suffering from constipation, irritable bowel syndrome, or Crohn’s disease. The self-awareness cultivated through yoga also encourages practitioners to adopt healthier dietary habits, further supporting digestive health.

Benefit 6: Increases Body Awareness

As individuals age, the mind-body connection often weakens, leading to a reduced enjoyment of sensory experience and an increased risk of falls and physical accidents. Yoga systematically restores this connection. Each pose focuses attention on specific body parts, and the practice demands that practitioners listen to their bodies and adjust movements based on physical feedback. This cultivates proprioception — the body’s ability to sense its own position and movement in space — which is a critical factor in balance, coordination, and injury prevention.[2]

The heightened body awareness developed through yoga also extends to emotional and psychological self-awareness. Practitioners become more attuned to the physical manifestations of emotional states, enabling earlier recognition of stress, tension, and fatigue, and more effective self-regulation.

Benefit 7: Decreases Diabetes Symptoms

Diabetes has reached epidemic proportions globally, and yoga offers a scientifically validated complementary therapy for its management. Regular yoga practice lowers blood sugar levels, improves glucose metabolism, and increases insulin sensitivity — all of which slow the rate of disease progression and reduce the severity of complications. The boost in heart rate experienced during yoga improves cardiovascular function, which is particularly important given that diabetes significantly elevates the risk of heart disease.[2]

Yoga also addresses the psychological dimensions of diabetes management. Cravings for sweets — a common symptom — can be reduced through deep breathing, meditation, and the enhanced mind-body awareness that yoga cultivates. By helping practitioners make more conscious dietary choices, yoga addresses the lifestyle factors that are most critical to long-term diabetes management.

Benefit 8: Regulates Adrenal Glands

Adrenal fatigue syndrome, characterized by chronic cortisol dysregulation, produces a constellation of debilitating symptoms including persistent fatigue, disrupted sleep, anxiety, and immune suppression. The condition arises from sustained activation of the “fight or flight” response, typically due to prolonged stress. Yoga directly addresses this pathology through its emphasis on controlled breathing, which is the most powerful voluntary mechanism for modulating the autonomic nervous system.[2]

By reducing the overall stress burden on the body, yoga lowers cortisol levels and allows the adrenal glands to recover. The meditative aspects of yoga also provide the mind with an opportunity to disengage from the repetitive negative thoughts that perpetuate adrenal dysregulation. Regular practitioners report significant improvements in energy levels, sleep quality, and immune function.

Benefit 9: Strengthens Bones

Osteoporosis is a major public health concern, particularly among post-menopausal women and the elderly. Weight-bearing activities are the gold standard intervention for bone density maintenance, and yoga qualifies as such an activity. Unlike high-impact exercises that can damage cartilage and stress joints, yoga creates tension on the bone through the sustained holding of weight-bearing poses, which stimulates osteoblast activity and builds bone density.[2]

Research has shown that as few as twelve yoga poses, held for 30 seconds each and performed daily, can be sufficient to increase bone density in the spine, arms, and legs. Furthermore, yoga’s stress-reducing properties lower cortisol levels, which is significant because elevated cortisol is a major contributor to calcium loss from bones.

Benefit 10: Improves Respiration

Yoga is fundamentally a practice of the breath. While most adults breathe at a rate of 14 to 20 breaths per minute — three to four times the optimal rate of 5 to 6 breaths per minute — yoga trains practitioners to breathe slowly, deeply, and consciously. This shift in breathing pattern has profound physiological consequences. Slow, deep breathing signals to the brain that the environment is safe, reducing stress hormones and deactivating the sympathetic nervous system.[4]

Beyond stress reduction, yogic breathing increases chest wall expansion and lung volumes. Clinical studies have shown that pranayamic breathing exercises significantly improve symptoms in patients with bronchial asthma. Northwestern Medicine physician Dr. Anna B. Shannahan confirms that “yoga has been shown to improve many aspects of lung function and even appears to be useful in asthma treatment.”[4]

Benefit 11: Manages Chronic Pain

Chronic pain affects hundreds of millions of people worldwide and is one of the most challenging conditions to treat. Yoga addresses chronic pain through multiple mechanisms. For pain arising from musculoskeletal conditions such as arthritis, fibromyalgia, or back injury, the gentle stretching and range-of-motion exercises of yoga directly reduce tension and improve function. The increased oxygen flow to brain and muscle tissues that results from yogic breathing improves energy levels and general well-being, making pain more manageable.[2]

At the neurological level, yoga appears to increase gray matter volume in brain regions associated with pain processing and to strengthen white matter connectivity. Researchers believe that the reduction of gray matter and weakened connectivity are among the most significant factors in chronic pain conditions. By reversing these changes, yoga addresses chronic pain at its neurological root. Additionally, yoga’s stress-reduction benefits help practitioners develop a more measured, non-reactive relationship with pain, reducing the anticipatory anxiety that often amplifies pain perception.

Benefit 12: Reduces Allergy Symptoms

Allergies occur when the immune system mounts an excessive response to harmless substances, releasing histamines that produce symptoms ranging from nasal congestion to anaphylaxis. Yoga addresses allergy susceptibility through multiple pathways. Its stress-reduction benefits directly improve immune function, since chronic stress is one of the primary drivers of immune dysregulation. Yoga also reduces systemic inflammation, which worsens allergy symptoms and increases the severity of attacks.[2]

Traditional yoga practices include kriyas — cleansing techniques — that have direct relevance to allergy management. Jala neti, the gentle cleansing of the nasal passages with saline solution, physically removes allergens, viruses, and pollutants from the nasal mucosa. Rapid breathing exercises (kapalabhati) help clear the respiratory tract and strengthen the mucosal immune response.

Benefit 13: Increases Fertility

Infertility affects approximately 15% of couples worldwide, and stress is a significant contributing factor. The enzyme alpha-amylase, released under stress, has been shown to impair fertility in women. Yoga’s stress-reduction benefits therefore directly address one of the most common physiological barriers to conception. Additionally, yoga increases blood flow to the reproductive organs, improving their function and supporting hormonal balance.[2]

Targeted fertility yoga practices incorporate specific poses designed to nurture and strengthen the endocrine and reproductive systems. These include poses that stimulate the ovaries and uterus, strengthen the pelvic floor, and balance the hormonal axis. Such practices are increasingly recommended by integrative medicine practitioners as a complementary approach to conventional fertility treatments.

Benefit 14: Balances Metabolism

Metabolism — the biochemical process by which the body converts food into energy — is influenced by multiple factors, including muscle mass, circulation, and digestive efficiency. Yoga positively affects all of these. The weight-bearing features of many yoga poses build muscle mass in both large and small muscle groups, and since muscle tissue burns more calories than fat, this directly increases the basal metabolic rate.[2]

Yoga also improves circulation by opening arteries and reducing vascular pressure through deep breathing, ensuring that organs receive adequate nutrients and oxygen for optimal metabolic function. Twisting poses and abdominal engagement stimulate the digestive organs, facilitating the efficient processing of food and the elimination of metabolic waste products.

Benefit 15: Improves Sleep Quality

Sleep deprivation is a global epidemic, with the majority of adults failing to achieve the recommended 7 to 9 hours of quality sleep per night. The consequences — impaired cognition, mood dysregulation, immune suppression, and increased risk of chronic disease — are severe. Yoga addresses the most common causes of poor sleep through its calming effect on the nervous system. By training the mind to disengage from anxious thought and focus on the breath, yoga provides practitioners with a powerful tool for achieving the mental quietude necessary for restful sleep.[2]

Specific yoga sequences performed before bedtime — including Uttanasana (Standing Forward Bend), Halasana (Plow Pose), and Savasana (Corpse Pose) — have been shown to significantly improve sleep onset and quality. Kundalini yoga sequences incorporating long, slow breathing and meditation are particularly effective for those with chronic insomnia.

Benefit 16: Enhances Range of Motion

Range of motion decreases with age as joint tissue thickens, cartilage diminishes, and muscle mass declines. This progressive restriction of movement creates a self-reinforcing cycle: reduced mobility leads to inactivity, which leads to further deterioration. Yoga interrupts this cycle through its emphasis on controlled, prolonged stretching. The sustained holding of poses elongates muscles and promotes joint flexibility without the joint stress associated with high-impact exercise.[2]

Clinical evidence demonstrates that a consistent yoga practice not only preserves range of motion but actively reverses flexibility deficits in individuals of all ages. The gentle, progressive nature of yoga makes it accessible to those with existing mobility limitations, and its benefits can be maintained throughout the lifetime.

Benefit 17: Helps Treat Arthritis

Arthritis — whether the autoimmune form (rheumatoid arthritis) or the degenerative form (osteoarthritis) — is characterized by painful joint inflammation that severely limits quality of life. Conventional exercise is recommended for arthritis management, but the pain associated with the condition makes many forms of exercise intolerable. Yoga is uniquely suited to arthritis management because it is exceptionally gentle on the joints while still providing the movement and muscle strengthening that the condition requires.[2]

The focused breathing of yoga helps practitioners distance themselves from chronic pain, while the muscle-building effects of regular practice help stabilize and protect vulnerable joints. Psychologically, yoga reduces the depression and anxiety that frequently accompany chronic pain conditions, improving overall coping ability and sense of well-being.

Benefit 18: Promotes a Healthy Lifestyle

The cumulative effect of yoga’s physical and psychological benefits is a profound transformation in lifestyle orientation. The self-awareness cultivated through yoga practice tends to generalize beyond the mat, leading practitioners to make healthier choices in diet, relationships, and daily habits. Research confirms that yoga practitioners are more likely to adopt other health-promoting behaviors, including improved nutrition, reduced alcohol consumption, and increased engagement in other forms of physical activity.[2]

This cascade of positive behavioral change means that yoga functions not merely as a discrete health intervention but as a gateway to a fundamentally healthier way of living. The increase in overall quality of life associated with regular yoga practice has been linked to measurable improvements in longevity and subjective well-being.

Summary Table of the 18 Benefits

The Corruption of Yoga: A Scholarly Critique

Having catalogued the remarkable physical and psychological benefits that science has confirmed, we must now turn to a far more serious and urgent question: What has been lost? The answer is devastating. The Western world has taken one of the most profound spiritual sciences ever developed by the human race, and reduced it to a fitness class. This is not merely a cultural misunderstanding. It is a spiritual catastrophe of the first order.

The global yoga industry is estimated to be worth over $80 billion, with the United States alone accounting for more than $36 billion. Yoga studios, yoga clothing brands, yoga apps, yoga retreats, and yoga certifications proliferate in every city. Yet in the vast majority of these commercial contexts, the word “yoga” refers to nothing more than a series of physical postures (asanas) performed to music, with occasional references to “mindfulness” or “inner peace” that bear no relationship to the rigorous metaphysical framework from which these practices emerged.[6]

Academic scholars have documented this transformation with increasing alarm. A landmark study published in Frontiers in Communication by Mary Grace Antony describes how yoga has been “discursively detached from its religious origins” and “rearticulated as a means to achieve physical, emotional, and mental wellbeing” — a process the author identifies as cultural appropriation and symbolic displacement.[7] Research published in the Journal of Communication and Religion describes how yoga’s spiritual discourse has been “consciously stripped, sterilized” to make it palatable for Western secular consumers.[8] The Hindu American Foundation’s “Take Back Yoga” campaign has explicitly condemned “the delinking of yoga from its Hindu roots” and “the erroneous idea that yoga is primarily a physical practice.”[7]

A 2021 study published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health found that Western yoga classes are largely devoid of spirituality, with instructors themselves acknowledging that “Westernized yoga lacks spirituality.”[9] The study found that the spiritual dimensions of yoga — the very dimensions that constitute its essence — have been systematically excised from mainstream practice.

This corruption is not accidental. It is the predictable result of applying the logic of consumer capitalism to a sacred tradition. The fitness industry discovered that yoga’s physical benefits could be marketed profitably without requiring practitioners to engage with its challenging metaphysical demands. The result is a product that is commercially successful precisely because it has been spiritually gutted. As one scholar notes, yoga has been transformed “from a sacred movement into a thriving global market,” with the process of commodification requiring the systematic erasure of its spiritual content.[10]

The tragedy is compounded by the fact that the physical benefits of yoga — as impressive as they are — represent only the most superficial layer of what the practice was designed to achieve. The ancient masters who developed yoga were not interested in lower blood pressure or improved flexibility. They were pursuing the most radical transformation imaginable: the complete dissolution of the ego-self and the realization of identity with the infinite, eternal, undivided consciousness that underlies all existence. The physical practices were merely preparatory — tools to purify and stabilize the body so that it could sustain the far more demanding work of spiritual realization.

Scriptural Evidence of Yoga’s Divine Purpose

The original texts of the yoga tradition speak with one voice on this matter. There is no ambiguity, no room for reinterpretation. The purpose of yoga is the union of the individual soul with the Supreme Self. Any practice that does not orient itself toward this goal is not yoga in any meaningful sense of the word.

The Devi Gita, a central text of the Shakta tradition embedded within the Devi Bhagavata Purana, provides the most unequivocal statement of yoga’s true purpose:

This verse is devastating in its clarity. The goal of yoga is not found in the heavens — not in any external religious reward. It is not found on earth — not in physical health, material prosperity, or social well-being. It is not found in the underworld — not in any esoteric or occult attainment. It is found in one place and one place only: the union of the individual soul (jiva) with the supreme Self (Paramatman). This is the definition given by “skilled adepts” — those who have actually realized the truth of yoga through direct experience, not merely theoretical study or physical practice.

The Devi Gita further elaborates on the nature of this realization, declaring: “Being Brahman, the person who knows Brahman attains Brahman” (7.31–32).[11] This is not a metaphor. It is a precise description of the non-dual realization that constitutes the ultimate goal of yoga: the recognition that the individual self is not separate from the Divine, but is, in its deepest nature, identical with it.

The Bhagavad Gita, the most widely read of all yoga scriptures, is equally unambiguous. Lord Krishna describes the true yogi not as one who has mastered physical postures, but as one who has achieved complete spiritual integration:

And again, Krishna exhorts the seeker to elevate the self through the self, not through external means:

The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, the foundational systematic text of classical yoga philosophy, defines yoga in its very opening verses — and the definition has nothing to do with physical postures:

Patanjali’s definition of yoga is chitta vritti nirodha — the stilling of the mind’s fluctuations. The entire eightfold path (Ashtanga Yoga) that Patanjali describes — ethical restraints (yamas), personal observances (niyamas), physical postures (asanas), breath control (pranayama), sense withdrawal (pratyahara), concentration (dharana), meditation (dhyana), and absorption (samadhi) — is oriented toward this single goal. The asanas constitute only one eighth of the path, and their purpose is explicitly preparatory: to stabilize the body so that the practitioner can sit in meditation for extended periods without physical discomfort. The idea that the asanas alone constitute yoga would be as absurd to Patanjali as the idea that learning to hold a pen constitutes the practice of literature.

The Katha Upanishad, one of the most revered of the ancient Vedantic texts, makes the ultimate goal of yoga unmistakably clear:

The Mundaka Upanishad describes the ultimate realization of yoga in terms that leave no room for a merely physical interpretation:

The Bhavana Upanishad identifies the supreme divinity as the very Self of the practitioner: “The supreme divinity, Lalita, is one’s own blissful Self” (1.27).[11] This is the non-dual realization that yoga was designed to facilitate: the recognition that the Divine Mother, the supreme reality, is not an external deity to be worshipped from a distance, but the very ground of one’s own being.

The Devi Gita also makes clear that liberation — the true goal of yoga — is attained through knowledge and devotion, not through physical practice alone:

Against this overwhelming scriptural consensus, the modern Western yoga industry stands exposed as a profound betrayal of the tradition it claims to represent. To sell yoga as a tool for weight loss, toned abs, or stress management — while systematically suppressing its metaphysical content — is to commit the spiritual equivalent of selling a great cathedral as a venue for corporate events. The building may still be beautiful, and the events may be enjoyable, but the sacred purpose for which it was built has been desecrated.

The corruption is particularly acute because the physical benefits of yoga are real and significant. This makes it easy for practitioners and teachers to justify the secularization: “Look how much good we are doing. Look at the health benefits we are providing.” But this argument misses the point entirely. The ancient masters were not opposed to physical health — they recognized that a healthy body is a better vehicle for spiritual practice. But they were absolutely clear that physical health is a means, not an end. To mistake the means for the end is not a minor error. It is a fundamental inversion of the entire purpose of the tradition.

Conclusion

This paper has presented two parallel truths that must be held together without allowing either to obscure the other. The first truth is that yoga, even in its most secularized Western form, confers extraordinary physical and psychological benefits. The 18 benefits reviewed here — from cardiovascular improvement and neurological enhancement to pain management, metabolic balance, and enhanced quality of life — are well-documented in peer-reviewed scientific literature and represent a genuine contribution to human health and well-being.

The second truth is that these 18 benefits, remarkable as they are, represent only the outermost shell of what yoga was designed to achieve. The ancient tradition from which yoga emerged was not interested in producing healthier bodies or calmer minds as ends in themselves. It was interested in the most radical transformation conceivable: the dissolution of the illusion of separateness and the realization of the individual soul’s identity with the infinite, eternal, undivided consciousness that underlies all existence. This is the goal defined by the Devi Gita (5.2), the Bhagavad Gita (6:27), the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali (1.2–3), the Katha Upanishad (2.3.10–11), and every other authoritative text in the yoga tradition.

The Western fitness industry has taken this ancient science of liberation and transformed it into a commodity. In doing so, it has not merely adapted yoga to a new cultural context — it has fundamentally corrupted it. The corruption is not incidental but structural: it is built into the commercial logic that drives the industry. A yoga that demands the dissolution of the ego cannot be marketed to an ego-driven consumer culture. And so the ego-dissolving elements of yoga — the metaphysical framework, the ethical disciplines, the meditative practices, the orientation toward moksha — have been systematically removed, leaving only the physical shell.

Those who practice yoga in its secularized Western form are not without benefit. But they are, in the deepest sense, practicing a shadow of the tradition. They are receiving the crumbs that fall from the table of a feast they have never been invited to attend. The invitation is still open. The ancient texts still speak. The path to union with the Divine — the true goal of yoga — remains available to all who have the courage to pursue it beyond the yoga mat, beyond the fitness studio, and into the depths of their own consciousness.

As the Devi Gita declares with absolute clarity: the goal is not in the heavens, not on earth, not in the underworld. It is in the union of the individual soul and the supreme Self. That is yoga. Everything else is preparation.