What is yoga?

What is yoga?
The majority of people would answer this with "Its an exercise for flexibility and meditation". This is correct in the sense that there is a physical portion of yoga that is used as a form of practice in unifying the body and the mind.
This is practiced by connecting mindful breathing techniques with the different physical positions to get the mind in sync with what the body is doing. This mind-body connection is one of the integral values of yoga. To fully understand yoga, one must look deeper than the physical aspect and see that the true focus of yoga has so much more to do with the mind.

One of the greatest mysteries remaining in science today is the mind and consciousness. While Western scientists have only recently begun using modern techniques to explore the mind, yogic sciences have been used for thousands of years to probe and unlock the mind. In one of the first sutras that govern yoga philosophies, the main goal of yoga is to travel through the Eight Limbs of Yoga to reach the final and absolute bliss of enlightenment.

The Eight Limbs of Yoga follow the life path of a lotus flower. Its starts down at the root which is imbedded in the soil of the pond. This is the darkest point in the life of the lotus. As the lotus grows, it is getting closer and closer to the surface of the water and the sun light. When the lotus reaches the surface, it is nourished by the light and blooms.
This path is used to describe a yogis journey through their yoga practice up until the final bliss and enlightenment of Samadhi. A yogi starts in the dark, knowing very little about them self and being unaware of their true self. As the yogi practices and goes through the Eight Limbs, they are becoming more and more enlightened from each step. The yogi is at the final step of their yoga practice when the lotus of their mind blooms and they reach the ultimate bliss of life, becoming one with their true self and their mind.

The physical aspects of yoga are seen on the Eight Limbs as Asana (Postures) and Pranayama (Breathing). When the majority of people say that yoga is about physical poses and meditation, they are correct, but they do not capture yoga as a whole. Now when someone asks the question "What is yoga?" a full definition would include the physical poses and breathing, but also self betterment using the Eight Limbs of Yoga.