There are few subjects relating to spiritual development so critically important and yet so incompletely understood as Yoga. Although the interest in Yoga that started in the West during the 1960?s has abated to some degree, the teaching of the various forms of the discipline has become well-established. In many cases, those who practise Yoga as it is generally taught in the West do so primarily as a means to improve health, reduce stress or maintain physical fitness. The other aspect of Yoga given much attention is the control over the physical body that can be gained by long practice of its physical disciplines. Sensational accounts of yogis who can perform amazing feats of bodily control, such as suspension of breathing for extended periods of time, conscious control of the heartbeat and the ability to increase body heat in freezing temperatures get wide publicity. There are stories of yogis who can fly, live to an advanced age or perform amazing psychic feats. Although these stories are, for the most part, never properly verified, the general impression exists, both in the East and West, that Yoga can bestow magical or occult powers on those who learn its deepest secrets. But, as Gopi Krishna points out, there is much more to Yoga than its benefits to health, control over the body and potential for developing paranormal abilities. The significance of Yoga, and the purpose for which the discipline as a whole was really designed
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