In the west, over the last few decades Yoga has gone from a topic, which seemed like taboo, to a topic which is regarded as an important topic for many reasons. The health benefits seem to be the biggest reason for the uptake of yoga in the west.
Yoga is a very old form of meditation. It does not just stop at meditation, however it encompasses visioning, and some other aspects which could be termed as paranormal. So, why would anyone want to meditate, and why are so many people doing yoga meditation?
In the west we have seen many changes happen in society. These changes which have gone from manual labor to what we have today, the service industry. This information age that we find ourselves in, is an age which puts in front computers. Computers operate at fast speeds. Computers, of course are technology creations. These are technologies, and by our use of time saving, we have done the opposite, and that is to go ever faster.
Life is fast paced today. In France several hundred years ago, if a king passed away, it could have taken a century before everyone heard the news! Today, this kind of information can get anywhere in the world. Think of this article, it is worldwide. You could read it, speak to your friends, and before long, everyone has read this article!
So, what does this have to do with the popularity of Yoga meditation in the west? It is simply, this fast paced society we find ourselves in. People can’t seem to have time to think. Ask someone to take a time out and breath deeply for a few seconds, and it seems like if they do, the world would run ahead, leaving them behind. But, this doesn’t provide answers.
The monarchic, monotheistic religions have not answered many questions. How do you get peace of mind in a fast paced world? The key is meditation, and yoga meditation is helping more and more people find that peace of mind. The world is not going to run off, and you will actually have much more energy and the ability to make the smart choices in life.
Yoga meditations main benefit is the spiritual aspect. In fact in the east that is the whole point of yoga meditation, to seek connection with the spiritual. Though this view of doing yoga meditation is more foreign in the west, more and more people understand that for them it may be the best way to get that spiritual connection which is essential in life.
The spiritual connection is not the main reason why people practice yoga in the west. For many the health benefits are the main reason of doing yoga mediation. The benefits are numerous, however, to touch on some, we have peace of mind, lower heart beat rate, and more flexibility in joints.
As we continue into the future, people need answers. Long gone is the view that we have to rush ahead. Technology is here to make life easier. Think of a room with Ikea furniture, and computers, even perhaps a setting such as Earth on Star Track, and you will find that the spiritual dimension is an important part of life. Yoga meditation will continue to be popular for the future in the west, as it has been for the ancients of India and Tibet.

From: www.swamij.com http The goal of Yoga is Yoga itself, union itself, of the little self and the True Self, a process of awakening to the preexisting union that is called Yoga. Yoga, Sankhya, Vedanta, and Tantra view the human as manifesting outward step-by-step, whereby the subtler consciousness projects evermore outward, and then gradually forgets those subtler levels. Yoga or “Union” is attained by first training, balancing, and purifying each of the aspects of our being individually, and then systematically receding attention inward through those levels, expanding so as to experience the state of Union, Yoga, Samadhi, or Turiya. ( more )