Yoga vs Meditation: Are They the Same Thing?

In the West, yoga means postures and meditation means sitting still. But the original meaning of yoga encompasses all of meditation - and much more. Here is what most people get wrong.

The Great Misunderstanding Walk into any yoga studio in America and you will find people stretching, sweating, and holding poses.

Walk into a meditation center and you will find people sitting still with their eyes closed.

Here is the thing most people miss.These two activities look completely different - and in the modern Western context, they are treated as separate practices.

But this separation is a modern invention. A marketing gimmick, really. In the classical tradition, yoga and meditation are not two different things . Meditation is yoga. Yoga is meditation.