We all know what pain is.
Prehistoric humans felt pain as they were scorched by heat and lashed by the vagaries of nature.
Modern humans also feel pain as they are scorched by stress and strain that afflicts their bodies and minds.
The science of yoga begins with the subject of sorrow and provides a solution for overcoming pain.
Yoga aims at the purification of the body and mind, which results in emancipation from suffering. By regular and dedicated practice of the eight components of yoga, the impurities of the practitioner's body, mind and intelligence are removed, and one is bestowed with spiritual light and wisdom.
Sage Patanjali, author of the Yoga Sutras, describes the five afflictions and the nine obstacles as imperfections in the health of the body and the state of mind.
