Yoga Mala - The Goal of Yoga

" Nishkama karma (nish = without - kama = desire, karma=action) An action performed without a wish or desire for the 'fruits' or results of such action. The ultimate yogic ideal is to perform all actions without desire for personal gain, and to offer instead the fruits of all actions to God.
Performing actions with the mind directed toward results increases ego and keeps us bonded to the idea of I and Mine, while offering the fruits of actions to God leads toward surrender to the divine will and liberation from the idea of a separate self."

"The phrase Universal Self is a translation of the word Atman. According to Vedanta, the Atman is the soul of man, and all souls are part of an infinite, all-pervading Supreme Spirit.
The Supreme Self/Universal Self/Indwelling Spirit or just Self refers to our higher, unchanging, eternal nature of pure consciousness, truth and bliss."

"The way of establishing the mind in the Self should be known as yoga.
Yoga chitta vritti nirodhaha Yoga is the process of ending the definitions of the field of consciousness."

"By the strength gained through this practice, we can come to know the method for bringing the mind and sense organs under control. Thus can we achieve yoga. For it is only through the control of the mind and sense organs that we come to know our true nature, and not through intellectual knowledge, or by putting on the garb of a yogi."

"How can we make the mind one-pointed so that we may see the Universal Self? This is what Ashtanga Yoga teaches. The word Ashtanga means eight limbs, or steps, and these comprise:
Yama
Niyama
Asana
Pranayama
Pratyahara
Dharana
Dhyana
Samadhi