The objective of Yoga is to extend our awareness beyond our bodies and our minds to the spirit (Prana) – the universal life energy (Chaitanya Shakti) that lies dormant in each and everyone of us. When our awareness merges with the Chaitanya, we get happiness and satisfaction in all aspects, eventually leading to external bliss. This union of our awareness with the Chaitanya is the true meaning of the term Yoga, which means 'Union' in Sanskrit. The dormant sliver of Chaitanya Shakti, which resides in all of us, is referred to in Yoga terminology as Kundalini Shakti (Kundalini Energy). Since our brains are usually filled with the physical and mental clutter of our day-to-day lives, the Kundalini in most of us gets pushed to the opposite end of our nervous system – the base of our spine (Muladhara Chakra). There it lies dormant in its subtle form, leaving most of us completely unaware of its existence throughout our lives. However, it is our very own portion of the Chaitanya, which, if activated or awakened, will eventually find its way to our spiritual center in the brain (Sahasrara Chakra), leading to our own awareness merging with the Chaitanya – achieving self-realization. Over the centuries, philosophers, seers, and Yogis in India have developed several Yoga approaches, including Hatha Yoga, with its emphasis on physical postures (asanas), besides making the body worry-free and supple. This practice was primarily developed to get the mind focused on the slow and deliberate execution of those postures, reducing brain clutter and enabling the Yogi's awareness to unite with the Chaitanya."