Going beyond the mind is the experience of yoga

"Yoga does not mean just postures, asanas - you know, taking your leg and putting it over your head - is not yoga. Postures or practice or asanas helps you purify your body, helps you cleanse your mind and all those thoughts that go in the head all the time, helps you settle it down, so that you are prepared for that deeper experience of yoga. You know that going beyond the mind is the experience of yoga.

See if there are too many ripples on the surface of a pond you cannot see the depth of the pond, right? So to be able to see the depth of the pond you have to first settle the down the ripples on the surface and a quiet, peaceful, rested mind is the key to the experience of yoga. So through the asanas we are doing, we are just quieting the surface of the pond. Settling the ripples and admiring the depth of the pond is yoga."

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar