India, June 21 -- Every year on International Yoga Day, parks, studios, and community centers around the world fill with people practicing yoga. Most participants focus on physical postures, breathing exercises, and flexibility. Yet, according to spiritual teachers, yoga was never intended to be limited to movement alone.

According to Shubham Singh of Aathman Awareness Centre, "Yoga was never merely about touching your toes or mastering difficult postures. It was always an invitation to come home to yourself".

The word yoga comes from the Sanskrit rootyuj, meaning "to unite." In traditional teachings, yoga refers to the union of the individual self with a higher state of awareness.

According to Shubham Singh of Aatman Awareness Centre,...