Whether they are precise depictions of recognizable reality or esoteric representations of the inner world, their roles are significant.Virabhadrasana II Pose Yoga Throughout all of civilization, symbols have provided the power of communication in art, religion, ritual, and written text.Virabhadrasana II Pose Yoga They are a part of the many layers of our lives, from our intuition to our emotional and spiritual states. Within the context of spirituality and religion, and particularly here within the tradition of yoga, these symbols help to provide an added dimension to understanding the importance of the vocabulary and the history of yoga.
It is important to keep in mind, however, that when discussing symbols, their representations and meanings vary on a spectrum of many different cultural perspectives. According to Carl Jung for further reading, see Jung, ed., Man and His Symbols, London: Arkana, 1990, a pioneering theorist on the meaning of symbols, symbolism is a part of a universal language and an integral part of understanding the psychic process. For Jung, archetypal symbols, for example, can be used to explore the conscious and unconscious mind and to better understand oneself.
