The ultimate objective of yoga is Kaivalya, a sanskrit term for liberation or freedom. In chapter four of the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali it describes a key component of self awareness in attaining this ultimate goal. Freedom is accessible through the practice of yoga and the process of tuning inward to harmonizing mind body and soul. It requires constant commitment, dedication and dispassion.
Sutra 4.25
For one who has experienced this distinction between seer and this subtlest mind, the false identities and even the curiosity about the nature of one’s own self come to an end.
Sutra 4.26
Then the mind is inclined towards the highest discrimination, and gravitates towards absolute liberation between seer and seen.
Balanced Self-Conscious Awareness is the Goal.
Quotes on Freedom:
“Him that I love, I wish to be free — even from me.” ~ Anne Marrow Lindbergh
“We seek peace, knowing that peace is the climate of freedom.” ~ Dwight D. Eisenhower
“Freedom is what you do with what’s been done to you.” ~ Jean-Paul Sartre
“All religions, arts and sciences are branches of the same tree. All these aspirations are directed toward ennobling man’s life, lifting it from a sphere of mere physical existence and leading the individual towards freedom.” ~ Albert Einstein
“Decision is a risk rooted in the courage of being free.” ~ Paul Tilich