In order to comprehend the philosophies of Yoga, a subject should first know the 5 basic truths or dimensions of the physical world around which these philosophies exist, which are given in the scriptures such as the Vedas, Bhagavad-Gita, Srimad-Bhagavatam and the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali amongst others. The 5 basic truths or dimensions are :

Isvara : The Supreme controller or the Divine reality-God, the eternal force which governs the universe. God is infinite, omnipotent, omnipresent, perfect, divine and eternal.

Jivas :  The quantum living entity living as consciousness in all living beings is called Jiva. As tiny sparks fly from a fire, likewise all the individual Jivas come from the Supreme. The Jivas engulfed by a physical body may have different powers, sizes and shapes but, are the same in quality with the Supreme.

Prakriti & The 3 Gunas of Nature : Prakrti or Prakriti is the material matter which makes the universe. It can also be called as nature. Nature acts through three different modes or qualities called gunas – Tamas (ignorance), Rajas (passion), Sattva (goodness). In Tamsic action, we have an inert personality which is subject to and satisfied with material aspect of nature without any effort at a freer action or mastery. In Rajasic action we have the restless, active personality which forces nature to serve its needs and desires without really understanding the need of doing so. In Sattvic action we try to live as an enlightened personality working on reason and truth.

Kala : It is the transcendent time dimension of existence of the material nature. The change of time applies to everything in the physical world.

The Law of Karma : The Law of Karma states that for every action there is a reaction or in other words, you will reap whatever you sow. Furthermore, ignorance of the law is no excuse. We are still accountable for everything we do. Karma is produced by performing fruitive activities for bodily or mental development. One may perform pious activities that will produce good reactions or good Karma for future happiness. Or, one may perform selfish or what some call sinful activities that produce bad karma and future suffering.