Hi Near:
Rather than a specific objective, what is most important in yoga is spiritual desire, or bhakti, which is by nature always looking for more growth. That is the engine that drives all spiritual development.
And yes, the level of our bhakti will color the results in our practices. It is our heart instinctively calling for God or Truth within us that increases the effectiveness of our yoga. It is not that we engage in inner rituals in our practice. It is the innate resident attraction we feel for the divine that has the effect. So be mindful not to burden the specific procedures of yoga practice with mental exercises that are not resident bhakti -- only ritual trying to stimulate bhakti. Better to be doing our bhakti generating activities outside our other yoga practices. Review lesson #67 on that.
http://www.aypsite.com/plus/67.htmlIt is a fact that if we fix our desire on a single outcome, like physical health, we may not be motivated to do the practices that reach beyond physical health all the way in to our inner divinity. Bhakti is the prerequisite for making those choices, and it is also a product of sound spiritual practices...
Bhakti has an object, called "ishta" (chosen ideal), but it is not fixed. Rather, it is constantly expanding and morphing toward the infinite. That is the nature of the object which we imbue with divine qualities within us. Bhakti is a process going on deep inside us that yields divine results, much like samyama. That is the difference between having a material goal and having bhakti. Bhakti has no limits. So much so that we have to self-pace bhakti sometimes to keep from frying in our own spiritual enthusiasm!
What is the source of bhakti? Our own inner desire for freedom, which is an aspect of our inner silence. That is why meditation invariably lights the fire of bhakti. Rising bhakti is a symptom of rising inner silence. It is the guru moving within us. And it is pure love.
I once knew a sage who used to say: "Oh God, Thou art the goal in me!"
That is the kind of goal-setting yogis do. It leaves the field wide open for treading the path by whatever means that will bring the desired result.
The guru is in you.
PS -- Btw, "enlightement" as an object is a material goal. But it is a good stepping stone goal on the way to something more -- surrender to God or Truth. So, "enlightenment" is not anything really. Just a word. That is why I say we can't have it until we give it away. See this lesson on "getting enlightenment."
http://www.aypsite.com/plus/120.html