“Sadness gives depth. Happiness gives height. Sadness gives roots. Happiness gives branches. Happiness is like a tree going into the sky, and sadness is like the roots going down into the womb of the earth. Both are needed, and the higher a tree goes, the deeper it goes, simultaneously. The bigger the tree, the bigger will be its roots. In fact, it is always in proportion. That’s its balance.” - Osho The "thing" that we are striving most to obtain by training is balance. This balance not only physically, but mentally and emotionally too. We strive to bring balance to every part of our lives, inner and outer. In order to find balance, we sometimes must know the depths of things, but it takes courage to face some things in their depth regardless if they are good or bad.
On the mat, we are confronted physically but there is a huge mental/emotional component as well. The more one trains, the more comfortable they get with themselves and it is with this repetitiveness that we gain an understanding of ourselves. The entirety of the technique then becomes a metaphor for how to deal with life. We are confronted, we maintain balance, and we address the situation appropriately. It then does not matter if they situation is physical, mental or emotional; it all gets addressed the same - with balance.