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What
Is Yoga?
P.
Govindarajan
Man,
as a social being, should be interested in the improvement
of his personality. His physical appearance in terms of build,
constitution, complexion, genetic inheritance, height, physical
handicaps etc. have to be accepted as given by nature and
man can do nothing about his physical endowments. However,
his defective mental traits - in terms of incorrect attitudes,
wrong beliefs, false convictions, dogmas etc. can certainly
be changed for the better. Yoga can greatly benefit us in
this regard.
The
improved functioning of mind can be effected through the practice
of Yoga. Research studies conducted by medical experts have
revealed that the practice of Yoga benefits both body and
mind. Some seals discovered in Indus Valley reveal that Yoga
has been practised in India from prehistoric times.
The
ritualistic part in the Vedas deals only with sacrificial
worship and does not make any mention about meditation or
Yoga that finds a place only in the Upanishads. Yoga literally
means yoking of consciousness with the spark of Divinity within.
Yoga
in Practice
Yoga,
like all other sciences, combines theory with practical application.
Those who seek mental perfection through Yoga should have
a clear idea of theory in order to practise meditation correctly.
The Upanishads and the Bhagavad Gita are considered
as the original source books on Yoga. They teach the inseparable
relationship between conscious self and Divine Spirit and
this 'know-how' is a very essential prerequisite for the correct
practice of yoga, as wrong methodology adopted may harm both
the body and the mind. Yoga makes practical use of the theoretical
knowledge for yoking consciousness with the Divine Spirit
to purify and perfect itself and it will, therefore, be useful
to know the methodology and technique of Yoga taught by the
Upanishads and the Gita.
Yoga
in the Upanishads and the Gita
The
most popular Kathopanishad that makes specific mention
of Adhyatma Yoga, i.e., meditation on the inner Self, says:
'That firm control of the senses is Yoga. Then the yogi becomes
free from all vagaries of mind; for the Yoga can be acquired
and lost.' Another Upanishad details the various benefits
of Yoga in these words: 'It is said that the first signs of
entering Yoga are lightness of body, health, desirelessness
of mind, clearness of complexion, beautiful voice, agreeable
odour and scantiness of excretions.' The Gita advocates moderation
and temperance and says: 'Yoga is for him who is moderate
in food and recreation, who is moderate in works, who is moderate
in sleep and wakefulness; Yoga destroys all sorrows.' It adds
that yogi gains infinite happiness which can be grasped by
the intellect but is beyond the range of senses, wherein established,
the yogi swerves not from truth and having gained Yoga, he
holds that there is no greater gain beyond it.
The
Mundakopanishad refers to two birds of beautiful plumage,
which are inseparable companions, residing on the same tree.
This highly symbolical language refers to individual self,
as the centre of consciousness, and the Self Supreme. These
two birds are said to be interdependent and inseparable as
consciousness cannot exist in body without life and life can
have no meaning or serve any useful purpose without consciousness.
Kathopanishad (1.3.1) says: 'There are two (selves)
in the world which have entered into intelligence in the supreme
cavity of heart enjoying the results of their deeds. The knowers
of Brahman (Vedas) call them as light and shade.'
The
reference to these two entities in the body is more clearly
brought out in the Bhagavad Gita, which says: 'One
should uplift the lower animal self (mind) by the higher self
(Buddhi); one should not degrade one's self, for the self
(mind) is both friend and foe of the self (Buddhi).' Memory
is the storehouse of both good and bad tendencies and the
bad should not be allowed to score over the good. For the
practice of Yoga the inherent difference between the lower
animal self and the higher self should be clearly known.
Both
Upanishads and the Gita make mention of the perishable
body, the mind and the Self that form a triad in unity. Yoga
means the yoking of consciousness of the lower self to the
higher Self and unless the distinction between them is clearly
understood, the practice of Yoga as taught in the most ancient
scriptures cannot be undertaken correctly. When the brain
ceases to function due to irreparable loss of consciousness,
physicians declare this state as Brain Death. However, life
still lingers in the body, as the heart continues to function
pumping blood to the various organs. Life can be considered
as totally extinct only when the heart stops beating. This
life forms part of the complicated individual self. In order
to practise Yoga the right way, a strong theoretical foundation
about the two selves should be laid by a careful study of
the Upanishads and the Gita.
Types
of Yoga
The
three essential functions of human mind are its thinking,
feeling and willing faculties. Individuals are temperamentally
very different, as their interests and inclinations vary widely.
Keeping this in view, the Gita advocates Jnana Yoga
(path of Knowledge) for thinking people, Bhakti (devotion)
for the emotional ones and Karma (action) for the strong-willed.
Swami Vivekananda succinctly brings out the essence of religious
practice in these words in the beginning of his lectures on
Raja Yoga: 'Each soul is potentially Divine. The goal [of
life] is to manifest this Divinity within by controlling Nature,
external and internal. Do this by work or worship or by psychic
control or philosophy, by one or more or all of these and
be free. This is the whole of religion. Doctrines or dogmas,
or rituals, or books, or temples, or forms are but secondary
details.'
Unfortunately,
the scientific study of evolution is confined to only the
biological or physical aspects, but man is primarily concerned
with the evolution of his mind. Approximately, 35% of global
population are suffering from mental degeneration due to the
inability of the mind to cope with the rapid changes in the
external environment. Yoga is primarily concerned with improved
working of mind through expansion of awareness. Samadhi is
the highest state of Yoga that unfolds the vast potentials
of human mind for higher thinking, sublimation of emotions
and strengthening of will. Pursuit of excellence and perfection
in any field of human endeavour is greatly facilitated by
the practice of Yoga.
Eight
Steps of Yoga
The
whole process of Yoga consists of Yama (outer restraints),
Niyama (inner restraints), Asana (posture), Pranayama (breathing
control), Pratyahara (inner drawing of senses), Dharana (one-pointedness
of mind), Dhyana (meditation) and Samadhi (Uninterrupted meditation).
Of these eight limbs, the last two, namely Dhyana or meditation
and Samadhi (trance) are the most important. Yoga is the process
that brings inner transformation from carnality to divinity
through mental perfection. Yoga attempts to bring out the
potential Divinity in man. It seeks to integrate all the mental
faculties such as perception, thinking, feeling, will power
etc., by sublimation of the outward going senses to convert
physical energy into psychic energy to overpower the animal
instincts of the evolutionary past. Through the practice of
Yoga one tries to maintain the balance and equilibrium of
these faculties, to reach the heights of human possibilities
and perfection. In the midst of most intensive activities
and turmoil, mind learns to maintain peace, undisturbed by
the external environmental changes. Discharging one's duties
and gaining greater awareness, man can become noble, divine,
pure and perfect. By the regular practice of Yoga, man tries
to rise above his limitations and in the midst of troubles
and tragedies, he learns to dwell in perennial joy and peace
that passeth human understanding. Yoga gradually brings about
over a period of time an inner transformation in the aspirant
- converting a sinner into a saint, and a saint into the Divine.
Prabuddha
Bharata
Vedanta
Kesari
Vedanta
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