The Foundations of Yogic Practice By Aarti Maheshwari As the world population gallops, our planet has come under ecological strain. Individuals, communities and nations are vying aggressively for resources in order to secure their sustenance and growth. As a result, the modern citizen is broken up from within. This inner disintegration is reflected in the disorganization at the outer or the social level too. In order to restore individual tranquility and collective peace indeed, to sustain life on Earth in the long run - the pressing need of our civilization is the integration of the human being at all levels of the personality. During the twentieth century, science and technology largely succeeded in dealing with the physical and economic problems of society, even though the limitations of the orthodox scientific approach are becoming increasingly evident in the present times. However, the phenomenal success of technology has relentlessly exposed the unresolved psychological tangle that has dogged humanity over the millennia. It is therefore natural that the study of human psychology has assumed a position of great importance in the current era. This problem of integration is essentially a psychological one. However, a careful inquiry into modern psychological study and research indicates that the discipline is moving only on the periphery, unmindful of the very core of the person s psyche. The inner core of the human being is not inert. In fact, it throbs intensely with life. This life is reflected to a limited degree in our external behavior patterns. A psychological examination of individual and social behaviour patterns on the surface does yield many useful and significant data points. Indeed, some reasonably accurate conclusions may be drawn about the functional make-up of a person through the analysis and synthesis of his/her extrinsic activities. But, the substance is qualitatively different from its mere reflection. Otherwise, it might have been possible to satiate hunger simply by looking at a picture of delicious food. So, just as we are required to actually consume the food in order to satisfy our hunger pangs, we also need to engage with the complete and whole human being in order to create the ground for psychological fulfillment. Moreover, the observable facts that modern psychology holds so dear yield meaning and significance only when they are subjected to a process of subjective interpretation. Now, the norms and standards of such interpretation are formulated on the basis of an empirical knowledge of the past. Life, on the other hand, exists only in the present moment. It is intensely vivid, and inevitably escapes from the net of analysis and synthesis.
Decades ago, the Uncertainty Principle enunciated by the physicist Werner Heisenberg ruled out the possibility of success of any effort to fully comprehend a physical particle through a mere process of observation. Either the momentum or the position of the particle would always remain indeterminate, because the photon that acts the agent of measurement happens to alter its properties. Likewise, an attempt to understand the dynamic phenomenon of human life through the static prism of behavioural observation and interpretation becomes partially successful at best, and often emerges to be infructuous in practice. Besides, can we observe anything at all without interpretation and evaluation? And is it feasible to formulate a pattern or course of action based upon behavioural observations without a process of selection and judgment? The answer is no. In which case, all such action that arises in the background of incorrect and subjective perception has no positive value and validity at all. Objectivity in perception is possible only when all conceptual interpretations and selections that occur through the agency of the human mind have ceased. In other words, true and unbiased perception requires that the perceiver be entirely eliminated from the exercise of perception. How is this to happen? The answer is to be found in the psychology of the ancient system of YOGA. Therein, we discover the way towards the elimination of the subjective perceiving agent in order that true and unbiased perception may come into being. The resulting observations and actions would then be wholesome, and conducive to human welfare at all levels. 1.0 Yoga - An ancient system Yoga is one of the six systems of ancient Indian philosophy. It is the most ancient and complete study of the human mind, and therefore also a system of psychology. The concept of Yoga finds mention in very ancient literature of the Indian subcontinent. Some of the seals recovered from the Indus Valley civilization (1500 B.C. or earlier) show a person sitting in a yoga posture. Indeed, there were many different systems of Yoga prevalent in the old times. The term Yoga is derived from the Sanskrit root Yuj, which translates as Union. It could be interpreted as the union of Self (or soul), with the Higher Power (or God). The phrase Yoga has been defined in numerous ways. The ancient definition Yuj Samadhau spells out Yoga to mean a resolved state of being utterly and completely free from strife and conflict. The Bhagavad-Gita defines the concept as Yogah karmasu kaushalam, meaning that excellence in the performance of work is Yoga. The same text also defines it as Samatvam yoga uchyate, meaning that
maintenance of equanimity and balance is Yoga. The sage Patanjali defines it is Yoga chitta vritti nirodha i.e. yoga is the suppression of the modifications / fluctuations of the mind. The underlying essence of all these definitions is that Yoga is a system that helps one to achieve the highest spiritual awareness and a state of psychological integration of one s being. Indeed, Yoga is the perfect technology to help resolve the incessant conflict of inner contradictions, resulting in the psychological stress and strain that is so evidently and painfully visible in modern society. The modern citizen may easily find health, harmony and happiness in life through this ancient system. Further, Yoga enables people to bring about their own healing in a relatively independent manner - without dependence upon the professional psychologist or the religious guru. In other words, Yoga encourages and enables every human individual to be a lamp unto oneself. However, each one of us approaches Yoga with a different expectation. These depend upon what we understand of the science of Yoga, and also on what our specific needs and requirements are. If we have some physical ailments, we consider Yoga as a kind of therapy with the hope that the mere practice of some postures will give us the desired relief. If we seek to improve our memory and to achieve concentration and focus, we think that Yoga is the act of sitting with our legs crossed and eyes closed. A few people do look upon Yoga as a means to achieve something of a spiritual nature. However, they are often not very clear about their limitations, and talk about meditation and enlightenment as something that may be achieved in the space of a few weeks. Most aspirants misunderstand the different aspects of the Yoga system and regard each step of the journey as being the entire process of Yoga itself. The question then arises: What is Yoga? 2.0 The Phenomenon of Yoga: In its essence, Yoga is a process of developing a wider perspective that brings about an inner balance and equilibrium of the personality. It is an experiential philosophy that helps the human being to understand and develop his or her potential to the fullest to ensure a healthy body, a superior mind and an enlightened spiritual consciousness. Towards this endeavour, the science of Yoga has a set of systematic and scientific techniques to offer. Yoga recommends certain postures, breathing techniques, hygiene practices, diet, sanitation and certain abstinences and observances that form its external crust. The inner core of Yoga is constituted by clarity of motivation, a harmonious emotional life, an extra-mundane outlook to life and a
strong belief in a humanistic set of values. 3. Yoga Technology The Eight-Fold Path If fell to an Indian sage called Patanjali (600 B.C.) to compile and systematize the prevalent Yoga practices in ancient India into a formal system of Yoga, which he presented as a book consisting of 195 short and terse aphorisms. In these aphorisms, Patanjali wove the different essential aspects of Yoga into an eight-step system that may be considered as a scientific system of self-realization. This is commonly referred to as the Ashtanga Yoga, or the Eight Fold Path of Yoga Health, concentration and even enlightenment can be achieved if the steps of the Eight Fold Path of Yoga are properly understood and attended to. Each step acts as a preparation for the following step. As a preliminary step, the aspirant must undertake a total reconditioning of perspective, and of one s attitudes towards life. An impure psyche will never be able to achieve adequate postural or mental stability. It is only through the moral and ethical rules of Yama (Abstinences) and Niyama (Observances) that one s mind is made sufficiently pure for the practice of Yoga. Accordingly, these edicts form the first and second steps, respectively, on the Eight Fold path of Yoga. After purification, it is necessary to establish a very firm physical foundation that can allow the person to progress in the discipline without any physical disturbances. Herein comes the concept of Asana (postures). Inclusive of asanas, mudras, kriyas, and psychosomatic practices for relaxation, this third step on the Eight-Fold Path postures provide the human being with positive health, and prepare the body for more advanced practices. The fourth step on the path is Pranayama the control and regulation of bioenergy. A little reflection and observation will show that our emotional life is closely related to the flow of bio-energy in one s body. Pranayama enables the person to bring one s feelings and emotions under complete control through a set of special breathing techniques. The fifth step in the journey is Pratyahara. This is concerned with restraining the five sense organs from their frenzied and disturbing outgoing tendencies. One cannot hope to achieve concentration so long as one s senses are continuously busy with external sounds, colours and objects. Through Pratyahara, the senses are introverted and brought under control. The mind is thus made fit for the practice of uninterrupted one-pointedness which is the true quest of Yoga. From now on, the process happens at a more internal and subtle level. The sixth, seventh and eighth steps on the path are known Dharana (Concentration), Dhyana (Contemplation) and Samadhi (Trance). These processes are strictly correlated
with one another, and are collectively referred to as Samyama. They complete the Eight Fold Path. 4. The Ethical and Disciplinary Principles of Yoga The ancient sages realized that if the mind had to be controlled, disciplined and made steady, certain attitudes and perspectives had to be developed. Moral living and a spiritual orientation were found to be an absolute necessity for a healthy and balanced life. Yogic morality is a transcendent principle, based upon the higher laws of nature. It is organized with a view to bring about the liberation of the individual from the bonds of illusion and ignorance. Its object is not to achieve limited happiness within the illusions of the lower life, but to gain true and lasting happiness by transcending those illusions. Yama and Niyama are the ethical and disciplinary principles that a person has to follow in order to achieve the higher stages of the eight-fold path. 4.1 Yamas (Restraints / Abstinences) Yamas refer not merely to certain outer patterns of behaviour and conduct, but also to the habits and tendencies of the body and mind. These restraints or abstinences are prescribed for practice in thought, word as well as deed - without any compromise to time, class, place or circumstance. The five-fold Yamas are: Ø Ahimsa (Non - violence / non-injury) Ø Satya (Non-falsehood) Ø Asteya (Non - stealing) Ø Brahmacharya (Incontinence) Ø Aparigraha (Non- possessiveness) 4.1.1 Ahimsa Ahimsa means non-desire to hurt or injure any living being in thought, word and deed. It does not refer only to the act of refraining from carrying out physical injury or harm to another person. The negations of Ahimsa also include indulgence in carping criticism, the use of offensive language, and even subjecting another person to a process of comparison. One is guilty of violence even if the person does not participating in it directly, but merely approves of it. For instance, we are engaging in a subtle form of violence when we live luxuriously while our fellow human beings others are starving in poverty. The wastage of paper or wood products while the world is facing an ecological crisis due to the cutting down of forests is yet another subtle violation of ahimsa.
In order to build up an attitude of ahimsa, it is helpful to acquire a store of positive feelings that help heal and conserve life. 4.1.2 Satya Satya refers to staying away from falsehood. Saying or doing things that are not in accordance with what one actually knows to be true in a particular situation is referred to as falsehood. Deliberate acts of exaggeration or equivocation, and being evasive or pretentious in any manner all constitute expressions of falsehood. Truthfulness, on the other hand, may be defined as congruence in one s thoughts, words and deeds. Such integrity is absolutely necessary for the development and unfolding of one s intuition. Untruthfulness, in all its various forms, creates all kinds of unnecessary complications in our life (e.g. telling ten more lies to cover up for one), and is a constant source of disturbance to the mind. 4.1.3 Asteya The literal meaning of Asteya is abstention from stealing. A person thoroughly established in asteya feels that (s)he possesses all the wealth of the world. Of course, this is possession without acquisition, and enjoyment without possession. It may appear to be a contradiction in terms, but is nevertheless the true secret of joy. Most of us are not given to stealing as we ordinarily define the term. However, there are subtler aspects of stealing which we may not be entirely free from. Any manner of deliberate imitation is a form of stealing. Any case of exploitation, where one uses the other person or his/her attributes for one s own gratification, is also a fit case of stealing. All misappropriations - whether of money, people or resources - too come under the category of stealing. Finally, taking credit for things not actually done or results not truly achieved by one is also a subtle form of stealing. 4.1.4 Brahmacarya Brahmacarya is commonly translated as celibacy, or staying away from sexual indulgence. For Yoga aspirants, sexual moderation within marriage is recommended as a way of directing their energy towards self-realization. This also facilitates a smoother relationship between the lady and the gentleman, wherein each of the partners is freed from the desire to possess or dominate the other. In its wider sense, Brahmacarya means freedom from craving for all kinds of sensual enjoyments and the cessation of the frittering away of one s energies through offering resistance to painful situations and an indulgence in pleasurable ones. Caught up in the network of desires, human beings invariably wish for an experience of continuous indulgence. Brahmacarya stands for restraining our otherwise compulsive pursuit of pleasure.
4.1.5 Aparigraha Aparigraha refers to a preference for non-possessiveness. The tendency to accumulate material goods is so strong in us that it may be considered as a basic instinct in human life. We are ordinarily not satisfied with the necessities of life, but crave for luxuries. These extra possessions appear to satisfy our childish vanity and eagerness to appear superior, and most of us continue to amass wealth and dominions to as great a degree as possible. Enormous complications arise from this penchant for accumulation. One needs to devote a phenomenal amount of time and energy in maintaining and guarding the accumulated possessions. This leads to worry and anxiety. The constant insecurity, pain and anguish of losing cherished objects while alive, and the regret of leaving them behind when the person leaves the world, adds up to a colossal waste of time, energy and mental force. 4.2 Niyamas (Observances) While the Yamas aim at laying the ethical foundation of life, the Niyamas are oriented towards disciplining and organizing one s life. The Niyamas are also five in number: Ø Saucha (Absolute purity) Ø Santosa (Contentment) Ø Tapa (Austerity) Ø Swadhyaya (Self-study) Ø Isvarapranidhana (Resignation to the will of the Absolute) 4.2.1 Saucha Saucha refers to the maintenance of purity. Physical and mental purity helps maintain and transform the body and mind so as to facilitate the expansion of selfawareness that is the true goal of Yoga. Physical purity at the internal and external planes of the body is enabled through a healthy diet, the maintenance of specific body postures, and certain psychosomatic practices. Mental purity is the cleansing of the mind from ignorance, selfishness greed, and other such tendencies. Purity in being helps the person to become more focused and one-pointed, and enables the exercise of better sensory control. 4.2.2 Santosa Santosa refers to the quality and the notion of contentment and equanimity. This is the true Yogic idea of happiness. It springs from a deep sense of internal peace that
remains unruffled even under stress, strain and the pressure of adverse circumstances. Contentment stems from an informed acceptance of life, and helps promote a balanced and controlled frame of mind that lends objectivity to its working. It permits one to be happy with what one has in the moment, without in any way detracting from the application of effort to further improve the state of affairs. 4.2.3 Tapa The term Tapa is derived from the process of subjecting alloyed gold to intense heat, whereby pure gold is left behind after all the dross has been burnt off. In the orthodox sense, Tapa connotes specific exercises adopted for the purification and control of the physical body and the development of willpower. 4.2.4 Swadhyaya The literal meaning of Swadhyaya is self-study, or disciplined reflection. However, it also asks that we employ measures to learn about and improve ourselves. Reading the scriptures, good books written by thinkers and discussing with positive thinking people are all forms in which Swadhyaya may be practiced. 4.2.5 Isvarapranidhana Isvarapranidhana refers to submission to the Will of God or Existence. It enables the person to remain confident in the realization that everything happens according to the Will of the Absolute, and have faith in the dictum that whatever happens is eventually for our own good. This acquiescence to the will and workings of the Higher Reality helps one to objectively accept the result of one s actions and efforts - without an excessive sense of ecstasy or lament. Faith in the Higher Reality in fact facilitates concentration and focus on doing one s duty to the best of one s ability, without being unduly anxious about the results. 5. The Yogic Life A way of life represents and encapsulates a person s motivations, values, attitude as well as behaviour and actions, as shaped by our aspiration of what we intend to make of our life. There are two major points of view concerning a way of life. The first perspective is that of the existential life, which is lived from day to day. It is observed that many people in the world never decide what they want to be. They
continue to exist at a vegetative level on the materialistic plane, without ever planning for a higher objective and rarely inquiring if they are indeed quite happy as they live. Such individuals take birth, live and die without much reflection about their earthly existence. Of course, towards the end of their life span, they often do regret wasting the glorious opportunity that is life. The other viewpoint is that of idealistic life, which seeks to carry a person as far as possible on the road to fulfillment. Yoga provides for a new approach towards the question of human existence. It brings into life both a discipline as well as an aim i.e. the means as well as the ends by which life is to be lived. When a discipline is to be followed regularly, it becomes a way of life. Moreover, it provides one with a higher objective in life, and introduces broader perspectives that help make life more meaningful. Accordingly, Yoga suggests physical and mental discipline techniques to be incorporated into daily existence such that these may become our second nature. 6. The Disciplines of Yogic Practice In Yoga practice, the first area to be attended to is the body and its mechanisms. These are to be maintained at their very best, since the body is the vehicle upon which we travel in our journey through life. If the vehicle keeps breaking down frequently, the journey will become troublesome and even torturous after a while. Therefore, the body should be attended to every day by the practice of different asanas, kriyas, pranayama and certain psychosomatic practices. If the time available for these practices is not available in one block, these may be split the different practices spread across two or three periods of the day. For instance, the asanas and pranayama may be practiced in the morning, the kriyas (hygiene practices) while bathing, and the psychosomatic practices (Savasana, Nispandabhava etc.) in the evening before dinner. It is essential to be regular in these practices. If the practice of asanas and pranayama is missed for a day, one should compensate for it by an extra amount the next day so that the rhythm of energy creation in the body is maintained. The second area to be attended to is food. A nutritive and wholesome diet that provides one with the necessary energy and vitality, and keeps the body light and free from toxins, is ideal. However, unhealthy food habits that are formed and conditioned over several years of existence are difficult to overcome all at once. Therefore, the changes in our dietary habits must be incorporated gradually and non-dogmatically, with ample use of our common sense. One should try to become more conscious of what one eats and why, and eventually become habituated to a light, regular and simple diet. The third area to be attended to is that of our emotions. Our daily life is
conditioned by various internal and external influences. We have inexplicable urges. There are fears of work pressure, of insecurity, of expenses and bills to be paid, of domestic chores etc. All these can result in emotional upsets. Yoga helps us break this vicious circle of suffering in a lasting and permanent manner. A regular practice of the yoga psychosomatic techniques effects a reeducation of our emotional life. The person becomes more stable and harmonious, thus preventing psychic and emotional disturbances. With regard to the intellect, Yoga mandates a basic change in our values and attitudes towards life. Yama and Niyama need to be lived 24 x 7. Their practice may appear a little difficult at first, but gradually becomes effortless when vigourously continued for some length of time. This will gradually lead to a greater integration of the personality, which is the very foundation of good health. Lack of regularity often becomes a significant obstacle in the practice of the Yogic way of life. People very often excuse themselves from Yoga, saying that it becomes impossible for them to practice due to the lack of spare time. Here, we need to go deep within ourselves and assess whether we are serious about committing to a new way of being. If we really want to change, then the old English adage, Where there is a will, there is a way will readily come to our assistance. Finally, all psychological changes will have an impact on our interpersonal relationships and the way we relate with others socially. The idea is not to become eccentric, or to isolate oneself from social activities. If we become introverted, but still carry with us all our mental, physical and intellectual disharmony, we shall still be the same unhappy individuals even if we retire to the forest. To be effective, change must occur deep within. Yoga is meant to produce an integral human being in harmony with his / her environment. When all the qualities and attributes of person act in alignment with one another to yield the integration of one s personality, the fruit it yields is the highest that life has to offer. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Author wishes to express her deep gratitude to her Alma Mater - The Yoga Institute, Santacruz East, Mumbai (India). The oldest known and organized Yoga Centre in the world, The Yoga Institute has rendered yeoman s service in clearly enunciating what Yoga means for an ascetic and a householder alike. It has provided a simple course of Yogic practices that may be safely undertaken even by a layperson. Over the course of ninety-five years of its existence, the Institute has conducted numerous scientific studies and research on Yoga practices. It has also collected vast experience in formulating suitable activities that can effectively meet the modern needs in the fields of education, medicine, and self-development.