What Is Yoga?

What is Yoga? – In a nutshell

If you think about the time you spend on your Yoga mat, you’re generally completely focused in the moment – where do I put my arms, where are my feet supposed to be, how do I breathe – your body and mind are completely involved, aware of and connected to each other in that moment. In simple terms, this is what Yoga does – it brings you into the ’here and now’ connecting body and mind. We suffer because we do not realize our true self – we are a part of Universal Consciousness or Brahman. According to Patanjali, Yoga is the progressive settling of the mind. When the mind is settled, we are established in our own essential state. Our essential nature is usually overshadowed by the activity of the mind.

Etymologically, Yoga comes from the verb ‘yuj’ or yoking –  it is yoking of the body to the mind or manas, extending it to the higher intelligence, meditative mind or dhi.  Yoga helps you control the lower mind and awaken the higher intelligence. This is the original Mind – Body science!

The science of Yoga comes from ancient India. It is one of the six ‘saddarshanas‘ (visions) of Vedic/ Hindu philosophy – Sankhya, Yoga, Nyaya, Vaisheshika, Mimamsa and Vedanta. These are also referred to as the Astika (orthodox) philosophical traditions and these accept the Vedas as an authoritative source of knowledge. Ancient and medieval India was also the source of philosophies that share philosophical concepts but did not accept the Vedas, and these have been called nastika (heterodox or non-orthodox) Indian philosophies. Nastika Indian philosophies include Buddhism, Jainism, Charvarka, Ajivika, and others. Yoga is based on Sankhya school of Vedic philosophy, which leans towards atheism. So, any attempt to label Yoga as a religion, or even a religious practice, is a completely misplaced & uninformed opinion. Yoga is science meant for the good of all humanity. Historians believe that Yoga is more than (?) 5,000 years old. Over thousands of years, this knowledge was transmitted orally through Guru-Shishya Parampara (Teacher-Disciple Tradition). Indus Valley stone tablets from 3000 BC depict some Yoga poses. The first written references to Yoga are found in Rig Veda, believed to have been written in 1800 BC, the oldest text in Vedic language, which is the mother of most Indo-European languages including English.

Indian Yogis coming to the west in 19th century introduced and popularized Yoga in the west. Over the years, Yoga Asanas, the Yoga poses, gained more acceptance as a form of physical exercise, that promote better control of the mind and body and enhance well-being. In last few decades, many other aspects of Yoga lifestyle, in complete agreement with Ayurveda, including but not limited to, sattwik diet or predominantly plant-based diet, upvas or fasting, vrata or vow, asanas, the Yoga postures, pranayama, the breathing practices, dhyana, the mediation techniques, Yoga Nidra or relaxation techniques, Surya Tratak or Sun Gazing, Neti or nasal irrigation, Basti or enema, Nada Yoga etc., have been investigated scientifically, only to confirm the age-old claims of Indian Yogis about the beneficial effects and healing potential of Yoga, Yoga lifestyle, Shatkriyas and other Yogic procedures.

Yoga has mainly 6 classical paths with one goal: Raja Yoga, Hatha Yoga, Bhakti Yoga, Gyana Yoga, Kriya Yoga & Karma Yoga. As per Dattatreya Yoga Shastra, Hatha Yoga, as practiced by Yajnavalkya, consisted of the eight limbs of Ashtanga Yoga; Kapila added eight mudras to the practice. In 20th century, a part of Hatha Yoga focusing particularly on asanas, promoted by Krishnamacharya school, became popular throughout the world as a form of physical exercise and is now being referred as Yoga; this can only be termed mislabeling ‘a part as the whole’! There are many different styles of this form of Hatha yoga: Iyengar, Yogashala, Bikram, Sivanand, Kundalini etc., which sequence asanas in different ways and may combine them with some simple breathing practices, relaxation techniques etc.

Patanjali’s Ashtanga or Eight Limbs of Yoga

The best-known system of Yoga is Patanjali’s Ashtanga, or the eight-stepped, Yoga. Around 600 BC, Maharishi Patanjali, a Kashmiri sage, compiled and organized knowledge about Yoga from older traditions in 196 sutras or verses in his brief, concise and authoritative text ‘Yoga Sutras’. Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras is a practical workbook to guide your Yoga journey. It brings together some of the ancient traditional practices and describes the science and practices of Yoga, the obstacles on your journey & how to transcend them, and the results you may obtain from regular practice. In ancient India, oral teaching was the preferred way of learning. Students learned by way of sutras – when the teacher explained a topic, the student would memorize the sutra to peg the details into memory for recall later on. The 196 sutras in Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras  describe ‘ashtanga’ or the eight-fold path. Each step guides you on how to maintain a meaningful and purposeful life incorporating moral and ethical codes, self discipline and mindfulness for our overall health. 

Patanjali says that your true Self lies hidden within, beyond all limitations. Your thoughts cause you to forget who you really are. The obstacle to the progress is stress, which leads to fatigue, causing doubts and then laziness. This brings attachments manifesting as delusions, which causes you to forget who you really are. Through disciplined practice, you can overcome all of this. You should cultivate an attitude of friendliness without jealousy toward those who are joyful, have compassion toward those who are unhappy and less fortunate, delight in and support the acts of the virtuous, and be impartial to and avoid the dramas of the impure. The fruit of wrong action is sorrow, the fruit of right action is joy. Live consciously and take responsibility for your thoughts, words, and actions. Suffering is caused by forgetting who you really are, living from the ego, sticking to pleasure and pain and fearing death. Dhyana helps resolve all of these when you realize that your essential nature is limitless Consciousness.

Read Dr Sahdev’s translation of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras for more information on this topic (Coming soon).

Ashtanga – The eight steps of yoga

According to Patanjali, thorough and constant adherence to the eight steps of Yoga allows the Yogi to purify the body and mind, calm the fluctuations of the mind and finally reach enlightenment. Carry out an integral practice that covers all aspects of life in thought, word & deed. Only with refinement and evolution through each of the eight steps can liberation be finally achieved. These eight steps are:

Yamas These are the moral codes, the ’don’ts’, that allow us to live in harmony with ourselves and society. These are five:

1. Ahimsa: Non-violence towards one and all.
2. Satya: Always stand for the truth.
3. Asteya: Non-stealing.
4. Brahmacharya: Do not waste energy.
5. Aparigraha: Abstain from greed.

Niyamas These are the codes or behaviors that purify the relationship we establish with ourselves. There are also five:

1. Shaucha: Purity of the body, the mind and the word.
2. Santosha: Contentment in what you possess.
3. Tapas: Spiritual observances – austerity and discipline.
4. Svadhyaya: Study and cultivate self-knowledge.
5. Ishvara Pranidhana: Practice devotion & service.

Asana Yoga Postures. This is the physical part of the yoga practice, in which we train the body observing Tristhana and focus the mind through a series of postures, preparing the body for balance, stability, strength, flexibility and ease in practice.

Pranayama Breathing Practices. These are for awareness, control and expansion of prana, or the vital energy. It works through breath with various techniques of varying difficulty and intensity. These practices relax, stimulate or stabilize.

Pratyahara Sense Withdrawal. This is the practice of mental Yoga through the control of the senses, to turn the senses inwards. It consists of neutralizing the inputs that come from the senses, disconnecting from external information and focusing all our attention on one sense at a time, physically as well as mentally.

Dharana Concentration. This is effortless focused attention, training the mind to meditate. When we take total attention inwards, we often discover the thoughts that disturb our mind. To stop this fluctuation, we use different techniques, learning to take all our concentration towards one point. Fixing the mind on an unwavering point helps to avoid distraction and prepares us for meditation.

Dhyana Meditation. When we manage to maintain a continuous flow of focus without distractions long enough, we enter a state of meditation. It involves developing becoming observers of ourselves and the mind at all times.

Samadhi Contemplation. Transcending the physical body, this is a state of non-duality, of becoming one with everything & everyone, realizing the knowledge of the Absolute and moving through different stages of Sabija Samadhi, Nirbija Samadhi, Sahaj Samadhi, Dharma Megha Samadhi and Kaivalya.

The first four steps of Ashtanga Yoga prepare the physical body. Pranayama is the bridge between the physical and the mental/ spiritual aspects. Dharana, Dhyana, and Samadhi are together known as Sanyama. Disciplined practice of Yoga bestows the Yogi with sidhis or the Yogic powers like insight, clairvoyance, knowledge of physical sciences, control over the body and mind, refinement of senses etc. Getting enticed with these powers and using them for personal gain creates a great barrier to your progress in Yoga. Pleasure or pride too will obstruct your progress. You should settle for nothing less than Self-realization. Your actions give rise to your karma which is rooted in ignorance and is dissolved by spiritual realization. 

An object is only experienced when it colors the mind – they appear different because of the difference in the minds that perceive them. An object does not depend on a single mind for its existence – you create and co-create the universe. When the mind begins to experience the Self, it is naturally drawn toward enlightenment. All thoughts that arise to interrupt this can be removed by meditation, purification, refinement, and surrender.

SAVY Yoga

We offer guidance in all major elements of Yoga – Asanas, Pranayama, Pratyahar, Dharna, Dhyana etc. In our Hatha/ Vinyasa Yoga classes, SAVY style of Yoga offers one of the safest and most complete Yoga routines under the guidance of well-trained, experienced and qualified faculty. Our routines include most of the elements/ steps of Yoga and provide a low-impact and safe practice. Injury due to Yoga should be infrequent and severe injury due to Yoga should be very rare. Pregnant women or those with a medical issue, e.g., hypertension, glaucoma etc., should talk to the healthcare practitioner before starting Yoga; some yoga poses may need to be altered or avoided. Beginners should avoid extreme poses and difficult techniques, e.g., headstand, lotus pose and forceful breathing. When using yoga to manage a condition, please make sure not to replace conventional medical care with Yoga or postpone seeing a healthcare provider about the medical problem.

SEE YOU ON THE MAT!