Demystifying Yoga -Part 2

Approach to Yoga and its Foundation

This second article in the series gives the approach we should have towards learning yoga and the foundation/essence of this philosophy. I have compared the philosophy propounded by yoga (Vedanta) with various other models of life, and my conclusion is that all theories finally fit into this experiential philosophy.

Approach

Yoga is based on Logic and Reason. You must approach yoga like any other science. Verify the knowledge through self-experimentation and observation. Do not accept any theory laid down by a Guru or a Spiritual book without understanding the logic and without experimenting and proving the fact in your daily life.

You need to educate yourself with the art of inner engineering. The word ‘educate’ etymologically means to ‘draw out.’ Knowledge has to be drawn out of you, not pushed in. Real education comes from within. It is essential to study the various philosophies that the world has. You can read the work by various original thinkers and philosophers of the world. Still, you will turn into a Yoga practitioner only when you reflect deeply on this knowledge, apply this in your life, translate the theoretical ideas into practical self-experiments, and prove that this path is helping you grow materially and spiritually.

A. Parthasarthy’s ‘Vedanta treatise,’ quotes Buddha on this. Over 2500 years back, Buddha said

Do not believe what you have heard,

Do not believe in tradition because it is handed down many generations,

Do not believe in anything that has been spoken of many times,

Do not believe because the written statements come from some old sage,

Do not believe in conjecture,

Do not believe in authority or teachers, or elders,

But after careful observation and analysis, when it agrees with reason, and it will benefit one and all, then accept it and live by it.

Everything I will say now is a theory until you don’t reflect on it, experiment with it, and use your reasoning to confirm its applicability and authenticity.

Foundation

Yoga is based on the philosophy propounded by the Vedas, which defines life as a stream of experiences (unit of life), constituted of two factors — Subject and the Object.

When the individual (subject) contacts the world (object), there is an experience. And the flow of these experiences is life. Pleasure or Pain, Joy, or sorrow is not inherent in the object (objective world) but is a reaction of the subject (individual) to the object.

Each interaction creates an experience. Quality of these interactions/experiences define the quality of our life. If you want a happier, more fulfilling and peaceful life, you must transform the experiences to be better.

How??

There are three ways we relate to our external world — physical, emotional, and intellectual. The mind (seat of emotions) and intellect (seat of intelligence — reason, and logic) together constitute our inner personality (our character). The physical body is a vehicle that carries this inner personality from one experience to another. The only variable that we can control in this equation of experiences is our self. We can work on our physical, emotional, and intellectual responses to the external world to create more fulfillment in our lives.

Yoga gives us a scientific, personalized technique to build not just a healthy body but an unwavering mind and a robust intellect that does not get intimidated or distracted by the external world, and irrespective of the object creates experiences that we (the subject) perceives to be positive.

The world is a reflection of your mind.

To succeed in the material world and/or the spiritual world, you need a stable mind and body in perfect alignment with the external world.

The essence of Yoga is to understand this principle profoundly and realize that external pursuits never satiate. That does not mean you give up living, but you learn to put the right value to everything that the world offers, understand the transient nature of the external world, and all the luxuries that it has to offer while maybe even enjoying them. This is the state of Renunciation.

Renunciation is not giving up on material aspects of life but developing a dispassionate passion or disinterested interest in the transitory nature of our external world. Yoga insists on action but encourages practitioners to renunciate the selfish interest, the ego involved in the action. When your thoughts are focused on a higher ideal beyond your selfish interest, without dwelling on the result of your action and body is engrossed in the action of service, our mind learns to concentrate and become equanimous, and our intellect understands the inherent unity in the diversity of beings, the difference between the transient and the transcendental and our experiences get better even though there may not be any change in our objective world.

It is not an easy attribute to develop and may take a lifetime (or more!). The good news is that it can be practiced every minute; life will throw enough challenges and opportunities at us to be able to practice and master this discipline. It is your lifelong ‘on the job training,’ where you compete every day with yourself, to get better, and only you can assess your progress through self-reflection and observation.

As you start practicing yoga and developing this attitude of Renunciation, it leads to success in the material world.

Why?

The way to gain anything is to lose it! The more you focus on something you want, you end up ‘wanting’ it all your life. The more you run after wealth, the more it recedes. The more you want love, the more it runs away from you. Believe and Act dispassionately, and you get everything.

The word ‘Yoga’ means ‘to unite.’ As per Dr. Ishwar V. Basavaraddi,

Yoga is an inner science comprising of a variety of disciplines through which human beings can realize this union of individual consciousness with that of the Universal Consciousness, indicating a perfect harmony between the mind and body, Man & Nature, and thus achieve mastery over their destiny.

The fundamental belief here is to gain mastery over your mind, your thoughts. Thoughts shape your life. This is defined in the ancient scriptures (as the law of causation); various new-age philosophers and thinkers also believe this. The book, ‘The Secret,’ by Rhonda Byrne, calls this the law of attraction — You are what you think; hence you can use your thoughts to create the life you desire. Psychology and Quantum science are now proving a lot of these theories, including how our thoughts create our future.

My next article will elucidate the path laid down in yoga to achieve this unwavering mind and a robust intellect.