YogMantra | Think You’re Adept At Yoga? Check These Touchstones To Judge Your Practice – News18
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What are we seeking — is it happiness, health, self-realisation or kaivalya? Based on the purpose, we bring Yoga into our lifestyle. Yoga is so much more than what we do on the mat
Yoga may be spreading across the globe at a tremendous pace, but the forms it has assumed can at best be termed its simplification and at worst, they are trivialisations (the fun Yoga varieties), reductionism (“on the mat” Yoga), and then of course, is its sexualisation. (AP)
Classical Yogis tell us that Pranayama, when practised regularly for 10 years, gives one the power to cure diseases in early stages. In general, Pranayama is a very important part of eight-fold Yoga; its practice can remove abnormal appetite, abnormal emotions, sleep patterns, dreams, and many other aberrations. All the limbs of Yoga, similarly, help in adding up to control life energy in the body and channelling it effectively as the need arises.
Such are the subtle and sublime effects that Yoga can help achieve. Contrast this now with the common understanding of Yoga, which is about fitness, appearance, weight loss and stress relief.
Yoga may be spreading across the globe at a tremendous pace, but the forms it has assumed can at best be termed its simplification and at worst, they are trivialisations (the fun Yoga varieties), reductionism (“on the mat” Yoga), and then of course, is its sexualisation.
“Whenever anything becomes popular, it naturally becomes mediocre. Invariably and inevitably, its understanding gets diluted and its essence gets lost. This is natural because more and more people want to get onto the bandwagon of Yoga and capitalise on it,” explains Yoga Guru Dr Ganesh Rao, Founder ACT (Authentic, Classical, Traditional) Yoga.
So, what are the touchstones to judge one’s Yoga practice and to know if one is progressing on the right path? Here are curated insights shared by two noted Yogis — Sadhvi Bhagawati Saraswati, American-born Indian spiritual guru and motivational speaker with a PhD in psychology; and Dr Ganesh Rao, Professor of Yoga philosophy, soccer player, and Yoga policy guide — at the ongoing International Yoga Festival What IS Yoga & Why Does it Matter? LIVE at International Yoga Festival, Parmarth Niketan, Rishikesh.
YOGA REMINDS US THAT THERE IS NO “OTHER”
The anxiety, depression, loneliness, and addictions we see today stem from a system gone awry, a system out-of-balance — from the way we eat, the way we think to the way we live and interact. We can include climate change, environmental destruction and wars in this. Whether it is the mind–body–muscles complex, or me in relation to seasons, me in relation to locality-where-I-live, or me and Mother Earth, all are out of balance.
Yoga brings us back into balance. We know that the word literally means ‘to unite’, and in that union is the reminder of the truth of who we are.
Even that which seems psychological — depression, anxiety, loneliness — arises because I feel separate; separate from myself, from each other, from the universe, from the trees and water. Well, then naturally I am going to suffer. And out of that, I am going to become an instrument of bringing suffering to the planet. Because if I am an object and everything else is an object, and I am living in a state of “othering”, then I exploit resources and people because they are “other”, they are not me. Yoga reminds us that there is no other.
YOGA BRINGS ALIGNMENT WITHIN
The word Yoga is a noun. It is who we are and how we are, not what we do for 60 or 90 minutes in a day. Yoga infuses every moment of who we are: how I think, how I live, how I eat, how I dress, how I shop, how I move through the world, how I see myself, how I see others.
Since Yoga is a union — or rather a remembrance that we were never separate to begin with — it is the best way to be efficient and become an effective instrument to bring healing to the world. Many of us, or maybe even all of us, want on some very deep level to be a channel that brings light and healing. Yoga is the path, because only when we are aligned within ourselves, with that body-mind-soul connectedness, are we able to actually help.
DOES YOUR YOGA HAVE TEXTUAL BACKING?
Contemporary Yoga, as distinguished from its classical roots, is totally different. Yes, we do understand that modifications and refinements have to be made to old practices to suit current circumstances and situations. But, in the process, the essence must not be lost. Otherwise we feel happy we are doing Yoga — without doing Yoga.
What is Yoga? Unless we have a way of conclusively establishing what it really is, there may be unending debates on this issue. Fortunately, the way to answer this question is to fall back upon Yogic texts and scriptures, even if it requires a little bit of deciphering. If the texts give a backing to all that we do, then we can say yes, this is genuinely and authentically Yoga. If we have to restore Yoga to its pristine purity, the authenticity of the practices has to be re-established, the purpose of Yoga has to be re-claimed, and the methodology has to be re-ascertained.
It matters that we have the answer to the question “what is Yoga?” because then one has a perspective of what one is doing, a standard to measure against, and to see if one is getting closer to the goal.
YOGA AN ENTIRE SPECTRUM, AN INFINITE FIELD
Yoga is so vast that the more you get to know it, the more you realise how much you don’t know. In that sense, you feel your ignorance has increased and not your knowledge.
• You could approach it as a philosophy, in which case it is one of the six orthodox Indian philosophies, the astika darshanas.
• From the etymological point of view, “Yoga” is a concentration, samadhi, a discipline, a union.
• If you look at it from the definitions of Yoga, there are several given by Patanjali, Bhagvad Gita, Yoga Vashista: yogah chittivrittinirodhah; yogah karmasu kaushalam; manah prashamanah upayah yogah, dukha samayoga viyoga yogah, and so on
• Coming to the traditions of Yoga, there is a mindboggling variety — Mantra yoga, Nada yoga, Laya yoga — and add to that all our modern traditions.
• Then the practices that make up Yoga — starting with the shuddhi kriyas, asanas, pranayamas, bandhas, mudras, meditation — there are so many for each and you can take up any of those.
It is difficult to say what is Yoga because it really is an infinite field.
BEING YOGIC IS IMPORTANT
It is important to keep in mind our purpose for doing Yoga — whether happiness, health, self-realisation or kaivalya — and based on the purpose, we implement Yoga in our lifestyle. Yoga is how you will be in the 23 hours that you are not on the mat. That is acquiring a yogic nature. It’s time we change our language and not talk of ‘doing Yoga’ but ‘being Yogic’.
The author is a journalist, cancer survivor and certified yoga teacher. She can be reached at swatikamal@gmail.com.
