Body-Mind-Spirit Yoga

I find it frustrating at times when I talk to people about yoga. (I know yogis are not “supposed” to get frustrated.) It is common for people to immediately equate yoga with the physical postures of hatha yoga and to miss its wider scope and meaning. There are actually many definitions for yoga representing different facets, perspectives and levels of understanding. One of the most central understandings, though, comes from the Yoga Sutra of Patanjali. Rishi Patanjali states “Yoga means bringing the mind into complete stillness so that consciousness rests in its own nature.” When the mind becomes quiet one is able to go beyond, or perhaps beneath, names and forms, inner dialogue, imagination, cultural conditioning, etc. to experience one’s own essential being. Yoga is a methodology for answering the question “who am I?” Now, there are various “answers” to this question. Whether we identify ourselves with our name and life circumstances, or with our strengths and vulnerabilities, etc., or whether we identify with some concept of “cosmic consciousness;” they are all equally beside the point. We can only know ourselves truly when we go beyond all mental constructs to experience ourselves as pure being. In the terminology of yoga, this is known as Samadhi. However, Samadhi represents the culmination stages of the yoga path. There are steps and stages leading up to it.
Body Yoga

The physical postures or asanas of hatha yoga, as well as the breath practices, pranayama and internal cleansing practices known as shatkriyas are actually preliminaries to the interior practices of meditation. They are a good place to start but not the place to finish. In our current cultural climate it is easy for people to be fixated on their physical beings. Hatha yoga practices help relieve stress, improve circulation, hormonal balance and more. And yes, they do help to reduce weight and improve one’s appearance. They can also be very helpful in physical competitions. However, if we don’t go beyond these meanings and motivations we have not glimpsed the possibility of spiritual awakening. As Marshall Govindam writes in his commentary on the Yoga Sutra, “When divorced from its purpose, postures (asanas) serve the values of contemporary culture: looking good, competition and individualism.” From the yogic perspective these physical practices help to balance the energies of body and mind so that true meditation becomes more possible.

Emotional Yoga

Emotional, or actually devotional, yoga is known as bhakti yoga. It is a process of letting go of ordinary emotional attachments and bonding with a greater conscious being often referred to as God. Borrowing from the 12-step program we could also call it “surrender to a higher power.” People often argue about which “form” of “God” is the best or the “right” one. This is the unfortunate, divisive power of the world’s religions. In yoga the particular symbolic form used in meditation and visualization is known as “Ishta Devata.” The Ishta Devata is a personal preference. It is a way of relating to something which is beyond name and form. A powerful practice of devotional yoga is to chant the name of the Ishta Devata while visualizing the form. However, if we get too attached to the form we might risk becoming religious fanatics. Devotion however is a powerful energy for taking one beyond ordinary mental constructs including one’s “ego.” Ultimately, according to Swami Satyananda, bhakti cannot be taught. It must awaken within us as we develop love and faith on the yogic path. As Neem Karoli Baba is quoted, “The best form in which to worship God is every form.”

Wisdom Yoga

The path of wisdom is known as jñana yoga (pronounced “gyan”). Jñana is the path of deep inquiry: into truth, reality and the nature of one’s true self-being. It is sometimes referred to as the philosophical path. In fact philosophy literally means “the love of wisdom.” The Greek word for wisdom or higher level of knowledge is gnosis which is etymologically related to the Sanskrit term jñana. Ultimately, jñana transcends ordinary rational or logical thought. It starts with reasoning and analysis but it goes beyond. In fact, it represents a realization that reasoning and analysis are limited by what we can conceptualize and symbolize. Hermann Hesse, in 1943, wrote a wonderful novel called “The Glass Bead Game.” The Glass Bead Game: (Magister Ludi) A NovelIt is a depiction of an intellectual elite who are trapped within the limits of their own intellectual “game.” This realization is where true jñana starts. However, it is a path which demands a high degree of intellectual rigor. It is not an easy path meant for the intellectually lazy. In my opinion, one of the greatest contemporary “jñanis” is Ken Wilber. Dive into “A Brief History of Everything” A Brief History of Everythingif you are so inclined. 

The Yoga of Action

Eastern thought in general is often criticized as being too passive. Karma yoga is an antidote to this alleged passivity. Karma yoga might be summarized as enlightened activity in the world. It means bringing awareness, sensitivity, compassion, wisdom and love into the activities of daily life. It is often translated as “selfless service.” However, it might be better understood as doing one’s best within each moment without regard for future rewards. It really means being mindful in all of our activities; being present and being aware. Ordinarily we perform work in expectation of a paycheck of one sort or another. It is perfectly okay and even necessary to be paid for one’s work. On the job, however, it is important to be focused, aware, dedicated and present. Accidents at work happen when people are distracted, daydreaming, or otherwise unengaged. True karma yoga might mean going above and beyond the work of one’s occupation. In the yoga tradition it means spending some time and energy helping at the ashram, it could also mean doing volunteer work or even cleaning up at home without expecting any special recognition.

Mind Yoga

Meditation, or dhyana, is central to all of yoga practice. It is a systematic way of turning inward, not to withdraw from life, but to examine and transform the instrument with which we relate to life known as the mind. A huge percentage of the “outer world” (some would argue 100%) is actually a projection of our own psyches. What we see as “out there” is actually “in here.” Meditation helps us to recognize and reduce the ways in which we distort, deny, dramatize, dream and/or desecrate the reality of ourselves and our experience. It is central in the process of waking up to who we truly are. Meditation is more than a practice. Practice is a way of cultivating an evolved state of consciousness. It is a way of developing our higher potentials, our “Buddha Nature.” Ultimately, it is an awakened state of consciousness. There has been a great amount of research into the effects of meditation practice. To name a few: it helps relieve stress, helps one to influence others positively and contributes to psychological and spiritual development. As Jack Kornfeld, Ph. D., puts it, “it catalyses and accelerates psychological development.”

Yoga is centered on this process of awakening through meditation. In my estimation it is essential for our survival and growth as a species and as integral aspects of our planet. Change involves politics, technology, social movements, etc. but more essential is inner change. If we have not truly cultivated peace within ourselves, for example, we will not see peace in our world. It is like looking into the mirror and trying to clean one’s face by wiping the mirror. Yoga is an ancient science of awakening and it recommends that we practice asanas and pranayama, devotion, inquiry, selfless activity and meditation as an integral means of waking up and of healing ourselves and our world. Yoga is about evolving our collective consciousness.