Yoga and Health

(from the discourses of Sri Swamiji)

Nowadays yoga, like music has gained great popularity. There are many types in yoga - the Bhagavad Gita has enumerated 18 types of Yoga. More and more types of yoga have been devised by some teachers.

Be that as it may. Basically yoga is classified in to three kinds

1.Hatha Yoga 2. Ashtanga Yoga and 3. Kundalini Yoga

The definition of the term yoga is very complex. There are several definitions. But there are two fundamental definitions:

1. Yogah Chitta Vritti nirodhah and

2. Samatvam yoga uchyate

The basis for Hatha Yoga, Ashtanga Yoga and Kundalini Yoga is the first definition i.e., Yogah chitta vritti nirodhah.

The other definition holds good for Jnana Yoga and Sanyasa Yoga. Therefore, it has been said in the Bhagavad Gita :

Yam sanyaasamiti praahuh yogam tam viddhi pandava.

(Oh! Arjuna, that which is spoken of as sanyaasa is nothing but yoga)

It means Yoga = Sanyaasa. This is a different subject altogether.

Although controlling the mind is the central theme both to Ashtanga Yoga and Hatha Yoga, the paths are different.

We can find exhaustive information in medical texts about glands present in the body. To exercise control on these glands by the action of mental power and thereby influence their working is the path of Hatha Yoga. Procedures such as Asanas, Bandhanas, Nadi cheda are the means prescribed to achieve this.

Ashtanga Yoga includes some of the features of Hatha Yoga. E.g., Asanas. Some parts of the Kundalini Yoga have also been included. E.g. Controlling the Pranic Energy. But the concentration is always on the Nadis (astral nerves)

Nadis are channels through which the Prana Energy flows. They can not be seen.(nowadays, it has been possible to photograph pranic energy by using special cameras). The main activity in Ashtanga Yoga is the cleansing of these channels to facilitate smooth and unhindered flow of energy through them.

The main tool for such cleansing is Pranayama. The aim is to achieve control as well as mastery over the mind.

Prana shakti is of two types.

1. Vaiyuktika - Personal (the other form of this is Kundalini Shakti) and

2. Samashti - Universal (the other form of this is Adishesha or the Universal Pranic Energy)

The other face of Prana shakti is the mind. They are like two faces of a coin.

The external forms of Prana Shakti are two :

1. Prana vayu (vital breath) and

2. Jatharagni (the internal fire)

In their universal forms, the prana vayu is that which is responsible for all movements in this creation and Jatharagni is the celestial light.

In their confined forms, controlling the prana vayu will result in achieving control over the Pranic energy, which in turn is responsible for controlling the mind. Similarly, by total purification of food (not merely physical cleaning), the internal fire can be kept pure, which in turn helps to achieve control of mind by bringing about control over pranic energy.

When these two are incorporated together, the pracitse of yoga becomes easy. Therefore, all yogis exercise strict control over eating habits.

When the seeker achieves control over personal pranic energy, he will be able to ëseeí the divine light and through that, will be able to live in unison with the universal pranic energy. (this universal pranic energy is also called as Atma Jyoti - light of Atman).

This is the ultimate aim of Yoga.

While on this path, a by-product, namely health also accrues. To understand how health accrues, we must first try to understand what health is.

Disease is of two types 1. Physical and 2. Mental

Physical diseases are of two types.

1 Those caused by outside forces. For example, road accidents etc.

2 Those caused by inside factors. Eg., indigestion. etc.

There are two causes for the diseases of the second type (caused by inside forces).

a. Those caused by defective food and

b. Those caused by defective thinking

Generally speaking, even the intake of defective food is as a result of defective thinking only. Therefore, all diseases are due to the mind.

The mental ailments also have two broad causes

1. Those caused by defective food. E.g. Consumption of alcohol

2. Those caused by defective attitude E.g. Desire for revange.

It is now clear that for both physical and mental loss of health, there are two main reasons - defective food and defective attitude. Therefore, physical and mental diseases are mutually complimentary.

Between body and mind, the latter is more powerful and is therefore important.

Because yoga influences the mind either by way of modulating the glands or by mastering the pranic energy, it is able to remove the diseases from the higher (i.e., mental) level. But it is difficult to reach this state. Common Yogic Healing can be classified as

1. healing one's self

2. healing others

The first of the above has three approaches

a. enhancing the personal pranic energy level and thereby increasing general resistance power and the auto-healing process

b. directing the pranic energy to the affected part in the body, and

c. Modulating the glands responsible for the disease.

Among these, the first two can be achieved by Ashtanga Yoga, while the last can be achieved by Hatha Yoga. Many accomplished Yogis of today use these two simultaneously.

Healing others is a different proposition altogether. It involves rising from the limited personal level to the universal level. When one accomplishes this, one will be able to heal persons living thousands of miles away!

It is wrong to think that Yogic Healing has no limitations. Even here there are limitations because of the level of the healer and the capacity of the receiver (dependent on the level of damage) to tune himself to the yogic vibrations of the healer.

Let us remember again that health is only a by-product of yoga. The main product of a cow is milk; not its dung. Still, because health is important to achieve anything in life, it is not wrong to use yoga to achieve health.

Although Yoga is employed to achieve health, it does not stop there. By conferring the power to control the mind, it certainly shows the way to reach higher realms of Truth. There may be innumerable spiritual paths, but all paths employ yoga in one form or the other to reach the ultimate goal. Therefore, it can be said that yoga does not have limitations such as religion, community, region and sex.

What is practised and taught today as kriya yoga is basically Ashtanga Yoga..

The blending of Hatha Yoga, Kundalini Yoga and Ashtanga Yoga can be seen in the Upanishads and more profoundly in the Puranas.

Research should take place to understand the finer aspects of Yoga and to refine some of the practises of Yoga. This requires collective effort of dedicated scientific minds.