12 The Psycho-Physical Practice of Yoga

K Srinivas

Introduction

It is believed that the practice of yoga for the sake of self-realization is much older than the Vedas. It is a technique or a method to control body and mind to achieve self-perfection. It appears that there are evidences to show the practice of yoga during Mohenjo-daro civilization. But Yoga as expounded by Patańjali is treated as an allied system of Sānkhya by the classical Indian tradition. The term ‘yoga’ is derived from the Sanskrit root ‘yuj’, which literally means ‘union’. It is a spiritual union of individual soul with the spiritual soul. It also means ‘to join’ or ‘to yoke’. As a matter of fact, it is a method that joins the finite spirit with the infinite or supreme Spirit. In other words, yoga is self-realization in its widest sense of the term. This method consists of the methods or practices leading to the union or self-realization (viveka-jńāna). Even if one does not believe in the spiritual knowledge, one may practice yoga to keep one’s mind and body healthy and agile.

The famous Yogasūtras, the aphorisms of Yoga, were composed by the sage Patanjali around 4th century BC. But, it was Vyāsa who wrote a commentary on Patańjali’s Yogasūtras around 4th century AD. Patańjali Yoga is also popularly known as Raja Yoga. Yogasūtras are divided into four parts, namely, Samādhipāda, Sādhanapāda, Vibhūtipāda, and Kaivalyapāda. The first part deals with the nature and aim of concentration, the second with the means to realize this end, the third with the supra-normal powers that one can acquire through yoga, and the fourth with the nature of liberation and the reality of the supreme transcendental Self. Being an allied system of Sānkhya, Yoga accepts the metaphysical and epistemological framework of the former.

1. Epistemology

Like Sānkhya, Yoga too admits three valid sources of knowledge, namely, perception (pratyakşa), inference (anumāna), and verbal testimony (śabda). Patańjali recasts the Sānkhya position on cognition. It is held by Sānkhya that cognition is a transformation and modification of impersonal Reason (buddhi, Mahat). But in reality, according to Yoga, everything undergoes modification, including the objects of the physical world. These modifications are classified into five functions (vŗttis). They are: the valid sources of knowledge (pramānas), wrong or false knowledge (viparyaya), empty concepts (vikalpas), sleep (nidrā), and memory (smŗti). Sleep is a kind of experience wherein there is an experience of mere absence. The valid sources of knowledge mentioned above represent the right cognition. It must be noted here that Reason (Mahat) is not to be understood as an ordinary reasoning process rather it is the all-pervading metaphysical principle out of which everything originates. It is also the source of ego.

The essential characteristic of this Reason is ‘am-ness’ (asmitā) or “I am’(ahamasmi). The ‘I’ in this context cannot be equated with ego but something higher than it. It is impersonal, yet it experiences itself as ‘am’. In other words, to say that the empirical world is rational is to say that it is the assertion of an impersonal Reason. The impersonal Reason operates through the ego in spite of the fact that the former transcends the latter. The ego accepts the assertions of the impersonal Reason as its assertions and identifies itself with the impersonal Reason. The five functions listed above are the modifications of the impersonal Reason that are associated with the ego. Further it is observed that even the empty concepts are also modifications of impersonal Reason. The cognition through an empty concept is defined as the cognition that follows upon a word which does not correspond to anything in objective reality. Basically ātman is considered to be consciousness itself by Yoga. However, we tend to speak of consciousness of atman as if consciousness is as an attribute of atman forgetting the fact that ataman is consciousness. All these aberrations occur due to the misuse of language. In this sense Vikalpa means the ideational, the conceptual, the imaginary, the fanciful, or what is mentally created. Mind has the capacity to create such concepts which do not signify anything in objective reality. Patańjali warns of such vikalpas.

By sleep Yoga means deep sleep, which is a dreamless state. It is also treated as a modification of impersonal Reason (Mahat). As such it involves consciousness but not unconscious. It cannot be regarded as the consciousness of absence (nothingness) rather it is treated as the presence of consciousness even if all other functions are absent. Even in sleep there is consciousness for otherwise when a person wakes up he or she cannot say “I slept well”. Illusion (viparyaya) is another modification of mind. Unlike Sānkhya, Yoga treats it as false knowledge. Such a form of knowledge results from the perception of a non-existent form (atadrūpapratişţham). The object perceived in illusion does not exist, but for Sānkhya it exists for it is only the modification (pariņāma) of the real object. Thus it is both existent and non-existent. According to Yoga, illusion is caused by five impurities. They are: ignorance (avidyā), false identification of oneself with objective world or egoism (asmitā), attachment (rāga), hate (dveşa) and self-attachment (abhiniveśa), which is accompanied by the anxiety of death.

Yoga also recognises five levels of mental life (cittabhūmi). These levels are caused by the predominance of different guņas. Restlessness or kşipta is caused by the excess of rajas. This is supposed to be the lowest mental level. The next level is torpid or mudha. The mind has more of tamas which makes it ignorant, dull and sleepy. The next higher stage is called distracted (vikşipta). Here in this stage although sattva is a dominating guna, yet rajas too asserts itself at times. Therefore, the mind gets distracted. The next higher stage is called concentration (ekāgra). Here in this stage the mind is completely dominated by sattva. The mind can concentrate on the object of its choice without any hindrance. The fifth and the highest stage is called restricted (nirudha). The mental modifications in this stage are completely arrested though their latent impressions remain. The stages proceed in an ascending order. The first three stages are not conducive for yogic practices. The last two alone are the proper stages for taking up yogic life.

2. Metaphysics

Although Yoga admits the metaphysical foundations of Sānkhya, yet Patańjali adds up something more in the following way. First of all, he goes deeper into the analysis of the nature of transformation. Secondly, he admits the existence of God unlike Sānkhya. Thirdly, he attempts to show the relation between the impersonal Reason and moral action.

According to Sānkhya, everything is under constant transformation (pariņāma). There is nothing which does not undergo transformation. This view of Sānkhya is akin to Buddhist doctrine of momentariness. In other words, it amounts to saying that there is nothing permanent or stable substance to which change belongs to. But both Sānkhya and Yoga admit the existence of Prakŗti, the primordial, eternal substance to which all change belongs to. The change is only the modification of Prakŗti’s attributes only. Sānkhya does not discuss this relation between substance (dharmī) and its attributes (dharmas) at all. Patańjali discusses this relation between substance and its attributes (qualities) in detail. If there is persisting change in everything at every moment, then how do we distinguish between substance and its attributes (qualities)? Patańjali makes an attempt to show how we can distinguish substance, attributes (qualities) and their changes within this continual change.

There is nothing special about the view that every transformation is a modification. For example, water transforms into ice at a particular temperature. Such a modification has three aspects within it. They are: modification of substance, modification of quality, and modification of the mode of quality. In the example given above, water modifies into ice. The former is in liquid form and the latter is hard. What we observe here is the modification of one quality into another (dharmapariņāma). The substance remains the same. The change occurs within the same substance. This passage of change takes place through three moments, past, present and future. Therefore, there occurs change in the modes of existence of substance. Further, it is also stated by Patańjali that each state of change has three moments-strong, weak and submerged. When the change is clearly observed it is strong and slowly becomes weak when it is going to be taken over by the next state. When it is completely overwhelmed then it submerges into the next state. Since these three stages are continuously overlapping with each other there exists no interval of nothingness (sūnyata). What is interesting to note here is that in all these three stages the substance remains the same. We can only observe the modifications of substanc but not substance as it is too subtle.

From the above analysis of change we find that substance is the individual (vyakti). Its accompanying qualities alone change but substance remains the same. Substance possesses elements of stability in the object observed. As P.T. Raju puts it: “Change is not within time; on the other hand time is constituted by, and is none other than the three moments of the changing quality.” Similarly, space is only an extended property of substances. It has no reality of its own. Both time and space are only the forms of ether (akāśa), which is the ground for the possibility of change of objects and their extendedness. Time and space, according to Yoga, are only the aspects of the transformation of objects. Substance is the generator of qualities, including time and space. Time is only the name given to the three moments of change of qualities. The individuality of substance can be explained in the following manner. Substance exists whereas qualities subsist in substance. In other words, substance for its existence is not dependent on qualities, but qualities need substance for their subsistence. This is the contribution of Patanjali to the concept of substance. He agrees with Sāńkhya that there is change in everything.

3. God

Accepting the reality of God is another salient feature of Yoga. Patanjali holds that stopping of the five functions of Reason is the prime objective of Yoga. It is a difficult task for the nature of Reason is such that it is always active. When all its functions are stopped it goes to sleep, which is also its function. In that case it must be allowed to function and that would be to meditate on God in order to attain salvation. God being omniscient there is no knowledge greater than his. God is not touched by the five impurities- ignorance, sense of ego, desire, hate, and fear of death. Also, he is not touched by the results of ethical actions and the potencies left by ethical actions (karmāśayas). God is Puruşa, but of a special kind (puruşaviśeşa). He is not bound by time and is a teacher of all gods. Meditation of God involves repeating his name and thinking of its meaning. Through meditation mind becomes totally inward and all obstacles to meditation such as disease, lethargy, doubt, inattention, heaviness of body and mind attachment to objects, error, inexplicable failure to obtain trance, and unsteadiness to mind are overcome.

Patanjali does not offer any proof(s) for the existence of God unlike Western theologians. He only gave some descriptions about God and the advantages of meditating on him. But the commentators like Vijnānabhikşu forced some arguments into these descriptions of Patańjali. It is argued by the former that scriptures are absolutely authentic and they say about God’s existence. Therefore, God exists. Another argument is that men possess different degrees of knowledge. There must be some upper and lower limit. The upper limit of knowledge is possessed by God and there is no knowledge greater than that.

4. Reason and Action

How do moral actions effect the change of our personality in terms of character? These changes would further effect the dynamic forces that are responsible for our future births. Yoga accepts the doctrine of karma and reincarnation. The moral actions leave their potencies (samskāras) in the impersonal Reason. These potencies later on become the modifications of the creative energy of Reason (buddhi, citta). Thus Reason of every individual is modified in a different way according to the actions performed by the individual. The world comes out of such a modified Reason. In other words, Reason is the ultimate ontological principle for this school. Our bodies are also the evolutes of Reason. Hence they are not the agents of enjoyment, but only the instruments of Reason. The ultimate enjoyer is the “I” as the ego.

Reason, according to Yoga, has two aspects. One aspect of it creates the world that is shared by all of us. The common world is the given world. The other aspect of Reason makes the world different to each individual in terms of its enjoyability. What produces pleasure in one individual may produce pain or agony in another. These differences are due to the actions performed by the individuals as moral agents. The potencies of moral actions accumulate together and constitute the reservoir of potencies. This reservoir of potencies becomes one of the afflictions (kleśas) of Reason, which creates a distorted world of colourful objects. This part of Reason is known as the Reason of action-potencies. These potencies do not manifest all at a time. Some of them are known in this present birth and some in future births. The results produced by these potencies manifest in the form of birth, duration of life and nature of enjoyments. These are the three fountains on which human life is built up. It is left to the individual’s freedom to perform new actions to cancel them or to improve upon them or not to perform any action. These potencies produce their effects insofar as the original ignorance between the Prakŗti and Puruşa continues. Through the practice of yoga the discrimination dawns on the individual and the ignorance is dispelled. But among those potencies that have started afresh in the present life alone bear the fruit and the others get dried up to become like dead seeds. Thus the doctrine of karma becomes teleological in Yoga. Without any reference to God, Yoga explains the cessation of these potencies through the practice of yoga.

6. Techniques of Yoga

The ultimate aim of Yoga, like any other orthodox Indian philosophical system, is to attain liberation, which is known as samādhi. How does one attain it? Before we discuss the methods of attaining samādhi, it is necessary to explain what samādhi means. The English translations of the word ‘samādhi’ are highly misleading. The word is translated as trance, ecstasy, rapture, concentration and so on. None of these translations is accurate. To be in the state of trance means to be in the state of morbidity. Ecstasy means an exalted feeling, rapture is a kind of being carried away by means of attraction, and concentration is a mental feeling of fixing one’s mind on an object of one’s choice. But samādhi cannot be equated with any one of these psychological states or processes. Etymologically the word means settling down of Reason on something. It implies peace and steadiness. In other words, it is the settling of Reason in itself.

The practice of yoga is to stop or damn the functions of Reason. When these functions are stopped Reason becomes completely transparent as it purges out disturbances, agitations, and all other out-going activities. Even sleep, one of the functions of Reason, has to be stopped. The Reason stays in itself and is conscious. Its consciousness is the reflection of the Purusa. There is nothing objective to know. Such a state is technically called samādhi. To attain it is the ultimate goal of Yoga.

Modern psychologists are of the view that most of the conscious processes and their structures are hidden from us in the depth of the subconscious and the unconscious. Even the philosophers of Yoga such as Patańjali realised it long before Freud or Young. Most of these levels of consciousness are hidden from our awareness. For the sake of brevity and convenience let us reduce these conscious processes and their structures into attentive and non-attentive or residual modes. The attentive mode represents all those conscious processes, structures and their contents illumined by witnessing consciousness or individual reason. We are fully aware of the conscious level of our own mental life as opposed to the subconscious or unconscious levels that contain non-attentive or residual mode of consciousness. This mode of consciousness traces the impressions or potencies buried in the totality of human experience. It is much deeper and pervasive than the attentive mode. This non-attentive or residual consciousness accounts for most of our conditioning. These primary forces which reside in the hidden level of consciousness make up our personality, and are responsible for creating our personal identity. These powerful forces have to be brought back from darkness to self-awareness for otherwise they keep us in perennial bondage. Once they are brought back to the mode of attentive consciousness they are gradually eliminated or put to complete rest through yogic practices.

Although physical and mental exercises help us to some extent in attaining samādhi, the most important starting point is the purification of one’s Reason. This Reason (I am) represents one’s personal being. So long as it is driven by the residual conscious forces it cannot be pure and attain stability. It would be constantly fluctuating. Its steadiness and stability can be achieved through proper practice (abhyāsa) and detachment (vairāgya) from objects. The control over longing for something can be achieved by cultivating friendship with those who are happy without being envious, and by showing compassion towards those who are in sorrow, and by being pleasant without being jealous towards the others who are meritorious. Apart from that one must also practice self-control, non-injury, non-stealing, truthfulness, celibacy, and non-acceptance of gifts. Everyone can practice these virtues even if one does not care for liberation. It is also held that the sense of detachment would be complete in itself through Ĭśvara-prānidhāna or constant contemplation of the supreme Being, who is free from all works and afflictions and having the appellation Om or praņava. The repetition (smaraņa) of this monosyllable has its own miraculous effects. It is conducive to the knowledge of the supreme and also for the prevention of all impediments to yoga.

Coming to the steadiness of mind, only fortunate ones alone can attain it. But others who want to control their mind have to put in rigorous effort for that. One easy method is to meditate on God or one may practice measured inhaling and exhaling (prāņāyāma). When inhaling and exhaling are done in an irregular manner it results in mental agitation. First of all mind has to be fixed on the measures of breath controlling its agitation is minimized. Another way is to remove all attachments from mind in order to make it steady. One can also meditate on the consciousness present in dream or deep sleep. It is not the meditation on the objects of consciousness, but on that consciousness itself. It is the concentration on its very essence that represents the ontological or impersonal Reason (Mahat). Or one can fix one’s mind on the objects of one’s liking. These are all only the aids to attain the steadiness of mind. Once the effort of fixing mind is complete, then it passes through five important stages (bhūmis). Here the mind refers to Reason which is variously known as citta, buddhi and Mahat, the nature of which changes at every instance. When we attempt to make Reason steady it becomes agitated and restless (kşipta). When a greater force is thrust on it to fix it, it becomes torpid (mūdha), a tendency to fall asleep. When we still make greater effort, it becomes distracted (vikşipta). If we continue to put greater effort then it becomes concentrated (ekāgra) on the object of meditation. Finally, when we make a steady effort to make our mind stay on in that state it becomes restrained (niruddha) and all its functions stop. The last two stages are important for attaining samādhi.

7. Eight-Fold Path (Aşţānga-Yoga)

The practices prescribed so far are not all that easy to follow. Our mundane existence is the being of Prakŗti which is under constant change. In the process of meditation we are supposed to go against our very mundane nature. Therefore, Patańjali suggests eight steps or limbs (angas) to be practiced step by step. But it should not be assumed that the earlier steps or methods are to be discarded in favour of the later ones. The steadiness of mind is absolutely necessary for practicing aşţānga-yoga. In a way both the earlier and later steps go well with each other. One cannot provide a solution to a mathematical problem without knowing the integers and their values. Similar is the case with these steps. The astānga-yoga, which is also known as Raja- yoga, includes self-control (yama), regulation of life by certain rules (niyama), bodily postures (āśanas), breath-control (prānayāma), withdrawal of senses from the external objects (pratyāhāra), fixing the mind on an object (dhārana), meditation (dhyāna), and samādhi. Let us examine them in detail.

7.1. Self-control (yama)

It is of five types. They are: non-injury, truthfulness, non-stealing, celibacy, and non-acceptance of gifts. In other words, one should not accept anything that is an instrument of pleasure.

7.2. Rules for regulating life (niyama)

These rules include the purification of body, both externally and internally. This purification starts with cleaning of body through washing, and by taking clean and pure food. Internally mind has to be cleansed by practicing friendship, kindness towards the others, cheerfulness, and indifference to the voices of others. Apart from these, contentment, penance by practicing austerities, regular study of sacred books and meditation on God are recommended.

7.3. Bodily postures (āśanas)

Normally people think that practicing yoga means only to practice some prescribed āśanas by the guru. They are only part of the limbs of yoga but do not represent yoga in its entirety. The purpose of these bodily postures is to keep our body under our control. These postures keep our body steady during meditation so that no discomfort may distract our mind from concentration. Of course, it is not denied that some of the postures help body to keep its agility. A healthy body is a prerequisite for meditative practices. There are many postures prescribed in the Rāja-yoga. These postures are chosen by the practitioners of yoga to suit their requirement.

7.4. Breath-control (prānayāma)

Through this process we are supposed to regulate our inhaling and exhaling. This act is of several kinds. By practicing breath-control one can achieve control over one’s involuntary functions too. Irregular breathing leads to mental agitations and lack of concentration. To arrest mental agitations breath-control is practiced. It is also believed by Sānkhya-Yoga that the life-principle (prāņa) functions involuntarily in our bodies, and is the function of inner sense. This life-principle operates through breathing. Human body operates though many involuntary functions such as muscular and nervous activities, the assimilation of food into the body. Through breath-control we can also regulate our involuntary activities too. Apart from inhaling and exhaling, yoga also recognised the acts of retention of inhaled air in our lungs and emptying the lungs for sometime without immediately inhaling after exhaling. All these four activities have to be regulated in terms of proper time intervals. Through practice one can also stop the act of inhaling for a longer period without losing life, thus one can gain control over life-principle. But, the higher levels of breath control are not usually recommended for ordinary practitioners.

7.5. Sense-withdrawal (pratyāhāra)

This is another important and difficult task for a yoga practitioner. He/she has to withdraw his/her senses from external objects which cause desires in us. One has to turn one’s senses inward though rigorous practice in order to make senses unite with their sources. It is not destruction of senses at all. When the senses are withdrawn the external objects to which senses are attracted are also withdrawn. The senses become one with Reason. In other words, the senses are completely conquered by the practitioner of yoga.

7.6. Concentration (dhāraņa)

It is an important step towards meditation. Generally concentration makes us fixing our inner sense on a desired object. It is the activity of centring our mind. The object on which the mind concentrates may be an external object, an idol, or an image of God, or any part of one’s own body. Normally it is easy to concentrate on an external object or an image of God.

7.7. Meditation (dhyāna)

It is a steady and unbroken continuity of concentration. In this state of Reason the object on which mind concentrates becomes continuous like a flow like oil in which the drops cannot be distinguished from one another.

7.8. Samādhi

One does not find an English equivalent to this word. In the stage of meditation Reason can distinguish between the object and cognition and also knows itself as knowing object. But in the stage of samādhi Reason is completely absorbed in the object that the object alone stands. In this state there is no sense, no awareness, or sense of being aware of the object. The inner structure of the object reveals itself completely whether it is a physical object or one’s own mind with its layers of the Unconscious, or somebody else’s mind.

As described above the last three limbs or states of yoga are inner (antaranga) and the first five are external (bahiranga). Further, samādhi is classified into two kinds. They are: samprajńāta and asamprajńāta. In the former the consciousness of the object of meditation persists, and in the latter it is transcended. In the state of samprajńāta-samādhi one who practices meditation and the object of meditation are fused together, yet the object of meditation remains. This state again is classified into savitarka, savicāra, sānanda, and sāsmita. In the savitarka state the mind concentrates on the gross object of meditation like tip of one’s nose, or the mid-point of the eyebrows or the image of god. In the savacāra state the mind concentrates on a subtler object of meditation like the tanmātrās. In the sānanda state mind concentrates on a still subtler object of meditation that produces joy. In the state of sāsmita the mind concentrates on the ego substance with which the self is generally identified. Here the individuality persists and the individual will have conscious ecstasy. On the contrary, in the state of asamprajnata–samadhi the meditator and the object of meditation are completely fused together. No new mental modifications arise in this state. They are completely put down (niruddha), although their latent impressions may continue. This is the highest state of yoga which is difficult to attain. Such an experience cannot be described too. After attaining this state, the body breaks down and the person in question attains liberation.

8.Summary

The aim of a person who resorts to yogic practices is to attain liberation, which is a state of freedom from the entanglement of Prakŗti. One who gets entangled with the various forms of Prakŗti identifies with its forms and with the functions of Reason (buddhi, Mahat), which is its first evolute. Thus one identifies oneself with Reason, ego, mind, senses and physical body. One’s liberation lies in getting disentangled with the above mentioned forms of Prakŗti. Yoga provides a way to get oneself disentangled from such a state to attain liberation.

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