Yoga has become incredibly popular in the West. So much so, that if you mention yoga in any group of Americans, rarely will anyone ask, “What is Yoga?” Maybe that is a good thing for yoga – Maybe not. Yoga is currently perceived as a physical exercise to many people, and even serious practitioners are focusing on perfecting poses, becoming highly flexible or “open” and even trying to attend or even to teach the most “challenging” of classes to become “advanced yogis.” Most practitioners would do well to ask ourselves “What is yoga?” to better define our practice for ourselves and for others.
The definition of yoga is often given as “yoke” or “union.” So, what can that mean to the individual practitioner? What exactly are we yoking or unifying? One may answer with the usual mind/body/spirit balance reference, or even “The whole world!” But what does this have to do with sweating in a hot studio or balancing on one’s hands for 20 minutes?
After giving it a bit of consideration, one could say that the physical aspects of the yoga that most of us are familiar with (or wish we could perform) would require extreme concentration, the result of training the mind and years of self-study, much like martial arts. Discipline and focus being key attributes. But which comes first - Discipline or the physical work? That is the best question to ask because it leads us to the original idea of yoga as a practice of “union”. Is this practice Yoga without all aspects - the physical and the mental and spiritual?
For most if not all of the answers to any questions about the ultimate meaning of yoga, the teachers turn to the Yoga Sutras of Patañjali written in about the 2nd century BCE. The sutras themselves give little reference to asana or postures as we know of them today. Most of the work defines yoga, gives us a reason to practice, explains that reason in detail, tells us how difficult the practice can be, gives us some guidelines to break it down, explains why those guidelines will make our whole life better, and also gives us many fabulous things to look forward to if we can ever get that lifestyle down.
Although Patañjali never actually refers to “core power” or “abs like Sting’s,” What yogis who have studied the sutras have come to realize is that the benefits of an earnest yoga practice promise the strength of body - Heart and mind – To live a full life, true to oneself, true to one’s community, true to the higher power.
In the sutras, Patañjali begins with his teachings of yoga as Yogas citta vrtti nirodhah (I.2) – Yoga is the bringing to stillness the fluctuations of the mind. At first blush, that seems like some sage is saying, “calm down and concentrate.” And you might say yes, and go meditate and call it good, but there are several more chapters left, so, Patañjali knew humans better than that. He went on to describe the difference between our thoughts and our self, to put it very simply. I believe that on some level, everyone needs to understand that they are not those rambling thoughts – That we are more than the constant dialogue that seems to be the imagination’s version of a proprioceptive balancing act. That may be why the sutras begin like this – Finally! I am going to find a way to love and accept my crazy self.
So what does this have to do with “union?” Am I doing yoga if I calm my mind? Should I spend my days sitting on the grass sky-gazing? Maybe not. At the time Patañjali wrote the sutras (as well as for centuries before and after) asceticism was a practice that yogis and holy men of different traditions undertook as a path of devotion. This extreme renunciation was a way for these devotees to unify themselves with their god, their practice, with themselves. This is not something that the sutras or yogis advise, but the sutras do give lifestyle suggestions or according to B.K.S. Iyengar, “commandments” (Iyengar, 21) that give us a way to live in unity with our families, our communities and the greater world as yogis, in a life-long practice. According to Iyengar “The yogi does not renounce the world, for that would mean renouncing the Creator.” (and here I loosely quote him): The yogi cuts the bonds that attach him to his worldly actions. What we do when we practice a yogic lifestyle is to dedicate our life to what will be after all, the most virtuous, or right. (Iyengar, 31).
Now that we know that we want to know our self, we realize that living in the world as a participant, doing right, making a difference, we have taken the first step. Now we look for some instruction. In chapter 2 on SadhanaPatañjali gives us some lifestyle guidelines, or ways of acting to follow: Astanga-yoga or eight-limbed yoga. Although Patañjali takes time to describe skilful action, causes of suffering and other very useful reasons to prescribe to the eight limbs in the sutras prior to this, we will jump ahead for now. The eight limbs according to the Yoga-Sūtras are: yama, (external ethical disciplines), niyama, (individual internal disciplines) āsana, (postures), prānāyāma, (breath regulation), pratyāhāra,(withdrawal/control of the senses) , dharānā,(one-pointed concentration), dhyāna (meditative absorbtion), and samādhi, (integration). (Hartranft, 32; Houston, II.29). (spiritual path to realization)
Interestingly, the physical postures are listed third. (This may mean that a chaturanga of beauty is not the way to eternal bliss – or is it?). Some people has assumed that one must master āsana and prānāyāma before attempting meditation, or that those were, indeed the prerequisites for all yoga, but it seems that these both could be other than what Patañjali taught, as at the time of the Yoga-Sūtras, the physical practice and the breathing practices were very different than what we see today, our practices having been developed around the ninth or tenth century. (Hartranft, 32).
I would like to propose that for our purposes of finding “union,” our own way of living in the world, participating in our world community, our yoga practice begins with the yama. And move on from there. The yama are:
Ahimsā: Not harming. Rather than just the literal meaning of “don’t hurt anyone,” think about this as the action of “the opposite of harm.” If we practice inaction, we are not yogis, we are cowards, yogis should act. That means act with love and compassion – The opposite of harm.
Satya: Truth. Really there is not much to say about this but that it could be the most difficult discipline. Ghandi said “Truth is God, God is Truth.” What is happing right now is Truth, Dharma, Reality, whatever you call it, it is sacred and we abuse it constantly. All I know from my yoga practice is that the more I pay attention, the more I see and express Truth. It is also interesting to take the time (and compassion for yourself) to do some self-study into why you are telling un-truths.
Asteya: Not-Stealing. If you are going to do this practice justice this discipline doesn’t relate only to bank robbery and shop-lifting. Extend this practice to taking advantage of people’s time and energy (time is money!), borrowing things, and your work ethic. Also the opposite of desiring what is not yours. It is very freeing to not want what you do not have.
Brama-Carya: Celibacy or sexual restraint. Understanding your physical desires is essential to this practice. Treating yourself with compassion and understanding can get you out of some tough places if you know that you are more than your thoughts and sexual urges. Desire must not lead to action in every case, even in a healthy relationship; there is always the need to consider the other person, and the results of your actions.
Aparigrahā: Not hoarding or being possessive. Also, the opposite of collecting what you do not need. Live simply, own what you need at the time, and share what you not longer have a use for. When people hoard, it signals fear of not having what they need, of losing something in the future. If you have what you need now, there is no need to fear.
All five of these practices, or codes of ethics are timeless. Everyone should practice them constantly as Patañjali wrote: “irrespective of place, time, circumstance or social status.” (Yoga-Sūtras II.31). This was very bold at the time. (Cope, 151) as with the caste system some ethics were at best voluntary. This may seem the case in modern times as well when we see what happens in corporate
I prescribe the yama because these five practices give us guidelines to practice insight, structure, openness, and compassion to find in ourselves a way to truly become a part of our world community - To practice union – Yoga for the higher good.
Works Cited
Chodron, Pema. Start Where You Are.
Cope, Stephen. The Wisdom of Yoga.
Hartranft, Chip. The Yoga-Sutra of Pantajali.
Houston, Vyaas. The Yoga Sutra Workbook.
Iyengar, B.K.S. Light on Yoga.
