FOREWORD

WHAT IS YOGA?

by Sri Kriyananda

Great truths are universally relevant, and consequently defy every narrowing attempt at definition. Take, as the sublime example, love — God Himself — or, at a more prosaic level, such seemingly mechanical functions of Nature as gravity and electromagnetism.

Such a truth — and in fact one closely related to love — is yoga. Yoga, a Sanskrit word, means union. From this root is derived our own English word yoke. The union implied here is an eternal truth. It is not something to be achieved by artifice, such as couples uniting in wedlock or nations uniting on the strength of peace treaties. Indeed, unless such outward unions are based on a recognition of deeper, already existing bonds, they will be short-lived. True union can only be recognized; it cannot be created.

Yoga dignifies the essential unity that is the basis of life. Like love, this great truth embraces the full spectrum of reality, from the most spiritual to the most material. In the highest sense, yoga, as spiritual union, signifies the soul's union with God. At the opposite end of the spectrum it embraces the affinity of atomic particles for one another. Like love, moreover, the deeper reality implied is always spiritual, even when treating of seemingly inanimate matter.

Both love and yoga can be understood better through their active expression then by static definition. They are experiential truths, and not mere abstractions.

The practice of yoga, then, is a process of self-discovery. It is an awakening of long-somnolent memories of who and what we really are: within ourselves, an integral whole; externally, an integral part of all that is. The benefit of yoga practice is no mere creation of a new persona.

In this emphasis on self-awareness, as opposed to self-development, yoga stands diametrically opposed to most of the assumptions of our age. For modern thought accepts with Darwin the concept that evolution is progressive in a linear sense; that it is born of struggle, and accompanied by tension, anguish and pain. Progress, on the other hand, conceived of as a voyage of self-discovery, implies a retreat from tension and reduction of suffering, offering instead the deep peace that comes with true self-recognition and acceptance. Thus, the Bhagavad Gita states, ‘Even a little practice of this religion frees one from dire fears and colossal suffering.’

The spiritual practice or ‘religion’, here referred to is yoga. As Krishna is quoted as saying, ‘Arjuna, be thou a yogi.’ True yoga practice is that which is based on attitudes of inner relaxation and calmness.

Yoga, then, rightly understood, is not a practice for achieving outward results: slimness, poise, muscular co-ordination, or the development of artistic or intellectual skills. Such gains, if sought purely for themselves, cannot but be short-lived. They are, however, natural results of the recognition of union as an inner and fundamental truth of life. For they are normal manifestations of a nature that is self-integrated. The difference lies in the focus of one's aspirations. Unlike so many modern schools of self-development, yoga practice does not add such outward benefits strenuously to a growing arsenal of skills and accomplishments. It draws one to a state of rest at one's own centre, from which centredness all that is rightfully one's own is achieved effortlessly.

Yoga, as union, implies perfect harmony of body, mind and spirit. On a physical level, it implies glowing health. On a mental level, it implies the harmonious integration of the personality, and the corresponding elimination of psychological ‘complexes’. On the soul level, yoga implies union of the little self with the greater Self, of the ego with the vastness of cosmic awareness, and, as stated earlier, of the individual soul with its infinite Source: God.

The different paths of yoga all have this total union for their goal. They differ only in the matter of emphasis.

Karma Yoga, the path of action, teaches one how to live in a spirit of self-integration, even while engaged in strenuous activity. The teachings of Karma Yoga are valid for everyone, for they deal with an aspect of life that concerns everyone, even the meditative yogi. (For are not thoughts, too, a form of action?)

Gyana Yoga (often written ‘Jnana Yoga’), the path of discrimination and wisdom, teaches one how to achieve a sense of inner integration on a mental level. Thought, too, is an activity engaged in by all. The teachings of Gyana Yoga, then, have universal relevance.

Bhakti Yoga, the path of devotion, deals also with a fundamental aspect of human nature: feeling, and the way to refine emotions into pure, self-giving love. Without devotion, indeed, action becomes sterile, and discrimination sinks to the passive level of mere armchair philosophy.

Hatha Yoga, often described as the physical path of yoga, is not really a distinct path at all, but rather the physical branch of the meditative science of Raja Yoga. As such, it must be understood as a means of awakening and freeing the inner energies of the body, that they may be directed toward the higher activity of divine contemplation. Essentially, the goal of asana or yoga posture, in Hatha Yoga is simply the ability to sit still with a straight spine, and with the body relaxed. The yoga postures then, are primarily intended to help one to achieve complete physical, and subsequently mental and emotional, relaxation.

Raja Yoga, the path of meditation, is the central teaching of yoga, hence its name: Raja, meaning ‘royal’. Perfection in each of the other branches of yoga results, however indirectly, in superconscious awareness. But superconsciousness is the direct aim of Raja Yoga, through techniques of concentration that help to lift one above the identity with body, mind, feelings and ego.

There is a fundamental misunderstanding in the West, particularly among Christians, namely the belief that yoga practice implies a rejection of divine grace. Indeed, it would be absurd to imagine that union with God could be achieved by imposing oneself on the Lord with or without His consent! As a matter of fact, kripa, or divine grace, is a concept so fundamental to Hinduism that its omission is more often an attempt to correct a widespread tendency to rely too heavily on grace, at the expense of self-effort.

The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, the fundamental scripture of yoga, begins with the statement, ‘Now we come to the study of yoga.’ The implication of that word ‘now’ is that the study of yoga follows properly upon the recognition and acceptance of other basic life values. To practise yoga successfully, as is well understood in India, one must be already steeped in certain attitudes, among which would be included such presumptively ‘Christian’ virtues as faith, devotion, humility, and a deep love for the longing to commune with God.

I recommend to all readers of this book, therefore, a yogic approach to it. Look upon this ancient science, in other words, not as a study apart from the life you normally live, but as integral to every aspect of it, even the most familiar and mundane.