Why do we bother to practice, to tangle ourselves up, to overcome the tightness, to grip the looseness?
We are beginning our fall session and with that we will look at the question of “what is yoga?” The best way to begin is to look to the source, the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali and to compare what is said there to what our experience in class and on the mat has been. There are many translations and explanations of the sutras, but I turn first to one by Mr Iyengar, Light on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. For those who are not familiar with the sutras, here is what Mr Iyengar says:
“The book is divided into four chapters, or padas (parts or quarters), covering the art, science and philosophy of life. The 196 sutras are succinct, precise, profound, and devout in approach. Each contains a wealth of ideas and wisdom to guide the aspirant (sadhaka) towards full knowledge of his own real nature. This knowledge leads to the experience of perfect freedom, beyond common understanding.”
— B.K.S. Iyengar Light on The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali p. 3
A clear, succinct definition of yoga lies in the second sutra, I.2:
yoga cittavrtti nirodhah
“Yoga is the cessation of movements in the consciousness.”
“Yoga is defined as restraint of fluctuations in the consciousness. It is the art of studying the behaviour of consciousness, which has three functions, cognition, conation or volition, and motion. Yoga shows ways of understanding the functions of the mind, and helps to quieten their movements leading one towards the undisturbed state of silence which dwells in the very seat of consciousness. Yoga is thus the art and science of mental discipline through which the mind becomes cultured and matured.”
–B.K.S.Iyengar Light on The Yoga Sutras of Patankjali, p 50
It is of course interesting that nowhere in that definition is anything said about stretching, nor dog pose, nor working your muscles. Instead it speaks to the consciousness, to thinking and the mind. The word “conation” is not commonly used and many of us have to rush to look it up every time we hear it. But it refers to the part of the mind that involves moving intentionally. Yoga is an art and a discipline, that much we can understand from our practice on the mat. How it relates to the functions of the mind is not always as obvious. We have some degree of control over our bodies and how they move, how we place them and working with artistry and discipline and with care and attention to consciousness; to aspects of the mind will lead to an understanding of balance and eventually to equipoise and stillness. This state is often described as a state of bliss, but that can be misleading because in English the word ‘bliss’ implies emotions and the state is an emotionless state. I think there are no words that convey the meaning, but you understand it when you experience it. It is not a state that you achieve and then spend the rest of your life in, it is not an ivory tower which you manage to scale and retreat to. You touch it, know it and then take it as part of you into your life.
Mr Iyengar was in China earlier this year, at his “last overseas” convention. Much as he was at his last overseas convention here in 1993. The man is the ultimate energizer bunny!! He was asked by the media while there to define yoga and this was his answer:
“Yoga is to culture the body, culture the mind, culture the intelligence so all these three work in co ordination in such a way that there is no conflict between the body-mind, mind and self.”
–B.K.S. Iyengar Yoga Rhasya, Vol 18; No. 3 2011, p 18
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