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Aims of Yoga
Excerpts from BKS Iyengar’s
book Yoga – the Path to Holistic
Health
The
practice of yoga aims at overcoming
the limitations of the body. Yoga
teaches us that the goal of every
individual’s life is to take the
inner journey to the soul. Yoga
offers both the goal and the means
to reach it.
When
there is perfect harmony between
body and mind, we achieve
self-realization. Yoga teaches us
that obstacles in the path of our
self-realization indicate themselves
in physical or mental indisposition.
When our physical state is not
perfect, this causes imbalance in
our mental state, which is known in
Sanskrit as chittavritti. The
practice of yoga helps us to
overcome that imbalance. Yogic
asanas or poses, can cure vyadhi
or physical ailments, and redress
unsteadiness in the body. Shvasa-prashvasa,
which translates as “uneven
respiration” – an indication of
stress – is alleviated by the
practice of yoga. Asanas tone the
whole body. They strengthen bones,
muscles, correct posture, improve
breathing, and increase energy. This
physical well-being has a
strengthening and calming impact on
the mind.
ASANAS AND PRANAYAMA (BREATH
CONTROL)
Practicing asanas cleanses the body.
Just as a goldsmith heats gold in
fire to burn out its impurities,
similarly asanas, by increasing the
circulation of fresh blood through
the body, purge it of the diseases
and toxins which are the
consequences of an irregular
lifestyle, unhealthy habits, and
poor posture. Regular practice of
the stretches, twists, bends and
inversions – the basic movements of
asanas – restores strength and
stamina to the body. Asanas
together with pranayama
(control of breath) or breathing
exercises, rectify physical,
physiological, and psychological
disorders. They have a positive
impact on the effects of stress and
disease. Among the many ailments
that benefit from the practice of
asanas are osteoarthritis, high and
low blood pressure, diabetes, asthma
and anorexia.
MIND
AND BODY
The
body and the mind are in a state of
constant interaction. Yogic science
does not demarcate where the body
ends and the mind begins, but
approaches both as a single,
integrated entity. The turmoil of
daily life brings stress to the body
and the mind. This creates anxiety,
depression, restlessness, and rage.
Yoga asanas, while appearing to deal
with the physical body alone,
actually influence the chemical
balance of the brain, which in turn
improves one’s mental state of
being.
The
obstacles to this perfect balance
were outlined by the sage, Patanjali,
some 2000 years ago in the Yoga
Sutras. Historians disagree on the
exact dates, but it is known that
the sutras, or aphorisms on the
philosophy and practice of yoga,
were compiled sometime between 300
BC and AD 300, and the entire corpus
was called the Patanjali Yoga
Darshana. In the final chapter
of the Yoga Sutras, the
Samadhi Pada, Patanjali
discusses the disorders that are the
root cause of suffering. According
to the sage, physical ailments
create emotional upheaval. The task
of yoga is to tackle both.
The
alleviation of pain is, even today,
one of the main reasons for the
journey into yoga for most people.
Yoga asanas work specific parts of
the body to soothe and relax the
mind as well. Inverted asanas, for
instance, simultaneously calm and
stimulate the brain. These asanas
activate glands and vital organs by
supplying fresh blood to the brain,
making it alert but relaxed.
Yoga
possesses the unique ability to calm
the nerves. The nerves function as
the medium between the psychological
body and the physiological body.
Practicing yoga has the holistic
impact of relaxing the body and
calming the mind. |
