Being In the World but Not Of It
A common assumption today, in yoga, is that yoga makes you feel good. For example, a recent poster that advertised a health product showed a woman in a yoga pose who was surrounded by a slogan that read: “Feel good about yourself. Feel good about life.” Yogis of the past would have cringed. Traditionally, yoga has been conceptualized as a discipline that purifies the body and the mind in order to transcend both. For a yogi to indulge in a state in which he or she feels good and gives in to likes and wants was not considered to be yoga[1]. Rather, ancient yogis argued that feeling good about yourself kept you trapped in your current condition. For them yoga was a tool for transcendence, not a means to make you feel more comfortable in your body.
What then, one may ask, is the goal of yoga? As already mentioned, one goal is the purification of the body and the mind. This is, however, not done in order to feel good or to relax but to become more aware, more centered and in a sense “finer.” In the context of yoga anatomy, a human being has 5 different levels or dimensions (mayas or koshas). They reach from the grossest level on which a person is conceptualized as a physical being, to the finest level on which a person is seen to be pure consciousness.[2] In classical yoga philosophy the centering and purification process is a process of transformation that leads the yogi from the grossest to the finest dimension.
Within this transformation feeling good is clearly not an overriding concern. In fact, there are many times when a yogi can actually feel quite miserable. People who take their practice seriously often become very sensitive to their surroundings. They then experience the daily noise, hectic lifestyle and aggressive context of society in ways that are anything but happy and blissful. Under such conditions some yogis tend to become reclusive and hide in their respective “caves”. Yet hiding in a cave is not the solution to the problem either. Instead, the true goal is to be in the world, but not to be of it
When years of practice have stabilized the yogi in his or her finer layers of existence, looks and state of health do not matter so much anymore. At that point hiding from the world is no longer necessary because one has learned to stay centered and compassionate, no matter what the circumstance are.
How then can yoga help us to attain such a state? In the beginning attention to the body is essential. A proper, balanced diet that emphasizes “sattvic” (light) components is very helpful. The regular practice of asana is important too because it purifies the body and makes it less prone to disease. With this attention the physical aspect of one’s being, the annamaya kosha, becomes stronger and more balanced. Next, a careful and regular breathing practice (pranayama) directs the subtle energies (prana) and prepares the person for the deeper kinds of yoga. Here the second aspect of one’s being, the pranamaya kosha, is purified and strengthened. Then, in meditation one focuses the mind (manomaya kosha) and enters into the deeper layers of knowledge (vijnanamaya kosha). The purpose of meditation in yoga is often not clearly seen, because modern society focuses predominantly on the physical and material aspects of the world. However, in the more advanced practice of yoga the disciplining of the mind becomes central.[3] Through the focusing of one’s attention awareness can become so sensitive that it can appreciate the underlying bliss of existence (anandamaya) and can begin to connect to its essential nature (purusha). At that point one realizes that whatever happens in the world is not the Ultimate. Following Krishna’s advice in the Bhagavad Gita, one then sees through the mystery of existence and realizes that the Self is never touched by what transpires in the world. This understanding leads the yogi to live in the world without being of it.
All this obviously has little to do with spas and feel-good yoga. Instead, it fosters a worldview that is almost diametrically opposed to the mentality of a pampered body. Yogis would ask: “What good is a healthy body if you know that one day you will grow old and die?” Centuries of inner exploration have taught them to look for the more enduring dimensions of their being. They know that the hardships of daily life cannot be avoided but instead have to be faced one breath at a time, yet they also know that there is a dimension within that cannot be touched by such hardships
Understandings like these go a long way beyond stress-reduction and relaxation. While the latter offer “bandages” for problems in daily life, yoga is meant to grapple with the root problems of existence. It guides the practitioner on the inner path of exploration and teaches each person to become more aware of the subtle, inner layers of existence. Practitioners who gain an understanding of these subtle layers develop a more compassionate and connected way of being in the world. They do not negate the world, yet they are also not ruffled by it. Yoga, for them, has initiated a process of transcendence that has brought them to a point of inner stillness (atman) from which they can then appreciate and serve the world.
Oda Lindner, E-RYT 500
[1] In fact, raga (wanting or grasping) was considered to be one of the hinderances (kleshas) on the path of yoga. (Yoga Sutras of Patanjali II.3)
[2] The 5 mayas or koshas are the annamaya, pranamaya, manomaya, vijnanamaya and the anandamaya kosha.
[3] “Yoga citta vrtti nirodha” is the definition of yoga in Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras (I.2.)
[2] The 5 mayas or koshas are the annamaya, pranamaya, manomaya, vijnanamaya and the anandamaya kosha.
[3] “Yoga citta vrtti nirodha” is the definition of yoga in Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras (I.2.)