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What
is Yoga?
Excerpted from The
Essence of Self-Realization, by Paramhansa Yogananda
Paramhansa
Yogananda gives a remarkable answer to the question, "What
is Yoga?" in the book, The Essence of Self-Realization.
A visitor :
"What is yoga?"
Paramhansa Yogananda: "Yoga means union. Etymologically, it
is connected to the English word, yoke. Yoga means union with God,
or, union of the little, ego-self with the divine Self, the infinite
Spirit.
"Most people
in the West, and also many in India, confuse yoga with Hatha Yoga,
the system of bodily postures. But yoga is primarily a spiritual
discipline.
"I don't mean to belittle the yoga postures. Hatha Yoga is
a wonderful system. The body, moreover, is a part of our human nature,
and must be kept fit lest it obstruct our spiritual efforts. Devotees,
however, who are bent on finding God give less importance to the
yoga postures. Nor is it strictly necessary that they practice them.
"Hatha Yoga is the physical branch of Raja Yoga, the true science
of yoga. Raja Yoga is a system of meditation techniques that help
to harmonize human consciousness with the divine consciousness.
"Yoga is
an art as well as a science. It is a science, because it offers
practical methods for controlling body and mind, thereby making
deep meditation possible. And it is an art, for unless it is practiced
intuitively and sensitively it will yield only superficial results.
"Yoga is
not a system of beliefs. It takes into account the influence on
each other of body and mind, and brings them into mutual harmony.
So often, for instance, the mind cannot concentrate simply because
of tension or illness in the body, which prevent the energy from
flowing to the brain. So often, too, the energy in the body is weakened
because the will is dispirited, or paralyzed by harmful emotions.
"Yoga works
primarily with the energy in the body, through the science of pranayama,
or energy-control. Prana means also 'breath.' Yoga teaches how,
through breath-control, to still the mind and attain higher states
of awareness.
"The higher teachings of yoga take one beyond techniques, and
show the yogi, or yoga practitioner, how to direct his concentration
in such a way as not only to harmonize human with divine consciousness,
but to merge his consciousness in the Infinite.
"Yoga is a very ancient science; it is thousands of years old.
The perceptions derived from its practice form the backbone of the
greatness of India, which for centuries has been legendary. The
truths espoused in the yoga teachings, however, are not limited
to India, nor to those who consciously practice yoga techniques.
Many saints of other religions also, including many Christian saints,
have discovered aspects of the spiritual path that are intrinsic
to the teachings of yoga.
"A number
of them were what Indians, too, would accept as great yogis.
"They had
raised their energy from body-attachment to soul-identity.
"They had
discovered the secret of directing the heart's feeling upward in
devotion to the brain, instead of letting it spill outward in restless
emotions.
"They had
discovered the portal of divine vision at the point between the
eyebrows, through which the soul passes to merge in Christ Consciousness.
"They had
discovered the secrets of breathlessness, and how in breathlessness
the soul can soar to the spiritual heights.
"They had
discovered the state which some of them called mystical marriage,
where the soul merges with God and becomes one with Him.
"Yoga completes
the biblical teaching on how one should love God: with heart, mind,
soul-and strength. For strength means energy.
"The ordinary
person's energy is locked in his body. The lack of availability
of that energy to his will prevents him from loving the Lord one-pointedly
with any of the three other aspects of his nature: heart, mind,
or soul. Only when the energy can be withdrawn from the body and
directed upward in deep meditation is true inner communion possible."
Paramhansa Yogananda goes on to say how important techniques are
in our spiritual quest:
"What happens,"
someone asked, "to those who try to reach God without the benefit
of yoga techniques?"
"A few
of them are successful," the Master replied, "if they
came into this life with strong spiritual karma from the past. The
great majority, however, even if they start out on the path with
enthusiasm, gradually become discouraged.
"'Where
is that God,' they ask finally, 'to Whom I've been praying all these
years?' They attain a little inner peace, but over the years their
prayers become increasingly a matter of habit, less one of inspiration.
"Rarely,
in the West, have the centuries seen such great saints as there
have been in India."
Next: Raising
the Inner Energy—Yoga's True Purpose
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