Yoga: a Natural tranquiliser

by BKS Iyengar

Most of us are aware that mental ill health and imbalances are caused by stress and strain; an incapacity to face day today problems; depression; wrong concepts hypothesis and fanciful ideas; fear and insecurity; a lack of desire, enthusiasm, will and drive; and inaction.

Such imbalances have probably existed for many centuries or else Patanjali would not have dealt with the philosophy of sorrows, which he has termed as kleshas, in his aphorisms. In aphorism (sutra) 11.31 Patanjali cites, spiritual ignorance, ego, desire, hatred and attachment to life, as causes of mental disturbances

Reasons of mental distraction

Patanjali then gives thirteen reasons for mental distractions in Sutra 1.30 and 31. They are disease, lack of interest or sluggishness, lingering doubt, pride or carelessness, idleness, sensual gratification, living in a world of delusion, lack of perseverance, stagnation in practices, sorrow, despair, and unsteadiness of the body and breath. These impediments divert a person from health and harmony towards physical diseases and mental imbalances.

It is interesting to note that only two out of these thirteen reasons are categorized as physical, namely, diseases and unsteadiness in the body while the others are mental in nature.

These age old mental and physical disorders have to be combated with one's own determined discipline, vigour and vitality, faith and earnestness. In Sutra 11.28 Patanjali explains how man can conquer all these impediments which come in the way of health and happiness by understanding and practicing the eight limbs of Yoga. He gains intellectual stability and peace, both within and without, by seeing the light of knowledge through yogic practice

Samadhi as means and end of Yoga

The words Yoga and Samadhi- are synonymous terms conveying the same meaning, namely peace. The means and the end of Yoga is Samadhi which is the experience of Shanti (peace) within oneself.

It is interesting to note the resemblance between the meaning of the words Yoga and Samadhi. Samadhi means union, bringing into harmony, fixing the mind for attention on a single thought, intense contemplation or meditation. Yoga is derived from the word, Yuj, which means to join, to bind, to attach, to direct and concentrate one's attention on, to use and apply. It is union of the Individual Self with the Universal Self. The word Shanti also conveys tranquillity, calmness, free of passions undisturbed in the objects of pleasures and pains. One should know how to bring union of one's body with the mind and mind with the self in order to experience tranquillity and calmness. There is no cohesion in one's body and nerves, nerves and organs, organs and senses, senses and mind, mind and intelligence, intelligence and will, will and consciousness and consciousness and self. Yoga was therefore discovered to bring all these vehicles of man into unison.

The eight limbs of Yoga

The eight limbs of Yoga are like a gigantic mango tree which starts from the seed to the root, root to the trunk, trunk to the branches, branches sprouting into leaves, leaves aerating the entire tree which supply energy in the form of sap through bark, then blossoms into flowers culminating with tasteful fruits. The eight limbs of Yoga are yama - the root; niyama - the trunk; asana - the branches, pranayama- the leaves, pratyahara - the bark, dharana - the sap, dhyana - the flower and samadhi - the fruit. The essence of the tree is concentrated in the fruit as its culmination. So, too is Yoga leading its practitioner from darkness to light, from ignorance to knowledge, knowledge to wisdom and wisdom terminating in true happiness and unalloyed peace.

Tree of Yoga

The first limb of Yoga, Yama, are social virtues are to be observed in one's social life. The second, Niyama is individual discipline to improve oneself for the betterment of life. Health is a state of perfect balance of body, mind and spirit, free from disease and at the same time protecting, sustaining and supporting the living cells to lead a positive, constructive and creative life.

Life is a combination of consciousness, intelligence, mind, senses of perception and action. Mind is like a mirror receiving the aspirations of the senses and acting through the senses for enjoyment and attainment It has a dual role to play on both ends. It receives and acts for the impressions from the self to the senses, or from the senses to the self. The mind makes the body and the self become the abode of suffering if it acts without discriminative power.

Asanas are meant for the maintenance of health and for the steadiness of mind. The practice of asanas purges the impurities of the body, bringing beauty, strength, firmness, calmness and clarity, revealing a happy disposition without creating any sort of dualities between body, mind and self.

'Prana' means energy - the breath of all beings. It is the principle of life and consciousness in man. 'Ayama' means extension, expansion, prolongation and distribution of the vital energy which is drawn through the gross atmospheric air. It is said that the mind is where the breath is and therefore correct pranayamic practices regulates man's habits, desires, actions and acts as a bridge in unifying the body, the mind and the self.

Pratyahara brings the senses and mind under control and stops the dual functions of the mind by diverting it from sensual pleasures (bhoga) towards the Self (Yoga).

Dharana, dhyana and samadhi are termed as samyama which means integration. It is the integration of the body, the senses, the mind, the intellect, the will and the consciousness with the conscience. These seven states in man are integrated so that he remains skillful, lives in his own manifestations as pure and absolute, without taking the shelter of the above seven vehicles (Sutra 11.27).

Afflictions of the mind and the need for tranquilizers

Nature's heritage which consists of three qualities, namely, illumination (sattva), activity (rajas), and inertia (tamas) entwine man though he is born free. The wheel of time moulds and remoulds man according to his own makings and behaviour like the earthen pot which carries its contents (good or foul) even though it is broken into pieces. He can have a body with a dull and stupid mind, an agitated or distracted mind, a controlled or marshaled mind, or a divine, saintly mind.

Man has to move at a supersonic speed depending upon his state of mind. This supersonic speed in thinking and action wanes the physical frame, tenses the nerves and the intellect. He develops sleepless nights' which in turn affect his thinking faculty as he cannot release these tensions and relax. His anxieties multiply. Doubts and incapabilities set in. Attitudes of jealousy and malice develop. Then, his approach to life becomes negative. He is evasive, reserved, indifferent, depressed, lazy, ill at ease and creates his own philosophy of illusion, seclusion and isolation.

Man switches to artificial ways of living to overcome the pressures of mental afflictions He gets addicted to tranquilizers, sleeping pills, alcohol and various other. psychedelic drugs and an indiscriminate sexual life in order to find peace and happiness. These may allow him to forget his anxieties and worries for a short time but the cause remains unsolved and continues taunting him.

The tranquilizing effects of Yoga

Practice of Yoga is the only art and science which helps to eradicate afflictions and brings back hope, confidence and courage with a renewed fresh life facing all types of situations without the prejudices of the past or the future, and enables one to face the present constructively and usefully with poise and peace. He learns not to become a victim of circumstances, but a master of it, and time too.

Experiencing the tranquilizing effects of Yoga:

The eyeballs of a person who has a negative approach to life, are unsteady or blank as if they have no contact within himself. The eyes work as the windows of the brain and the ears for the mind. He is made to contact his eyes with motion and action while practicing yoga. He is also made to feel that his intelligence is in contact with the parts of the body that he is exercising. He is made to perform the asanas in such a manner that he focuses his attention with his body, senses and mind. Sirsasana, sarvangasana, halasana, viparitadandasana, adho mukha vrksasna, setu bandha sarvangasana, urdhavadhanurasana are perfumed and they flush and irrigate the brain cells with the oxygenated blood to invigorate him.

As there is no one 'wonder drug' for all the time for one disease, so also the practices have to be adopted to the states or conditions required for the day, so they have to be varied. The breathing techniques are taught, whereby the person concerned is made to hold the breath in short spells after inhalation to build up confidence in himself. As he has no will of his own, he has to be guided in such a way that he is made to develop without awareness. By this type of training and observation, he is freed from the state of depression and isolation to a life of joy and bliss. My teaching experience with these people has shown a definite and positive result. Like any other healing art and science. As all arts and sciences are respected, Yoga too commands the same respect. It has withstood the future also.

Just knowing about Yoga is not going to give relief from sorrow, anxieties and depression. Daily persistent practice alone keeps man facing the turmoil's of life with steadiness and stability. In yoga, he is taught to unite the body, breath, intellect, will, reason, and self and they are made to balance evenly like the pearls held together evenly on the string of a necklace. From then on, he loves to live, lives to serve and serves the world with beauty and grandeur. This is the essence of Yoga, the meaning of life

Source: Yoga Rahasya, Volume A, pages 138-143.Two collected volumes of Yoga Rahasya are published by the Ramamani Iyengar Memorial Yoga Institute in Pune, distributed in Australia by the BKS Iyengar Association of Australia, and available from the Clifton Hill Yoga Studio and other Iyengar schools. Bulk copies may be obtained from the Institute: Secretary, RIMYI, 1107 B/1 Hare Krishna Mandir Road, Shivaji Nagar, Pune 411016, INDIA.