CHAPTER 1: The Myth called Yoga
Yoga is a global phenomenon. Today, it has crossed the Indian borders and become more popular than biryani, tandoor, and chai. Yoga has entered the homes of the citizens in the east and west. People all over the world are doing Yoga every day and its followers are growing with each passing year. Some records suggest that billions of people around the world are doing Yoga. While there is no exact count of the number, there is no doubt that with the thousands of Yoga studios spread across the United States, the several Yoga institutes in the UK and the countless Yoga centres all over India, Yoga has taken the entire world by storm, crossing all bars of religions, cultures, and nationalities.
A Divine concept like Yoga has now evolved into not just body Yoga and mind Yoga, but also laughter Yoga, silence Yoga, naked Yoga, and Zen Yoga. The names are innumerable and several Gurus and many self-styled Yogis have created their own methodology of Yoga, only to complicate the subject further.
Their belief that Yoga is just about physical postures and breathing exercises is no doubt an absolute myth and our objective is to bust this myth as we realize the truth about Yoga. As we eliminate what Yoga is not, our goal is to discover the true meaning of Yoga. By doing so, we will reap the benefits of a Divine Activity, that will unlock the door to our ultimate goal of Life and then show us a way to everlasting peace, joy, and bliss.
Most of Yoga in the world today is about physical exercise, popularly known as Yogasana. While these are body postures that were originally designed to create a sitting posture so that one could remain in a state of silent meditation, Yogasanas have modernized into something else. Modern Yoga encompasses all kinds of physical exercises which include stretching of the body, reclining, standing, squatting, inverting and twisting the body. While these physical exercises may help improve flexibility and wellbeing, they have nothing to do with true Yoga. The most exotic Yoga asanas today seem to be Tadasana, or mountain pose, Vrikshasana or tree pose, Adhomukhoswanasana or downward facing dog pose, Trikonasana or triangle pose, Kursiasana or chair pose, Naukasana or boat pose and Bhujangasana or cobra pose. These unique postures are the brainchild of man, who started with simple postures like Sukhasana, a comfortable cross-legged position, Vajrasana or sitting on the heals, Padmasana or lotus position and ultimately, Shavasana or the corpse pose where one ends a Yoga session lying down, face upwards with body and mind focussing on nothing. Yoga has promised the world not just peace of mind, but the wellbeing of the physical and mental faculties that ultimately lead to the union of body, mind, and Soul. How these physical postures will take us to such a union, remains a mystery!
Another myth about Yoga is that one has to be flexible when in reality true Yoga has nothing to do with the physical self. No doubt a sick body cannot be in Yoga, but this myth that having a flexible body is a must to do yoga is an illusion. It confuses people about Yoga’s true goal of Enlightenment. Instead of using the body and its physical presence as basic preparation for the advanced spiritual activity called Yoga, most of the world is just going around in circles and reaching nowhere. A true Yogi must be physically fit because a sick body cannot achieve the true objective of Yoga. To that extent, certain physical postures may be relevant for practicing Yoga, but they will not form the essentials of Yoga.
Those who go beyond physical exercises have made Yoga a set of breathing techniques, popularly known as Pranayama. Pranayama is all about controlling the breath. Pranayama advocates that the purpose of Yoga is to regulate prana or the vital life energy which is our very source and if we can control it, we will be blessed with peace and tranquillity. There is no doubt that breath control is important for our mental wellness and helps us achieve a state of momentary peace, but this by itself is not Yoga.
Today’s Yoga, promises the sky as followers perform Asanas, Pranayama and evolve further into several Yogic practices like Bhramari, Anulom-Vilom, and Bhastrika Pranayama. By themselves, these unique breathing exercises might have their own benefits, but they cannot take one into a state of Yoga.
A very famous form of Yoga known as Kundalini Yoga, a school of Yoga influenced by Tantra focuses on awakening the Kundalini energy which rests like a coiled serpent at the base of the spine. Kundalini Yoga causes this energy to flow upward through our 7 chakras or energy centers that leads us to a state of spiritual consciousness, often referred to as the Kundalini awakening. While the practice of Kundalini exercise may very well have some physical benefits of concentrated energy rising upwards, towards the heart and the brain, it still doesn’t qualify to be Yoga. Many people use Kundalini energy for other purposes but fail to achieve the real objective of Yoga.
Originally, Yoga used breath-control as a method to control the mind, just as it used right postures to tame the senses. These two aspects of basic Yoga activities have evolved to become Yoga in the world today which in reality they are not.
Yoga today is nothing more than gymming with traditional ideologies concocted into spiritual exercises of body and mind. Today’s Yoga, using the promise of eternal bliss and peace, offers its followers good physical wellbeing and momentary peace, but in the bargain, masks the real meaning and benefit of Yoga which in reality is far more enriching and in fact, the ultimate goal of life.
This concocted Yoga and its modernization, that makes it both attractive and convenient to the world, has created a huge market. Starting with Yoga mats, a prescribed essential to do Asanas, it has grown into Yoga attire and enchanting music that can probably put one to sleep. As such, there is nothing wrong with these products, but they, in no way, help us achieve Yoga. In fact, they confuse us and we tend to say we are doing Yoga when in reality we are just doing some physical gymnastics.
Isn’t it a shame that people say they are doing Yoga for weight loss? There is absolutely nothing wrong in doing physical exercises to lose the calories we have gained, but calling this Yoga is a pity. Yoga is a Divine activity and only a few are blessed or graced to develop the art. This wrong definition of Yoga attracts people and unfortunately does not stop millions and billions around the world from misinterpreting the meaning of Yoga.
In fact, it has become a fashion to say, “I am doing Yoga.” People talk of Yoga like it is cooking or gardening. Yoga is not a mundane subject. Just stretching hands and feet doesn’t constitute Yoga. Some people have become experts in quoting yogic terms like Suryanamaskar, salutation to the Divine Sun and think they have mastered the art of Yoga when in reality, they know nothing about it.
Yoga teachers who teach in several Yoga centres and institutes publish various Yoga journals. But is all this Yoga? While it has become Yoga in the context of today's understanding of the world, it is quite different from real Yoga. These two aspects of Yoga, the body postures and breath control, find their place in the ancient Patanjali Yoga known as the Ashtangi or the 8 limbs of Yoga. These are amongst the 2 preliminary activities of the above Yoga. Along with certain restraints and observances, these are supposed to help us control or withdraw our senses, take charge of our mind and then reach the ultimate goal of Yoga, popularly known as Samadhi. Unfortunately, we misunderstand Yoga and let it be considered as something very mediocre.
The myth of Yoga is so deeply embedded in the corporate world that several companies now have Yoga workshops to bring mindfulness in employees through a wellness programme. Yoga is used for stress control and to improve performance. However, just outside the workshop venue, soon thereafter, people are aggressively manipulating strategies to be successful in the business world. They then re-enter a Yoga workshop to purify the body and mind. They enjoy a moment of stillness and then jump back into the rat race of the world. This quick-fix method is not Yoga. It may be a good wellness programme but should be titled differently. It is unfortunate that we undermine the term Yoga and think of it to be some magical, stress-relieving strategy.
Unfortunately, the champions of today’s Yoga have not only left Yoga to remain a myth but also misled the world, by allowing this Divine activity to be misunderstood as harmful. People perform crazy postures, exert their body to such an extent that Yoga is now considered dangerous and one that may cause injury. It is not uncommon to find injured knees, pulled hamstrings and dislocated joints due to Yoga. True Yogis find this to be strange that a Divine activity like Yoga has been so mythicized that it has completely lost its meaning and instead of it being a solution for stress and anxiety, it has become a cause of distress.
When will we end this mythical story of Yoga? When will we realize the true meaning of this Divine activity? When will we stop using the Divine term Yoga and understand its deep spiritual significance? There is no doubt that Yoga is one of the most profound activities in the world today. Not just 2 billion people as it is reported, but rather all 8 billion people in the world should learn the art of Yoga, not Yoga as it is understood today, but the true form of Yoga. Yoga is the ultimate goal of humanity. It is the way, not just to momentary peace but everlasting bliss and tranquillity. Come let us discover the true meaning of Yoga.
Stretching hands and legs is not Yoga,
Breathing exercises too are just a myth.
When will we overcome our ignorance,
And all the myth that go with it?