Science of YOGA

If you were to close your eyes and invoke an image, it would most likely be one of the twisted bodies into unbelievable postures. Bone-bending, muscle-knotting, teeth-clenching contortionism—that, for many, is yoga! For some, the image of yoga might be of peacefully smiling faces and perfect bodies seated effortlessly in the lotus position.

But none of that is what we mean when we talk of the science of yoga.

The science of yoga is the science of perfect alignment of body, mind, emotions, and energy for the highest possibilities.

Science tells us that all of the existence is simply energy manifesting itself in different ways and in different forms functioning at different levels of capability.

Right now, the only things which are in our experience are our body, mind, and emotions. We know them to some extent, and we understand that if these three things have to happen the way they are happening, there must be an energy that makes them happen. For example, a microphone amplifies the voice. Even if we don’t know anything about the microphone, we can still understand that there is an energy that powers it to amplify the voice. Yoga does not ask us to work with anything other than what we know. Yoga simply tells us the process of perfectly aligning the physical, mental, and energy bodies for achieving the highest possibilities.

Body, mind, emotion, and energy are the only realities of our life and we can achieve anything with the help these faculties. Our Body, Mind, and Energy are physical in nature like a bulb, electricity, and light. We can hold a bulb in our hand and can feel the electricity and need eyes the sensory receptor for experiencing the light. It is difficult to achieve the highest possibilities without addressing the basic ingredients of body, mind, emotion, and energy in which all our experiences are rooted.

Yoga means perfect alignment of BODY, MIND, EMOTIONS, and ENERGY. When we are in yoga, our body, mind, emotions, and energy are in absolute harmony.

The four dimensions (Body, Mind, Emotions, and Energy) for most of us are aligned in different directions. Our mind thinks in one way and our emotions pull us another way, our physical body another way, and our energy another way. This makes us a potential calamity, an accident waiting to happen as we are being pulled apart, in four different ways.  Yoga is self-alignment. It is about realizing that being human is super.

Yoga allows us to introspect and connect with inner consciousness helping us in aligning our faculties (Body, Mind, Emotions, and energy) in leading blissful and joyous life experiences. To be joyful and peaceful and be able to perceive life the way it is and not the way we want it to be is one of the highest human possibilities that can be achieved through Yoga.

Yoga is fundamentally intended at augmenting our experience beyond the five senses

Yogic Expression

If we use our body, or physical action to reach the alignment we call this KARMA YOGA (the path of action) - THE BODY. It is a way of working with the body, a way of disciplining, purifying, and preparing it for higher levels of energy and for greater possibilities. Karma yoga is not an exercise. It is, instead, about understanding the mechanics of the body, creating a certain atmosphere, and then using physical postures to channel or drive energy in specific directions.

If we use our intelligence to achieve the highest possibilities, we call this GNANA YOGA (the path of intelligence) – THE MIND

If we use our emotions to achieve the highest possibilities and union, we call this BHAKTI YOGA (the path of devotion) – THE EMOTION

If we transform our energies to reach the ultimate, we call this KRIYA YOGA (the path of internal action) – THE ENERGY

The science of yoga starts with the body, then moves to the breath, then to the mind and finally to the inner self.

We are a combination of above four – the body, mind, emotion, and energy. It is just that in one person the emotion may be dominant, in another person the head may be dominant, in yet another person the body may be dominant, but everybody is a combination of these four. So we need a combination of these four categories of Yoga. If mixed in the right way, it works the best.

Take Away:

1.      Yoga is heightened self-awareness and acceptance.

2.      Yoga is experiencing the alignment of body, mind emotions and energy

3.      Yoga is a way of mindful existence.

4.      Yoga is liberation

CA Vinod Kr Sharma

21st June 2019