What is Yog?

It is thought Yog originated 10-12 thousand years ago with Adi Yogi, the first Yogi (Shiva). This was specific to a select few who gave up everything else in life, called NATH. This is the Tantric path. But Patanjali, 5-6 BCE, brought a coherence to the various lineages, while adding the first two, of his 8 Limbs, to integrate social and individual responsibility. This is called RISHI, the path of the researcher (knowing through experience) for those who live with social responsibilities. This is the Vedic path.

A key difference between the Vedic and Tantric paths is that on the Vedic path you do energy practices, then purify, more energy practices, and more purification, etc etc. While on the Tantric path you invite in all and any energy (light and dark) based on the belief that we are already pure.

In the West, especially, this has led to many instances of trauma and disorders (not because the energy is a danger, but because the process has not been sufficiently sound or understood well enough to support the impact the energies can have), keeping people locked into their patterns and blockages. This can be seen played out in much of neo-tantra where people stay locked in their sexual compulsions.

Patanjali calls these patterns and blockages our cycle of thought patterns, our Obstacles. There are 10 Obstacles (5 outer, called Kleshas, and 5 inner, called Vritti’s). Working on the Kleshas (ignorance, ego, attachment, aversion, fear of death) brings calmness and stability, so we can then Master the Vittri’s (right information, wrong information, imagination, sleep, memory).

Classical Texts

Yog comes through the classical texts, over time becoming known as Yoga. The oldest text are known as the Vedas. They are considered divine texts derived from the time of creation. The Upanishads are derived from the Vedas. Upanishad means, Upa (near), ni (down), Shad (sat) – Sitting down near – sitting at the feet of Guru.

Hinduism starts with the Puranas, which are all story based. To simplify the Puranas for the ordinary person, came the Shad Darshanas (6 Philosophies), also known as Sutras.The Yog Darshan (Yoga Sutra) was written by Patanjali to bring a coherence to the diverse practices that existed at the time.

The next set of important literature is the Bhagavad Gita, which deals with our inner battle, and the Ranayana, finding life balance. There is also the Ravan Samhita, concerning Mantra, Tantra, Yantra; considered Black Magik.

How do we use this knowledge, practically?

The mind has two aspects, the lower and higher. We need to progress through the Reptilian brain (survival), to the Mammalian brain (emotional), to the Human brain (Higher Wisdom). This is equivalent to working through the:

·       Monkey Mind – active, thoughts jumping around, stress and overthinking.

·       Donkey Mind – the work hard but lazy mind, working on the wrong things, avoidance.

·       Butterfly Mind – smoother and slower, more relaxed, but still moving lightly.

These three are the lower mind, where distractions come through the senses. The higher mind consists of;

·       Concentration Mind – stable and relaxed, calm and focussed.

·       Supreme Concentrated Mind – the wisdom mind, working for unconsciousness.

So before we even get onto, what we tend to think of in the West, the path of yoga, we need to first work on our Lower Mind to reach Concentration, to then be in a position to practice the discipline for the body as preparation for the yogic journey, to end the mental cycle of repetitive thoughts and attachments (Sutras 1 and 2), before then progressing to work on our Obstacles.

Patanjali’s Sutra 4 says, If we don’t do the work, make the effort, and have the discipline (Vritti sarup yami taratra) we will carry on identifying with our modified Chitta (lower mind) through our Vritti’s (Obstacles); ie, carry on with our default thoughts and behaviours.

So, all good and well, but how do we actually do this?

Patanjali tells us; through repeated practice of the discipline of building your energy in the body, breath, mind through Kriya Yoga and the 3 Principles of simple living, sattvic food, and sleep. So, we work on our food intake, our breath and asanas, mantra and meditations, rather than focussing on the  Obstacles themselves. This way we purify the body and the mind.

1.    Food (easy to eat / easy to digest – mostly vegetarian). There are 3 general guidelines for the food we eat: eat local seasonal food, eat when hungry, eat what is good for your body.

2.    Breathwork. Pranayama is a group of methods (technologies of practice) to absorb and circulate prana into the physical and subtle body. It is the right way to breath to extend your life.

3.    Postures (Asana). We do asanas to purify the physical body. Patanjali tells us in Sutra 46 that asanas should be ‘sthira sukham asanam’; steady and comfortable, or stable and comfortable, where sthira is alertness without tension, and sukha is relaxation without dullness.

4.    Mantra (chanting) is ‘an instrument of thought’ in Sanskrit, bringing together word and sound to connect to our Reptilian and Mammalian brains, and so calms the lower mind.

5.    Meditation, connects to the Human brain, the Higher Mind, our Wisdom Mind, using such techniques as Trataka, Yoga Nidra, Guided meditations, and Visualisation.

Bringing it all together

Yog(a) is a practical approach to how we live our life and progress towards union (individual and universal consciousness). It is an experiential and experimental discipline to break the pattern of repetitive cycles of thought, to see and be seen in our True Nature; that is, for self-realisation (liberation).

What we tend to think of as Yoga in the West, Asanas, is but one aspect of a yogic approach. Indeed, an Asana is a whole-body practice where we can witness how things arise, are sustained, dissolve, or transform. Unlike much Western thinking around Asanas, they are a process, not a final product or a perfect alignment. As each body is different and responds differently to gravity, with muscles, tone, etc, we embrace variation, adapting to find our unique embodiment of the Asana. This is what makes Yog(a) a science and an art.

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And for those who enjoy historical fiction, stories of underrepresented life’s, see my first novel Fermented Spirits published through Austin Macauley Publishers, 2022. ISBN-13: ‎978-1398437159