Of Listening and Self Discipline

This is a corollary and continuation to the Introduction of this blog.  To summarise the introduction: everybody wants to have their say, and the vast ocean of personal blogs in the world wide web seems to be expressing the same desire; however, who is truly listening, to understand and engage in a meaningful way?

Let's go further now, and ask, what if one was truly listening, just to listen?  Listening for the purpose of listening.  What does that mean?  That there is no agenda or purpose for the listening, save for that of listening.  There is no purpose (not even to understand and engage, so there truly is NO purpose except this moment's act of listening) - what happens then?  There will first probably be no inspiration to rush in to say anything to the other by way of advice or opinions or thoughts or comments or suggestions.

When can there be no other agenda except that of listening?  There actually seems to be no sphere of everyday human functioning where this listening is happening consciously.  There are of course special circumstances when this may be taking place (or at least the intention for this type of listening is present).  One obvious circumstance is that of counseling and psychotherapy besides other specific groups and spaces which may be looking at such a way of engagement, perhaps as part of a larger exploration of living meaningfully.

So when can there be no motivation to change the other through advice and comments and reactions and responses?  For if we examine with care, we will see that all our advice to others is almost always in the realm of changing and reforming the other.  We want to change them such that they can see the light, the same as we are.  The way they are seeing it and / or not seeing it, and / or seeing darkness, and / or something else entirely, are situations somehow not acceptable to us.  And it is not acceptable to us, because each of us have our frames of reference and contexts that we think from, and have already decided that our ways of thinking and doing are right and the other wrong and thus pass judgment and give labels.  I am also acutely aware that there is a huge jump in the earlier sentence and there are a lot of steps to be taken before we get to this point in the inquiry.  Also, the passing of judgment is not necessarily with vicious intent or even emphatically stated; it is part of the conditioning that we pick up and internalise consciously and unconsciously through culture, society, our parents first, then extended family, teachers, friends, and so on. For instance, "Don't cry like a girl" is an oft repeated statement, and this may be defended by saying that it is just a casual comment and / or said lightheartedly. However, we need to stay with the statement and see why it is even there. This is simply one example of how judgments are present in everything we choose to think, do, not think, not do and so on.  An important aspect to consider is that these insidious judgments are turned on ourselves also - that is, when I have a judgment about another person, it is for sure that I have that judgment on myself.  And this will work in such hidden ways and manifest as convoluted knots that would leave one stupefied and sometimes wondering, "What the hell was I thinking, doing such and such a thing?!".   To give a simplistic example, if I carried the above judgment, "dont cry like a girl", I may then be someone who would hate to cry . And hence, every time I feel like crying I would judge myself to be a wimp (just like a girl - a whammy there: crying is wrong / wimpy, girls cry, girls are wrong / wimpy), and try to suppress it. Either I succeed in suppressing it all the time, and like a pressure cooker, its going to burst some place some time, or, I may end up punishing myself covertly and unconsciously each time I cry or want to cry, or do both, suppress and punish*.  It could go further: the earlier sequence of thinking may not end with 'girls are wimpy', but take a jump and say 'boys are not wimpy'.  This may manifest in a girl being / behaving like, a "tomboy" for instance.  We will not go further with all the implications of this one judgment.

However, the above was to see how our judgments are playing all the time when we are supposedly listening to someone else^.  Much of our listening to the other, happens with this clamour going on inside our heads.  And each time we offer a piece of advice, interrupt with a solution, give a shout of appreciation and so on, we may very well be answering to the clamour inside rather than engaging with the person in front of us.

I also think that this entire self-feeding cycle of having so much to say, and listening but not listening has its beginning and roots in our childhood.  How many of us listen to children in this manner, without imposing our selves on them? Much of society and cultures see children as clay to be moulded and trained in particular ways.  If we were to listen to children without the clamour inside, that in itself would be demonstration enough for them, one would think.  Many of us are still the children that we were, wanting to be listened to fully.  So this takes us back to the question, when and how can we listen to the other without this motivation to change the other, from a space of no judgment?

For me, this practice starts with my earlier question about listening without imposing my self.  All the clamour inside is part of my self.  How can I allow the noises of my self to subside and make room for the sounds coming from the other, so that I can truly listen to them? That is the practice**.   I also see that it is not possible to force the self-noise into silence.  There is another piece that speaks of how training and controlling is a cruder form of disciplining that has its limited context and necessity.  One could follow a more meaningful form of self discipline, wherein, the disciplining is a journey of self discovery** and we discover the patterns of our judgments and understand our selves better. And that journey of discovery is also the journey of transformation.  And also the journey of truly listening, and discovering the other - because in a paradoxical way, the journey of self discovery allows the self (noise) to dissipate, giving us a chance to recognise the other, and perhaps also see that the other is not different from the self.

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* That many of us ("normal", mentally stable persons) punish ourselves for many of our perceived mistakes and judgments and so on is a known psychological phenomenon, and there are several studies on self-punishment.

^ To look at this matter as one's judgments interfering with true listening is one perspective, one view of the scene.  There would be other ways definitely; other views of the same scene.

** This is also the practice and journeying in the path of Yoga

What is Self Discipline

Self discipline is mostly defined as the ability to control oneself, wherein the 'oneself' takes its myriad shapes and forms, depending on who is saying it and the context - control feelings, control senses, controlling distractions and so on.  This is one level of truth; controlling these manifestations of the self does lead to some sort of a discipline in functioning.

What is discipline? It is defined in the crudest way possible as training to obey, through punishment and / or penitence.  This is one level of truth; most systems and spaces use this for maintaining law and order and agreed that this is necessary.  Penitence of course falls squarely in the space of self disciplining.

However, I see that control (controlling of the self) and training and punishment (towards disciplining) can only go so far and no more.  These meanings and actions can be used for immediate and urgent purposes and in not-stable states of being, however to continue with them as the standard for all times can only bring disaster. For, this brings in control and training from an external source in order to establish right action, and this is necessary in difficult times.  But this in no way ensures that transformation has occurred within and the inappropriate action will not be repeated.  Penitence, insofar as it is regret is fine and can be translated to action, but penitence as guilt is a non-starter and leads to a destructive cycle of self blame, judgment, negative labeling and non-action.

Following this meaning and context of self discipline all the time will actually defeat itself in the long run.  Training to control could be like training a dog or a horse and I can only visualise the animal straining at the leash, hurting itself, its throat.  Over time, the leash will fray; at some point the animal may turn and attack the trainer.  Gradually the animal may get trained to obey by way of punishment (and reward).  There is no question here of self thought, discovery and understanding*.  We do the same to ourselves.  We are our own puppets.  In this space and path of self discipline, we manipulate and destroy ourselves.  That self is becoming more and more contorted and twisted.

Photo taken at Nirkunram Campers near Chengalpet

A higher form of discipline takes off from the word, 'disciple', from being a disciple.  A disciple is a follower, devoted to something or someone.  In being a disciple, he thinks some thoughts, does not think others, follows some practices, eschews practices that does not help her in being a disciple and so on.  And hence he / she is on the path of discipline.  Does he / she slip?  Of course, yes.  He may indulge for a while in a practice that does not help the disciple in him.  She may not actively take up actions that are required for her to be a wholesome disciple.  But the context and framework for the self discipline is clear.

So, disciplining arises from a purpose.  Taken this way, I sometimes feel that all disciplining can only be self disciplining - be it any entity, an individual, a village, an organisation, a campaign... "What is that purpose?" that disciplining is arising from, is of course an entire domain of its own and worth an independent inquiry and space.

What will happen in this kind of disciplining is that, 'discipline' is removed from its shackles of being a station that one has to get off at, and becomes a journey of self discovery and understanding.  On this journey, the self is understood better and better, deeper:  Why are there some fears?  When is it that one is courageous?  When does one feel sad? When, happy? How does one act with others? Why do I think in a particular way? What makes one feel energetic? What makes me follow the path of discipline... and so on and so forth.

And then, when the patterns of the self start getting clearer and clearer, the road of discipline also gets sparkling clear ahead of oneself.  And this may include moments of a cruder form of self discipline, may include times of indulgence or violation and so on, however one can be back on the road, or perhaps is still on it and playing hooky. There is then the process of penitence and prayaschittam, in their higher forms, all in the path of self discovery (disciplining).

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*  It of course is an assumption that one actually wants all that in the first place - authentic thought, discovery and understanding; however we are looking at a meaning of self discipline that will sustain, and that sustenance includes these ideas.

The Point of an Oxymoron

The title of this blog is an oxymoron, "Precise Ramblings". We come across oxymorons all the time, and may not even notice them, and / or take them for granted as part of everyday language, ordinary.  Well, they are and they are not.

Original copy... pretty ugly... minor issues... clearly misunderstood.... crash landing .... found missing .... old news .... open secret... random order!

The first time I came across the idea of an oxymoron was sometime in my 7th or 8th grade, and it fascinated me no end.  I don't remember the actual oxymoron, however I remember the sense of sudden joy and the burst of feeling every time I encountered an oxymoron or came up with one myself.  I still carry that feeling.

Image from soulspartan.com

At the time, it was explained to us in our English class as a phrase that has two opposite or contradictory statements put together, which gives insightful and / or humourous and / or ironic meaning.  Yes, oxymorons lend themselves to a clever turn in language, and leave us with a laugh or a gleam.  However, why should that clever turn in language give the reader his or her keen response? What quality in those words evokes its usual responses?  The turn is not one of language alone.

The oxymoron is not simply a phrase or a word that ends when the word ends on the page.  It is an ongoing phenomenon.  The point of an oxymoron is simultaneity.  It is only by holding together two seemingly contradictory truths, at the same time, the third truth is constantly discovered.

To give an example,
one way in which Ahimsa is defined is "to know one's limits", however, one needs to constantly test those limits to actually know them. Therein lies the paradox of Ahimsa.  The writer-philosopher, Chaturvedi Badrinath says of this: "the paradox of limits, which consists in the fact that one becomes aware of one's limits only by transgressing them; there is no known way by which one can know one's limits in advance."  Which for me means that the oxymoron is a constant process and discovery.  Like life.  It cannot be a stinking, one-point stagnation. We can of course in our limitation think, believe and act like it is so, while life itself is a constant affirmation of its flow.  It is a flow of simultaneously holding two seemingly contradictory movements, and in seeing them together, at the same time, the third, deeper and larger truth can be held.

A simultaneous holding and being in that space of tension between the two, and finding the truth therein.  How can some words strung together be precise and ramble at the same time? What are those truths when discussed allow my words the freedom and flexibility to meander and twist and turn and yet stay constant and focused?  Why is it important for me to be precise and ramble at the same time?  When do those A-ha! moments* occur, holding both together and creating art? The space and journey of this oxymoron, Precise Ramblings.
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* Many thanks to one of my teachers, Sashi Anant, for this bang-on phrase, "A-ha moment"

Yes, Mother Earth

Yes, I think that it is essential today that we (humans) include the impact of every decision and action of ours on the Earth, her environment and beings other than ourselves as well, as a non-negotiable factor.

Yes, All usage and making of polythene bags must be stopped, even if it makes life inconvenient

Yes, I always carry a cloth and / or paper bags with me

Yes, I more often than not talk to vendors and shop keepers about the nature of plastic and the importance of biodegradable material

Yes, these days many of them listen patiently and courteously and sometimes shrug helplessly and at other times enter into a conversation

Yes, I have at last started working with the soil and getting my hands dirty

Yes, I believe that every human being must do the above for some duration of their lives, if not the whole of it

Yes, children learn a LOT by tending to plants (nurseries, saplings...) and the soil

Yes, animals, birds, insects and plants are as intelligent, if not more, as human beings

Image from FB group "attn:"

Yes, we must buy as local as possible and without plastic packaging whenever possible

Yes, I mostly buy organic foods and produce

Yes, there is an issue that much of organic foods come in plastic packaging

Yes, we must reduce what we waste and what we throw away

Yes, I try and reduce, reuse, and recycle and also repair (or get repaired!) wherever and whenever possible (there is a much longer "re" list)

Yes, we live and act in a world of contradictions - an obvious one for now being that I bring to you this post using technology that has been made displacing people, gouging out the Earth, and using other such unsustainable and violent ways

Yes, I used cloth diapers for my daughter, both home-made (old sarees and dhotis) as well as commercial (bum-genius and so on) most of the time (70% approx*)

Yes, I have at last almost fully converted to using re-usable menstrual pads for 6 months or so now (90% of the times approx)**

yes, we must all cultivate the music of friendly, and inclusive conversations and dialogue, and reduce the noise of fight-or-flight reactions and finding fault with oneself and others and excessive consumption

Yes, it is possible for all, for Mother earth to discover the abundance and prosperities within us

Yes, I believe and see the traditional wisdom that we (humans) are one and whole parts of Mother Earth, this creation, rather than intelligent, superior beings born to utilise this Earth and her resources

Yes, Mother Earth offers all that she is and has, out of the order of being, and compassion

Yes, humankind mistakenly perceives the above to be commodities and puts prices on all of them

Yes, I believe that we must exchange goods and services wherever, whenever possible and reduce the use of paper / metal currency

Yes, there is so much beauty in Nature

Yes, there is everything to learn from Nature (and being outdoors)

Yes, there is so much logic, order and symmetry in the ways and being of Mother Earth

Yes, it is important to give attention to what we eat, feel the texture, the flavours, smells and colours of what we are eating

Yes, I have hugged trees many times

Yes, please go do it (hug a tree, that it, or many of them). Feel the coarse bark, breathe in the tree's scent, drink in the sight of this ecology, and wonder at her mystery

Yes, love makes Mother Earth go round (listen to Madonna's song, 'Love makes the world go round')

Yes, I am sure this is just a starter list and there could be a zillion more yeses for and with Mother Earth

Yes, I challenge you to add your own and commit

The above random Yes-list held together by a commitment to treading softly on our Earth, was inspired by a post that had a 'No-list'.
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*, ** : These figures are based on my subjective reading of the situations

One Breath at a Time

A popular cafe chain advertises saying, a lot can happen over a cup of coffee.  Much, much

Image from sentimetalico.blogspot.com

 more can happen in the space of one breath.  Think why: when one is angry or agitated or stressing big time about something, one of the first instructions given is: "Take a deep breath." And a yoga teacher may follow it up by saying, "now, release it s-l-o-w-l-y, feel it leaving your body and empty yourself completely, now pause." 

What happens when you take a deep breath? 

Normally, we are not even aware of breathing.  We go through the days and activities, mostly breathing unconsciously.  It is only in not-normal or not-collected situations that one becomes aware of one's breath - dashing madly to catch the train, surprise or shock, occasionally even while excited about something.  These are the times when there is an adrenaline rush in the body and the breath starts coming faster. Imagine, the heart has to start beating fast and our lungs have to work overtime in order for us to take note; we are in such a race, chasing after all the good things that life has to offer.  The breaths hasten and trip over each other and lessen life span and quality. It is a known and understood fact that creatures with slower breath rates live longer. The elephant, for example. Dogs on the other hand huff and puff and pant and have a much shorter life span.  The respiration rate is also connected to heart rate and health.  Shorter, quicker breaths usually means that the respiratory process would not be supplying oxygen in a steady and consistent manner to the heart.  As a result, the heart muscle would be pumping extra in order to distribute the not-steady and not-consistent supply of oxygen and get enough of it to the other muscles in the body.  This definitely has a negative impact over oxygen intake and health of the heart, thus robbing the body of strength and vitality.  It is obvious that this would be followed by reduction in quality of functioning in more ways than merely in physical health.  It may just not be directly evident that the decreased quality of life is because of the way one is breathing. 

However, the opposite is evident - that better breathing, meaning slower and deeper breathing, definitely and tangibly increases well-being and quality of life.  Anybody who has been on a correct aasana-praanayama routine (by correct I mean, movement with the right breathing) for a few months even intermittently, will agree with the previous statement even if it is with some hesitation or doubt. Given a couple of years of consistent practice, he / she will emphasise the connection of breath to quality of life.  

Indian tradition calculates a being's life span by the number of breaths and this can be done by taking into account the respiratory rate. Our ancients say that the person is given her number of breaths even when she is born.  This means that one's life span can actually be stretched - by increasing the length of breath.  And this is also perhaps why popular idiom in Indian culture has statements like, "you gave me such a scare and have taken away 10 years of my life."  A scare would mean adrenaline and breath coming in gasps.  

So, how does one actually do this, increase one's life span and quality of life?
One breath at a time. 

Imagine you have to take just this one breath now, this breath will save your life. As you inhale slowly, your lungs and hence chest expands, the diaphragm is pushed down, and you feel the energy nourishing your body.  Then you start emptying your body of air, right from your stomach.  The abdomen gets pulled in and the diaphragm moves up again.  Your body slowly exhales and once you empty completely, you pause. You feel the lightness and the unhurriedness.  Just one breath at one time.  You can move to the next by and by.  The following will happen when you continue doing the same: 

- Your breathing will slow down (obviously!) 

- Your heart rate will slow down

- Your breathing and heart beat will discover your natural, free rhythm - the one that will feed a consistent and steady supply of oxygen to the body

- As you keep at it, YOU will slow down

- You will find your fight or flight reaction fading away gradually, and your free, natural responsive (responsible) self taking over, in time 

- The more you are able to respond, more you will breathe right, hence creating a positive and regenerative cycle of action 

And so, when you take that one deep breath, you will feel the essence of the space and quality of one breath and you will catch a glimpse of the process it would unfold.  And then, you may (could) continue practicing, one breath at a time. 

Sthirasukhamaasanam, the Magic of the Breath

Sthirasukhamaasanam - II.46, Yoga Sutra

Aasana (seat / posture) is that which is replete with well-being and stability. 

This statement from Patanjali's Yoga Sutra demonstrated itself recently and allowed me a 'profound' experience in a 'mundane' context. The experience yet again removed one of these divisions that we impose on our understanding for convenience - that of phenomena being either profound or mundane.  The profound is to be found in the mundane, and the mundane, in the profound. 

 My daughter and I were traveling in a suburban bus and it was a 2 and 1/2 hour ride. And what a ride it was!  We didn't get seats and the only available were behind the driver right up in the front.  This was one of those Volvo buses where the driver's space is a compartment by itself and the seat behind the driver is almost on top of him. As you may be able to gauge from the picture, it is an extremely precarious position - or at least it surely felt like it to me! With an infant to carry, even more so. You are looking down on a zooming road, vehicles hurtling at you (in your face) at godforsaken speeds, perched on a seat which doesn't want you. The dubious comfort of holding onto something stable (although what is stable about a stampeding huge contraption on the ECR is beyond me) is denied you because both your hands are somehow tied up with securing your child to yourself.  She needs to sleep; this is necessary if you want to ensure that the rest of the day passes in comfort for her and you and other poor, unsuspecting souls around.  And your child particularly needs a good amount of comfort to fall asleep and stay in sleepyland for a while.  I thought kids came possessing the secret knowledge to dozing off in any awkward, bizarre position; this one missed those lessons.  

We have here a situation worthy of Adisesha, the thousand-headed snake holding the Lord as he rests. The story goes that sage Patanjali (who gave us the Yoga sutra) is the incarnation of Adisesha.  While discussing this sutra, sthirasukhamaasanam, one of my teachers, an ardent fan of Patanjali, asked me to consider: "Who is the enemy of the snake? The eagle.  And who is the eagle hovering around Vishnu? Garuda.  So Adisesha had to feel and be sthiram (stable) and sukham (comfortable) while Garuda is around."  He is holding the Lord; he doesn't want to be shifting around to get rid of pins and needles.  He also does not want to make one wrong move, lest the eagle swoops.  Absolute stillness under fire.  One's aasanam to be called thus, has got to be sthiram and sukham not simply in favourable conditions; it's got to be so in the most seemingly 'unfavourable' situations. 

I struggled around awkwardly for a while, adjusting bags, trying to hold onto something, shifting my daughter in my arms to get her comfortable, with her protesting about the movement.  Then the bus lurched. Almost falling, I steadied myself and happened to look up at the road.  Two things happened simultaneously at that moment.  I saw the whizzing scenery in front of me and felt the thrill, the adrenaline rush of danger, and also caught sight of a woman in the driver's rear view mirror.  She was holding a baby, and I said, "Hey, that's a yoga teacher I know!"  The world shifted on its axis, and I exhaled slowly, and long, feeling it in my throat (as how one does while doing aasana practice).*  Then, an inhale. Another long exhale.  A few more such breaths.  With that, my body's intelligence took over.  Without thought, just like that, my body changed my position, I adjusted my legs so that they don't hang, held my daughter securely allowing her to merge more into my space, turned slightly and leaned against the window, all in a graceful flash of a moment (at least, I felt graceful).  

See picture alongside, for the changed position, not to see a graceful curve, or lack of it thereof.  Incidentally, this position also had more butt-space, the comfort of which was infinite.  We seldom are conscious and thankful of it when we usually sit on comfortable, full-butt spaces, are we? I think Thich Nath Hanh called it, to be aware of the non-tooth ache feeling.  

Now with every breath, the space of "aasanam" was welcoming me into it and enfolding me more and more.  The bus twisted and tottered and teetered, the breath held the world steady.  My heart now rat-a-tatted in a peaceful rhythm, and my daughter sighed as she burrowed deeper into sleep.  I was at the same time, quite still all over, and also intensely alive and aware to the scenes and smells streaking past, in slow motion.  I became very aware of the people around, and started judging correctly how the bus was going to move next by looking at the driver's subtle movements (his hands, where he looked, in which direction and how his body inclined as he drove etc).  My  entire being simply, constantly re-adjusted itself to the changes such that it can allow my daughter to be comfortable.  So the body actually felt like a bean bag, completely giving in and squished and relaxed to accommodate the sleeping child and yet alert (even joyous) to the vagaries of the bus and the road, maintaining stillness. The breath kept working it's magic.   

Eventually, my daughter woke up, and we both thoroughly enjoyed the sights and sounds offered to us, ate some idlis and got off at our stop happily.  

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* The shift that happened in that split second in the recognition of the yoga teacher is worthy of an independent inquiry and is not within the scope of this piece

The Gamut of Human Experience

the wonder of a rainbow;

the joy of kittens playing;

the intensity of a forest fire;

the achievement of reaching a milestone;

stepping into squeamish quagmire,

the fear of death.

an inexplicable, spontaneous connection;

mother earth's compassion;

the stillness of a mountain lake... 

What is the difference between Imagination and fantasy

Someone asked me this question during a discussion on visualisation and fantasising. It is not a matter of the difference between them.

Patanjali's Yoga sutra states:

shabdajnananupati vastusunyo vikalpaha - verse 1.9
Our minds can imagine things that do not exist in actuality.

The Yoga sutra mentions imagination as a movement (function) of the mind, along with four others. Inventions, fantasies, artistic creations - all are in this realm.  Imagination - it is such a powerful ability.  Children have it in abundance, and it allows them to be so creative and malleable to learning. It is the power of imagination which allows us much (if not all) of art, of innovation, invention, visualisation...

The imaginative capacity is a necessary one for human existence and endeavour. However, what happens when imagination becomes a compulsion?  By compulsion here, I mean getting carried away with one's imagination.  Anything not in one's control is compulsion.  For example, TV watching is a compulsion with many today.  What usually starts as an escapism or a coping mechanism for stress gradually takes over one's life as a compulsion.  Or when any single attribute of life and living is given undue attention over others, the balance tilts and this may become a compulsion.  Like in the case of imaginative capacity and compulsive imagination. The former is necessary and the latter is a sure path to disaster.

Image from prits-dreams.blogspot.com

We see this phenomenon played out in the lives of artists and creative people again and again in various ways and at different levels of intensity and impact.  As long as it remains an imaginative capacity, it remains under the artists' control, and once it moves into the domain of compulsion, it controls the artist.  This seems to be an edge that artists dance on and around.  One side is imagination and the other side, compulsion - getting lost in one's imagination.  Every creative person seems to be walking or tottering or dancing or playing with this edge. For example, the performer on stage hopping between illusion and reality.  We see this happening with some extremely creative people, over time they are lost to the world of reality.  Artists (I use the word 'artist' for people who are in touch* with their imaginative capacity) have to necessarily work with this edge, whether they are conscious of it or not. In fact, not being aware of it, an artist drowns in compulsion.

As long as one remains on that edge, creativity seems to be one's lover.  Staying on that edge welcomes creativity.  Staying on that edge means not getting carried away and lost in one's imagination.  What does it mean to stay on that edge? How to stay with that line?  By taking the apavarga** location, the location of attention and watchfulness. Staying on that line means the artist can actually step back and watch her own performance. And dance the dance.  Not being able to observe would mean that over time, the artist would (may) tip over into compulsive patterns and behaviour and this can lead to madness of some sort.

Image from civasakthi.blogspot.com

Yoga is about discovering that observer location within oneself.  And with diligent and constant practice, that line or edge may actually expand, become an all-inclusive seamless expanse, simply space, where Nataraja would dance his cosmic dance, Saraswathi would play her Veena, Parvati or Nandi on the mridangam, Vishnu could be playing a flute or cymbals... and all life could be a dancing of Ananda Tandava.


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* I say "in touch" because I think that every being in creation has an inherent capacity to imagine and create; Patanjali has stated it as one of the fundamental categories for the mind's movements. It is simply that some are more in touch with it than others.

** 'Apavargam' is a location of observation, inquiry and learning of the seeker / student / learner and one that would lend clarity and understanding, as juxtaposed with 'bhogam', which is a location of being stuck in the old comfortable patterns of seeking pleasure and avoiding pain.

What is Yoga?

A friend asked me to write a simple essay on "what is yoga?", 'simple' being the keyword. The following is an attempt:

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Today Yoga has come to mean many different things to many people.  It is a vast ocean that contains a plethora of different schools and styles of teaching.  The good news is that each of them seems to work and deliver results, for those who patronise them.  It is probable that there is so much tamas (lethargy) pervading all aspects of human life in these times - our lifestyles, the food that we consume, occupations, our recreation, that, when the body starts to move even a little bit, and we stretch hitherto unfelt muscles, and give ourselves that bit of quiet time and space, then no matter what Yoga we choose to call it, our bodies and minds seem to say “thank you” and sink into it.  

However, what is Yoga really?  Is Yoga only a set of aasanas and praanayaama (PY) breathing techniques to improve health?  Is one school of Yoga teaching a different Yoga from the other?  Is Yoga primarily to improve physical health, and thereby better the quality of life?

Let’s park these general questions for a bit and come to you and me.  What is Yoga to you?  What are your aspirations in life?  Do you want to be happy?  What does being successful mean to you?  Are you pursuing a passion with everything in you?  What is your purpose?  Do you feel that you need a purpose?  Are you in search of one?

Let me tell you a story.

The Breath Shoots the Arrow

Archery is a very ancient sport.  In Japan it is still practiced as an art very much in the same way as it was done many years ago.  The most important practice in this art is breathing.  One holds the big bow, notches the arrow, and bends the bow during the inhalation, holds the breath and waits calmly for the "perfect moment" when the arrow "shoots itself" and the breath comes out slowly.  The perfect shot is the one where the archer's breath is smooth and easy and his body shows no sign of strain throughout the shooting.  It took the archer years of practice before he could coordinate the breath with the shooting so that the whole movement was tranquil.  (- Raghu Anantanarayanan, Learning Through Yoga, Published by Krishnamacharya Yoga Mandiram, Chennai)

A sutra in Patanjali’s Yoga Sutra states this as,    

                Prayathnashaithilya anantasamaapatthibhyaam | II.47

                Mindful action flows with effortless ease

Have you noticed the phenomenon that you would have been searching frantically for something, and you wouldn’t find it; you would find it at some other time when you were making no effort to search for it?  Effortless effort.  That is Yoga.

Yoga is to do with one’s entire life, and every thought, feeling and action in it. 

It is to do with our relationships with ourselves and the world. 

It is to do with how your breath changes when you get angry.

It is to do with how your voice softens and the lines of your body flow when you talk to a loved one.

It is to do with how weak or energetic your body feels at the end of the day. 

And more.

There is an outer self that is engaging with the world and its problems, with life, constantly.  This self is getting hit, hurt, falling, struggling, feeling happy, sad, jealous, and so on.  There is another self that resides in your inner space, watching all the drama of life.  This is the anchored and coherent self that is able to watch and listen, and provide the space for the external self to act intelligently.  If we allow it to. People catch glimpses of it or are made aware of it all the time. 

An artist may tap into that self inspired by nature, and create works of brilliance. 

A tragedy may open the lock for an ordinary person and enable her to act with spontaneous intelligence and empathy. 

Laughter and play with an infant may dissolve all residues of fears and insecurities for those precious moments, leaving a mother crystal clear to reflect her child. 

This inner self just observes, and is vibrant and wise simply on the strength of that non-judgmental observation.  When one becomes alive to deeper and deeper levels of this self and space, outward action is gathered, coherent and intelligent. 

Becoming alive to that inner self every moment, is Yoga.  Hence Yoga is not an end, but a journey, a process.  So where does aasana and praanayaama come into this?  It could be a start.  For, the physical body is one of the primary indicators of overall wellbeing.  And working with the breath is key to this process.  The breath is the subtle connection between the mind and body and through the breath each works on the other.  Why do we say “take a deep breath” to someone who is agitated?  A lot can begin to happen in that space of one breath.  And that "lot" can be the start of true yoga practice.