The Heart of Yoga
Any individual from any country will have his or her own religion. This religion is called by different names, but all of them focus on the welfare of people. It is described in Hinduism, for example, in the Vaisheshik Darshan as:
That which ensures both a person’s physical and spiritual edification.
The physical component relates to our body and the spiritual one to our soul or mind. In this way, we comprise two in one. One is the soul that gives power to the body to function. Our body is inanimate, yet it can see, hear, smell, taste, touch, think and make decisions, all with the help of that consciousness (the soul) within. And when someone dies, people say that so-and-so has left the world, but the body remains lying here. So, who or what is it that has left? And who is it that is no more?
We comprise two: a mortal body and a soul within that animates it. We also possess two attributes. The edification of the body and the soul are both compulsory. In other words, we need devotion or spirituality for the soul, and we need yoga as described by Sage Patanjali for the body. Yoga is an eightfold process that includes yam (moral codes), niyam (self-purification and study), asan (posture), pratyahara (withdrawal of the mind and senses) and pranayama (breath control), and all of them are essential for the edification of this body. The remaining three — dharan (concentration), dhyan (deep meditation) and samadhi (union with the object of meditation) are compulsory for the spiritual edification of the soul. Yoga offers such a good combination, promoting both the upliftment of the body as well as the soul. A healthy body and soul are equally indispensable.
There are some people, however, who believe that material science is useless; there are others who even doubt the existence of the world! Every person has a different mindset. Even though everyone seems to have different aims and different thoughts, they all can be categorised as belonging to one of only two groups: the materialists or the spiritualists. In truth, we must make concerted efforts for the upliftment of both.
If we are careless with our body and do not eat nutritious food containing vitamins and proteins etc. then our body will be in no physical condition to do yogic exercises, or any other physical activity for that matter. In such a situation, we will be unable to do anything for the welfare of our soul either. The Ramayan attests to this:
The upliftment of the soul is not possible without the help of the body.
Therefore, it is essential to maintain a healthy body. In this regard, asan and pranayama etc. are very helpful in keeping the body healthy. Those who are careless will be left to consult with doctors again and again, suffering from one ailment after another throughout their entire life.
In this way, you should make your body fit and healthy by performing yogic exercises, and simultaneously, meditate on your chosen ideal of God according to your religion. By doing so, you will achieve your supreme goal.
A discourse originally given in Hindi by:
Jagadguru Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj
7 July 2012
Published in:
A Journey Towards Divine Love, July 2015 Issue, p. 52
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