Yoga - Need of the day

-Dr.G.A.Rama Rao
M-5
Is the present generation too eager to enter the next millenium to grab the
imaginary fortunes?

Is the world spinning too fast competing to race with the human mind?

Are tensions associated with the advancement dominating your intuitive

faculties?

Is not the "I" factor, which is acting as a barrier to the liberation of mind?

These are the kind of questions one would like to ask himself and
those suffering from the modern syndrome of hypertension, which is
inherited as a consequence of the fast changing present day life style. That
the new generation believes in the fast emerging technological age as the
only way to sustain the competitive world is only re-enunciating the
obvious. The polluted environment arising as a result of growing
urbanization poses a threat to the very sustenance of human life on the
globe.
The concept of community living, where people used to share their
sorrowful and happier moments with their relatives, neighbours and fellow
beings has taken the back seat. With competition focussed in all spheres of
life people do not have time for others, leave alone helping them. Thus the
human being has been left all alone for himself and this isolation in the
society also resulted in a life with full of psychosomatic problems and
diseases. It is this "I" factor which has taken over the human mind and is
preventing the person from being social and community conscious. It is
this selfishness in the human being which has initiated as a germ and
whose nucleus is tending to grow and spread to every part of the world.
With this 'I', it is the mind that suffers but not I. There is a strange
happiness in today's human even in watching our unhappy minds. The "I"
has thus become a witness.
This "I" factor is the root cause of all ills in the present day's society.
This is isolating the people from others. This is the result of identity crisis
that has gripped every human being resulting in all over suffering and
misery. It can be overcome if one genuinely wants and never works, if one
is unwilling to let go.
A smile is an exchange of energy. With growth, and more focus on
work every one became workaholic. People with their preoccupations have
forgotten how to laugh, though it is scientifically known that it changes the
levels of endorphins and adrenaline in the blood for the rest of the day for
good. The identity crisis is spreading in all walks of life and society is
flooded with such victims. Who is responsible for this?

What is the remedy?

Remedy is not some thing new and is known to many people, but do
they have time and reason to sit and ponder? Though physicians do not
have an instant solution to offer, they prescribe 'Meditation' as the modern
day pill for such problems. Present generation wants quick solutions such
as the more fancied fast food or instant coffee or a crash-coaching course
in three days for the completion of the syllabus in academic institutions.
They are ready to pay if anybody offers a short cut to instant success. The
way fast food is termed as junk food, such hurried meditation also does not
provide instant desired results. The reasons for this are well understood by
reading the Patanjali's system of scientific yoga.
In his sincere and systematic attempt to evolve a complete and
scientific approach to the practice of yoga, he realised that one would need
many cleansing processes to curb the ever wandering mind before one
cherishes to acquire the desired qualities of purity and calmness. Without
such qualities meditation does not have any impact on the way of life.
The Yogic science has been seen by the western world as the only
option to maintain health because of various advantages, though it is a by
product of the path towards spirituality. But the person in this Jet-Age
wants to master the art of meditation through a short cut. He wants to
become a graduate without going to the school. This kind of attempt by
people to reach the goals through short cuts results in poor success.
People are often confused between relaxation and meditation and
this confusion is the result of the modern teachers and also the achievers.
According to Patanjali, a tense person cannot meditate and he has to learn
first how to relax in a natural process. Hence these learned people need to
unlearn their so called concepts in order to relax. This is precisely the
reason why Patanjali has placed the meditation as the seventh stage in the
Ashtanga Yoga or the eight-fold path of Yoga. His argument was that one's
mind and body can be both disturbing factors, in one's efforts to achieve
meditation, unless one follows the well-tested and prescribed methods to
cleanse and control them. He thus rightly called the human entity as the
Body-Mind complex. It is this mind-body approach which, of late, is
growing in popularity to be a healthy link for the wellbeing. He strongly
felt that as long as one's body aches and mind wanders, one cannot
meditate.
Patanjali has therefore rightly identified the significance of Yama
and Niyama as the essential cleaning processes and placed them as the first
and second stages in his eight-fold path. Strict observance of these two
stages helps to achieve the clairvoyance of mind before proceeding to
achieve physical control through the third stage of Asanas. This is the
stage where physical wellbeing and fitness are established as byproducts.
Next, Patanjali realised that the nature of breathing is the direct
reflection of the state of the mind or vice versa. Hence he attempted to
control the breathing i.e. Pranayama, and succeeded in including the
desired mental state by controlling the breath or prana, the life giving
force. After having succeeded in achieving mental control, physical control
and breath control, the next attempt was to control the senses, which could
be a major distraction and create hindrances in one's ambition to meditate.
Control of the senses is known as Pratyahara, which can make a person
mentally incredibly strong in order to withdraw from the senses.
Incidentally the number of senses is also five so also was its place in the
Ashtanga Yoga.
Having mastered in establishing control over the senses, one can
very easily pool all the senses in one direction i.e. dharana or
concentration. One has to concentrate in order to attain maturity in
identifying the self as the subject or object without really being involved in
it. This becomes dhyana when the senses reach close proximity with the
subject, which is meditation. Following this ashtanga yoga is definitely the
most secure, and systematic way to reach spiritual sublimation.
Regular meditation with continued effort would culminate in to
Samadhi which is the stage of ever lasting bliss. This is better known as
becoming the subject itself in the meditation. This can be experienced by
each and every one in this materialistic world itself by the strict and loyal
observance of Patanjali's ashtanga yoga. Swami Vivekananda once
termed it as the most ideal and realistic form of scientific evolution, which
can be practised by any individual irrespective of caste and creed. This can
be achieved without running away from the society and wearing saffron
clothing.
Hence, the necessity, for an average individual experiencing stress
and tensions to adapt a disciplined life with a sincere effort to relax, need
not be overemphasised. So a conscious attempt at relaxation is the best
short cut for modern human beings, and meditation can further help
opening one's spiritual vistas. Thus a tensed person under great anxiety
cannot meditate, unless he first learns to unlearn, unwind and accept the
healthy consequences of Ashtanga Yoga.
One need not be alarmed at various stages to pass through before
attempting to practise meditation. Practice makes a man perfect and one
has to only make a beginning.
One of the cardinal objectives of many schools, teaching Yoga to
people in the society, is to popularize the subject and bring out clearly the
beneficial aspects of yogabhyas in general for the welfare of the mankind
and to every door in the society in particular. It is heartening to note that
yogic science is becoming popular in India and many people are convinced
of the advantages of practising Yoga in the daily life. It is also encouraging
that many physicians are patronizing this subject by propagating the finer
aspects of yoga with a scientific approach.
It is needless to emphasize in another way that the need of the day,
to combat the present day's monotonous life style, is to adopt yoga as a
way of life.
I salute to all the teaching community of Yoga in the world for
having voluntarily taken up this noble task of serving the human beings by
sparing their valuable time without expecting any thing in kind.