Wellbeing Central Episode 4. Yoga - A Complete Wellbeing System !

I thought I knew what Yoga is because  I practiced it since childhood. However, I learnt about the real meaning and impact of Yoga when I started working on my PhD research. 

In this episode, I have shared the origin and core ideas of Yoga and invite your reflections. Listen to this episode and check whether you are really practicing yoga. 

#wellbeing #yoga #completewellbeing #system #mindbody #connection #relationship

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Transcript

Wellbeing Central Episode 4: 

Yoga – a complete wellbeing system (Part 1)

Hello, my name is Dr Archana Mishra, and welcome back to wellbeing central! 

I was introduced to yoga in childhood by watching my father’s daily early morning routine and sometimes trying to imitate that. At that time, I understood yoga as a combination of different postures and a few breathing techniques. For me yoga was a tool to keep us flexible and young, and I thought I knew what yoga is. However, I didn’t really understand it well until I started working on my PhD research. 

As I mentioned in episode 1, during my research, I came to understand wellbeing as a system of eight components: physical, psychological, economic, material, spiritual, social, cultural, and environmental. All eight components should be in harmony for us to have a good life. Any over or under investment in one or more components would show up as symptom of ill being. When I scanned my state of wellbeing based on this understanding, I found that some symptoms of under-investment in spiritual wellbeing were showing up for me. Despite seemingly having everything I was experiencing a lack of purpose and meaningless existence at that time but didn’t know why. When I realized that my spiritual wellbeing was lacking, I looked for some guidance and came across a yoga institute in India. I attended a workshop with them, and there began my real journey of yoga. 

I then took up daily practice of asana or postures and pranayama or conscious breathing as well as studies of various yoga texts. What has been unfolding for me since then can only be described as personal transformation. Since yoga is a vast topic, I’ll cover it in a few episodes. In this episode today, I will share the origin and core ideas of yoga and then follow up with more insights later.

Yoga originated over 5,000 years ago in Ancient India as a philosophical and spiritual practice. The term yoga first appeared in one of the oldest texts called Rig Veda, and a number of yoga texts have been written since then. But the most comprehensive text so far is the Yoga sutras of Patanjali. During the early centuries of the common era, Sage Patanjali systematically compiled and organized the ancient teachings of yoga into 195 aphorisms or sentences using only a few words. Yoga philosophy is part of the six key philosophical schools originating in India. The other five are: Samkhya, Nyaya, Vaisheshika, Mimamsa, and Vedanta. 

So let’s start with the basics: what is Yoga?  The word yoga comes from  the  Sanskrit language and the root word is ‘Yuj’ which means to connect. It could be understood as the connection between the practitioner and the rest of the universe. Or the connection between body and mind through the medium of breath. Patanjali defines yoga as ‘Citta Vritti Nirodha’ which literally translates into the regulation of the mind’s movement. In other words, Yoga is the ability to focus our attention on one object and hold that attention for a long time without distraction. With this ability, we can refine our mind and move from our current state to another higher one. Yoga is then a movement that brings about change within us through changing the nature of our mind. 

Now, why is that important? Research shows that the average person thinks around 60,000 thoughts per day. Of those thousands of thoughts, 80% are negative, and 95% are exactly the same repetitive thoughts as the day before. And we make daily decisions about big and small matters with such a busy mind. As a result, we often lack a clear perception or correct understanding about us and the world around us. This results in AVIDYA or incorrect knowledge. The goal of yoga is to reduce avidya and allow us to act correctly.

Patanjali names four sources of incorrect knowledge. When I learnt about these sources, I realized how they all have an impact on me either individually or in combination.  

The First source of avidya is ‘Asmita’ or ego, that results in thoughts such as, “I’m better than others”, “I’m more educated so I must know more”, “ I’m right and they are wrong”. For example, I can recall a time when I used to try too hard to look more flexible and stable than others in yoga classes. My ego drove me to think that I have known yoga since childhood, so I must be better than others despite experiencing pain and discomfort in certain postures. 

The Second  source is ‘Raga’ or excessive attachment to things we desire and not necessarily need. When I experienced something yesterday that I enjoyed, I want it again, for example a nice cup of coffee from the same coffee place, and  I have difficulty in letting go of things that are not good for me but I want them anyway. 

The Third one is ‘Dvesha’, or aversion to people and things that I don’t like. It’s almost the opposite of raga, so I reject people, things, or thoughts based simply on a bad previous experience. One can also reject things that are not familiar such as different cultures, perspectives, or way of life.  Xenophobia, Islamophobia, antisemitism, or homophobia are some examples of Dvesha. 

And finally, ‘Abhinivesha’ or fear --- and we find its expression in many aspects of everyday life, for example, young people fear old age, rich people fear taxation, many of us have fear of being judged and above all, fear of death. For example, I have a deep fear of being dependent on others in old age, so I constantly worry about getting sick or financially weak in later years. 

These four sources of avidya either alone or in combination constantly cloud our perception and we end up with a general feeling of dissatisfaction in life. Yoga reduces the impact of avidya and allows us to make better decisions based on a clear perception of people and situation. Actually, Avidya is better experienced in its absence, meaning we are at peace when we see things correctly and our perception is not clouded by it. Imagine how it’d feel when we are not driven by ego, desire, aversion or fear! 

The two fundamental premises of yoga are satwada and parinamvada. Satwada states that everything is real: what we see, experience, feel, dream, think, and imagine are all real and not illusion. This is an important premise as it shows how we are affected by not just what we can see or feel but also what we can imagine or dream. 

While everything is true and real, Parinamvada says that everything is in a state of flux, and ever changing. The way we see and feel today is not the same as yesterday and will not be the same tomorrow. These two notions are quite encouraging to me. It tells me that while Avidya is real, I do not need to be discouraged by its influence because it can be changed, and yoga offers the pathways for making that change. 

Yoga also gave us the notion that deep within us there is something which is also real but unchanging and constant which is called Purusha or Drshta. We experience change only because we have something within us that is constant. Purusha means ‘that which dwells inside’ and drsta means ‘that which can see accurately’. It is the power within us through which we can perceive things simply as they are. However, Purusha experiences the world through the mind so when the mind is covered by the veil of avidya, our perceptions are also clouded. The practice of yoga helps us to gradually lift the veil of avidya and eventually, purusha shines in its own light -and we experience the world as it is. Then we are able to take right actions and achieve deep calm and quietness within. With a clear mind, we can improve many aspects of our lives and attain a complete state of wellbeing.

However, it’s not easy to lift the veil of avidya as our body and mind are conditioned to certain patterns of perception. That is why Patanjali  prescribes three ways in which we can remove the effects of avidya and change those patterns:

First, ‘Tapas’ which literally means to heat, and it is the way in which we can keep our body healthy and cleanse ourselves internally. This can be attained through the physical disciplines of asanas or postures and pranayama or conscious breathing exercises. Through asanas and pranayama, we can strengthen ourself and remove any blocks or impurities in our body and mind. Such cleansing then affects our entire system - similar to how we purify  gold by heating it. When I began a regular and rigorous asana and pranayama regime I slowly experienced a better connection between my body and mind.

However, it’s not enough to just keep ourselves physically healthy, we should also have a good understanding of ourselves and the world around us. That is why we need to work through the second step which is svadhyay or self-study or inquiry. We can investigate upon and understand ourselves through svadhyay by asking questions such as: who am I? what is my purpose? What is my connection to the rest of the universe? This is more challenging than the first step as we have a clearer mirror for our body than our mind. For me, this step began while reading texts on wellbeing and vertical development for my PhD thesis, then my interest began to deepen and I enrolled in yoga studies under a great teacher. Since then I have been studying different philosophical and spiritual texts, engaging in discussions and inquiry with others, and now slowly becoming capable of self-inquiry. There are many great works that allow us to see ourselves when we read them, for example, the Yoga sutra, Bhagwad Gita, Holy Quran, Tanakh, or the Bible. 

We can become healthy through tapas and wise through svadhyaya but we also need to work, and do other things in daily life, and so the third possible way suggested by Patanjali is ishwarapranidhana which literally means ‘love of God’ but it also means certain quality of action. This pathway suggests that we need to do our duties and do them to the best of our ability but without excessive attachment to the outcome. Meaning, the outcome should be the consequence of our action and not the reason for it.  Creating Wellbeing Central podcast is my ishwarpranidhana as I’m doing it solely because I believe in sharing knowledge and the very act of doing it is bringing me joy. I’m open for any outcome that may arise but I’m not attached to getting a particular result. With this attitude, I feel quite motivated to create good content without any scope for disappointment from the result. 

So, in summary, good health, reflective self-inquiry, and action without attachment to results are the three fundamental ways in which we can reduce avidya and lead a wholesome life. We can assess our progress by observing how our relationship with ourself and others change over time.

Before I came across the teachings of Patanjali’s yoga sutra, I used to think that I know what yoga is because I knew postures and breathing techniques. But that wasn’t enough because despite having good health, I felt a lack of meaning  and purpose in life. When I reflected on how the four sources of avidya clouded my perception, I realized the reason for that lack. Then I started working through all three pathways to decrease the impact of avidya, and over time, I can see improvements in the way I understand myself and others.  Through the practice of  physical discipline, self-inquiry, and action without attachment to results, I am developing a sense of purpose, physical and mental strength, as well as better relationships with everyone and everything around me.  I have realised that we all have the potential to continuously refine our mind which then helps us make the right decisions and improve the quality of our actions. Yoga, therefore is a complete wellbeing system that can be embraced by all of us who desire to lead a good life. The first step, though, is to realise that we need to improve relationship with ourselves and the world around us. 

So, I now invite you to reflect on these questions:

What does yoga mean to you? 

Check if and how ego, desire, aversion, and fear might be affecting the quality of your decision-making and relationships.

Ask yourself how your life might change if you could reduce their impact through physical discipline, self-inquiry, and action without expectation. 

I now close this episode, if you have any questions or suggestions, please contact me through my website: wellbeingcentral.org. I have also offered suggestions for reading resources on the website in case you are interested.   

Thank you for listening, and stay tuned for the next episode where I’ll offer insights into the 8 limbs of yoga. Until then, let’s get one stop closer to wellbeing central!