The True Yogi Does Not Kill Emotions
Nayaswami Devarshi
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Patanjali, in his Yoga Sutras, gives the most clear and succinct answer to the question, “What is yoga?“ in his aphorism, “Yogas chitta vritti nirodh.“ The great master of yoga, Paramhansa Yogananda, interpreted Patanjali thus, “Yoga is the neutralisation of the vortices of feeling.“Thought itself is neutral. It is only with disturbed feelings and emotions, likes and dislikes, along with emotional reactions to events, that humans truly suffer.
The mind is like a mirror. If a horse is reflected in the mirror, it will not discriminate as to what is reflected. The intellect is necessary to define it, “That's a horse.“ The ego chimes in next and says, “Why , that's my horse!“ It is only when feeling and emotion become engaged, that one says, “How happy I am to see my horse!“ Soul-bondage begins with the ego's `ownership', but real suffering happens with the involvement of feeling and emotion. This is why so many practices of meditation and yoga involve calming the waves of feeling and emotion.
Does this mean that we must deaden or kill our feelings? No! Adi Shankara described God as Sat-Chit-Ananda, or ever-existing, ever-conscious divine bliss. Bliss itself is pure feeling, so one could say , “God is feeling.“
Thus, the true yogi does not kill emotions, but instead transmutes them from restless human emotions that disturb and bind into the calm pure divine `emotion' of Sat-ChitAnanda. Practices of yoga and meditation are simply an ancient technology (technology definition: “the practical application of knowledge“) given to humankind to help us achieve that goal. Following are two simple yoga practices that will help to calm your emotions. The next time you find yourself getting upset or angry , take a long deep inhalation for 10 counts, completely filling the lungs. Hold the breath for 10 counts. Then exhale slowly for 10 counts. Immediately begin inhaling again, and repeat three to five times.
You will notice an immediate and positive change in your state of mind and emotions. The reasons for this change are too complex to explain in a short article, but they are based on the inner science of yoga, breath control and control of the life force, or pranayama.
You can see that when done properly , yoga is an extremely practical technology . It can help you face everyday problems in business, family life, relationships, moods, health, etc with more clarity , calmness, energy and thus with more effectiveness.
Here is another simple practice: Next time you find yourself feeling sad, depressed and emotionally heavy , take note of your physical posture. It is likely that it will reflect your inwardly down-pulling feeling, with the shoulders being slumped, spine bent and eyes looking downward.
You've likely never seen someone looking down at the ground with such a posture stating enthusiastically , “I feel so uplifted!“ And you will never see someone with a straight spine, shoulders back, chest out, eyes looking upward, saying, “I feel so depressed!“ By changing our habitual posture, we can influence our mood and emotions. Hatha yoga can help with this process, so can physical exercise, but simply changing your habitual posture will have surprising effects on your mood. This is one reason why yogis meditate with a straight spine, and with the eyes gazing upward to the spiritual eye at the point between the eyebrows, the kutastha chaitanya centre. (The writer is a kriyacharya at Ananda Sangha Yoga and Meditation Centre.) Post your comments at speakingtree.in
The mind is like a mirror. If a horse is reflected in the mirror, it will not discriminate as to what is reflected. The intellect is necessary to define it, “That's a horse.“ The ego chimes in next and says, “Why , that's my horse!“ It is only when feeling and emotion become engaged, that one says, “How happy I am to see my horse!“ Soul-bondage begins with the ego's `ownership', but real suffering happens with the involvement of feeling and emotion. This is why so many practices of meditation and yoga involve calming the waves of feeling and emotion.
Does this mean that we must deaden or kill our feelings? No! Adi Shankara described God as Sat-Chit-Ananda, or ever-existing, ever-conscious divine bliss. Bliss itself is pure feeling, so one could say , “God is feeling.“
Thus, the true yogi does not kill emotions, but instead transmutes them from restless human emotions that disturb and bind into the calm pure divine `emotion' of Sat-ChitAnanda. Practices of yoga and meditation are simply an ancient technology (technology definition: “the practical application of knowledge“) given to humankind to help us achieve that goal. Following are two simple yoga practices that will help to calm your emotions. The next time you find yourself getting upset or angry , take a long deep inhalation for 10 counts, completely filling the lungs. Hold the breath for 10 counts. Then exhale slowly for 10 counts. Immediately begin inhaling again, and repeat three to five times.
You will notice an immediate and positive change in your state of mind and emotions. The reasons for this change are too complex to explain in a short article, but they are based on the inner science of yoga, breath control and control of the life force, or pranayama.
You can see that when done properly , yoga is an extremely practical technology . It can help you face everyday problems in business, family life, relationships, moods, health, etc with more clarity , calmness, energy and thus with more effectiveness.
Here is another simple practice: Next time you find yourself feeling sad, depressed and emotionally heavy , take note of your physical posture. It is likely that it will reflect your inwardly down-pulling feeling, with the shoulders being slumped, spine bent and eyes looking downward.
You've likely never seen someone looking down at the ground with such a posture stating enthusiastically , “I feel so uplifted!“ And you will never see someone with a straight spine, shoulders back, chest out, eyes looking upward, saying, “I feel so depressed!“ By changing our habitual posture, we can influence our mood and emotions. Hatha yoga can help with this process, so can physical exercise, but simply changing your habitual posture will have surprising effects on your mood. This is one reason why yogis meditate with a straight spine, and with the eyes gazing upward to the spiritual eye at the point between the eyebrows, the kutastha chaitanya centre. (The writer is a kriyacharya at Ananda Sangha Yoga and Meditation Centre.) Post your comments at speakingtree.in
