Yoga - Need of the day

-Dr.G.A.Rama RaoM-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.