Yoga: Union with the Divine 

     In Hindu thought, spirituality creates a union with the God—yoga. This union is not a physical union but a subtle mental union. When we pray to God and repeatedly think about and meditate on him, there is an intention. The intention behind this meditation on God is to gradually transform our inner mind—our antahkaran, a very special term in Hindu philosophy—toward godliness. Thus, if a man meditates on Lord Krishna, he lets his inner core mind be totally influenced by the Krishna consciousness. Having done that, he may act physically only as Krishna would do. He would even think as Krishna thinks. He would talk as Krishna would talk. The poet has verily sung, “O Krishna, may thee color me into thy color.” Indeed, all religions train human beings to bring about the inner spiritual transformation.

       Yoga is basically a system that involves the training of body, mind, and spirit; it is a very integrated program. Often in modern athletic training, the body is exercised but the mind is not attended to. Conversely, in religious or spiritual courses, the physical part is ignored. The ancient concept of yoga recognizes that through a healthy body alone, a healthy mind might be cultivated. A mind, too, needs vigilant supervision and guidance, lest it go astray in a vicious direction. The mind must be fixated to the highest and noblest thoughts of virtuous conduct. Thus, man is groomed to attain excellence in all fields of life. Physical, mental, and spiritual aspects are very methodically coordinated to yield the best possible results. It is the highest stage of development when a person attains spirituality through yoga. One learns to become stabilized in the absolute bliss of the Divine, so he may radiate the beauty and goodness around. As an integral part of the Divine, he becomes charged with all the spiritual virtues and energy. Indeed, Hindu seers have always maintained that all disorders and diseases are caused because an individual walks out of the cosmic order into disharmony and discord.

       It is to the great credit of these ancient gurus of India that this program has now been adopted by the modern world. Although all schools of yoga do not teach in the same way, the basic structure and philosophy are not tampered with. It should be clearly understood that yoga is not just another physical training program. In essence, it is a training that involves a harmonious blending of the body and mind, aiming toward the highest levels of efficiency in all spheres of activities. By its original definition, yoga is a union with the Divine. In any modified form, if there is no such union, it may not be called yoga. Essentially, yoga is coupled with spiritual qualities.

       In the ancient scriptures, yoga has been classified under different forms: Jnana yoga: yoga through knowledge; Bhakti yoga: yoga through devotion; Karma yoga: yoga through action; Raja yoga: yoga through deep meditation; Hatha yoga: yoga attained through body postures. In reality, these are not separate divisions but many aspects of the same training program. In practice, an individual may opt for more attention to any one or more of these forms of yoga, according to his aptitude and choice.

       Raja yoga or the meditation yoga is considered as the most complex and advanced type of yoga. It aims at self-realization of the highest spiritual potential, which is lying dormant as a divine seed within each of us. It is not advisable for persons who have not resolved their mental quandaries to undertake this form of yoga, which needs complete attention and maturity of the individual. Swami Vivekananda warned that no one should take the Raja yoga lightly.

       It has been stressed that yoga should always be performed with a pure mind. Even though yoga may not be done in the same way at any two places—there are abundant variations and modifications—yoga is  always conducted with a sense of auspicious sacredness. It is usually started with an invocation and chanting of “Om” or some other Vedic mantra. Sometimes a candle is lit, and at the end, the yoga is closed with a chanting prayer hymn and a respectful bowing with folded hands—the Indian namaste. Consider the scene if there is vulgar talk, boisterous loud music, any casual or purposeless video program on TV, or even a news broadcast when yoga is going on—it would defiles the environment for the yoga.

       Hindu sages emphasize holding the spine erect while doing meditation and yoga. The human species is the only creature that can hold the spine erect. Ancient seers probably observed a strong facility of the erect spine and the brain. The upward passage of the Kundalini chakras also traverses this path. It would not be wrong to say that yoga has taken the world by storm. In America and Europe, yoga has perhaps become more popular than it is in India today. Swami Vivekananda and Paramhans Yogananda initially brought the concept and philosophy of yoga to the United States in the early twentieth century. B. K. S. Iyengar started many schools of yoga across the country. In recent times there has been a flood of yoga centers across America. There are scores of books, magazines, and Web site programs on yoga. Yoga has found its way into the American lifestyle, not just with adults who want to improve their physical, mental, and spiritual capabilities but also with young children. Public school systems sometimes use yoga exercises in physical education classes; the inmates of American jails do yoga exercises, too! More than twenty million persons in America alone are, at present, involved in yoga exercises.

       In many Western yoga centers, the proceedings are conducted in a secular, non-religious manner. Physical postures and exercises, together with some breathing exercises (pranayama), form Hatha yoga. Apart from few symbolic gestures, no religious teaching may be offered in the program. Yoga exercises have proved very beneficial, as these are balanced with relaxation techniques. Even so, doing stretching drills before beginning the exercises must always be done to avoid injury. Such has been the growth pattern of yoga in America that lately it has started to take on a corporate culture, complete with franchises and other modern technological innovations.

       In many religious centers, the meditation aspects of yoga are more emphasized. Kriya yoga, Kundalini chakra, Siddha yoga, and a few more are essentially variants of the meditation Raja yoga. With these types, the physical aspect of Hatha yoga may be less conspicuous.

      The combination of the secular and the spiritual is met with in many other places. Even though yoga is a child of Hinduism, it has now grown its own strong wings. It has made its mark, beyond the confines of any one religion. Yoga has truly become a citizen of the world!

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