Yoga is an ancient Hindu system of philosophy and spiritual practice. In broad terms, it aims at deliverance from suffering and pain through meditation to effect a reunion with the Universal Spirit. In more specific terms, it includes the practice of various postures — static and moving, breathing exercises, a disciplined diet, and meditation — all of which tone up the body, mind, and spirit. Yoga is, therefore, not a system of medicine; it is more a discipline — a means to the end which is samadhi, a state of union with God.

Yoga through the Ages

The earliest historical evidence of yoga can be seen in the seals of the Harappan civilisation which flourished around 3000 b.c. Some of the seals show engravings of a sage sitting in an asana (yogic posture). The Rigveda mentions a seer sitting in asana. The early Upanishads mention different yogic asanas and procedures. Around 600 B.C., the famous sage Patanjali, systematised these asanas and other procedures, linking them with Samkhya philosophy, and compiled the entire concept into the Yoga Sutras, a textbook of yoga techniques and ancient wisdom.

According to Patanjali, yoga consists of eight components: yama, niyama, asana, pranayama, pratyahara, dharna, dhayana, and samadhi. The first four components relate more to the body. Yama and Niyama are the dos and don’ts which are universally applicable and useful. The asanas tone up the body. Pranayama comprises breathing exercises. Yama, Niyama, asanas, and pranayama constitute Hatha yoga and prepare the body for the next four components which relate more to the mind. Patanjali allotted Hatha yoga practices only a subsidiary place. For him, these were only a means to an end. But in recent times, Hatha yoga practices have attracted worldwide attention. They are used for maintaining physical fitness and getting rid of certain diseases. Hatha yoga, no doubt, has a significance for the human body, yet by limiting oneself to Hatha yoga practices only, one would lose sight of the spiritual aspect of yoga which is equally, if not more useful to modern man.

The Yoga Sutras state: ‘Man’s mind and soul are immersed in the world around him; he must try to disentangle himself from the scene around him so that he can perceive a clear picture of his soul.’ The state of mind has its repercussions upon the physical well-being too. In modern times, this has been illustrated by the Austrian scientist, Sigmund Freud.

Though yoga is not basically a method of treating disease, yet one does find in the Hatha yoga texts and later yogic literature, many pointed passages indicating the curative and prophylactic values of different yogic practices.

During the past few decades, due to the efforts of some enthusiastic yoga students, yogic practices have been used in the treatment of certain diseases.

Yogic Procedures

Yoga is a holistic system. One must proceed on the path of yoga by stages, with the help of a guru (teacher). The different stages and their significance in maintaining and promoting health of the body and the mind are as follows:

Yamas and Niyamas: Yamas are the ‘don’ts’ or restraints to be practised in life, such as ahimsa (non-violence), not telling lies or stealing, not being avaricious, and observing abstinence. Niyamas are the ‘dos’ or disciplines like cleanliness, serenity, asceticism, and observing abstinence.

The purpose of yamas and niyamas is to get rid of undesirable physical and mental habits, and make them more amenable to the dictates of the will. Following the yamas and niyamas provides one with the capacity to think clearly and to indulge only in such activities which lead to one’s determined goal. This further prevents the frittering away of limited energies and time available, and helps one to feel calm and relaxed.

Niyamas include kriyas or shatkarmas — the physical cleansing processes. They help remove waste products from the body, particular attention being given to cleansing of the alimentary tract, respiratory tract, and other passages. These cleansing processes are six in number: dhauti, basti, neti, tratak, nauli, kapalabhati. There are different procedures and techniques relating to each of these categories.

Dhauti. In different dhautis, just water or a long thin piece of clean cloth or a stick is used to cleanse the throat and the stomach of all secretions retained in it. In vastra dhauti (cleaning with cloth), a piece of muslin cloth, three inches wide and fifteen feet long, is used. This is washed and the water squeezed out of it. Then one end of it is gently swallowed, little by little. On the first day, only one foot length of cloth is swallowed, kept there for a few seconds, and then slowly taken out. On the next day, a little more is swallowed and kept there a little longer. More and more of it is swallowed daily until the entire length goes in and the end is caught firmly with the hands. Then it is removed slowly and gently. A cup of milk is taken afterwards. This is done on an empty stomach in the morning. Different dhautis not only cleanse the stomach of its waste products but are also said to lead to an increase in the production of gastric enzymes by the stomach wall; this is caused by the stimulating effect of the dhautis on the latter.

Neti. This is meant for cleansing the nose. Salt water or diluted milk is put into one nostril and brought out from the other, or a piece of thread is inserted into one nostril and brought out from the other. This is said to cleanse the nasal passages and the nasal sinuses.

Dhautis and netis have been found to be effective in cases of nose allergy and cases of asthma. Basti. This process is meant for cleansing the colon, the lower part of the intestine.

Basti is of various types, depending upon the material used for this purpose, as for example, Jala basti (with water), or sushka basti (without water).

Practice of basti is said to cure disorders of the spleen, glands, dropsy, and diseases originating from vata, pitta, and kapha. If practised, one does not suffer from constipation and flatulence, and the appetite is increased.

Tratak. Gazing steadily at a particular point or object without winking, until the tears come out, is what tratak consists of. In one of the tratak methods, a candle flame is kept three to four feet away from the person. The flame and the eyes lie in a horizontal line. Sitting erect, with the spine straight and the body otherwise relaxed, the person looks at the flame with a steady gaze for a minute. After a minute he closes his eyes and relaxes the eye muscles for an equal length of time. He repeats the process five or six times, gradually increasing the period of gazing and resting up to three minutes each. Though tratak is one of the six purificatory exercises, it is mainly intended for developing concentration and mental focusing. It is said to cure eye diseases and mental sluggishness.

Nauli. To perform nauli, one bends forward, exhales, contracts and raises one’s rectus muscle (abdominal muscles), and moves it to one side of the abdomen. This is followed by a similar contraction for raising and moving the other rectus. This double process is repeated while holding the breath. Nauli is said to provide massage to all the abdominal organs so that it prevents as well as cures constipation and dyspepsia. It restores digestion and increases appetite, and brings about a feeling of well-being.

Kapalabhati. In kapalabhati, the person sits in a comfortablepadmasana pose and takes a few deep breaths. Then by suddenly contracting the abdominal muscles, he raises the diaphragm and forces out a volume of air. As soon as the air is thrown out, he relaxes the abdominal muscles, which in turn allow the diaphragm to descend. As the diaphragm comes down, a volume of air automatically rushes in. In kapalabhati, inhalation is passive and exhalation active (the opposite of what happens naturally). Exhalation takes about one-fourth of the time of inhalation. To start with, ten or fifteen expulsions are made at the end of which, there is deep inhalation. After a few weeks, expulsions are increased to twenty or twenty-five. Between successive rounds, one can return to normal respiration which provides rest. Kapalabhati enhances diaphragmatic action and is useful in cases of asthma.

Asanas: In order to concentrate for as long as one needs to during yoga practice, one must sit in a posture which is pleasant and steady. Keeping this in mind, yoga teachers evolved and described various asanas. According to Patanjali, an asana should be sthira sukham, that is, stable and comfortable.

Thirty-two asanas are considered important, though there are many more. Padmasana and siddhasana are said to provide physical and mental comfort. Each one of them has a special significance, for a particular part or organ of the body and is prescribed to bring the latter relief or cure.

Yogic asanas are not like gymnastic exercises: they are not meant to build muscles. They are meant to provide relaxation to the body and mind. Sitting in one of these asanas, a yogi is said to feel comfort and relaxation and banish fatigue which would otherwise arise if one sat for a long time in one posture.

Experimentally, it has been found that the energy expenditure and the oxygen used is less when a yogi is sitting in one of the asanas than while sitting otherwise. Even the electrical impulses generated in the brain — the brain waves — as recorded by means of an electro-encephalograph, show a calming effect due to these asanas.

An asana which is universally found to be very helpful is shavasana or the corpse pose. After loosening the clothes he is wearing, the person lies down on his back as if he were dead. All the muscles of the body, including those of the jaws, are relaxed and allowed to go limp, and he is instructed to lie perfectly still. Then he tries to fix his mind on any one particular object or idea, and bring back the mind to it, if it wavers. In the beginning, there is great temptation to move a part — a finger or a toe — but gradually one can control this tendency. Even the mind becomes attuned to not wavering. Lying down like this for ten minutes in a dark room away from the noise, relieves mental tension and fatigue. Shavasana is of particular help to the people whose busy schedule makes them edgy and jittery.

Pranayama’. After one has learnt the significance and attained mastery over the first three procedures — yama, niyama, and asana — one proceeds to the fourth stage, that is pranayama or breath control.

Pranayama means a pause in the movement of breath {prana meaning breath; ayama meaning pause). According to the yogis (and this we observe in our daily life too), the pattern and rate of breathing ordinarily is irregular; it increases during excitement or exertion, decreases during relaxation, and becomes irregular while speaking. There are variations in breathing throughout the day. These variations, according to yogis, produce disturbances in concentration and meditation. Hence if a person wants to concentrate on something, he must first rid himself of this variability. His breathing must be brought under control.

There are different pranayama techniques meant for different purposes. Some are for cleaning different nadis (channels) through which prana (breath) may flow unobstructed. Others are meant to unite prana and apana vayu and lead to the opening of the sushumna nadi at the base of the back, allowing the kundalini shakti (primal force) lying at the muladhara chakra (base of the spine) to go up through it, thus leading to a yogic experience.

Control over prana (breath) is said to provide a yogi with certain extraordinary powers. Control can be exercised over the autonomic nervous system, so that one can control one’s heartbeat or even make it disappear altogether. Experimentally it has been witnessed that sitting in an asana doing pranayama lessens the energy spent by yogis in maintaining the bodily functions.

Yogis are said to experience rising of kundalini during pranayama. This is an entirely personal experience and only one who has experienced it can know or describe it. For the sceptical, it provides a good deal of material to criticise; to some scholars, who try to find ultramodern concepts and discoveries in old and ancient things, it provides wide pastures to ponder upon.

Pratyahara: The fifth concept of yoga, namely, pratyahara, aims at withdrawal of the senses from their natural outward functioning, and shutting the mind resolutely against all impressions from outside. In order to practise pratyahara, the yogi sits in padmasana or siddhasana and allows the mind to wander as it likes. After a while he takes control of his mind and closes it to all outward sensations such as hearing, seeing, touching, smelling, or even thinking. When that is achieved, the external environments do not influence the yogi at all.

If one can practise pratyahara even to a certain extent in ordinary day-to-day life, it can prove very useful. Its practice even for a short while can bring poise and calm to a person who is under tension and stress.

Dharana, Dhyana, and Samadhi: The sixth and seventh stages concentrate on fixing one’s thoughts uninterruptedly on a single intended point.

Now the yogi is ready to go into the last stage of yoga, that is, samadhi, which is the stage of equilibrium in which activities of life in general dwindle and mental activity ceases to function. During this stage, the person and the objective sought are said to merge into one another, and this state is said to bestow superhuman and extraordinary powers on the yogi. Only a few yogis can achieve this state and when they do achieve it, they are called siddhas, that is, those who have achieved siddhi, or supernormal powers. Yoga books describe this state as travelling of the kundalini shakti (which lies coiled up near the base of the spine, nea the perineum, the muladhara chakra) through different chakras so as to reach sahasrara chakra in the head. It is important to note that samadhi in yoga is not synonymous with the so-called samadhi which wayside fakirs and sadhus perform by sitting in a dug-up pit.

It has also been ascertained that the yogis can and do, through some mechanism, develop a certain amount of control over their autonomic system so that they can control some of the involuntary processes.

Application of Yoga

Experimental work undertaken in various laboratories equipped with modern scientific instruments has shown that different Hatha yoga procedures are capable of promoting health and improving physical fitness.
Yogic meditation lessens mental stress and strain, as also the diseases caused by them. Good results with yogic therapy are most evident in those conditions where the effect of the mind on the body is most predominant and where the mind has been under stress for quite some time. These diseases may be mental, cardiovascular, gastro-intestinal, or hypersensitivity allergic disorders. Under continued mental and physical stress, a susceptible organ or system of the body (the susceptibility may be hereditary or environmental) gives way, leading to manifestation of symptoms in that part of the body. The diseases in which yogic treatment has shown good results are high blood pressure, duodenal ulcers, bronchial asthma, diabetes, thyrotoxicosis, and obesity.

Future Prospects

There are broader horizons still to be fathomed in the field of yoga. So far modern medicine knows only a little bit about the brain: it controls and regulates the functioning of our body directly through different nerves, and indirectly through the secretions of different hormonal glands in the body. Electrical probes or needles inserted into different parts of the brain in animals and human beings in laboratory tests have shown the location of the speech centre, hearing centre, seeing centre, judgement and planning regions, and so on.

But this knowledge is only a small part of what the brain actually does. For example, we know very little about the functioning of our mind. Sigmund Freud gave us some knowledge about the mind and subconscious mind. But there is far more that needs to be explored.

Using meditation and related techniques of yoga as tools, it is probable that we could study the functioning of our mind, and get a better insight into what it does and how.

There is another aspect as well. Anthropologically, human beings, along with some lower animals, possess a brain which is called the old brain, that is, the brain concerned with essential needs such as moving and controlling our movements. When man learnt to make and use complex tools from various metals, learnt to speak, to express his ideas to others, to gather and store the experiences of his forefathers and his own a gradual increase in the size of his brain occurred, that is, there was an enlargement in the size of the two cerebral hemispheres. No other animal possesses cerebral hemispheres (neo-cortex) as large as humans do. This ‘new’ brain, performs, among other things, thinking, planning, and judging, as and when sensations from the outside world impinge upon it.

During meditation and different stages of samadhi, yogis maintain that the outer sensations are minimised or cease to be perceived by the mind. If that is so, what happens to the brain when no external sensations impinge upon it or when it is liberated from its routine work? Is it then able to see something which is not ordinarily seen? Do the siddhis (mentioned by the yogis) really achieve this state of mind? The proposition seems to be full of possibilities, some of which we can comprehend and others which may be beyond present human understanding.

Dr S. Radhakrishnan, the renowned sage-philosopher, stated: ‘In yoga we have all reservoirs of life to draw upon, of which we do not dream. It formulates the methods of getting at our deeper functioning levels. The yoga discipline is nothing more than the purification of the body, mind, and soul and preparing them for the beatific vision. Since the life of man depends on the nature of citta (mind), it is always within our reach to transform our nature by controlling our citta. With faith and concentration we can even rid ourselves of our ills. The normal limits of the human vision are not the limits of the universe. There are other worlds than that which our senses reveal to us, other senses than which we share with the lower animals, other forces than those of material nature. If we have faith in the soul, then the supernatural is also a part of the natural. Most of us go through life with eyes half shut and with dull minds and heavy hearts, and even the few who have these rare moments of vision and awakening, fall back quickly into somnolence. It is good to know that the ancient thinkers required us to realise the possibilities of the soul in solitude and silence and transform flashing and fading moments of “vision into a steady light which could illumine the long years of life.’

There is need to look at yoga in its entirety rather than at Hatha yoga alone which is being done now, thus restricting its scope and utility.

———————————————————————————————————————————————Now You Know…

Yoga is the ancient Indian discipline of healing the body and mind through various asanas, breathing exercises, corrective diet, and meditation. It does not prescribe the use of drugs. Free from side-effects if learnt correctly, yoga comprises 8 components: Yama and Niyama — the dos and don’ts, asanas — postures which tone up the body, Pranayama — breathing exercises; these four take care of physical fitness and tackling disease. Pratyahara, Dharana, Dhyana, and Samadhi are concerned with the mind.

In combination with Nature Cure, yoga can take care of common ailments and chronic diseases but not life-threatening situations. Yogic practices and philosophy are well documented; teachers are freely available and affordable.