Yoga: Seeking Union

We are a tribal species. Relative perhaps to the hypothesis of the "God Gene", we innately seek connection or reconnection with something other than ourself. We get into love, business, and parental relationships in an effort to feel that connection. It is a drive for self-transcendence and it is constant within us, whether we recognise and act on it or not. Most of us are still trapped in the trillions of man-made diversions that delude us into thinking we are connected. We turn on our egos with pedantic pride over coffee, recanting the words of someone else to join in the current tirade. We fill our minds full of the latest news, knowledge, entertainment, and desire for the next great diversion, so we can feel connected to our world. However, most of us have no idea who we are, much less how to transcend that. We have all become like a robotic channel for the mass hysteria that parades around as reality. No wonder we always come up feeling unfulfilled and disconnected.

The Sanskrit verbal root yuj, 'to yoke' or 'to join', is where the word yoga was derived. Basically, yoga means union. Union of mind, body, and spirit. Some might say it's like "getting in the zone". If that's the case there are a billion ways to get there. Take golf for instance. Not my sport of choice, but I can understand the fascination. In The Legend Of Bagger Vance, Will Smith's character describes how to attain a kind of union, "You can't see that flag as some dragon you got to slay. You've got to look with soft eyes. See the place where the tides, and the seasons...the turning of the earth...all come together. Where everything that is...becomes one. You've got to seek that place, with your soul, Junuh. Seek it with your hands, don't think about it, feel it. Your hands are wiser than your head's ever gonna be. I can't take you there...just hopes I can help you find a way. It's just you...that ball...that flag... and all you are. Seek it with your hands, don't think... about it, feel it. There's only one shot that's in harmony with the field. The home of your authentic swing. That flag... and all that you are."
While the goal for a golfer may only be making that hole in one, through concentrated effort and full-body-mind alignment with that shot, he experiences a kind of union that for that moment frees the golfer from his own conscious existence, because all is aligned to create a seamless energetic current between the golfer, the club, the green, and the hole.

Indian yogis believe to accomplish true union requires a combination of Tapas, energetic practice, svadhyaya, the study of the self through yogic philosophy, and Isvarapranidhana, the way of devotion. The belief being if mind, body, and soul are in harmony one can lead a more contented life. Journalist Nick Rosen concluded, after attending several different styles of yoga classes in Kate Churchill's documentary, Enlighten Up, that he could rock climb and find union much like the golfer mentioned earlier. But does that oneness with a hole in one or ascent to the peak transcend into your daily life? A little perhaps, but for the most part those types of experiences are really about what Mihály Csíkszentmihályi would call "Flow". It is more about energized, single-focus, that is a complete immersion into an activity. While in flow, mental activity and emotions are contained, channeled, and positively aligned to the single-focused task at hand. It is a wonderful state of joy, and while in it, you can't experience ennui or depression.

Executing a yoga asana definitely involves a kind of flow; however, the full-spectrum art of yoga, if practiced correctly, involves unbelievable attention to details that align (and correct the imperfections) of the body, mind, and spirit to expand the energetic and pranayamic (loosely translated to be breath) capabilities. It goes beyond a fleeting experience of flow. With a consistent practice done with balanced effort and repose, yoga goes deeper into the cellular and ethereal levels; and becomes the gateway to freeing your soul. Patanjali, the sage credited for compiling a set of yoga sutras (most likely around the 4th or 2nd centuries BCE) has a famous sanskrit saying: "yogash chitta-vritti-nirodhah". Translated in English it means,"Yoga is the restraint of the modifications of the mind." The power of the mind is so strong that simply mastering the ability to restrain the incessant chatter can take lifetimes of practice. So, it is really quite a task.

Describing the details of yoga would take volumes of space here, and I in no way can claim any real depth of understanding of it, but I can say based on my own experience the remediable practice affects more than just flow. Granted, yoga can just as easily become another diversion, or it can be the door to union of the self and outside the self. It has been said that, "There are two types of yogis those who practice for fun, and those who are seeking freedom from bondage." I believe probably no one understands that sentiment better than B.K.S. Iyengar. Having suffered terrible illnesses as a child leaving his body deformed in many ways, his yoga practice transformed him - inside and out. After almost 75 years of practice he has transcended to even deeper levels of understanding and freedom. He's written over fourteen books shedding light on the many aspects of the practice; and developed supported asanas using blocks, straps, bolsters, and chairs to enable the sick and elderly to experience the benefits of yoga. Even today he is still gaining new awareness of his own practice and teaching.

While seeking union requires the full-immersion of focus in Mihály Csíkszentmihályi's "Flow", this ancient practice is cosmically designed to remedy the transient nature of flow into an immutable force within you. As I said earlier, like anything else you can practice for years for fun, you will still gain on certain levels. A serious practitioner will attain more, and yet will still unlikely reach total union or Samadhi (enlightenment). They will always have further to go. The mind deludes, the ego justifies, the body stiffens or tires -all moment to moment. But as Rhonda Byrne in The Secret says based on the laws of attraction, where attention goes energy flows...The more attention we give to understanding and practicing the art of yoga (inside and outside the studio) the more we can connect to the true essence of the reality of ourself and beyond. You may find you are more aware, more creative, more intelligent, more humble, more patient, more accepting, more compassionate, and eventually more connected to all.