1 Introduction

In the western world today, wherever the idea that yoga is magic has been dispelled, it is regarded as a unique and unparalleled system of physical culture, which it is, and nothing more, which it is not. People who are anxious to save on doctor's bills, women who are figure-conscious, good-livers who yet want to escape from the tension inherent in their-way of life - these people practice yoga; but, they ignore the fundamental thesis in yoga, the unity of body-mind-spirit.

The yogi believes in the ideal of a 'sound mind in a sound body', but that is because he knows that body and mind are basically one, a single unit with two poles as it were, that what happens in one, inevitably reflects in and affects the other. Yet, his ultimate aim is not a 'body perfect', because he knows that the body itself is subject to decay and decomposition. It is an instrument, worth keeping in good working order while the work lasts. It is a vehicle, best to maintain well, till it takes him to his destination. The destination is described as self-realization.

 2 The Brain

The path to self-realization has been well and beautifully laid by our ancients. To begin with, the physical body is well trained; yet, the student of yoga does not pay too much attention to the body's musculature. Yoga postures exert a profound and salutary influence upon the internal vital organs of the body. Right from here, the genius of yoga becomes apparent. Special attention is devoted to that part of the physical and vital anatomy which distinguishes man from the animal kingdom - the brain. Man possesses a highly developed and complex brain. He only possesses it, but does not always use it! Disused brain atrophies! Gerontologists have discovered that one of the principal causes of failing intellectual powers associated with senility, is decreased blood supply to the brain. Hence, one of the most famous of yoga postures, the siras asana or the head-stand, keeps the brain cells charged with energy. It is naturally reputed to arrest mental senility, to improve memory, and to preserve intellectual faculties from being impaired even in ripe old age.

Taking advantages of the earth's gravitational pull, the yogi's heart pours an abundant supply of blood into his head, re-charging the cells, strengthening the vital organs in the head, such as the eyes and the ears, nourishing the all-important endocrine glands, the pineal and the pituitary. The latter, in conjunction with the other glands of the endocrine system, is responsible for the emotional balance or imbalance of the personality; and hence, the yogi enjoys a balanced personality. Almost all of the yoga postures - loosely called exercises - are woven around the backbone, to ensure its flexibility and strength. If the backbone is supple, the central nervous system is strong, and the psychic force called prana circulates freely, preventing disease, and promoting well-being. Some postures look after the endocrine glands. Others squeeze, massage, and relax, the other vital organs of the body, like the abdominal viscera, the lungs, and the limbs.

 3 Beyond Mind and Body

Modern psychosomatic medicine is beginning to recognize the intimate relationship between mental or emotional states and disease. A tense nervous system and hormonal imbalance brought about by stress and strain, wrong thinking, and ill-feeling, can expose the physical body to germs and viruses, whereas a strong nervous system and hormonal balance, maintained by the practice of yoga, which includes psychological and emotional order, can neutralize the effects of germs and viruses. Moreover, one who is tense, tends to grip and hold these germs and viruses within him!

Yoga promotes well-being. But, this is not just absence of illness. It is a condition that really transcends the body and the mind. This is the purpose of yoga. An athlete or gymnast exercises the body, in order to proudly display it - a yogi exercises the body, in order to discover the marvelous intelligence that is built into it. An unhealthy body houses a distracted mind which is obsessed by the malfunctioning of the diseased organ. In fact, such malfunctioning is the fruit of man's ignorance of and crime against the intelligence that fills every cell of the body. When the mind or the will does not interfere, this intelligence functions perfectly - for instance, in deep sleep - and when there is ego-interference, and consequent disturbance in balance, the adjustment that the intelligence makes in order to restore the balance, is what is popularly known as physical or psychological malfunction or illness. The yogi, while practicing yoga postures, discovers this astounding truth: this inner intelligence is beyond the mind and the ego, and he cannot 'add a cubit to his stature by taking a thought'. A healthy body looks after itself, freeing his mind for other, more serious work.

Once the yogi is established in this state of well-being, he is able to pursue his spiritual goal, unaffected by even physical illness, which may be occasioned by other 'natural' factors. His body looks after itself, and he looks towards his spiritual goal.

Perhaps, this is what 'mind over matter' means; here, the 'mind' does not refer to the thinking faculty, but to that which is beyond it, beyond the 'me'. This intelligence at once pervades the mind and the body and, therefore, transcends both of them. It is often known as the self, the spirit, the higher mind, the soul, or indwelling presence.

If the physical part of yoga has been carefully, systematically, and diligently practiced, the yogi's mind would naturally be calm and his emotions under control, yet it will not do to take these for granted. Yoga involves strict mental and emotional - moral - discipline, too. While certain breathing exercises, called pranayama, aid the yogi in his control of thought and emotion, he is advised to watch them in their own spheres. The physical practices of yoga, without the corresponding effort to control the mind and the emotions, fail to achieve anything. Because, while the yoga postures tend toward psychological and emotional order, the willful disturbance of that order in the psychological sphere neutralizes the benefit. Unmindful of this, the student of yoga complains that he has made no progress.

When the intelligent control over the mind and the emotion goes hand-in-hand with the physical postures of yoga and the breathing exercises, the yogi very soon achieves an indescribable peace of mind. This is the very opposite of drug-induced peace. The peace of mind that the yogi enjoys, is characterized by a conscious experience of inner power, and a powerful experience of consciousness. A still mind reflects the inner spirit in all its divine majesty. The disturbed mind is opaque. The still mind is transparent; and the light of the spirit is radiated through it, without the least distortion.

 4 Meditation

The grandeur of the spirit that the yogi senses during the preliminary yoga practices compels him to meditate deeply. Unobstructed by evil thoughts, undistracted by emotions, with the body and mind perfectly harmonized, the yogi dives deep within himself, and enjoys profound meditation. In meditation, he discovers that the spirit in him is the reality. It is the spirit that lends power to his mind, and life to his body. When body, mind, and spirit, are harmonized through yoga, the spirit functions through the mind, and body without impediment. In such a harmonized state, the yogi's attitude to his outer life changes drastically. He is able to view the world in a dispassionate, objective way. He is freed from the earthy currents and cross-currents of conflicting ideas and feelings. He is able to appreciate life better. He is able to understand others better. He is happy in all conditions, for his happiness does not depend upon others. He is peaceful in all conditions, for his peace springs from within himself. By persistent and diligent practice, he attains self-realization, which is a synonym for freedom or salvation.

Yoga is not a self-centered psycho-physical discipline to be undertaken in a Himalayan cave, in an African jungle, or in the cloistered isolation of a hermitage. It may make use of all of these. It may make use of places of worship like the temple, church, mosque, or meditation chamber. But to confine yoga to any of these, is like clenching one's fist in an attempt to capture the wind - sheer delusion.

The yogi's self is not the limited self-asserting personality, the vain ego which regards itself as a distinct entity, whose interests are constantly threatened by everyone else in this world, and which transforms life into a constant struggle for survival. The yogi's self is not an island perilously floating on the ocean called the world, but is the bed of the ocean itself, the substratum for the world and infinite individuals. The yogi's self is the self of all, a spiritual principle which knows no dividing walls.

 5 Integral Yoga

In fact, this is the ultimate aim and purpose of even such seemingly isolationist practices as meditation. We meditate in order to discover the self. Even as this is glimpsed, it is revealed to us that this self is the self of all. If, during meditation, it shines within us, it is because we had deliberately closed our eyes upon the universe, no doubt with a valid reason. After meditation, we open our eyes, and realize that the self is the indwelling omnipresence. 'I am the self of all' is the actual direct realization of the yogi.

Thus, the yogi becomes the living embodiment of the great commandments of Lord Jesus. In fact, to me, a Hindu, the holy cross itself symbolizes the threefold commandment of Lord Jesus, and therefore the very essence of yoga. The vertical beam of the holy cross symbolizes the commandment: love thy god - god who is above, beyond the reach of the intellect, and who is below, deep within one's own being. The horizontal beam of the holy cross symbolizes the other two commandments: love thy neighbor and love thy enemy. The friend on the right and the enemy on the left are both our neighbors. Thus is our consciousness united to our god, and to our neighbor.

Hence, my Master Swami Sivananda insisted that meditation and service of humanity go hand in hand. One acts as the touchstone of the other. St. Paul declared that he who said that he loved god and who yet hated his neighbor was a liar. When the self is realized in deep meditation, it reveals itself to us as the self of all. In our daily life, this is translated as unselfish service and love. This is the acid test. If such loving service does not ceaselessly flow from us, we are still far from the goal of yoga, and the meditation is imperfect, if not actually delusion and self-deception. There still is a lot of impurity covering the heart, distorting the vision of the self. This impurity is worn out by the deliberate practice of unselfishness and love in our daily life. My Master therefore demanded that all these should be combined in our practice of yoga, and He summed up the ideal of integral yoga in His famous four words: serve, love, meditate, realize.

Inner Harmony and Social Adjustment

Yoga pays immediate dividends. The physical part of yoga improves our health, frees us from tensions and diseases, and confers a state of well-being on us. It enables us to acquire progressively increasing control over our mind and our emotions. This control, in its turn, greatly aids the social aspect of yoga, which leads to a healthy social adjustment. We are really able to understand everyone, even our enemies.

This understanding is very different from supercilious tolerance, with its air of superiority. It is different from even a higher state of social relationship, where we love our neighbors on an equal footing. It is true understanding - standing under the other person, magnifying him, appreciating his stand from a new angle. This is the divine love, which Krishna, Buddha, and Jesus, commanded us to cultivate. This is what yoga confers upon us.

Harmony is the aim of yoga. The yogi recognizes that harmony is one and indivisible. Harmony in society is possible only if the members of that society, and particularly its leaders, are harmonized within themselves. If the leader does not enjoy peace within himself, he will disturb the peace of his followers, and the entire society will be frequently churned into a turmoil.

Even in our own individual lives, and in our own domestic spheres, yoga - by generating, promoting and preserving inner harmony - confers freedom from psychosomatic disorders of the body and the mind, and ensures good adjustment. Dr Abraham Sperling, in his book on psychology, says: 'Only insight into one's true motives can ensure good adjustment. And, as insight is the best therapy, it is the best preventive.' Insight is seeing from within - seeing from within the other man, and seeing the mind from within itself.

What prevents this insight? Moral blindness, the darkness of ignorance, and the unsteadiness of our vision. Yoga is designed just to remove these factors. Yoga enables us to purify our heart and mind. Yoga teaches us the science of concentration and meditation. Yoga enables us to come face to face with our own self, which is the self of all. In meditation, when the mind is still, and does not bring up to the surface hidden anxieties and cravings, the self is perceived in its true light, as the reflection of the cosmic being or god.

There are numerous techniques for concentration of the mind and meditation. Yet, there are some people who mistake deep thinking for meditation, or who regard prayer and meditation as synonymous. The fault is not theirs. It is difficult to describe meditation. It is possible to indicate only what it is not. It is not thinking. It is not prayer. It is not absent-mindedness. It is not sleep.

 6 Great Men Meditate

Great men in every field resort ownto meditation. Poets and painters, scientists, and saints, experience meditation in their life. They declare that their masterpieces were received by them from some other source. When their minds were stilled by bewilderment, shock, wonder, or devotion, the divine within granted them a vision of truth. They had a glimpse of the majesty of the self, the grandeur of God within. This glimpse was later clothed by them in the garments of their distinctive faculties - the poet and the painter give the world their masterpieces, the scientist and the saint describe the truth in their own words.

Each of them uses his own equipment. Yoga needs no external props, but utilizes one's own inner equipment. This is the only difficulty. True, even the poet, the painter, and the scientist, have to discipline themselves to acquire the qualification necessary for them to obtain that inspiration which eventually made them great. But the discipline was partly control of instruments outside themselves, and partly inner discipline. In the case of the saint or the yogi, the discipline is entirely subjective, discipline of the body and the mind. He has to study his mind with his own mind, and yet be objective and scientific. He has to discover the higher mind within, and, with it, control the lower mind, without the aid of a psychoanalyst or psychiatrist. In this inner struggle, he may use symbols and techniques; but he should beware of turning the means into ends. He has to be constantly vigilant, and avoid the temptation to stop short of the goal. His goal is self-realization. His goal is perfect integration of his personality, integration of himself with his neighbors, and ultimately integration of his individuality with the cosmic being.

This is yoga. It destroys the very roots of disharmony and mal-adjustment, of cravings and anxieties, of sin and suffering. Physical well-being and mental relaxation, peace of mind and purity of heart, brilliance of intellect and illumination of the very soul of man, are some of the fruits of yoga. It does not disturb social solidarity, but promotes it. It does not disturb one's religious faith, but strengthens it. It demands nothing but your willingness to discipline yourself and sincere application of its psycho-physical methods of self-culture.