If life was always about priorities, modern life is about urgent priorities! No one has endless time or energy. Resources are always limited. We must spend our time doing things that are likely to give us the best return for the time, money, and effort that we invest in them.
Any endeavour in life is undertaken with some outcome in mind. Consciously, we may not be entirely clear of what that desired outcome is, but there is a drive within us, at least subconsciously that impels us. Being unclear of what we wish to achieve is a recipe for incoherent action, a meandering journey, and an uncertain result. For instance, the dilemma faced by youth — is it a good idea to enrol in a university or start a business. Again having enrolled, being unclear of the milestones along the path — without knowing where we expect to see ourselves every six months or every year down the line. A good university tries to help students do this for themselves at every step.
Yoga practice is not an exception to this general rule in life. Yoga is an ancient practice and a long path; we had better be clear of the milestones along the way. In other words, it is wise to first consider what is possible and what is not.
Mistaking the practically impossible for the realistically achievable is a recipe for pointless pursuit. Three words are useful here: ultimate, distant, and possible.
The aim
The ultimate goal of classical yoga is complete stillness of the mind, but this is achievable only for the occasional rare soul. A distant goal for many yoga practitioners could be to sit in meditation for a couple of hours.
Goals in the near term that are actually possible include increased strength and flexibility in the body, lightness and clarity of the mind, a sense of wellbeing and calm, more impulse control, etc.
The goalposts are different for each individual, and they’re moving all the time. As our practice ebbs and flows, so do the goals. It is imperative to be aware of what those goals are, how relevant they are, and how far away they are.
This is, of course, a general principle in life, and yoga is no exception. Yoga knowledge and practice can be grouped under three headings along these lines: The essential, the important, and the nice.
Focus first on the essential, and then on the important, and lastly on the nice. Take for instance, Essential (to know). The goal of the all classical yoga practice is to bring about a state of calm clarity, balanced energy, and lightness of body and mind. To do this, a concomitant reduction of restless and dullness is necessary. This is the central thread of asana practice as well. An asana practice that does not achieve this is likely to stagnate over a couple of years and can also have adverse physical and psychological consequences (witness the yoga injuries and body image problems that beset current day yoga).
What is important to know? Some classical texts say that there are as many asanas as there are living beings in the world. Other texts say that there are 8.4 million asanas. The point is that classical asanas are not in themselves sacrosanct. There can be innumerable variations.
What is nice to know? Asana is a gender-neutral word. The Sanskrit names of asanas are also interesting but non-essential information. Being wise and mindful in practice, and inquiring of how that yoga is helping us, is an essential ingredient in putting yoga to work for our bodies and minds.
A.G. Mohan and Dr. Ganesh Mohan are yoga practitioners and authors of several books
