Heart of Yoga, by TKV Desikachar
Chapter 2 - The Foundations of Yoga Practice
[A summary of the key points]
(This is a hugely important chapter, and it is not easy to do justice to it in a
summary. I urge you to read it all for yourself.)
Desikachar has selected Patanjali's Yoga Sutras as the key yoga text because Patanjali
focusses on the qualities of the mind. This is a matter of universal interest, regardless
of cultural or religious issues. "Patanjali's Yoga Sutra is exceptionally open....
I think the Yoga Sutra makes yoga more comprehensible than any other text.
Patanjali looks at the way we perceive things. Often our perception is mistaken or
blurred, and our ensuing actions therefore lead to difficulties for ourselves and
others. (Refer to Yoga Sutra 2.1-5)
Patanjali uses the word avidya or "incorrect comprehension" . This is the accumulated
result of many unconscious actions, which become rooted in us as habits, until we
act and react at a superficial level without really thinking about what we do or
why we do it. In fact we are capable of two levels of perception: deep within us
we are free from avidya; on the surface our perception can be blurred by this accumulation
of bad or mistaken ideas.
One thing that makes avidya so hard for us to identify is that it takes several forms.
However if we can identify these forms, we can begin to recognise the presence of
avidya. The following are the forms of avidya:
1. asmita (the ego) - This prompts thoughts like "I know I'm right", "I'm better
than you."
2. raga (attachment) - wanting things because they are pleasant, not because we need
them.
3. dvesa (refusal) - rejecting things because they have upset us in the past, or
because we know nothing about them
4. abhinivesa (fear) - we have fears or doubts about ourselves and our relationships
with other people.
Yoga decreases the effects of avidya, thus ensuring a better understanding of ourselves
and the world around us. When avidya is absent, we are at peace. Yoga gradually dispels
"clouds" and helps us see with greater clarity, as we recognise avidya and learn
how to dispel it.
Patanjali recommends three things that can help us to do this, which are collected
under the term kriya yoga (yoga of action), and which encompass health, inquiry and
quality of action. (YS 2.1):
1. tapas - the practice of asana (postures) and pranayama (controlled breathing),
which cleanse the system of blocks and impurities.
2. svadhyaya - self-study, through which we begin to know our true selves and our
place in the world. This is not easy, but the study of certain texts such as the
Yoga Sutras, the Bible, the Koran or the Bhagavad Gita can help us to see ourselves
clearly.
3. isvarapranidhana - often translated as "devotion to the divine", but which also
carries a subtler meaning. It also means "carrying out our actions, whatever they
are, in the best possible way, concentrating on performing the actions without concentrating
on what we expect to get as a result of these actions.
"Although it is only one part of yoga, kriya yoga is the practical branch of yoga
that can lead to a change for the better in all aspects of our life." (Heart of Yoga,
p. 14)
