From the Sutras: 1,2. Yoga citta-vritti-nirodha. (Yoga is restraining the whirlpool of the mind-stuff.

Namaskar

It has been written that the Yogic philosophy on health is that “health is the natural state of man, and disease is simply the absence of health.” The progression towards total health of mind-body-spirit, Yoga as it has been described by Patanjali has within it 8 limbs, 8 distinct but intersecting areas of discipline; steps towards the end of total health. In addition, within each step is its own movement towards health: spiritual, physical and mental.  Yoga means union, and the word union involves fluidity.  Union literally means the “act of uniting”.  It can be said that the very substance by which we live, prana, or life force, flows constantly within and without; likewise, health is fluid, it is the natural state of life.  The progress through the 8 steps is therefore also health. From the Sutras: 1,2. Yoga citta-vritti-nirodha. (Yoga is restraining the whirlpool of the mind-stuff.) And: 2, 29.  The eight means of yoga are yamas, niyamas, asanas, pranayama, pratyahara, dharana, dhyana, and samadhi, (the Commandments, the Rules, right Poise, right Control of the life-force, Withdrawal, Attention, Meditation, Contemplation).

The first of these limbs, yamas (restraints), and the second, niyamas (observances) deal with the inner self.  They are guidelines for how to prepare for the third limb: asanas (postures) with a clear conscience.  It is not without note that they precede the entire Yoga process as far as Patanjali is concerned.  Yamas mean to me, be a good person and consist of:  nonharming, truthfulness, non-stealing, nonsensuality, and nonpossessiveness.  These restraints are first in the journey towards health.  And niyamas mean to me, know yourself and consist of:  purity, contentment, self-discipline, self-study, self surrender. The observances reinforce the restraints.

It has been often noted in our time that stress is linked to many health issues; high blood pressure, stroke, heart disease, and diabetes to name a few. Yama and niyama address this stress problem directly.  The mind should be clear and together before we begin the rest of our Yoga (or at least be moving in the right direction). Not necessarily meaning that you have to be a saint before you do your first surya namaskar but to make clear that none of the rest of yoga means much if you come to class with self-loathing or guilt.  Learning to do postures, and how to breath, and how to meditate won’t work if you haven’t yet begun to address yamas and niyamas. 

The third limb of the Yoga process is asanas (postures).  Asanas practice is generally referred to as “Hatha” yoga.  The fourth limb, which is very closely intertwined with the third, is pranayama (breath control). The primary goal of asana (translated often as seat, or steady posture) and pranayama is to purify and condition the body to be able to maintain the equanimity necessary to begin limbs 5 and 6: pratayahara (sense withdrawal) and dharana (concentration), which will lead to meditation.  While it is predominantly physical, there is no competition in asanas and pranayama.  Their purpose is simply to find breath and sensation and most importantly equanimity, an evenness of mind especially under stress.  I like to think of each posture as a mini meditation.  They are never about getting anywhere, simply about quieting mind and body.  “Calmness in an uncomfortable situation, that’s yoga,” says Bryan Kest in his well-known video series, Power Yoga.  That really says it.

Early in the last century, an attorney from Maryland named William Atkinson (publishing under the name of Yogi Ramacharaka) translated Yoga into a useful discipline for modern American life. He wrote many volumes on Yoga.  “Hatha Yoga,” he wrote, “is first, nature; second, nature, and last, NATURE. When confronted with a choice of methods, plans, theories, etc., apply to them the touchstone: ‘Which is the natural way, and always choose that which seems to conform the nearest to nature.’”

If the aim of all physical Yoga is to prepare the body for the mental and spiritual process, it has been said that in order for the mind and spirit to work effectively, the physical body must do its job.  As Yogis we believe that the physical body is the “temple” of the spirit, and therefore it must be maintained.  If the body is an instrument for the journey to perfection, then it must as a result be polished and running well.  The bi-product of which, is health. To quote James Hewitt from The Complete Yoga Book (p20) “A balanced programme of postures works upon every muscle, nerve, gland, and organ in the body.”

Starting with purification through breath, nourishment and posture, health is maintained.  Swami Vishnu-devananda defines health as “a state when all organs function perfectly under the intelligent control of the mind”.  In so saying, it is implied that one must affect such with action, such as learning to breath correctly, learning to eat wisely, and by using the postures to get the juices flowing in the right way. By learning the postures and practicing them regularly, a host of benefits are forthcoming.  “Do your practice and all is coming,” says Pattabhi Jois, a principal of Ashtanga yoga.  

The fourth limb, pranayama all by itself merits noting, not withstanding its importance to asana.  By breathing correctly, our bodies enjoy a number of obvious benefits. “Breathing,” writes Ramacharaka, “may be considered the most important of all of the functions of the body, for indeed, all the other functions depend upon it.”  On page 128, of  The Complete Guide to Yoga, Mr. Hewitt says, “…but it can be safely said that Yogic breathing adds life to one’s years, whether or not it adds years to one’s life.”

From this control of seat and breath follows naturally a turn of attention inwards, Pratayahara. From the Sutras, II, 49. “When this is gained, there follows the right guidance of the life-currents, the control of the incoming and outgoing breath.”   And 54. “The right Withdrawal is the disengaging of the powers from entanglement in outer things, as the psychic nature has been withdrawn and stilled.”  This is the turning in, which prepares the mind to calm.  From the health standpoint this is the beginning of total stress evisceration.

The sixth and seventh limbs of Yoga are Dharana and Dhyana and then the eighth is Samadhi. To define them one need look at BOOK III of the Sutras:  “1. The binding of the perceiving consciousness to a certain region is dharana.  2. A prolonged holding of the perceiving consciousness in that region is meditation dhyana.”   To quote again, Mr. Hewitt, (p373) “Yoga meditation promotes psycho-physical poise and a quiet mind that protects against the stress of modern life, which destroys health and happiness, and is indeed a major killer in civilized society.”

WebMD has a very interesting article on Stress and the ameliorating effects of Yoga on it. “Among yoga's anti-stress benefits are a host of biochemical responses. For example, there is a decrease in catecholamines, the hormones produced by the adrenal glands in response to stress. Lowering levels of hormone neurotransmitters -- dopamine, norepinephrine, and epinephrine -- creates a feeling of calm.”

This is something like rocket science to the layperson, but as this relates to health on a day-to-day basis, The Sivananda Companion to Yoga nails it.  On page 89, Swami Sivananda talks about meditation in daily life, and to paraphrase: you don’t have to do the whole full-blown candles thing to start with.  You can begin this meditation process simply by for instance, while walking, synchronizing your breathing with your footsteps, or when reading a book, stopping at the end of each page to test how much you can remember from each page.  The bottom line is to use the brain, the mind, on specific focused tasks that bring it away from attachment and help it learn to focus like a beam of light on a single thing and in such a way slow down the breathing thus relieving the “barrel full of monkeys” which are the myriad thoughts that pound at us daily stretching our emotions out.  Even within asanas as Juliet Pegrum puts it, “Once the Ashtanga series is practiced with ease, your breathing becomes even, and your gaze is steady, the active mind begins to become absorbed and pure awareness increases.  At this point,” she continues, “the fluid series of movements becomes a moving meditation, and a state of contemplation (dhyana) has been reached.”

In conclusion, Yoga in all its manifestations is nature.  Yoga and its limbs are frameworks for finding the way our mind-body-spirit wants to flow, and moreover, what is its unique nature.  Once found, that nature must be listened to, observed, and acknowledged so that it can be leveraged for use towards the ultimate goal: truth.   Ultimately, healthful, Yoga is the blending of ancient wisdom with modern science with the purpose of maintaining and restoring health and well being both physically and emotionally.

Bibliography:

1. Atkinson,W., A Series of Lessons in Hatha Yoga, Yogi Publishing Society, Chicago 1904.

2. Atkinson,W., A, Series of Lessons in Raja Yoga, Yogi Publishing Society, Chicago 1904.

3. Hewitt, James, The Complete Yoga Book, Schocken Books, New York 1977.

4. Hoffman, Matthew, MD, “The Health Benefits of Yoga” WebMD, LLC., August 12, 2008. November 12, 2008 <http://www.webmd.com/balance/the-health-benefits-of-yoga>

5. Johnston, Charles, THE YOGA SUTRAS OF PATANJALI "The Book of the Spiritual Man" Project Gutenberg, February 2001.  November 12 2008.< http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/etext01/patan10.txt>

6. Pegrum, Juliet, Ashtanga Yoga, the complete mind and body workout,  Sterling Publishing Company, New York, 2001.

7. Sivananda, Swami, The Complete Illustrated Book of Yoga, Three Rivers Press, New York, 1960.

8.Sivananda, Swami, The Sivananda Companion to Yoga, Three Rivers Press, New York, 1960.

9. 9.Vivekananda, Swami, Raja Yoga: The Yoga of Conquering Internal Nature,  Celephaïs Press, somewhere  beyond the Tanarian Hills (i.e. Leeds, England)  2003 E.V.