Chapter Two

Yoga, An American View

Yoga, to most people, is exercise or contorting the body. This reference is only one aspect of Yoga and only a small piece of Hatha Yoga. Interestingly, it is really neither an exercise nor a contortion in its Eastern form. More about that later. Let's return to our first question: "Why do we need to practice Yoga and meditation?" The simplest answer, at this time, is to say that with its practice we can de-program some of the bad things we don't want. We can re-program our minds to use both sides of the brain. We can reopen the awareness we had as a child. We can see the world through our own eyes rather than through the eye of our society. We will detail the advantages of different practices as we move on.

Yoga is a discipline going back at least 4000 years and possibly originating long before this in ancient Egypt. There are many definitions of what Yoga is, depending upon the objectives of the school, religion or institution that offers it. In general, most would agree that Yoga is a discipline leading to control and unification of the mind, body and spirit. Yoga is also a science, since the results can be duplicated anywhere by following the prescribed directions. (Science is based on the requirement that one lab be able to duplicate another's findings.)

There are really no hidden secrets in Yoga. The techniques and theories have been well defined in old writings. There are, however, gray edges in Yoga where it blends into religion or magic which become secret in various religions or sects. These gray areas are, at the moment, outside of science as we define it; so, we shall not concern ourselves with them, except perhaps to give an example. Mantram Yoga is one such gray area. Most of us would consider Mantram Yoga as magic in as much as it deals with words or sounds that have miraculous powers. Secret mantras (sounds or words) are claimed to be able to kill enemies, bring down lightning or hail, bring forth gods or devils, etc. (Moses and his battle with magic in Pharaoh's court is a biblical reference to such usage.) There is, however, a scientific usage of mantras in Yoga which will be discussed later. (TM uses such mantras.) It might be pointed out too, that most religions use mantras in worship, such as: the "power" of the name of Jesus, Jehovah, Moses, Allah, etc. Many prayers could be considered to fall within the gray area of Mantram Yoga.

Yoga is not a religion, although various practices of Yoga are used in the majority of religions as techniques to find God. Many Eastern religions define Yoga as a technique for finding God. There is likewise a gray area in Yoga when the practices develop the individual to such an extent that he is able to perceive and experience eternity or comprehend natural forces, or again as TM puts it, to obtain "cosmic awareness" Religion or Yoga? This question can only be answered on an individual basis. When one obtains that state . . . the whole experience is beyond words.

The basics of Yoga, as practiced today, were first put into writing by an Indian named Patanjali, about the time of Jesus (give or take a few hundred years) . The techniques outlined by Patanjali have been amended as Yoga became publicized and carried throughout most of the world. Perhaps the largest school or acceptance of what Yoga should be is the Astanga or Raja Yoga system. The elements of Raja Yoga appear to work very well in our modern United States. In our particular group, we have also added some of the concepts from the Tibetan schools; but basically and foremost, we will be talking about Yoga as outlined about 2000 years ago.

Raja Yoga consists of eight separate categories:

1. Yama-Concerns basic morals and ethics of conduct, to others.

2. Niyama-Concerns basic morals and ethics of conduct, to self.

3. Pranayama-Develops control of the breath; commonly called Hatha Yoga.

4. Asana-Develops control of the body and glands; commonly called Hatha Yoga.

5. Pratyahara-Develops control of the senses or nerves.

6. Dharana-Deals with control of the mind; meditation utilizing some simpler techniques.

7. Dhyana-Deals with control of the mind; deeper forms of meditation.

8. Samadhi-Deals with integrating the world and going beyond the mind.

(*Begins with controlling the concentration of the mind, leading to what our science calls altered states of consciousness.)

In addition to basic Raja Yoga, we will touch on Japa Yoga which deals with the religious worship element of Yoga coupled with Dhyana-Samadhi. Nadam Yoga is a special case of Dhyana and deals with internal sounds for obtaining Samadhi. Kundalini Yoga deals with raising a special kind of super energy within the body called Kundalini energy. Mantram Yoga has already been mentioned and will be discussed with Dhyana and Japa. It should be pointed out, in an effort to minimize confusion, that there are many names for the basic brands of Yoga being taught primarily at Ashrams or Eastern sects within the United States. Most of these names (such as: Integral, Laya and Kriya Yogas) are basically Raja Yoga; the difference is the religion or philosophy surrounding the Yoga.

Yoga is hardly a do-it-yourself discipline, although one can make good progress with extreme self-discipline and effort. We will discuss Extra Sensory Perception or ESP later on, but for now accept the theory that good teachers have developed ESP or psychic powers that can materially assist the student. Also important are the interactions of the group, that is the "dynamics" in the class setting.

There is an interesting corollary to the Yoga teacher in the drug culture. A proper set and setting is important for the type of effect that takes place under mind-altering drugs. For instance: before the rise of the drug culture, marihuana (hemp) was used in the treatment of various lung and bronchial disorders. There is no evidence that any patient ever got "high" or had any mental effects. Indeed, many people have experienced that one has to "learn" to use marihuana in order to get high. Similarly, the types of high, or what one experiences under drugs, depends to a large degree upon the setting as to whether it is peaceful, calm, or etc. The use of a leader or "guide" is common to the drug culture. Yoga, likewise, brings students into new experiences and new mental states that can be completely missed without a competent teacher. Many do-it-yourself meditators find, after long practice, they can obtain a meditative state similar to that in which one may find himself in a secluded spot by the seashore. Listening to the waves and relaxing, one can gradually sink into a peaceful state of meditation in which time loses its meaning. This state, though, is only the beginning. Many states exist above this, but one needs assistance in finding them. Once they are found the student can pursue his meditations on his own and more fully explore each state.

But what about this ESP or "magic" that a teacher of Yoga uses to get students into different and new experiences? The answer to this is that the teacher first experiences the condition or state that he wishes the student to find; then intensifying this state, allows other to experience it. That's all there is to it. We find that about 10% of our students can do this after approximately a year of Yoga practice. Even though these words as to how to do it are meaningless to you, when one has developed sufficiently in Yoga, it seems rather obvious. There is an understanding among Yoga teachers that one cannot teach or introduce a student into a particular state or condition which the teacher has not first conquered. A case in point is the common American Hatha Yoga class or teacher. (Most Yoga teachers call the typical TV or YMCA Hatha class: "Hollywood Yoga.") All that comes across is exercise with resulting muscle fatigue, stretching, etc. A qualified Yoga teacher can use the same positions to bring the student into a blissful meditative state, with noticeable increase in body energy and awareness. I don't mean to knock "Hollywood Yoga" as useless. On the contrary, as an exercise (if not overdone) it probably the most complete and least damaging to the body of all known forms of exercise. It is suitable for people of all ages and all physical conditions.

Let's consider the lack of secrets in Yoga. True, everything is pretty well written up in one writing or another (as are our sciences). But, to obtain meaning from the writings is another matter. A beginner in physics doesn't pick up a book on electromagnetic theory and read it with any understanding without first mastering a great deal of mathematics and physics. Yoga teachers call the writings of Yoga "self-limiting secrets." It's all there, but until you are developed enough, you can try following certain Yoga disciplines to the letter without the slightest effect. This isn't quite true either, because there can be bad effects. An example is the deep, rapid breathing of Pranayama Yoga. It's obvious that you could pass out from too much of this. In trying a difficult Asana in Hatha Yoga you could dislocate joints or tear muscles. When dealing with altered states of mind, it is possible to find yourself in some terrifying spaces not unlike the bad trips of LSD. It is comparable to someone going to work in a scientific laboratory. He certainly doesn't touch high voltage equipment, or taste various chemicals and bacteria cultures with impunity. He waits until he has learned about the fundamentals associated with the lab and learns what he can safely do.

Talking about dangers in Yoga and in its powers is difficult for most Americans. We are so conditioned to a materialistic concept and outlook of life that we almost reject altered states of mind, psychic powers, control of the autonomous system of the body, etc., as being non-materialistic, outside, of science, and hence non-existent! We would feel more comfortable approaching Yoga as a Hollywood exercise, combining standard type mental exercises (such as reciting the multiplication tables). These we could understand. But Yoga starts with not using our conscious minds; instead of exercising, one starts controlling the nervous system and subtle body energies. Yoga starts at the edge of our sciences. Let me reassure you again that many of the results of Yoga are verifiable within our scientific labs even if the practices and techniques are completely misunderstood or unknown to our scientists. There is factual evidence that Yoga works, and this is presently causing many scientists to study Yoga with intense interest.

While mentioning Western science and Yoga, it might be good to bring up biofeedback. There was an intense interest developed in biofeedback when it was found that if electrodes were placed on the forehead and brain waves picked up, amplified, and then filtered so that only alpha wave frequencies could pass, and that if an indicator was used to show when alpha waves were present, production of alpha waves could be controlled. From studies of meditation it was known that meditation caused alpha wave frequencies to appear on the forehead. Now, here was an electronic piece of equipment (that our materialistic society could really accept) that seemed to produce the same effects as meditation. All the user had to do was try to keep the indicator showing he was producing alpha waves. Most people who tried the machines were able to produce alpha waves within minutes. Ah ha! Western science triumphs over Eastern! But unfortunately, that was about all that happened; the user turned on alpha waves. The real benefits of meditation were missing, and some researchers dryly commented that most people got the same effects by closing their eyes, as by using the machines. The alpha feedback machines have found some limited application, though, in allowing certain people to find the relaxation state; although most re-searchers would agree that simple meditation exercises would he as good or better.

We might comment just a bit on brain waves. These are not really brain waves, but rather very small electric currents that flow on the top of the head and seem to indicate that something is going on below. Researchers use brain waves to identify when the brain is being used, or if it is asleep, but really little else. By looking at the simultaneous currents of a number of areas of the head at once, comparisons of various brain activities below these areas can be determined. Some mentally disturbed patients show much difference in activity levels in various parts of the brain at the same time (as if various parts of the brain are not working in synchronism). Epilepsy victims also show characteristic spikes in brain wave outputs. But we are far, far from being able to tell by brain wave measurements what thoughts, emotions, etc. are going on in the head. Knowledge of brain waves is helpful though, since it is some indication of what is going on in the complex brain structure below.

Yogis have taught that body processes can be controlled when one develops an awareness of that particular process. For instance, the acidity of the stomach can be controlled if one is aware of what it is. Biofeedback researchers turned their attention to using instruments to detect certain body functions and displaying these so that they could be seen. Positive results were obtained for relaxing a particular muscle when the user of the machine could see a visible indication of the tension. He then did all kinds of things with his muscle, until he found out what conditions caused relaxation. The reader can experiment with biofeedback by using a mirror and trying to develop control of the muscles that lift the ear to cause "wiggling." Or try sticking your tongue out and curling its edges up so that the tongue becomes a trough leading into the mouth. In these examples your eyes and the mirror serve as the biofeedback mechanism and after working with it a bit, you will start to find some success; but as in all other types of techniques, practice is required. No one at this time really knows the future of biofeedback. The results have not been spectacular so far, but have enhanced our knowledge of the principles of Yoga, scientific evidence, and reasons for such yogic control as of pulse, temperature, blood pressure, etc. As a yogi and scientist, I feel that biofeedback will never replace the practice of Yoga. This is mainly because a yogi uses the brain directly with the internal nervous system. Electronic systems require synthetically picking up the equivalent of a nerve impulse, and then pulling it out of the body and feeding it back into the brain by an oscilloscope, meter, buzzer, etc., which in most cases, never equals the information that can be brought to the brain by the direct internal routes of the body. Biofeedback may well find strong usage where one cannot or will not acquire Yoga training; in which case it is better than nothing at all. In summary then, Yoga and biofeedback demonstrate that it is pos sible to control body processes that were considered impossible to control before. The chapter on Pratyahara will deal with Yoga techniques of controlling the senses. This control can be used for eliminating pain, similar to the feat Mahatma Gandhi did during his abdominal surgery without anesthesia. The chapters on Dharana and Hatha Yoga will cover control of internal organs and processes.

In the preceding discussions the reader may have thought that control of the body was something physical, such as Western exercise and muscle training. There is a large difference that now needs to be discussed. In our culture we tend to consider the mind and body separately. In general, we separate the "doing" of the body and the "thinking" of the brain. Our exercises are generally so repetitious that we feel the brain is free from the exercise and hence we can think of other things, like: "Boy, won't the girls all admire my body after I get these muscles developed!" or, "Gad, this is boring. I'll try to think of something interesting." It is almost the Western way to train the body to such an extent that we can forget it. A good example is in eating. Most of us are really not even conscious of eating. Many of us, even then, have to have our minds occupied on something else like a magazine, TV, or just plain conversation. Most of us who drive have had the experience of driving along without any remembrance. Suddenly, we wake us up to the fact that we're miles farther than when we last perceived ourselves as driving. Even more, we somehow feel that the body is vulgar and obscene, and its functions are "dirty." Passing gas or burping are socially outrageous, yet is there one among us who hasn't done it?

To the yogis, the mind and body are one. One influences the other. The problem with most of us is that we are not aware of all that the brain does. We gradually close down the awareness of our own brain until the only thing that we are really aware of and interested in is the functioning of the thought processes of the left side of the brain ... all else is unimportant. The practice of Yoga reverses this trend; it has, as one of its goals, complete awareness of all of the functioning of the brain.

Try a simple experiment. Stand up and walk normally across the room. Now turn around and go through the exact same motions at half the speed, or even slower if you can. The return walk will be agonizing! You will have to think and be aware of every motion; balance and control will be difficult. This is the type of exercise used in the Chinese Tai Chi, which develops an integration of mind and body controls. If you practice this simple walking exercise, you will become aware that your mind cannot wander off. It is forced to be in the present, in the here and now. Similarly, when you defecate or urinate, bring your mind to your actions. Observe the internal forces and muscles being used. Try eating, for five minutes, with your mind solely on the process of eating: the bringing of food into your mouth, the chewing, the taste, texture, mixing of food with saliva, and the swallowing process. The experience can be very rewarding. This is yogic awareness! Try a meal with friends or family with no talking. Let your awareness of the here and now give you an education.

We further separate body motion and muscle movement from such functions as: focusing of the eyes, body temperature control, breathing rate, heart rate, digestive processes and blood control. Yet these functions are also a function of the same brain that controls muscle movement, and is part of our total brain function. We are completely unaware of the majority of the activities within our brain and our body.

We are even so conditioned that we are little aware of what our ears, sense of touch or taste respond to. We have become isolated from the very world around us. We only see, hear or feel that which we have been conditioned to. The rest of the world goes by unnoticed. The shame of it all is that the world that goes by unnoticed is a much more beautiful, peaceful, organized world than that which we selectively let filter into our brains. Most of us are so immersed in our own world of problems, frustrations, desires, and ignorance that we can only see the world in those terms. We are all aware of how our starting mood of the day seems to set experiences of the whole day. If we awake out of sorts and with feeling defeat, hatred, and frustrations, the whole day goes badly. The people around us are cold, harmful, spiteful, and hateful toward us. Yet other days if we wake cheerful and in harmony with the world, our first glimpse of the outdoors is beautiful, and the people we meet are beautiful, kind and considerate. We, in our ignorance, attribute the difference to the world, never to ourselves! One humorous occurrence we have with most of our students is that after about two months of meditating and working on themselves, they will remark about how people around them are changing, how much friendlier, more understanding, more intelligent and considerate they have become.

Earlier we mentioned how we are conditioned to titles of people. A good exercise is to get to know someone with a title you either highly look up to or look down upon. If you get to the point of seeing the person for what he is rather than what his or her title says he should be, you will be in for a surprise. Take note of pieces of glass lying by the road ... are they dangerous, or do they still have surprises for you with their reflected beauty? Do you see grass as green, really green? Or is it merely the way grass always looks? The color of grass is only used to identify it to us as grass so that we can properly relate to it, but we seldom see its color per se. We see objects in terms of their use or importance to accomplish some end. A cup is to drink from. We are seldom aware of the color or design of the utensils we use very frequently. We have conditioned ourselves to see only that which is necessary to carry out our left-sided brain functions. When did you last really look at your spouse, children, and parents? They, too, become related to their roles and we seldom see them as individuals within their own right.

Yoga says that we do not see the world as it is. All of our perceptions are modified by our own state of mind or by our desires. Behavioral psychology is also very much aware of this fact. Yet we feel that the world around us changes, and somehow we are fixed and stable. Little wonder that we cry out to our gods to change this or that feature in the world around us. How many of us look for a spot of beauty within ourselves first, so that through that we can see the world as a beautiful place? Spiritual people are amused at people attempting to learn to love their neighbor or people they don't like. They feel they must because they are told it is essential, but they miss one important element. Most Christians are very much concerned about this yet forget Christ's actual words, "Love thy neighbor as thyself." How cat we love our neighbor if we don't first learn to love ourselves? It is impossible. Oh, true, we can act out a role of being loving, and some of us actually get to the point of believing the role. But what that really adds up to is more and more frustrations and degradations within our body and mind, and on and on it goes.

What is the difference when Yoga says we must overcome our ignorance, desires, and programming in order to see the world as it really is, and to get out and try to love everyone? Aren't these bootstrap principles? How can I get rid of my programming with my programmed mind? The answer is: you can't. The programmed mind is useless, and one must turn it off and work with a higher form of consciousness to correct it. Yoga teaches that the whole answer to development is to work with the inner me, the atman. With this statement, we leave science far, far behind. The closest approach there is, is that some psychologists talk about the tremendous powers of the "Subconscious" mind, but readily admit they don't know what it is or even where it is. If you are hung up with science, substitute the word subconscious for atman and we can continue to communicate. The first goal in Yoga is to locate and find our atman, and then to learn and use its power in reshaping ourselves. The atman is very elusive. All that we can do by using our left-sided thinking is to find out what it is not. If you are doing your homework and have listed "Who am I?" then you are already conscious that anything you identify with your inner self is, after some thinking, not you. One school of Yoga, Jnana Yoga, uses this approach to finding your atman. After you exhaust all possibilities and you have thought of everything, that remains is you. When you can get into the space of considering everything left over from nothing, you have it solved.. Zen Buddhism tries a similar route, except that they give you a problem (koan) which can never even be understood by the left side of the brain, much less solved. When your brain finally gives up, your higher consciousness takes over and poof! You are there! But all of this is to break you out of the rut of assuming you are your body and mind! Yoga says that you have a body and mind, but they are not you, anymore than a carpenter is his hammer. This tenet is fundamental to Yoga and it is the basic element in it s technology. Maybe you can't believe it now, but Yoga exercises will convince you of this and demonstrate it quite clearly. It really doesn't require you to have faith in this tenet. You can run the experiments in your own laboratory and verify the scientific findings.

Yoga recognized an early conception of energy that started with a universal energy that was called phlogiston by the early Westerners that corresponds to the general physics term for energy. Most of us move in and are aware of the more gross aspects of energy, such as: sunlight, food energy, etc. The yogis however recognized a higher form of energy called Prana that supplied the energy for living processes such as muscle movement. However, they recognized a more subtle energy that they called Shakti that feeds the energy required for the higher functioning of the body and mind such as in creative work or in supplying the energy for the supernormal activities such as is done under extreme danger or traumatic situations of such as used when a yogi is locked up in an air tight box for two weeks. A yogi in touching the source of all knowledge or Truth or in changing the surrounding world may use the highest form of energy called "Kundalini". Different schools of Yoga do not agree on terminology of the various forms of energy, and their models vary.

We will use only three of the many terms, namely Prana, Shakti, and Kundalini energy. The practices we will discuss can be dealt with using these terms as they are more universally accepted, as well as perhaps being the oldest terms. The purist might remember that when we talk of Prana he could consider it a combination of Prana, Udana or Apana. I think to most Westerners it won't make a great deal of difference, as long as the practice leads to the expected results. We shall use Prana as related to the energy which results from breath control and food, and Shakti and Kundalini energy as resulting from energy converted from Prana generated within the body. Consider Prana similar to coal that can provide the energy for steam that drives generators for converting the low-grade coal into a higher form of energy called electrical energy.

Another area of Yoga we shall make use of is the use of imagination to obtain reality. This practice is very basic in Tibetan and Tantric Yogas. As we mentioned above, we will be dealing with very subtle energies as well as mental processes. We will use the imagination to supplement our naturally weak awareness, so Yoga uses a great deal of practices starting with the suggestion: "Imagine that..." The skeptical reader might say, "Aha! I thought so, self hypnosis!" This is a legitimate criticism, and maybe true to some extent, but it does aid in directing the concentration of the mind. The clincher comes when the "Imagine that..." leads into experiences that are completely beyond our imagination. For instance, Tibetans learn to survive in bitter cold by changing the blood flow to the skin and increasing their metabolism rates by using breathing of a certain type and imagining a flame within the body. You could argue this practice by saying that what we now perceive is conditioned by hypnosis or conditioning from the outside world and you need to fight fire with fire! But as mentioned, the real proof of the practice is that it leads into a reality which could never have been imagined, or even expected. Added measurable assurances are that changes take place within the body and mind. For example, we do lower our blood pressure, stay "cool" in stressful situations, or go beyond time and space. Yoga gives mind far greater powers than science does, and yogis talk of the difference between imagination and reality as being pretty gray ... as do many Western philosophers. So again try the "Imagine that . . ." experiment in your own lab to check it out.

Another novel concept to Westerners is the Chakra concept. It is based on the theory that throughout the body there are different control centers, with each center having control of particular characteristics. Many Yoga practices center the attention on one or more Chakras to obtain certain effects. For example, if I wish to anesthetize my arms and hands, I bring concentration to bear upon the fifth Chakra located in the spinal column at the base of the neck. To gain more insight into what is happening in the outside world, I use the sixth Chakra (third eye) located between the eyebrows. A more complete discussion of this will be given in the Kundalini chapter.

There is no direct scientific explanation of the Chakras, and many Yoga schools argue that the centers are of such subtle nature that they are physically unobservable. Nonetheless, when one works on these centers he will have little doubt as to their reality.

Hopefully this chapter has given the reader an overview of Yoga and its basic assumptions, models and aims. More detailed discussion will be obtained within each chapter on the various elements of Yoga.

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