Yoga, Change and Embodied Enlightenment
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LARS JØRUN LANGØIEN Yoga, change and embodied enlightenment hough it has been claimed that modern yoga sire to reach moksha – liberation from the wheel of retains little of its origins of religious austerity, rebirth – at either end of the scale yoga is perceived TI will argue that even if yoga as a physical practice to make important changes. For some, the practice is has taken a strong position among the modern fitness also motivated by life difficulties, including feelings trends, there are still important links to the philosophic of alienation, and loss. Others are searching for truer, al and religious traditions of India – not least in the ‘more authentic’ selves. In this context yoga, and the 1 minds of many of its practitioners. Reorientations of perception that it is based on the ancient wisdoms of these traditions to more modern settings have an im India, seems to offer a way to achieving a more har- pact on the practitioners’ bodies, and the embodied ex monious experience of being in both one’s own body perience of the practice in turn influences yoga. and the world. The body, and its external appearance and conduct, can be a more tangible means of gaug- ing one’s own (and others’) progress. The healthy, fit I will argue that the practice of Ashtanga and youthful body becomes a symbol of the practi- yoga represents an embodiment of a religio-spiritual tioner’s dedication to the practice and the disciplined practice, which for the dedicated practitioner is an mind. It becomes a symbol of a healthy mind and a encompassing disciplining of both body and mind. moral being, or even of moral superiority. The yoga Though the religio-spiritual interests of many aspir- body as such tells the story of a personal transform- ing yogis aren’t necessarily purely Hindu in origin, ation of bodies and minds in an interchange between they are spiritual in pointing towards ‘higher mean- the ancient philosophies of India, human bodies and ings and authorities’. It is a daily routine, and as the the disciplined practice of yoga. practice and its patterns are inscribed into the practi- tioners’ bodies, they are changed and tend to be more susceptible to the more encompassing philosophical The practice and religious moorings of the practice. Especially ’Practising yoga for the sake of one’s health, a firm the more experienced practitioners tend to be influ- body, or enjoyment is not the right approach’ (Jois enced by the philosophy. As a physical and a spirit- 2002: 26) is a statement made by Shri K. Pattabhi Jois, ual practice yoga has become a generator/catalyst the founder of modern Ashtanga Vinyasa (or simply of change for some practitioners. Though, there are Ashtanga) yoga as practised worldwide today. I have various reasons for practising yoga, spanning at one done fieldwork among people who travel to Mysore, end a wish just to get in shape and at the other a de- India, to do yoga. Most of these people go there to practice Ashtanga yoga at the Shri K. Pattabhi Jois 1 This article is an compilation of two separate confer- Ashtanga Yoga Institute (KPJAYI), established by Pat- ence papers, one which was presented at ‘Empower- tabhi Jois in 1948. Ashtanga Yoga is often described as ment and the Sacred: An Interdiciplinary Confer- a dynamic and physically very demanding yoga prac- ence’ in Leeds, UK, 24–26 June 2011. The other was tice. There are various views of this tradition or style presented at ‘Commun(icat)ing Bodies: The Body and of yoga. On the one hand, the asanas – the postures Religion Conference’ in Graz, Austria, 15–17 Febru- ary 2012. – and the physicality of the practice are said to be of Approaching Religion • Vol. 2, No. 2 • December 2012 27 asthanganews.com second or lesser importance than ’pure’ meditation (Pattabhi Jois in his or philosophical or a bhakti – devotional – practice. preface to Miele Ashtanga yoga is seen – stereotypically by practition- 2007). However ers of some other yoga styles – as a rather narcissistic these things might practice for young and healthy people (men), and be- be, my way in to sides, being too much concerned with the practice of this field is that the body will lead the practitioner astray (Jois 2002). physic al as the On the other hand Ashtanga is seen as a very pure Ashtanga practice practice, and one reason Pattabhi Jois established it may be, many of (and developed it along these lines – according to its practitioners do some of my informants), is that learning the asanas is experience changes the ‘easiest’ place to start. Ashtanga yoga, as taught by that can be termed Pattabhi Jois, and later by his daughter and grandson ‘spiritual’, and that (as well as many Westerners) is based on the Yoga the healthy and fit Shri K. Pattabhi Jois. Sutra of Patanjali, which is also the foundation of body actually may yoga as one of the six main philosophical schools of become a signifier traditional Hinduism. Ashtanga means eight limbs, of spiritual growth as well as of physical strength. and describes the eight steps on the road to kaivalya, There has been a strong orientation towards a or liberation. The steps are: privatization and individualization of the body and personal life in what Chris Shilling (1993) and others 1) Yama (ahimsa, non-violence; satya, truthfulness; have called ‘high modernity’, or post-modernity. As asteya, not stealing, cheating or being envious; the grand narratives of religion and science have lost brahmacharya, retaining vitality or sexual fluid; their ability to explain the workings of the world and aparigraha, moderation); life in general, people have turned inwards in their 2) Niyama (shauca, internal and external cleanli- search for meaning and for answers to the great ques- ness, or mental and physical cleanliness; santosha , tions of life. The self has become an important pro- contentment; tapas, discipline (of body and sense ject for most people in high modernity. In Shilling’s organs); svadhyaya, prayer; ishvarapranidhana, words: surrendering to God); 3) Asana, (the physical postures); For those who have lost their faith in religious 4) Pranayama (breath control); authorities and grand political narratives, and 5) Pratyahara (withdrawal of the senses); are no longer provided with a clear world view 6) Dharana (fixing the mind on one point); or self-identity by these trans-personal meaning 7) Dhyana (meditation); and finally structures, at least the body initially appears to 8) Samadhi (absorption). provide a firm foundation on which to recon- struct a reliable sense of self in the modern The first four can be thought of as external, while world. Indeed, the increasingly reflexive ways the four last steps are internally oriented. The goal of in which people are relating to their bodies can yoga in modern interpretations of yoga is also often be seen as one of the defining features of high referred to as samadhi, which can be defined as con- modernity. Furthermore, it is the exterior ter- necting with the supreme self, yoking together body ritories, or surfaces, of the body that symbolize and soul/mind, or becoming one with the One/Every- the self at a time when unprecedented value is thing, depending on which interpretation you choose placed on the youthful, trim and sensual body. (Desikachar 1995, Jois 2005). At KPJAYI the main fo- (Shilling 1993: 3) cus is on the third limb, that is: teaching the asanas, though it is said to be important to practice both the In this context, and in searching for meaning, yoga, yamas and the niyamas. The asanas are the most eas- or an adaptation thereof, has become some kind of ily comprehended though, especially by Westerners, a trend. Yoga is an introspective and reflexive prac- who don’t have the necessary background to fully tice which encourages awareness of body and self, delve into the more complex spiritual and philosoph- and it is based on the ‘ancient truths’ of the Hindu ical issues at stake in yoga as a whole. Pattabhi Jois’s civilization. Though this is somewhat controversial take was ‘Do your practice and everything will come’ 28 Approaching Religion • Vol. 2, No. 2 • December 2012 and debateable,2 the philosophy of yoga is seen as phasis was being put on getting new postures and authentic, true, and tested, and as such it is – by its being the best at doing the asanas. She on the other practitioners at least – perceived to be a powerful hand had trouble being sociable because of all that tool in the search for authentic meaning in a seem- had happened in the practice. The whole experience ingly meaningless world. Yoga represents the roots of coming to India and practising in the shala had of human knowledge, and is a science/religion (de- been such a personal one, she had simply needed a lot pending on the inclinations of the speaker) geared of time on her own to make sense of it all. This was towards ‘knowing thyself’ – and ultimately dissolv- also partly why witnessing the beating of the dog had ing this same self, although that aspect is not always affected her as it did. ‘There is so much more to the given equal emphasis. Yoga as a physical and intro- practice than just the physical! There is so much hap- spective practice has a huge impact on the bodies of pening in there [in the shala].’ The practice and the the practitioners, and linked to the ancient philoso- introspection were leaving her in a vulnerable condi- phy of Hinduism, can also change the way people tion with respect to other experiences.