The Nature of Yoga

The Nature of Yoga.

 

This is the teaching of yoga.

Yoga is the cessation of the turnings of thought.

When thought ceases, the spirit stands in its true identity as observer to the world.

Otherwise, the observer identifies with the turnings of thought.

 

These are four aphorisms which define the nature of yoga as a state of mental tranquility and spiritual freedom, as well as the means to achieve this state.

 

The Turnings of Thought.

 

The turnings of thought, whether corrupted or immune to the forces of corruption, are of five kinds.

They are valid judgement, error, conceptualization, sleep and memory.

The valid means of judgment are direct perception, inference, and verbal testimony.

Error is false knowledge with no objective basis.  

Conceptualization comes from words devoid of substance.

Sleep is the turning of thought abstracted from existence.

Memory is the recollection of objects one has experienced.

(in learning about corruption, even the most subtle and benign workings of thought are obstructions to freedom of the spirit).

 

The Sanskrit term for cessation of the turnings of thought are 'citta-vrtti-nirodha'

 

The goal of yoga is to stop the thought processes so that the spirit can be free, isolated from the turmoil of thought from which it mistakenly takes its identity.

 

The Bhagavad Gita echos this idea when Krishna says of the yogi, "He should gradually become tranquil, firmly controlling his understanding; focusing his mind on the self, he should think nothing". (6.25)

 

The cessation of the turnings of thought comes through practice and dispassion. (we'll explore this more in our next series to come, breathe in this idea for now).