Yoga as a way of life and being
Saumil Sharma
Yoga considered the gift of Indian sages is an ancient system of physical, mental, emotional and spiritual training based on accurate anatomical knowledge to ensure holistic development of the body, the mind and the soul by assuring the highest state of advancement on all the planes. A healthy, vital and well-controlled body and mind can facilitate in refining the quality of education while also maintaining good health.
Education is the foundation of one’s existence (being), development of personality, behaviour, actions, facilitating the process of learning and implementation of acquired knowledge. Accumulation of knowledge and collection of degrees is not education, it is a part of education. Therefore, education too is a way of life. This is perhaps the most significant thread connecting yoga and education.
Yoga is an established form of education and evidence of its existence is found even in the gurukul form of education. “What is yoga?” The most common answer is that yoga is a practice of the physical form of exercises which help one stay healthy. Yoga is also a way of life, according to the great sage Patanjali who codified and organized yoga into Patanjali yoga-sutras, several thousand years ago into “Ashtanga Yoga”, i.e., eight parts of yoga. Ashtanga yoga consists of (1) Yama: guidelines that one must follow diligently towards society comprising Ahimsa, Satya, Asteya, Brahmacharya and Aparigraha; (2) Niyama: guidelines that one must follow diligently towards oneself comprising Shauch, Santosh, Tapa, Swadhyaya and Ishwar-pranidhan; (3) Asana: Yogic postural science; (4) Pranayama: Yogic breathing techniques; (5) Pratyahara: refrainment of the sense organs from external attraction to internal introspection; (6) Dharana: a meditative state of concentration; (7) Dhyana: a meditative state where one focuses on a single thought or object; (8) Samadhi: the ultimate stage of bliss and the goal of Ashtanga yoga where the union of life-energy (Atma) and cosmic-energy (Paramatma) happens.
As is evident, only two out of eights parts, i.e., Asana and Pranayama have to do with the physical aspect of yoga while other aspects dwell upon the growth of the society and the self. It provokes one to see the ‘self’ as part of the larger society with responsibilities towards nature and towards others which is common to education too. Yoga contributes immensely to education of any form. An advanced body, mind and soul lay a strong foundation for education.
Self is a way in which one identifies one’s being in relation to the surroundings and to one’s inner consciousness. Knowing self should be an integral part of the ‘modern’ education as the identity of self has a deep impact – either positive or negative – on each young mind. Yoga makes it conducive to know one’s self better and through this process, one can know others better, which in turn, can give birth to setting goals and achieving desirable milestones. The process of self-inquiry beginning from self-introspection and self-contemplation leads to self-realization and awareness which helps in gaining knowledge about self which can be constructively used for self-development, another common goal with education. This process is essential to meet the purpose of education,that is,to create inquisitive minds who seek knowledge through a web of questions often arising due to curiosity.
What is ‘real’ education and what is its purpose? I am reiterating that education is not mere accumulation of knowledge but the ability to comprehend, internalize and implement what you have learned. For example, if a student has attended a semester on gender, then the student should internalize, develop complete understanding, deepen a critical perspective, ensure acceptance and apply egalitarian principles of gender justice in one’s own life and in the society. Only when this is done will the real purpose of education be fulfilled. The purpose of education is rendered meaningless if the student who has studied gender asks for dowry at his/her wedding or molests people of the opposite sex. The latter points toward a loophole in the education system and dissolves the purpose of education. Can it be addressed by incorporating yoga, yogic techniques and meditation in the formal modern education system?
Yoga means union; this is similar to addition, and union is positive. So, there is no room for negativity in yoga but abundance of positivity that leads to innumerable benefits.
Concentration: Concentration is one of the desired and beneficial aspects in any educational field. Teachers often complain about lack of concentration amongst students, which becomes a hindrance to learning. Education will turn into purposeful education while learning if constant awareness of mind and body is maintained through yoga. Concentration enhances the focus of mind, retention capacity, attention span of students, identifying individual positives and negatives,and the quality of teaching-learning processes.
Effective communication and clarity of thoughts and actions: Communication refers to exchange of meaningful and clear words to convey some important information or message. Poor communication is the root of many problems. It can lead to lack of clarity, mistakes, misunderstanding, low quality of performance, conflicts, missed deadlines and lost opportunities. It is not enough to develop communication skills but develop ‘effective’ communication skills, i.e., one must be able to effectively and purposefully transfer the message. Yoga and meditation play an integral role in evolving communication and concentration skills. It is important for both the teacher and the taught to have ‘internal’ communication, i.e., intra-personal communication which aids one to know oneself better, have clarity of thoughts and understand what it is that you want to communicate and what will be the consequences. A sorted mind through yoga improves the ability to have intra-personal communication continuously without putting any extra effort and that results in effective ‘external’ communication, i.e., inter-personal communication between teacher-taught and increases the ability to express.
Internalize: The process of self-introspection and self-analysis – a journey that can be experienced through yoga helps in internalizing knowledge, deepen understanding, enhance acceptance, sensitize and grow into empathetic human beings. “What is the consequence of my action?” should be first question that arises in the mind of a person who has come through ‘real’ education, a point that I earlier highlighted.
Sharp memory and retention and alert mind, creativity and intelligence: A mind free from clutter creates a mental space that is sharper, alert and peaceful at the same time. The oxygenation and activation of brain cells through pranayamas (yogic breathing techniques) generates a sharp memory with enhanced retention capacity. Yoga helps to focus on a calm and peaceful mind but not an inactive mind. The mind should remain peaceful and content but at the same time be active, alert and careful. This results in the cultivation of a fertile mind which reaps creativity and intelligence.
Stamina: Yogic kriyas, asanas, pranayamas and mit-ahara (moderate and balanced diet) is an inseparable limb of yoga. It is the source of ultimate fitness, activation of body parts and organs and works on height-weight balance. Yoga and diet convert raw material present in the body and generate a storehouse of energy which contributes to stamina and increases the active time of engagement in any academic, co-curricular or social activity.
Stress and mental health: According to National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), 2015, one person commits suicide in India every hour. Adolescence, which was earlier considered a blissful period of human life, a phase of exploration, realization, innovation and personal growth on physical, emotional and spiritual planes, has transformed itself tremendously. Extreme stress, depression, fear of failure, unhealthy lifestyle, pollution, peer-pressure, substance dependency, sexual abuse, a sense of identity crisis, low self-image, insatiate souls with unrealistic goals and competition with others has drastically affected students today. Most students find it difficult to cope with failure in exams, careers and relations. The levels of pressure have multiplied the stress a student undergoes – all of which have adverse effects on mental, physical, spiritual and emotional health. Yoga and meditation are of utmost importance in the field of stress and mental health – to ensure that our education system imparts quality education within a safe and nurturing environment.
Regular practice of yogic methods like surya-namaskara, ashwathasana, vrikshasana, tadaasana, shambhavimudra, shanmukhimudra, parvatasana, netra-shakti vikasak, simhasana,bhastrika, ujjayi pranayama, nadi-shodhan pranayama, trataka, dhyana and shavasana can contribute much more to education and progress. Yoga is the ultimate way of life. It is complete in itself. It not only has physical and mental benefits for teachers and taught but also fulfils the gap between imparting education and harvesting results to make education purposeful.
In conclusion, we must see a beginning. Yoga has become even more relevant and significant today than it ever was. The need of the hour is to embrace it. Embrace does not merely mean practice yoga mechanically as a set of physical exercises or work-out plan but making it an integral part of our life, our routine, values, daily practices, our actions, reactions and thoughts. One needs to enhance the level of acceptance of yoga in education by understanding how yoga can multiply the quality of time spent on education, and invest 15-30 minutes per day to practice yoga.
The author has done his Master’s in Development (specialisation in Public Health and Nutrition) from Azim Premji University, Bangalore. He is a qualified Assistant Professor and an AYUSH-certified and CYA International accredited yoga practitioner. He often appears on Doordarshan’s Swasthya Sanjeevani as a yoga expert. He is passionate to work for the service of mankind through principles of socially sensitive values, public health lens, feminist perspective, dedication and devotion. He works as a coordinator at Yogic Treatments, Lucknow. He can be reached at yogsadhak1960@gmail.com.
