How does Yoga work on the mind?
Yoga is the art and science of the body. Thus, the yogic practices work on the outer shell to keep it in it’s optimum working condition. The cleansing practices along with asanas work on the health of the internal and external physical body. As I always say, only when the body is functioning effortlessly can the mind follow suit.
Having said that, it is important to realize that the stress in our lives are created by our reactions to external situations.
The yogic practices of asana and pranayama stabilizes the body physically and energizes it, strengthening it from the inside out. This enables the practitioner to get initiated into meditative practices which is a ‘workout for the mind’ and works on bringing it into a state of serene calm so that it gets trained to remain equanimous in all situations.
With practice, one attains the ability to deal with stressful situations by standing back as a silent witness, and deal with the actual issue instead of getting carried away by one’s own emotional reaction to it.
Through practice the mind can be disciplined to dissolve destructive, unhealthy emotions to create space for healthier, peaceful and compassionate thoughts.
Just like we train our physical body the mind can be tamed too.
As per Sage Patanjali, referred to as the ‘Father of Yoga’, there are five different types of suffering [kleshas] which are:
Ignorance, desire, egoism, aversion and fear. All disruptive emotions arise due to the play of these modes of suffering which are like mind waves. Yogic practices enable us to tame the mind by bringing these fluctuating waves into a state of calm. As per Patanjali these troublesome mind waves create a sense of false reality and a distorted sense of self, society and the world. Overcoming these waves, through Yoga, brings one into a peaceful, blissful state which is our very true nature.
Namaste!
Neelanjana Bharadwaj
Yoga Expert
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