By now the reader may have decided he has been promised the millennium. It might therefore be best before continuing with any further discussion to go back, examine Yoga in its varying forms and establish a common vocabulary in regard to it. We then can be completely clear on what this philosophy really is and what it is not—also on what it bases its claims and which of its teachings are applicable and useful to us.

Let us begin with a working definition: Yoga is a method by which to obtain control of one's latent powers. It offers the means to reach complete Self-realization. This the Yogis achieve by turning their thoughts inward, away from the objective world. The literal meaning of the Sanskrit word Yoga is yoke. Its earliest definition—a means for uniting the individual spirit with the Universal Spirit, or God if you will —may at first glance seem a contradiction of the other; but the confusion disappears once we take into account that realiza­tion of Self cannot be achieved without the recognition and acceptance of one's place in and relationship to the universe as a whole.

Yoga is very definitely not a religion: some Yogis are deeply religious, others are not. Many of its aspects are profoundly mystical, as is inevitable with any form of spiritual contem­plation. But how the Yogi interprets his beliefs is an entirely personal matter. There are Brahmins among the Yogis, there are Christians, and there are Moslems, to name only a few. There are also philosophically-oriented persons with no for­mal religion.

The schools of Yoga are numerous, and even in the East each student is generally attracted to that particular form of it which best answers his own particular needs. In many ways, too, the differences are largely a matter of emphasis for, as you will see, the various schools overlap to some extent. As you read on you will quickly be able to understand just why, as we have already pointed out, none is really suited unaltered to our Western temperament and the exigencies of our tempo of living.

A brief outline of the outstanding basic schools will illus­trate this better than any flat statement of opinion.

First and most widespread, as well as the one best known in our hemisphere, is Hatha Yoga. The name, derived from the Sanskrit Ha, which stands for the female principle and Tha, the male principle, implies that this Yoga may be practiced by both men and women with the object of achieving complete control of the body. One feature of Hatha Yoga practice involves a number of such drastic, sometimes even painful, forms of spiritual and physical purification so impractical and alien to us that no attempt shall be made here to discuss them. For his purpose, the Western student need only be concerned with the kind of purification that may be attained by simple hygiene. This, like many other points which will be only briefly touched upon here, is something we shall return to in a subsequent chapter.

The second important feature of Hatha Yoga is the practice of asanas or postures. Again, since many asanas are difficult and require endless application and practice, there is little need to concern ourselves with all of them. Suffice it to men­tion that the basic ones number 84, a great many of them a total impossibility for most of us, be we young or old, athlet­ically gifted or even double-jointed.

But the fact that we cannot hope to emulate the Hindu poses is of little import. The salient point here is that even a few of the simplest asanas, practiced daily together with a few mudras or contemplative poses, suffice to produce for us truly sensational results. You will readily understand the reason for this once you know the underlying principles for their prac­tice.

In Part II we shall discuss the exercises in detail, illustrating with charts and photographs exactly how to do them cor­rectly. But first a word about the difference between our own concept of exercise and that of the Yogis. To us exercise means exertion—the idea is to "work up a good sweat." West­ern athletic games aren't play, they are competition. And whether the competition is with others or with ourselves— how fast can I go, how far can I swim, how high can I climb this time?—inevitably the result is fatigue and strain along with the pleasure. In short, we make exercise hard work.

The Yogis have a concept almost diametrically opposed to ours. You will notice many of the asanas are named for ani­mals: the lion, the fish, the tortoise, the peacock. This is be­cause in devising them the Yogis based themselves on close observation of animal life. They borrowed from the animal world the secrets of alternate relaxing and tensing, something all living creatures save man seem to know how to do instinc­tively.

Watch a kitten at play: It wakes from a cat-nap, stretches, arches its back, yawns prodigiously, flicks its tail and instantly is chasing it. Whether or not it succeeds doesn't seem to mat­ter. Next it will leap after a fly, change its mind, flop over and with the greatest nonchalance start washing a seemingly in­accessible spot in the middle of its back. Soon it is once more curled up in a ball or stretched out leggy and limp, one open eye proclaiming that it is not asleep—just relaxing.

The underlying emphasis in all asanas and mudras, then, is on relaxation—one might even say repose. And while at first glance it might seem that standing on one's head or sitting in the Lotus pose is anything but restful, this is only true of the initial stages of learning. Bear in mind that the body is always first slowly prepared for each pose and that the limbering-up process, which each student pursues at his own pace, is geared in such a way as not to overtax his capacities. By the time he is ready to practice an asana, certainly by the time he has mastered it, it really is relaxing as well as beneficial. Then the profound balance achieved by the body makes it possible for the mind to soar.

Yoga teaches that it is essential never to overdo, never to strain and tire. The motto here is always too little rather than too much—it is considered best to make haste slowly. The new student is invariably cautioned to proceed very gradually, for it is neither necessary nor desirable to establish records. He is also taught to rest between asanas and never to attempt any­thing beyond his capacities at the time.

Rhythmic deep breathing is an essential part of all exercises. Much more emphasis is put on breathing than is true of any of the Western schools of physical culture, since the Yogis understand that for purely physiological reasons deep breath­ing is a sure way to calm the nerves, and this in turn reduces tensions and improves concentration. One might say that the overall reason for combining deep breathing with asanas and mudras is that the Yogi, while purifying and disciplining his body, aims to bring his mind, too, under similar control.

Many Western students are content with the sheer physical well-being they are able to achieve, with no concern at all for the second aim, which is for mental and spiritual discipline. And indeed for many this may be all that is required. If you happen to be among those who have neither the time nor the temperament for further exploration, there is no reason to feel disturbed. Certainly under no circumstances is it necessary to adopt the everything-or-nothing attitude—no need to as­sume that unless you are willing to go further, the game isn't worth the candle.

As a matter of fact it would be extremely difficult, we should say impossible, to progress into the higher spiritual spheres of Yoga without the constant guidance of a Guru. In certain cases it would even be dangerous to try to go forward alone, and of this the Eastern student too is invariably warned. For the ultimate abstract psychic states reached in Yoga medi­tations are said to release forces as yet unknown to us, such as the Serpent Power or Kundalini, which we shall again discuss later. This power, released only when the subject is in a deep, trance-like state, is variously described as a vast sex power, as the source of creativity, even as the source of healing. Clearly it is no more a plaything for the neophyte or amateur than, for instance, hypnosis. Fortunately, the sensible adult will not be tempted to play such dangerous games. Our sole reason for mentioning these aspects of Yoga at this stage is to give the student some idea of the scope which even its most primary philosophies encompass.

Hatha Yoga, in common with other Yoga schools, teaches certain rules of conduct, or yamas. There are ten of these: Ahisma or harmlessness, Satya or truthfulness, Asteya or non-stealing, Bramacharya or continence, Kshama or forbearance, Dhriti or fortitude, Daya or mercy, Aarjvna or straightfor­wardness, Mithra or moderation in diet, and Sucht or purity. There are also ten restrictions: Tepas, which means austerity, Santosah, cheerful bearing, Shraddha, faith, Dana, charitable disposition, Satsanga, good company, Lajja, modesty, Mati, sound mind, Japa, repetition of a divine name, lshwarachana, worship of God, and Vrata, observance of vows.

From this it becomes self-evident that Hatha Yoga demands high personal standards. Overeating, unnecessary talk, im­pure associations, greed and delight alike must be eliminated. All this, obviously, is a good deal more austerity than we Oc­cidentals are generally ready to accept. Fortunately there is no need for extremes. As we have pointed out all along, this, like any other aspect of Yoga, for our immediate and practical use translates simply into an attitude of reasonable modera­tion. Of course, in time the advanced student may find him­self developing a certain attitude of indifference towards many of the demands of our competitive society—those de­mands which can so easily enslave the individual through emphasis on false values and later bring on discontent and a sense of failure if somewhat unrealistic, highly materialistic goals aren't achieved. If this does happen to you, you may well congratulate yourself. For, indifference to material success would be one of the many keys to that mental and emotional freedom without which well-being on any level may be con­sidered inaccessible.

We have discussed Hatha Yoga at considerably greater length and in more detail than other schools because this is the discipline we shall draw on in our practices. But the student will undoubtedly want to know a little about other Yoga’s, all of which place vastly more stress on non-physical disciplines. Thus Japa Yoga is a philosophy concerned exclusively with spiritual discipline; in one of its forms its practice consists of repeating a Mantra, or affirmation, over and over while dwell­ing deeply on its every significance. To accomplish this no mind-wandering at all is permissible, and since most persons' minds do wander to some extent the Japa Yoga, desirous of guarding against distraction, will often be found sitting mo­tionless for hours on end, tailor fashion, while chanting the single whole syllable "Om." This chanting is done in conjunc­tion with deep breathing, which admittedly does arrest mind-wandering so that the practitioner becomes drawn into him­self in spiritual contemplation. But only the dedicated philoso­pher could be expected to pursue this practice. There is hardly a place for it in our Western world.

In Laya Yoga the student remains perfectly still, in a pro­found state of trance. Then, by means of the Kundalini power which at certain moments is released and joins with the Divine or ultimate power of the universe, he briefly achieves a state of perfect bliss. He must then quickly return to earth—to his normal state, if you will—otherwise he runs the danger of severing all connection with it. As we have already mentioned, this form of Yoga is not safe for anyone to practice who has not gained complete control over his emotions as well as over his mental processes.

Karma Yoga, another school that aims at final union with the Divine Source of All, advocates not the renouncement of all earthly work, but on the contrary its pursuit. It looks upon the body as "the good servant" of one's spiritual strivings. Essentially practical, Karma Yoga teaches helping others as a means of helping one's self. Karma being the principle of causality, this philosophy is essentially based on the law of Cause and Effect, on the recognition that for every action there is a corresponding reaction. In many ways it is not unlike early Christianity. As we sow, says Karma, so shall we reap.

Consequently, the tenets of Karma Yoga are a devotion of one's life to selfless service without any attachment whatever or consideration for rewards. The student of Karma is taught indifference to praise and blame alike. He may not accept gifts but must always work for work's own sake. His heart must be a garden filled with the flowers of good deeds. He must ever listen to the inner voice of his conscience for guidance, fear no one save the Divine power, and devote his life to his fellow-creatures. Mahatma Gandhi, who lived by such precepts, himself taught that there were no distinctions between menial and dignified work. He himself often performed the most menial tasks, and his was an example of the deepest humility, love and goodwill. While it is always unsatisfactory to suggest parallels, medieval anchorites and St. Francis of Assisi come to mind as we try to translate some of these attitudes into West­ern terms.

A further parallel is equally striking: Karma teaches that a man who lives a life of idleness and luxury cannot hope to help his fellows, for he is handicapped by enslavement to his Indriyas or sense powers. It follows that if he would become a true Karma Yogi he must cast outside his rich robes and take on the beggar's garb. This, after all, is not very different from the basic philosophy behind the words, "It is easier for a camel to pass through the needle's eye than for the rich man to enter the gates of heaven."

Still another school is Jnana Yoga, the Yoga of Knowledge as against that of Action. Jnana educates the mind to perceive Self and so free itself from all forms of delusion. It aims at the realization of the Supreme Self by means of learning to see the everyday world in its true proportions, making a complete cleavage between the objective manifestations of conscious­ness and the subjective working of the mind. Three thousand years after Hindu philosophers formulated this approach, modern Western psychiatry began to explore the same prob­lems in the laboratory. The Yogis, however, attain their goal through purely philosophical, meditative channels; they con­sider the first step to be comprehension of what mind consists of, and the second a mastery of all desire by the development of wisdom. Again, such speculation is beyond the realm of ordinary people's interests. Specifically, what Jnana says must follow is complete non-attachment to the things of this world and constant sacrifice of self to enlightenment. Jnana demands of the student a technique of living so rigorous and an asceti­cism so extreme as to be totally alien to most of us.

Bhakti Yoga is a system of intense devotion, with emphasis on faith. The true follower of Bhakti is one who is free from both guilt and egoism. He is humble, unaffected by either happiness or sorrow, and hasn't a single enemy. Greed, in­justice, rashness, persecution of others, jealousy, stealing, harsh words and cruelty are foreign to him. His heart is pure. He has faith, innocence, simplicity and absolute truthfulness. By Western norms he would be considered a saint, with this addition: The Bhakti Yogi considers it as much a sin to waste time as to waste talents—to him sins of omission are as great as those of commission.

Finally we come to Raja Yoga which, translated literally, means "King of Yogas." Raja Yoga takes its disciple through eight stages, all of them highly spiritual and so complex we shall not attempt to discuss any except the final one, Samadhi, This is a state of bliss wherein the mind is withdrawn from all earthly attachments. By then the Yogi has learned to stop his thinking processes so completely that his consciousness is absorbed into the Infinite. Just as a river flows inevitably to the sea, so the individual mind merges into the ocean of Ab­solute Consciousness. Those who have achieved Samadhi claim there are no words to describe the experience—ap­parently it can only be felt. In the state of Samadhi the Yogi sees without eyes, tastes without tongue, hears without ears, smells without nose, touches without contact. Sound and form are no more, suffering and ignorance disappear, and the Yogi attains Kaivalya or supreme liberation from earthly limita­tions. In this state, the Yogi is supposedly able to free his astral body or etheric double from his physical body. Raja Yoga may be thought of as the synthesis of all the systems of Yoga as a whole.

It is not vital to remember the various schools of Yoga or memorize the differences between them. Only the occasional reader will be tempted to try. What most persons will retain from this entire discussion is a "feel" of what it is about, and that is all that matters. Now to recapitulate: The gaining of a healthy body and a mind calm and passive under all circum­stances is common to all Yogas. Control of one's mental proc­esses as well as of the emotions is a basic common goal. This is achieved partly through conscious disciplines, partly by releasing the undercurrents of the mind at rest—or, to borrow psychological terminology, by giving play to the subcon­scious. In our own Occidental utilitarian terms, then, Yoga techniques, translated into Yogism, offer us the means for bet­ter Self-realization in the realm of the physical, the mental, the emotional and the spiritual. It is a royal road to inner power.

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