Call it ‘jimnastik day’

Bhartendu Sood

I HAVE no misgiving if our entire country assembles to perform exercises with leaders of saffron outfits, leading them from the front,  with the hidden aim of pleasing our PM, but my rant is for calling it ‘Yoga Day’. 

No doubt, these exercises, aimed at toning up the body and muscles, constitute one of the eight-fold stages of ashtanga yoga called asana, as enunciated by sage Patanjali, but it can’t be called yoga unless one follows the other seven stages in a certain order. When performed without embracing the other equally important dictates of ashtanga yoga, these are mere physical exercises, as one performs in a gym, and these yoga gurus are, at best, physical instructors. These asanas can improve your looks and improve your internal systems, but it will be a fallacy to think that asanas can turn you into a better human — what real yoga aims at. 

The eight stages of ashtanga yoga are yam, niyam, asana, pranayama, pratihara, dhyana, dharana and samadhi. The five yamas are: non-violence, truthfulness, non-stealing, celibacy and non-covetousness. The five niyamas are: cleanliness, contentment, austerity, self-study and surrender to God. Yam and niyam advise self-restraint. Asana is the third stage. Patanjali expected a yogi to embrace yam and niyam before coming to asana. In other words, asana is only an exercise and not yoga if it is not preceded by yam and niyam. These are the codes for moral, physical, spiritual uplift (macrocosm and microcosm development). Thus yoga involves conditioning and cultivation of both mind and body. The first five stages are concerned with the body and the brain and the last three with reconditioning the mind. They help the yogi attain enlightenment or the full realisation of oneness with God.

Enlightenment or samadhi is synonymous with spirituality while a flat tummy or toned muscles can be obtained by many methods, not necessarily having any bearing on the character, conduct or thinking of a human. The Gita also speaks of yoga as a state of equanimity, a detached outlook, serenity of mind, skill in action and the ability to stay attuned to the glory of the self (atman) and the Supreme Being (Bhagvan). 

The irony is that our so-called yoga gurus are well aware of it. They don’t need a lesson from me, but they continue with the business of fooling the masses. We have read about the appointment of yoga gurus in schools to appease the saffron brigade. All I can say is that we don’t need them when we already have physical instructors who are well equipped to perform these exercises. 

We are fast reaching a stage when in our government schools, where incidentally ‘the children of a lesser God’ study, there will be a huge pile of yoga and Sanskrit teachers, but hardly any English or maths teacher, as one can see in Haryana. I shall be happy if my piece puts things in a perspective and the name is changed from ‘Yoga Day’ to ‘jimnastik day’.