Yoga Psychology
Sutra 1 of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras: “atha yoganusasanam” Now, therefore, complete instructions regarding yoga.
Sutra 2: “Yogaschitta vrtti nirodhah” Yoga is the cessation of the modifications of the substance of the mind
Together, these two sutras describe, in a highly condensed form, the purpose and practice of Yoga Psychology. Sutra one says we will now explore, after having established the proper foundation for a spiritual based approach to life, the way to observe the practice of yoga. Such a principle state of awareness is essential for Yoga Psychology as progression into the spiritual dominion requires an acknowledgment that a human being is more than a physical body and brain: he or she is energy, thoughts, and consciousness which together create human nature. Noticed that a god is not essential for spiritual exploration to occur. Instead, the practice of yoga is to be applied scientifically with a mind that is open to observing, studying, and then experiencing more subtle layers of human existence. God is not negated but also not necessitated; if one a god is to come it should come only through experience and not theory. Grow from what you know and be open enough to accept the possibilities of that which you have yet to understand; this is the scientific methodology of the yoga.
Next, once you have recognized the role as both the investigator and the subject, the observer and the observed, the investigation and practice of yoga is commenced. The second sutra can also be considered the last as it tells us what the ultimate aim of yoga is: “Yoga is the cessation of the modifications of the substance of the mind.” Stop the fluctuating patterns of the mind and you stop the operations of the ego-centric form of human life. In yoga, the mind is just a layer, another of the many features of the human being, which can be controlled, modified, and purified like all the rest. Suffering, depression, disease, and disorder are all a byproduct of the mental experience; by learning how to control and eventually cease the mental modifications nothing but samadhi remains, the state of super-consciousness where an interconnected conduction of being produces un-diminishable experience of bliss.
But the bliss of Samadhi is not an exclusive state which can only be experiences once it has been obtained. In the progression towards centering the movements of the mind to focus upon the underlying features of creation, looking beyond the physical and into the spiritual, the human being begins to undergo drastic transformations in health, awareness, and the experience of life. Each step is a step towards the bliss, and with the evolution towards the inward essence of life the featured characteristics of bliss begin to emerge: peace; love; harmony; joy; wellness; and unity.
As a system of metaphysical science, yoga psychology addresses the total human nature, working to bring each asset of the human design into the program for personal development. Body, energy, mind, self-awareness, and super-consciousness are all part of the human being, and through thousands of years of investigation and application the yogic science has devised an index of thousands of difference practices and techniques that can actualize the potential of the human being, taking them from the mundane conditions of life to the eternal essence that dwells within.
Again enlightenment does not have to be the goal for yoga psychology to be effective; instead, self-exploration leads to transformations in awareness and perception that move one closer to their essential nature, and the nearer one comes to this inner core the more connected, balanced, and satisfied they will feel. By redirecting consciousness to the source, the disseminated thoughts, feelings, and perceptions that were once dependent upon the outer world are redirected and concentrated towards a non-oscillating, internal center where they can evolve and, through their interaction, multiple upon themselves. Turn everything inwards, says yoga, because the outer world is ever changing. Establish you happiness, peace, joy, and purpose in the inner world and they will remain with you to direct you towards the origins of your creation and return you to your eternal essence.
