only the Soul is left. The final, correct asana is a true expression of "I am
That, That is God." This expression is felt only when one approaches
and performs asana within the framework of physical prowess (sakti),
intellectual skillfulness (yukti), and devotion and worshipfulness (bhakti)
in each asana.
Let us therefore sift through everything, says yoga, every compo
nent of a human being that we can find and identify-our bodies,
breath, energy, sickness and health, brain and anger, and pride in our
power and possessions. Above all, yoga says, let us examine this mys
terious "1," ever present and conscious of itself, but invisible in the
mirror or on any photograph.
The "I" is so often a source of worry. "I" dwells in our bodies, and
we know that body dies, brain dies, the heart stops beating, the lungs
cease to breathe, and senses no longer feel. Is it therefore not possible,
likely even, that the "I" dies too? This is disturbing. If my very identity
is transient, ephemeral, what permanence is there? Is there no firm
ground? Our lack of certainty is, according to yoga, of itself and by its
very nature, toxic. Yoga identifies the very deepest root of all illness as
being the sorrow and pain we undergo because we live in ignorance of
purusa (Universal Soul). Being ignorant of our true Self, we identify
only with aspects of the natural world, which is in a state of flux. To
identify ourselves, we fix on the aspect of consciousness that dwells in
the inner body and is called the ego. There is a great gulf between the
acceptance of ego as a necessary alias with which to function in the
world and mistaking that alias for our True Self. Inevitably, if we fall
for the impersonation of our Soul by our ego, we get caught up in the
turbulence of the world around us, its desires, emotional disturbances,
afflictions, so-called sins, and ailments or obstacles. Inevitably, I say,
because our ego-consciousness is part of that hungry, seeking, insa
tiable, frantic world. In other words, we have no firm hasc. We want
to he immortal. We know in our hearts that we arc. But wt· throw it ,, 11
away hy misidentifying with all that is perishable and transil·nt.
11 1.1 S .\ I' II 1·. I l IV I N 1·. II U ll Y ( tl N .1 N /1 .1 )