Likewise, there are certain conditions to which we are subject, and if we are
completely ignorant of the presence of these conditions and move idealistically, in an
unrealistic manner, into the higher stages of yoga, there may be a satisfaction of
having risen, or even of having had some visions—a conviction that something is
coming—but, with all that, there would be a susceptibility to withdrawal into the
earlier stages on account of not being cautious enough to probe into the possibilities
of fall and the chances of self-limitation by the very make-up of one’s own
personality. We are humans; and, as long as there is a feeling that we are human
beings, we cannot escape the limitations of human beings. Though we may
sometimes think we are gods, we are only human beings because we cannot forget
that we are human beings. Our consciousness itself is our bondage.
This is a caution that is given as a timely warning. A warning of this kind has to be
given at every step because one cannot say at what moment of time, at what stage,
and under what conditions these subliminal impressions will sprout into a wild tree
and then cast their shadow upon us so that the light of our aspirations may be
blurred. Thus comes the necessity to maintain an unremitting awareness of the
presence of God and a perpetual effort to keep oneself, or place oneself, in such ideal
conditions which will not, to the extent possible, tempt one to the sensory activities
and the mental functions or egoistic operations which are characteristic of the lower
human nature.
Chapter 76ASANA IS FIXITY OF POSITIONThe proper practice of yoga commences with a continuous attempt at a suitable
position of the body, which is known as asana. This is really the beginning of the
practice proper. Here, the first step is taken to set oneself right in the requisite
manner so that the seed is sown for the development of a harmony of one’s system
with the universal atmosphere. There is a characteristic agitation of the body and
everything that is inside the body, due to the restlessness caused by the kleshas, or
the afflictions of the mind filled with countless desires—fulfilled desires which have
left some impression, or unfulfilled ones which have kept the mind in a state of
anxiety. In either case—whether the desires have been fulfilled or not—there is
restlessness. All these desires blow like winds inside one’s system, tossing the mind
hither and thither. The intimate connection of the mind with the body is enough to
keep both the body and mind restless, in a fidgety mood, so that there is no fixity,
either of the body or of the mind. Yoga is nothing but fixity, attention and an
emphasis on a given direction of thought, mood, and position of the whole system.
This position of the system we are referring to is not necessarily the physical
position, but a position of everything that we are made of. What we are aiming at is a
fixity of the entire system, which we may call the human personality—the total mood
which has to be focused in the direction of the ideal of yoga. Everything that we are
made of is to be taken into consideration. Every bit of our personality has a part to
play in this practice. Even the least within us and the lowest element that is present
in us has a role of sufficient importance, so that it is not only the body that is to be
seated in a fixed posture. The bodily posture, or the physical asana, is one of the