I had been teaching Hatha Yoga at Muskegon (Michigan) Community College for maybe 3 of the 15 years of my tenure there when a woman approached me on the last day of class for the term. She was a “nontraditional” student, which is code for being of the age when she could easily have been the mother of the rest of the students. She wanted to let me know that when she began the semester she was suffering from a very painful back condition that she never indicated before. I can’t recall the cause but I do remember the litany of treatments she shared in her attempt to find relief. This included surgery, physical therapy, chiropractic and drugs. But she was unequivocal in her enthusiasm about how this class had removed the pain that had plagued her for so very long.  Naturally, I felt elated to think that any effort on my part helped a fellow being alleviate suffering.  Since she had kept her challenges to herself during the 15 weeks we’d been together I had no opportunity to pay special attention to her; perhaps share specific asanas that might alleviate her issues. She just learned what everyone else was learning. 

In the cold, hard light of science this would fall under the category of “anecdotal evidence.”  But there is way too much support of outcomes like this that it is now taken for granted that Hatha Yoga provides untold benefits. Yes, there are those who would make unrealistic claims of Yoga curing cancer or even changing one’s sexual orientation. These people do nothing to advance the Dharma. In fact, they hold it back. But for those disorders  that Yogasanas do satisfy it is safe to say that much cold, hard science is on our side.  But while we applaud the use of Yoga for the betterment of physical health the Hindu masters have been imploring us to look deeper into the less corporeal and more spiritual benefits of this sacred art and science.

With the various forms of Yoga sweeping the west we must, as Lord Krishna advises us, accept the negative along with the positive. Ever since exponents of Yoga began teaching American and European students there has been a movement to extricate the deep spiritual value of Yoga from its source.  This same movement has also tended to negate the relationship between Yoga and Hindu Dharma. But these efforts are not universal.  There have been and still are many Yoga instructors who have very happily redirect a student’s interest in more flexibility to the inner wisdom that our tradition offers. Admittedly, some might be considered a bit too motivated.

By this I mean that I question the practice of having students in a class who have no real interest in the religious nature of Yoga chanting AUM or any mantras at the beginning or end of a session.  I would surely be offended to know that a Hindu who, for instance, might be taking ESL classes at a Catholic church would be asked to recite the Lord’s Prayer in Latin prior to group study. I’ve spoken to people who dropped their Yoga classes due to the discomfort they felt when teachers would add this very foreign element to an evening’s practice. It seems almost evangelical.

So what is the Middle Way between completely denying the Hindu spirituality of the Yoga tradition and attempting to engage practitioners in the more devotional aspects of the Dharma without understanding? As one who identifies as a Hindu it was very important to come up with a satisfactory answer.

What I had working in my favor was the fact that this was an academic setting. Even though this course was taught through the Physical Education Department I treated its study in a scholarly manner. Students were alerted in the course description and the syllabus that not only would they be learning poses and meditation but also the history and philosophy of Yoga. The logic is simple; if one is teaching the history of Europe how can you avoid imparting knowledge of Christianity? The same is true in classes on Middle East Studies and Islam.  Of course, professors here wouldn’t be teaching religion from a theological stand. This would be teaching about religion and its influence on a particular society.  The Yoga of Patanjali can be imparted in a very similar way.  So in this class we covered the full spectrum of Yoga; including Bhakti, Jnana, Karma and Raja.  Due to the fact that we had students of all shapes, sizes and natural ability I did not grade on posture performance but written tests that ascertained their comprehension of these concepts.

From time to time a student would approach me and ask how he or she might take their studies a bit deeper. Always happy to help, I was able to direct them to the appropriate resources in our area. I’m pleased to say that a student who took a class from the teacher who assumed my duties upon my departure (and shared my point of view) sought me out for further instruction and advice. Just last week he took Upanayanam at our local mandir.

I recently joined the Executive Council of the Hindu American Foundation after being a long time supporter. A few years ago HAF birthed the Take Back Yoga Campaign. It was controversial to say the least. What people may not understand about this is that we are not saying by “taking back” that we insist Yoga be practiced only by card carrying Hindus. Not even close. Yoga is for everyone. We understand that some people will not be attracted to the deeper aspects and will gain great benefit physically. But we appreciate it being seen in its proper light. Yoga was developed in the context of Sanatana Dharma. It continues to be an important element in the sadhana of many Hindus. It’s not enough to say that, “it came from Hinduism” as if it’s now divorced from the religion. Yes, it can be practiced in a very secular manner.  But that does not detract from its status as sacred movement. To many it is actually prayer in motion. 

This Sunday, June 21, is the International Day of Yoga. I would humbly encourage those who feel   an affinity to this venerable practice to take some time apart from whatever Sunday activities might be planned and perform a few asanas. One can do so and incorporate the other schools of Yoga as well. Perform each pose with a sense of devotion (Bhakti). Between poses read a few lines of Dharmic writings (Jnana). Take no thought of any outcomes (Karma). And end your session with a short (or long) meditation (Raja).  And let us remember to express gratitude that our spiritual forebears were inspired to formulate this holistic system that proves scientifically to benefit body, mind and soul.

By Fred Stella