Decolonizing Yoga

Manisha Malhotra, featuring special guest Anantha Ellathur

We’ve often heard that yoga means union. The union of what, you ask? The union of the Self with Ishwara, the mind and the body, the soul and the super-soul (Paramatma). However, I’ve often asked myself, isn’t this union already present? Anantha Ellathur, a revered yoga teacher in India, answered my question as follows,

“Yoga is not a philosophy or thought process or somebody’s idea. Yoga is the way the creation and life functions... the truth of creation. Yoga is Union. This union already exists. But because of various reasons or Kleshas (afflictions),which are explained in the sutras, this union is misplaced. Yoga is the journey to get back to that union with Ishwar. So, I look at it as a reunion.”

Yoga sutras are the fountainhead of yoga philosophy, written by Maharishi Patanjali and commented upon by multiple authors, these sutras contain the essence and soul of the philosophy. Yoga is divided into the following eight parts:

1. Yama – external discipline

2. Niyama – internal discipline

3. Asana - postures

4. Pranayama – breath regulation

5. Dhyana – meditation or concentration

6. Dharana – confinement of the mind

7. Pratyahara – regulation of the sensory faculties.

8. Samadhi – Union or integration

Yoga is not just philosophy or aasanas, it is a school of thought or Darshana and functions as one of the 6 darshanas of Sanatana Dharma, sometimes referred to as Hinduism. The word Darshana is derived from the Sanskrit word root Drs, explains revered Anantha Ellathur, which translates as to see. Darshana is, thus, a way of seeing or a point of view. As one of the Darshnas, Yoga has its origin in the Vedas, the oldest record of Sanatan philoshophy. It was systematised as a Darshana by Maharshi Patanjali in the form of Yogsutras.

Yoga gives us multiple paths to move closer to God, Ishwar or Brahman. “Sanatan Dharma puts forward the fact that the soul is eternal and guides us towards our karmic fulfilment without any desire for rewards. An amalgamation of science, philosophy and culture, the path that leads us to be on this journey is explained in the Yogdarshan”, explains Anantha Ellathur.

Maharishi Patanjali compiled three great works, one of which was the Yogdarshan. However, his expertise doesn’t end there. Maharishi Patanjali wrote a commentary on Panini’s Ashtadhyaya called Mahabhashya, which is a work in the field of Sanskrit Grammar. In the field of Ayurveda, he wrote a commentary on the Charaka Samhita. Each of these works display Patanjali’s polymath mind and his genius.

Anantha ji furthers her thoughts with, “To explain Yoga, I will be referring to the teachings of Patanjali’s Yogasutras, which is a guide to yogic practice. Personally, I prefer this text because it focuses on the mind, what the qualities are and how we can influence it. It also allows me to implement the philosophy into my asana practice.”

“The Yoga Sūtra of Patañjali is a collection of Sanskrit Sutras or Aphorisms that explain the theory and practice of Yoga. There are 196 sutras in this text. The Sanskrit word Sutra means a string. These sutras are strung together and should be read and contemplated upon in clusters and not independently. Every cluster carries a concept. The 8 components of Ashtanga Yoga are not explained in one Adhyay.. the first four are explained in Sadhana Pada and the last three are explained in Vibhuti Pada. This text is divided into 4 chapters - Samadhi Pada, Sadhana Pada, Vibhuti Pada and Kaivalya Pada.”

“Just like The Gita where Shri Krishna just spoke the words but later they were grouped into Adhyays or chapters... The Yogasutras have been written this way for easy understanding...There is no solid line demarcating them.”

“An important concept in Patanjali’s Yogasutras has to do with the way we perceive the events that happen in our lives, and the Sutras explain why we find ourselves in some difficult situations.

Every time one reads this great text, there is that much more to learn. I have been studying this text for the last ten years and I think I have not even touched the tip of the iceberg as yet. What I understand today changes tomorrow. This is because when I implement the wisdom that is taught in these Sutras, I am evolving and growing closer to getting rid of the layers of accumulated latent impressions or Samskaaras and the Kleshas or suffering that arise due to the Samskaaras and move closer to realising the Self.”

Perhaps, this could be the first step to decolonisation of yoga : a deep study of the Yogsutras of Maharishi Patanjali. However, one needs to bear in mind that it is not just a simple study that will bring forth a deep understanding but a spiritual realisation that is called for to fully comprehend the breadth of Maharishi Patanjali’s great work. As a yoga teacher in training, I have found that the syllabus prescribed by the Yoga Alliance simply calls for the Sutras to be shared, not discussed in detail. While there is a detailed explanation of Ashtanga Yoga, I do not think that I will be any form of expert in the Yogsutras themselves once I have completed my training. It is such critique that we, as yoga teachers, must pass on to the Yoga Alliance, beckoning them to include a detailed discussion of the sutras in their syllabus which prepares generations of young and mature people to become yoga teachers. Without the source of yoga, there cannot be a complete yoga teacher, in my opinion.

The second step to decolonising yoga could be a detachment from the commercialisation and patenting of different yoga forms. While it completely acceptable and recommended that one develops new forms of yoga after becoming a teacher and studying the Yogsutras in detail; the aim of commercialising it seems materialistic which goes against the central tenets of yoga.

The third step to decolonising yoga is to practice whole-heartedly and scripturally to attain liberation or Moksha through the eight limbs of yoga. In addition to this, we must encourage our students to do the same and learn Sanskrit in order to properly interpret the sutras. While Sanskrit isn’t the easiest of languages to learn, in my opinion, one shouldn’t read Shakespeare without knowing English in the first place.

The fourth and final step to decolonising yoga, could be bringing our knowledge of the sutras to the forefront and discussing it with the world. However, we must do this with a sense of wanting to discuss not propagate. For propagation can lead to materialistic desires and once again ignite latent impressions or Samskaras and perhaps even cause Kleshas or suffering, as Anantha Ellathur has said.

Finally, I’d like to leave the reader with one of my favourite quotes from Anantha Ellathur, “A repeated chanting of yoga sutras has the potential to reveal the message that is present in the sutra and can, if put into practice, transform us.”