K.

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Kara Heugel

Dr. Brent Smith

REL 100-01

28 November 2016

Asana and Liberation in the Hindu Tradition

Yoga has been spread to all four corners of the world, but what actually is yoga? Sure,

there are lots of poses that people often do for exercise or for their own entertainment; but what

are the real physical, mental, and spiritual benefits of yoga? What is the function of yoga to the

common man and to the Hindu insider? How do the bodily positions of yoga (asana) bring about

liberation (moksha) from samsara? Through ritualistic asana, the Hindu insider is able to reside

in a sacred unseen order, with hopes of a hierophany to escape the profane seen order of the

world.

The history of yoga dates back about 5,000 years ago, to the Indian subcontinent. Though

yoga may be hard to truly date as most things of the Hindu tradition were only passed down

orally; it first appeared in the late Upanishads from a sage named Patanjali. According to the

Hindus, yoga was passed down from the gods, for man, so that they could gain immortality and

supernatural powers from its practice (Werner, Dictionary of Hinduism). In the modern world,

yoga can have many different benefits for various types of people from the Hindu, to the

Buddhist, to the athlete, to anyone looking for relaxation. However, the main purpose of yoga is
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for people to unify and focus their bodily forces for realizing their true spiritual self (Esposito

313). Yoga is also meant as a healer of different aliments whether mental, physical, or spiritual.

In yoga, there are thousands of poses for multiple different uses to heal the mind, body

and soul of any given individual who wishes to reconcile. To start to make these changes, one

must know about their chakraschakras meaning wheel or circle of life. Chakras consist of

seven main energy centers found in the body and are associated with a variety of colors, and

symbols. (Tortora, Kyle). The six main chakras are located along the spinal column of

all people: The Root Chakra (Muladhara) is located at the base of the spine, the Sacral

Chakra (Svadhisthana) is in the umbilical area, the Solar Plexus (Manipura) at the base

of the stomach, the Heart Chakra (Anahata) located in the center of the chest, the Throat

Chakra (Vishuddha) is in the throat, and the Third-Eye (Ajnakhya) is located in

between the brows. There also is a seventh chakra believed to be the Crown Chakra

or Thousand-Pedaled Lotus (Sahasrara Padma) located just above the top of the head

(Dictionary of Hindu Lore and Legend). These chakras are in control of different energies

of the body. They are controlled and affected by different asanas and gods. As stated by

Bellur Krishnamachar Sundararaja Iyengar, better known as B.K.S. Iyengar (one of the leading

yoga teachers of the world), The body has to be balanced to the level of the mind, and it should

be in part with the intelligence of the highest wisdom. He also mentioned that Each and every

fiber of (the) body, representing asana, without contortion, without distortion, without reflection

that each and every part of themshould run parallel to each other in their closed areas (CNN-

B.K.S). This is a crucial statement about the balance of the chakras and their importance of being

aligned. One must be able to control and balance their chakras in able to receive

liberation from samsara.

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Through ritualistic asana, the Hindu insider is able to reside in a sacred unseen order,

with hopes of a hierophany to escape the profane seen order of the world. Yoga can be seen as a

ritual, as rituals hold meaning through participation in structured activity (BAS). Yoga itself can

either be a very relaxed and open-minded practice or a highly structured ritual, depending on the

purpose of the partaker. A modern participator might hold the ritual of rising at five oclock in

the morning to practice their morning yoga in their living room or a gym; While the Hindu might

do yoga at multiple times a day, in a special location near the water, in specific clothing, and

only do a specific set of asanas. While the practice itself might change person to person and faith

to faith, it still can hold similar ritualistic qualities.

When a Hindu insider practices yoga, their goal is to burn up their negative karma and

receive freedom from the cycle of rebirth in samsara. Norwegian Scholar K.A. Jacobsen states

that yoga is the process in which one attains a new body (Jacobsen, Asian Philosophy). This is

what religious scholars might refer to as a hierophanywhere an insider of a religion, in this

case Hinduism, experiences a manifestation of the sacred. The practice of yoga is used as a

gateway to moksha, moksha being liberation or freedom, from the cycle of samsara (Esposito,

312). The act of moksha itself, when realized, would be a hierophany to the insider. Eliade

described a hierophany as The manifestation of something of a wholly different order, a reality

that does not belong to our world, in (objects) that are an integral part of our natural (profane)

world (Eliade, Mircea). In samsara, the world is merely secondary phenomenon- so that would

make the realization of that not of our world, as stated by Eliade.

Yoga can be performed by anyone, anywhere; but, to some, it is a major part of their

religion. To the Hindus, yoga is an imperishable science passed down by the Blesseded Lord

for
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his people, the Hindus, to use to transcend this world of secondary phenomena. (Bhagavad-Gita,

4:1, translated by Swami Prabhupada). Yoga is used to help one achieve the mindset to break

through the manufactured structure of time and place so that they can escape the cycle of rebirth

of this world and be free. This is not the only thing that needs to be done to rise above their life

here on earth, but it is still important nonetheless. The Lord Krishna of Hinduism claims that his

followers will be rewarded with moksha after they become fully committed to him, which can be

achieved through yoga.

To achieve liberation Hindus have to master many practices and overcome many

obstacles before they can move on from this world. The bodily positions of yoga (asana) help

bring out this liberation, also known as moksha, from samsara. It is through these ritualistic

asanas that the Hindu insider is able to reside in a sacred unseen order with hopes of a

hierophany to escape the profane seen order of this world. The Hindu insider must learn how to

unify and focus their bodily forces so that they can realize their true spiritual self, one way of

doing this is through their chakras. The Chakras are the main energy sources of the body that

control ones emotional well-being. These energy sources can be uplifted and suppressed by

different asanas depending on each persons need. Everyones Chakra levels and needs are

different so there is not one fix all set of asanas. One must know how to properly control their

Chakras and keep them in balance if they wish to receive liberation. World renowned yoga

teacher B.K.S. Iyengar even alluded to this with saying that The body has to be balanced to the

level of the mind, and it should be in part with the intelligence of the highest wisdom. With

religious studies concepts yoga has a very complex nature too. Yoga can be seen as a ritual, as it

holds great meaning to insiders and is a very structured activity. Hierophanies can also be a

direct or an indirect reaction to one doing yoga, this hierophany would be called moksha. One
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must free themselves from the karma of their lifetime (and possibly of previous lifetimes) so that

they may receive moksha, one way of doing this is through yoga.
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Works Cited

Chakra. (2002). In A. Dallapiccola, Dictionary of Hindu Lore and Legend, Thames &

Hudson. London, UK: Thames & Hudson.

CNN Interview with B.K.S. Iyengar. Perf. B.K.S. Iyengar and Anjali Rao. Watch the

CNN Interview with B.K.S. Iyengar. Cable News Network CNN, 3 June 2012. Web.

Eliade, Mircea. The Sacred and the Profane: The Nature of Religion. Trans. Willard R.

Trask. New York: Harcourt, Brace & World, 1959. Print.

Esposito, John L., Darrell J. Fasching, and Lewis, Todd. Chapter 6 - Hinduism. World

Religions Today. 3rd ed. New York: Oxford UP, 2009. 312. Print.

Esposito, John L., Darrell J. Fasching, and Lewis, Todd. Chapter 6 - Hinduism. World

Religions Today. 3rd ed. New York: Oxford UP, 2009. 313. Print.

Jacobsen, Knut Axel. The Meaning or Prakrti in the Yogasutra and Vyasabhasya. Asian

Philosophy, An International Journal of the Philosophical Traditions of the East 17.1 (2007).

Web.

Smith, Brent. Religious Studies Fundamental Concepts. Grand Valley State University,

Fall 2016

Swami Prabhupada, A. C. Bhaktivedanta. "Chapter 4, Verse 1." Bhagavad-Gita As It Is.

Alachua, FL: Bhaktivedanta Book Trust, 1997. Print.

Tortora, Kyle. Chakras, Colors & Hindu Gods: A Closer Look at the Hindu System.

Lotus Sculpture. N.p. 2 Nov. 2012. Web.

Werner, Karel. A Popular Dictionary of Hinduism. London, Routledge, 1997. 182. Print