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Super Science of Yoga

Book · January 2008

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Kamakhya Kumar
Uttarakhand Sanskrit University, Haridwar, India
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Introduction

Part I: Historical Study of Yoga

 Evolution of Yoga
 History of Yoga
 Traditions of Yoga
 Yoga in Vedic Literature
 Yoga in Tantric Scriptures
 Yoga in Upaniśads
 Yogic Principle of the Yoga Vāśistha
 Yogic Knowledge in the Gitā
 Samkhya Philosophy & Yoga
 Vedanta & Yoga
 Ayurveda & Yoga
 Jain Philosophy & Yoga
 Buddhism & Yoga

Part II: Different Systems of Yoga

 What is Yoga
 Bhakti Yoga
 Jñān Yoga
 Karma Yoga
 Rāja Yoga
 Hatha Yoga
 Dhyān Yoga
 Mantra Yoga
 Kundalini Yoga
 Integral Yoga
 Bihār Yoga
 Pragyā Yoga

Part III: Applied form of Yoga

 Importance of Yoga
 Rules and regulation in Yoga
 Yoga for healthy Person
 Yoga for Children and Adolescent
 Yoga for Women
  Yoga for Aged people
 Yoga for Stressed and Insomniac
 Yoga for Depressed People
 Yoga for Hypertensive People
 Heart Disease & Yoga
 Diabetes Mellitus & Yoga
 Asthma & Yoga
 Obesity & Yoga
 Spinal Problem & Yoga
 Arthritis & Yoga
 Digestive disorder & Yoga

Part IV: Practice of Yoga

 Common instructions for the practice

 Joints loosening Practices
 Anti gastric Practices
 Energizing Practices
 Specific Practices
 Pragyā Yoga Vyāyām
 Surya Namaskār
 Meditative Postures
 Body Strengthening Practices
 Prānāyāms
 Śatkarmas
 Savitā Dhyān
 So – Ham Sādhana
 Yoga – Nidrā
 Foreword

Yoga is a comprehensive and precisely live tuned process of uniting

the individual consciousness with the omnipresent cosmic
consciousness. Understanding the spiritual nature and philosophy of
yoga is certainly more important than its gross applications. It is a total
science of strengthening and improving the physical, mental, and
spiritual state of being. The great Yogis gave rational interpretation of
their experiences about Yoga and brought a practically sound and
scientifically prepared method within every one’s reach.

Yoga through repeated experiments throughout its history of more

than 9,000 years came to the conclusion that consciousness is the most
fundamental essence of creation at macrocosmic as well as
microcosmic level. This viewpoint has been formed not through
pronouncements of a single individual but is the result of profound
investigation by a number of seers and sages of the Vedas,
independently through tapas since aeons. What they did through their
tapas was not only introspection but by diving deep within themselves
and saw however everything tangible was explicable in terms of
consciousness. This consciousness pervaded not only in their psychic
being but also in their vitality, physicality also the entire cosmos and
each manifestation is pervaded by it. Yoga aims at right discernment
and constant mindfulness so that one acquires one’s true nature. This is
aided through mindful practice of Pranayama which culminates into
pratyahara, dhyana and finally into Samadhi.

As per evidences available Yoga was in limelight during Prevedic

period than it was brought into the structural form. The essence of
Yoga is available in Vedic scriptures and Upanishads. It brought down
to common man during Epic and Tantric period. Several philosophers
and Yogis contributed allot to simplify the transcendental science into
an acceptable form. The great contribution came from Maharshi
Patanjali, Lord Buddha, Sankaracharya, Sri Aurobindo and Sw.
Vivekananda.

Yogakalpadrum states that knowledge can be attained from Yoga and

it is the supreme penance. This state which is attainable through yoga
cannot be attained through severe austerity, prayer and performance of
sacrifice, therefore, one should practice yoga only with a view to get
rid of the duality which binds and one to this world and causes
restlessness leading to psychosomatic problems. Yoga arrests this
restlessness and brings tranquillity.

Yoga also in the field of consciousness holds supremacy which tries to

bring social harmony by understanding that one reality exists in all.
Yogis through the tool of yoga, unfold the mystery of this universe and
thus acquire knowledge to its minuteness. The knowledge of Yoga was
in limelight

Today the whole world is behind Yoga looking from various angles to
extract the benefits so that one can become healthy and happy. Several
scholars during last few decades making efforts to bring this science to
a common people by conducting standardised clinical traits and
various philosophical research, so that the essence of this ancient
wisdom shall made about easy to the common people.

Dr. Kamakhya Kumar in this book traces the history and evolution
of Yoga and brings out the essence of Yoga from various tradition of
yoga starting from prevedic period. He not only emphasises the
philosophical knowledge of Yoga, but also bring the applied form of
Yoga which is the unique contribution of Dr. Kumar. which will prove
to a milestone for researchers and students of yoga to understand the
system.

The present volume of Super Science of Yoga will definitely help the
academician to know the history and development and applied form of
Yoga. He clearly enunciates how practice of asanas Pranayamas and
different yogic practices removes diseases and brings stability, health
to the body and as has been rightly said Jabaladarshnopanishad that
one, who has established control over the asanas, conquers the three
worlds.

Pranayama enhances and balances the pranas, once they have been
regulated; the mind comes under its control, since prana is the first to
originate from consciousness and finally merges into consciousness
itself. The real pranayama is that when the yogi becomes mindful of
the subtle vibrations created by the prana and with its aid attains to the
real nature of prana.

Dr. Ishwar V. Basavaraddy

 Preface

The importance of yoga is in its amenability to rendering the entire

content of the human psychology in terms of consciousness. No doubt
scriptures produced world over have contributed to the moderation of
human psychology so as to check his inherent violent nature
throughout the ages. If there had not been check of this nature in the
form of scriptural prescriptions, man would have left the world in
havoc. Today man is faced with the practical utilities of science which
has negated the utility, appeal, value of these scriptures. In this process
of evaluation, modern psychology has played an important role.
Physical science abstained itself from entering into the domain of
spirituality had not psychology attacked the inherent consciousness
and sided with physical sciences exclusively to explain the
phenomenon of consciousness as a by-product of the physical like the
Carvakas. Man finding himself defenceless took resort to faith and
declared it as inviolable but this inviolability has also been shaken and
sooner or later it, too, has to give way to thorough analysis for its
tenability. In this exercise, faith does not seem to have any bright
future on account of its sheer non-rationality.

Herein lies the advantage of Vedic yoga since its entire structure is
based on consciousness as the basic stuff of creation in all its forms
and varieties. Vedic seers by means of deep meditation were able to
see through everything, howsoever gross and mightily tangible it may
be, as a formation of consciousness. This has been finding of not one
or two seers, but of many seers, living over a million square kilometre
of the Indian soil for thousands of years in isolated groups sequestered
from one another by considerable distance hurdled with rivers, forests
and wild animals, etc. Despite of all these points of distraction, their
common concurrence on consciousness as the essential stuff of
creation is astounding and much more than the modern physicist’s
discovery regarding convertibility of matter into energy. While the
physicist’s discovery boosted the effort of the psychologist to create a
psychology with matter as its basic stuff, the Vedic seers left the entire
legacy of consciousness as the same sort of stuff to think of the
possibility of formulating a psychology of the psyche.

When we study the present situation, we find that the modern

psychology reigning between the tension of opposites, namely the real
and the ideal. The real is our past animal nature, pulling us back to
itself in the form of instinctive drives while the ideal is our effort to
make adjustment in the mode of fulfilment of our instinctive drives so
as to conform to the social norms of the day. The animal nature is self-
seeking while the ideal conforms to the social norms, requiring
moving beyond sheer self-interest so as to concede to the requirements
of others involved in the given situation, be they members of family,
neighbours, classmates, colleagues, or any sort of people who have an
interest to be shared with. It is only around this point that the modern
psychology is moving under different denominations, behavioural,
transactional, industrial, educational, marital, psychoanalytical, to
name just a few. The interaction of the opposites creates tension while
the psychologist is seeking to remove the same through adjustments
and readjustments. The adjustments and readjustments are tried upon
under the presumption that both the real and the ideal have a common
origin the physical. Thus, a modern psychologist removes, sets and
resets psychological factors as per requirements of given situations and
he has nothing to think about beyond this adjustments and
readjustments. On account of having adopted the norm of physical
sciences, the modern psychology envisages the human life as a
machine to be kept on working properly unmindful of any aim or
objective before it in any sense. If a living being, particularly a human
begins to be treated as a machine, how can it be expected to have an
objective of its own apart from its amenability to exploitation by its
owner?

If the human conscience is left with anything alive in it that seeks

fulfilment, it can be fulfilled through Vedic yoga and can have the joy
of that fulfilment in abundance without turning anywhere else. This is
due to its basic postulate of consciousness as the source and essence of
everything. According to it even the instinctive life can be explained in
terms of consciousness as its source and basis. Explanation for it is to
be found in concentricity of consciousness, i.e. consciousness in the
form of individual consciousness. It needs to be understood that
consciousness is prone as much to concentricity as to extensity. As has
been said by Ksemaraja in his commentary on Spanda-karika, “The
creative power of consciousness is always engaged in exercising her
energy in enjoying the taste of manifestation and yet her energy is
never depicted. She is the wave of the ocean of consciousness, the
volitional power of the Consciousness.”

This absolute power of consciousness though non-distinct from the

Consciousness goes on presenting the entire cycle of manifestation and
withdrawal on its own background like the reflection of a city in a
mirror and this power is of nature of consciousness is known creative
pulsation of consciousness. This pulsation or throb holds in her womb
endless cycles of creation and dissolution, which is of the nature of the
entire world of the pure and the impure and exhibits limitation and
expansion of subjects and objects which is simultaneously of the
nature of emanation and absorption. This creative power of
consciousness is simultaneously of the nature of display and
suppression even while she displays perception like colour, form, or
internal perception like pleasure, pain, etc. she suppresses the real
nature of her identity with the perceiver by bringing about suppression
of the previously perceived. In concentricity of consciousness, the rise
of the empirical thought-constructs obstructs the nature of
consciousness and thus the empirical being loses his independence.
This rise of empirical thought-constructs only brings the experience of
sound, form, colour, taste, smell and touch.

Ksemaraja explains differently this concept of concentricity in his

commentary on Pratyabhijnahrdayam. He states, “Concentricity of
consciousness is an exalted power of absolute consciousness by
concealing its real nature it accepts contraction or limitation.”

The methods of Yoga can be pursued without recourse to any dogma,

and they require the same rigour as science insists, namely,
observation, experimentation, and verification by repeatable
experience. Yoga can be looked upon as the experiential basis for
philosophical speculations and conclusions, and if rightly used, Yoga
can be a bridge between philosophy and science.

Yoga claims that it has developed methods, which can deal with the
supra-physical as rigorously and as objectively as modern science
deals with physical phenomena. Yoga claims that its methods can deal
both with the physical and supra-physical, and, if needed and
encouraged it could develop an integral science of both the physical
and supra-physical and their interrelationship.

Our ancient literature and the Indian Philosophy are pregnant with
Yogic Sciences. Unfortunately for non-Sanskrit-knowing people, the
literature of Yoga is not largely available in English. The general
teachings of Yoga are to be found in the Upanishads, and the
Bhagavad-Gita; those, in many translations, are within your reach, but
they are general, not special; they give you the main principles, but do
not tell you about the methods in any detailed way.

The special literature of Yoga is, first of all, many of the minor
Upanishads, "the hundred-and-eight" as they are called. Then comes
the enormous mass of literature called Tantra. These books have an
evil significance in the ordinary English ear, but not quite rightly. The
Tantras are very useful books, very valuable and instructive; all occult
science is to be found in them. But they are divisible into three classes:
those that deal with white magic, those that deal with black magic, and
those that deal with what we may call grey magic, a mixture of the
two. Now magic is the word which covers the methods of deliberately
bringing about super-normal physical states by the action of the will.

Through the sound practice of Yoga, one can attain a disease free body
as well as keen intellect. Yogasikha Upanishad mentions that this body
is the abode of Siva, hence, a yogi considers the body as a temple and
keeps it healthy for further development of consciousness.

When one practises asana, Pranayama, pratyahara, dharana, dhyana,

through constant awareness, he penetrates the annamaya, pranamaya,
manomaya and anandamaya kosas - physical, vital, mental, supremely
conscious and blessed.

Asana is a great help in the penetration of the physical. This, however,

needs to be duly accompanied by meditation instead of being allowed
to remain barely physical. Pranasandhana is meant specifically for the
penetration and transcendence of the vital. So does pratyahara in
regard to the mental. The vijnanamaya, on the other hand, is
penetrated through reflective awareness of the witnessing
consciousness. It opens the gate of the citadel of consciousness and
bliss, anandamaya which culminates into all-inclusive consciousness.

The need of the situation is to bring them in a practical form. This is a

simple effort to fulfil the demand of the situation, with the hope that
people having interest in Yoga, students and teachers of Yogic studies
will find it as a reference book.

Dr. Kamakhya Kumar

 About the Author

Dr. Kamakhya Kumar is a Post Graduate in

Applied Yogic Science from Bihar Yoga Bharti,
T.M.B.University, Bhagalpur. He has got the
doctorate in the auspicious presence of President
of India (Dr. A.P.J.Abdul Kalam) in the area of
Yogic Science for the work “Psycho-physiological
Changes as Related to Yoga Nidra.

He has worked for past five years with the Dev Sanskriti
Vishwavidyalaya as lecturer in the Department of Human
Consciousness and Yogic Science. Now he is working as chief
coordinator of Yoga Arogya Polyclinic at the same Institution

He has to his credit publications in the form of Books on Yogic

Science (including Yoga Chikitsa Sandarshika, Yoga Therapy and
Yoga Mahavigyan), and a number of research papers in National and
International Journals. He has also delivered lectures for various
institutions and broadcasted a series of talks on All India Radio. He is
guiding Ph. D and short Researches in different Universities.

kamakhya.kumar@gmail.com

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