The Avatār of Yoga

to re-integrate Yoga

Evolution of Yoga

Yoga indicates "integration", so Evolution of Yoga means how the complex adaptive system of Yogic Thought evolved by integrating all aspects of Yoga, which in today's world has been fragmented into various specialities, owing to applying a classic reductionist historical lens.

The Avatār of Yoga

Recall that an Avatār is an Idealized story web of concepts as sentient Beings, that when we absorb wholly, then works through us to manifest the finest expression of our full potential while it too experiences the completion of its own life Story.

Recall also that an Avatār, like any Conscious Being, is best treated with respect, which we do so fully by reversing all fragments of various Yoga branches, that we establish it as a comprehensive Mind Science applicable in all walks of Life.

Seed Stage

Before the Avatār of Yoga adapted to today’s complex societies, it had formed in the simpler societies of earlier times, when humans were enamored by the grandness of the Universe and our place in it.

This evolution progressed as Yoga became involved progressively in the following phases of human intuition:

Tantra - as a simple, charming Utility to systematize its magical effects in small tribes,
Veda - with the focused Intent to support the conduct of Vedic rituals for upholding Dharma in society,
Vedānta - with the overarching Purpose of integrating all Vedic concepts into a coherent Universe.

Nourish Stage

Then came the deep and determined practices of Hatha Yoga and Rāja Yoga.

Flourish Stage

Now, Mindfulness meditation, and manifestation, etc. are all the buzzwords, seeking to set right the industrialized mindset.

Fully Integrated

Yoga has the amazing quality that it can integrate anything into its model by aligning it rationally, stripping away the non-essentials, and eventually making it flower into the finest expression of what it could ever be, even beyond its own imagination.

As such Yoga absorbed the essentials of all of the above phases and thus we present it as a fully manifested Avatār - the ultimate body, mind, and life hacker’s toolkit for the Universe.

Although Yoga in its current form seems far removed from its distant ancestors it is in fact a continuous obvious evolution when we look at it from, of course, the lens of Yoga as a vehicle for integration.

A Story on Yoga

One of the most vibrant artistic embellishments to a gripping Itihās style story is in the form of Bhakti Yoga.

Bhakti Yoga

When an Avatār expresses itself through us, an outpouring of bliss in the form of verse, song, music, dance, art, sculpture happens.

One obvious manifestation of Bhakti is in devotional worship, and when done with full awareness of Life is called Bhakti Yoga, which is the ultimate creative expression of Creation itself!

Bhakti Yoga in its degenerated form though becomes Religion when we have not internalized the inner import and are not actually living Life to its fullest potential.

Here we are using Bhakti Yoga in its truest expression, as an embodied expression of having realized a state where there is no worshipper nor worshipped but worship alone is all there is, the bliss of embodying the story of life.

However in the highly confused globalized milieu in which we live today, what are actually (Bhakti) Yoga stories now surface as mere “religious” content because their underlying Yogic roots has been quite obscured.

Now let’s look at a simple Yoga story about Yoga itself.

A notable structure used in the literature is to map parts of a bird to aspects of the story.

Head : Jnyān Yoga - the Cosmic Self that provides leadership of Thought
Right wing: Rāja Yoga - the Embodied Mind that spreads awareness
Left wing: Hatha Yoga - the Mindful Body that energizes the practice
Body: Itihās - the essence of the Story that supports the theme
Tail: Bhakthi Yoga - the Devotional Worship that guides through Love

Once there are 4 Yogis who are walking together in the rugged countryside. They are happy to have company even though they barely tolerate each other and think that they each are the most superior.

The Jnyān Yogi feels that the others are fools, because only he knows all about Brhman

The Rāja Yogi feels that the others were stupid, because only he knows all about the Mind.

The Hatha Yogi feels that the others are not grounded in reality, because only he knows how to physically embody the Universe.

The Bhakti Yogi feels that the others are impoverished, because only he knows all about Divine Love.

As they are walking in reluctant companionship with each other, storm clouds started to loom.

This being the time for monsoons and crashing rains they decide to look for shelter, but so far from any habitation the only choice is to look for temples because even if there are no buildings there is always the chance of some old temples in the countryside.

The Bhakti Yogi knows every temple in the region and so he leads the way into the forest and lo and behold within a few minutes they come across an abandoned temple with four pillars on its corners, and a central dais that bears aloft a stone sculpture of the god of the temple well protected by a large piece of roof.

The rest of the roof is worn down though except for a tiny piece on top of each of the pillars that provides some cover.

Each of these Yogis rushes towards their own pillar, under their own little patch of roof, but the rains increases in intensity to the point that they have no choice but to get closer to the stone sculpture of the god of the temple, and under its roof they huddle, embracing it and each other, to be protected from the elements.

Darshana

Then, the Darshan happens

At that point - a flash of light emerges and the voice of the god itself speaks out to them!

Each of the Yogis is wondering that for their whole life they have been living an exemplary form of their aspect of Yoga - why is it they have never really had such an experience in this amazing moment!

And then they together realize that when all aspects are so fully integrated, that all their Chakras are fully integrated & flowing in harmony, then the Darshana happens - the vision of the totality of existence that flows forth.

Obviously, such a feeling happens only when we are receptive to the experience, however being grounded in the lens of Yoga keeps us actually grounded in reality too, and not being yanked by fantasy (Vikalpa), etc.

So it is that any Yoga story worth its salt covers all these aspects of Yoga, and it is done in a manner that gives the reader their own Darshana when fully internalized.

ps: actually since Rāja Yoga deals with the mind which can be materialized through various kriyā's and eventually even Hatha Yoga is ultimate matter - thus Gyān Yoga, Rāja Yoga, Bhakti Yoga - can be seen as the Yoga trinity to solve for integration.

Seeding the Avatār

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