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The Mind Body Connection
By Yogi Amrit Desai
Visit www.AmritYoga.org
Performing yoga postures as a physical exercise relieves many physical problems. However, ongoing problems that are introduced from the mental and emotional aspects remain unresolved because they have not been addressed. The origin of most problems we encounter in the physical body are actually mental and emotional in nature. Yoga that is exclusively physical ignores the root cause or source of the problem.
It is like plucking the poisonous fruits and pruning branches to kill the tree, rather than destroying the roots that feed the fruits and branches. To truly get in touch with the source of the problem, indepth yoga not only removes the physical blocks, but also simultaneously cultivates consciousness. This consciousness dispenses the old habits, attitudes and fears that constantly introduce new stresses and reinforce the old ones.
When we act, we function on two planes simultaneously—physical and mental. These two planes interact and participate in any single action, which may be either predominantly physical or predominantly mental. In a predominantly physical action, such as the performance of yoga postures, not only do you encounter physical blocks, but also mental and emotional blocks.
The mental resistance caused by the fear of pain subtly triggers a defensive tension or an attempt to prevent pain. This form of fear first provokes a mental dialogue. It is then reflected as tightening of the muscles. If we fail to consciously release fear in the mental sphere, it prevents us from releasing it in the physical sphere. The mental and the physical—they live in a deeply intimate relationship inside every action and perception. There is no such thing as a purely physical act.
Any attempt to encounter and eliminate physical blocks without the creative conscious participation of the mental and emotional bodies greatly diminishes the impact of yoga. All of our perceptions and actions—physical or mental—are representative of the body and mind acting as a unit.
This means our mental and emotional inhibitions show up in the body as reduced physical endurance and strength. In turn, our physical blocks and weaknesses show up as limitations in mental capacity. Our body is a gross mind and our mind is a subtle body
It is impossible to isolate the practice of yoga as an exclusively body-based discipline. To practice yoga as merely physical exercise lessens the powerful energy generated by integrating the forces of the body and mind to act as a unit. The union of body and mind is the purpose of the practice of yoga.
Most systems of yoga have failed to recognize that many illnesses which appear in the body are caused in the mind. The stress that is registered and discovered in the body is first born in the mental plane. Even as you practice yoga postures to erase tensions in the body, the mind often unconsciously goes on introducing new defensive tensions by reacting unconsciously reinforcing old fears.
