An Introduction to the Psychology of Yoga

If we look at our physical body we can see the various organs and structures comprising our body and we know that if any organs or systems are not functioning well then we will become unwell. However rarely do we look at the organs enabling mental functioning and yet according to yoga we are all experiencing a fundamental dysfunction in our minds and this creates a sense of unease for all of us and has caused our loss of freedom.

So taking a closer look at the mind we can see that within yoga there are several aspects to the mind which are often spoken of collectively as just ‘the mind’:

Ahamkara

The foundation of human psychology is ahamkara meaning ‘that which is separate’; it is not the ego as such, although it contains the ego. It is the cosmic principle of difference which allows every form of consciousness to differentiate into what it is, how one snowflake is different from another, how our liver cell knows it is not an eye cell, how one type of rock forms in one location and so on. But for us it is also that principle which gives us the belief we are different from our source that ‘I am the centre of my universe’, that ‘I am reading these words’, ahamkara masquerades as the owner of everything when in truth it is actually the atman, i.e. the spiritual self, who is reading these words, atman who holds this paper and so on. This is part of Avidya or our existential ignorance, our innate mis-identification.

This sense of difference or separation, our ahamkara, is what supports all the other parts of the mind.

Manas

The manas is the conditioned sense mind, the part of us which collects information through the senses and creates thoughts and feelings. Generally the mind works in two ways either in circular fashion, one thought leading to another to another, round and round in circles or as a dot to dot type scribble, moving quickly from one thought to another in a chaotic way.

This function of the mind is subconscious, we only need to look at the flourishing advertising industry to know this, in every case they seek to channel our interest by offering us something which will improve our sense of self or give us pleasure.

Chitta

We also possess a repository or field of personal and collective unconscious thoughts, a place where our former experiences sit. This level works primarily in an automatic reactive way, which is helpful in some circumstances such as when we need to ensure our survival but which also creates a reactive type mentality so when a situation occurs we will find it will unconsciously trigger off associated thoughts and emotions from the chitta which will create our reaction.

It is the relationship between the chitta and manas which causes us to live without choice, the sense mind when face within a situation draws up information from previous experiences from chitta which will colour our actions making them habitual or conditioned. Like two wheels in a rut we cannot make a new path.

However as we access our higher potential and wisdom or consciousness expands, Chitta, as the field of Consciousness may become available to us in a more conscious way, here we can tap into all knowledge held there.

Buddhi

This part of us has different faces, different levels of functioning. It is the most conscious part of the mind, the part of us capable of discrimination.

1. It can be the part of us that determines what is good or bad through our memories, emotions or instinct operating as the higher part of the manas. Here we may simply be deciding whether to take an umbrella if the sky appears cloudy.

2. It can be the part of us that is reasoning or rational, considering our own ethical or perhaps aesthetic values.

3. It can be the part of us that lies beyond self-interest, which acts according to Pure Truth as opposed to even the social and ethical traditions of society.

Now if we take it that we are here to act and express ourselves or should I better say so the soul can act and express itself, and eventually come to know itself, lets see how our mental faculties may be working:

Example One

Here we are reacting unconsciously in a completely conditioned manner. If we think of the most extreme types of behaviour then we can see this very clearly. For instance an addict will eventually sever his link to his ethical values or conscience and begin to steal to fund his addiction or someone suffering from obsessive-compulsive disorders where they are unthinkingly acting in a certain manner. We all act in this way giving the mind and unconscious chitta the upper-hand.

Example Two

In the second example we are now using our faculty of the Buddhi. Here the manas has taken its more natural role as a servant rather than as a master. The Buddhi now acts as a kind of doorkeeper deciding upon our eventual choices, indeed choice becomes a possibility. We are living consciously with awareness.

The ahamkara, manas, chitta and buddhi are the organs of the mind.

Karma

There is however another very important element to bring in, that of the Law of Cause and Effect or Karma. This natural law says everything we think, do, say and feel will inevitably have a consequence, the intention and the action we perform will create our future experience.

We are told the soul or Atman sits close to the body until the seventh month of gestation when it enters the body. The Soul brings with it all the vasana or mental tendencies from previous births, these are formed when habitual thoughts and behaviour, known as samskara, have become fixed. The vasana will sit within the casual subtle body of our current incarnation and colour the experience of life. As we live our lives, from moment to moment, we will be experiencing the result of previous karma and at the same time be creating samkara and eventually vasana.

Significantly whenever it is the principle of ahamkara behind our intentions or actions we will inevitably create positive or negative samkaras driven by our need to seek pleasure and avoid pain. In this way this mechanism sits at the heart of the cycle of death and rebirth determining our experience of life.

So hopefully we can begin to see how our yoga practices aid in our return to the Self.

Karma yoga

We have already seen how it is the nature of the Soul is to express itself, be in relationship to other and to act and Karma Yoga is primarily concerned with consciously working with how we act within the world, indeed with what attitude or intention we bring to any action. In this world we must act, if only to feed and clothes ourselves, action is inevitable, so we can choose to consciously act from a selfless attitude and if we act from the starting point of how we can best serve the world around us disregarding our own likes and dislikes, our own desires then our transformation begins. Remember every action or thought can be neutral, pure or impure – it is up to us which we choose.

To go further when a challenging circumstance arises if we can see it terms of karma, then we can meet this situation with equanimity, welcoming it as a way to learn a new way of wholeness and through this acceptance we will inevitably grow in wisdom, freedom and joy. Karma can be our greatest teacher is we allow it to be so!

The Bhagavad Gita is an excellent source of information on Karma Yoga but it is never the intellectual understanding creating transformation rather the practical application.

In terms of our structure of the mind through karma yoga what are we doing?

We are moving away from ahamkara and we are reducing our reliance upon chitta. We are no longer creating samskara if we act selflessly or at the very least create positive samskara. We are developing the highest form of Buddhi. We are creating true inner freedom and peace, aligning ourselves with the qualities of the Soul.

Bhakti yoga

Here we direct our mental and emotional energies upon our representation of the Divine, which inherently contains the qualities of our Soul. We determine that the whole of life is part of the Divine. When we look at another person we see beyond their personality and recognize the Divine, or Atman within. In this way we begin to transform our attitude and intentions so every action becomes a reflection of the Divine qualities we seek to possess. Remember we will ultimately receive what we give, we will become that which we place our attention upon even our faculty of the sense mind will start to take the shape of that it is exposed to.

In terms of the structure of the mind what are we doing?

We are again moving away from ahamkara, our reliance upon chitta, no longer creating negative samskara, developing the highest form of Buddhi. We are creating true inner freedom and peace aligning ourselves with the qualities of the Soul.

Jnana yoga

This is the type of yoga where we work directly with the Buddhi, we go through the process of sharpening our discrimination in order to perceive the true nature of reality. We spend time contemplating what we are not in order to discern what we are. In this way the veil of avidya or ignorance is removed. In the final analysis however the Jnana Yogi will have to release the intellect since we can only experience the Atman, the Self, is by its very nature a state of being rather than a mental construct.

In terms of the structure of the mind what are we doing?

We are developing our Buddhi faculty directly so we become consciously aware of the workings of the organs comprising the mind and in this way they lose their power to dictate to us. Eventually we may realize the Self.

Raja yoga

The Classical or Royal Path of Yoga possesses many steps leading us to meditation and the possibility of the final state of Self-Realization. It is the Royal Path since the very act of meditation leads us directly into a state of Being, the state of the Atman or Soul. The process is well defined, it utilizes our natural state of living in the world where we have a set of values, reflected in our posture and activities , creating a certain pattern of inner energy. We place our attention on specific things, focusing upon them until even in everyday life we become absorbed by them. This natural flow is utilized by Raja Yoga although here we more consciously choose the object of our attention

We consciously determine our activities, what we expose the manas and senses to, what attitudes we bring to the forefront of our attention, to develop these are the outer facing practices. We refine our body, mind and subtle energies to help us achieve the inner practices, our ability to consciously direct our attention, to eventually become absorbed with the Infinite, the Eternal.

In terms of the structure of the mind what are we doing?

We are attending to all aspects of the mind!

Hatha yoga

We must not forget that the mind and the body work together, if the body is agitated so is the mind and if the mind is agitated so the body, what is common to both? It is prana so hatha yoga works directly upon the Life Force, Prana, in order to refine the body and mind. This path leads us Raja Yoga. Through the practices of Hatha Yoga, a door opens so our consciousness can become more sattvic, i.e we experience an increase in awareness and an heightening of energy. This is said to be an organic natural occurrence achieved through intense practice, the door opens to our Buddhi and state of Being. This largely tantric type of yoga can however easily lead to an intensification of the identification with the body and the mind; we need to be prepared to release ahamkara.

So how can an understanding of the anatomy of the mind be helpful to us?

We can begin to better understand the central concepts of Yoga and apply them for ourselves. Remembering:

v We are all suffering from avidya, existential ignorance

v We have forgotten our True Nature, Atman

v We identify with the transitory mind and body

The key to liberation is for the mind to become our servant rather than our master, to go beyond the mind to a state of Being. “Tat tvam Asi” Thou art That