Back To Basics

आसनं कुम्भकं छित्रं मुद्राख्यं करणं तथा |
अथ नादानुसन्धानमभ्यासानुक्रमो हठे || ५८ ||

āsanaṃ kumbhakaṃ chitraṃ mudrākhyaṃ karaṇaṃ tathā |
atha nādānusandhānamabhyāsānukramo haṭhe || HYP 1.58 ||

Asana, the varieties of kumbhaka, practices called mudras and concentration on the inner sound (nada) comprise the sequence of hatha yoga – Swami Muktibodhananda

In the current state of the world, technology reigns supreme. Complex technical gadgets, machines, tools and services are designed and marketed primarily for one purpose – to simplify our life.

We have developed many of these machines to replace some basic things in life – and maybe replaced humans themselves in certain areas. With all the excitement of a simplified life we can now even take yoga classes online, listen to any song almost instantly, video call friends and relatives across the world and quickly search for the best vegan restaurants in a city totally foreign to us.

As technology advances there is no stopping the pursuit of a simplified state of living. Although being steady and at ease is what our yoga posture should look like, there is always the temptation to chase more advanced postures or practice wild sequences and cool transitions. As a consumer or customer in this simplified tech world there can be the fear of falling behind, it could be as simple as forgetting a password, needing a new update, connection malfunction or not being up to speed on the latest social news and events worldwide. With the simplified life comes the temptation and attachment to staying engaged with this technological world and the constant need to do and have more. If there is anything yoga can teach us it can be that basic doesn’t mean easy and complex doesn’t always mean better.

Yoga is described as the state in which you are missing nothing. No password, no smartphone, no wifi, crypto, EV, payWave or sat-nav. Sounds like a reprieve. A yoga practice can be basic; the Haṭha Pradīpikā – a popular medieval text on yoga – describes purification through a combination of āsana, prānāyāma, mudra, bandha and deep listening. The text also lists other basic practices such as chanting the name of God, seeking a teacher, speaking and causing no harm to others, contentment, cleanliness and forgiveness. Even a simple vegetarian diet that is neither too salty, spicy or stale is suggested. Sometimes the hardest part of the yoga practice (even when simple) can be to include the practice itself and sometimes going back to the basics is the challenge.

We all find ourselves distracted, disrupted, tired or sick. Hopefully we can use technology to simplify our life and schedule to help make time for our yoga practice, rather than distracting us further from it. A basic yoga practice can be challenging for the ego – the sense of Self – as a test of who you think you are and where you have come from mirrored with the idea of where you would like to go. The idea of an ‘advanced’ āsana practice isn’t necessarily fast-paced and contortionist but actually comes with the appearance of making things ‘look easy’ because the basics of the body and posture has been mastered.

Today we might associate the word basic as something negative or when someone or something is ‘out of touch’. For example, the accommodation at the ashram was very basic or the menu options at the cafe were basic.

We don’t need to be so basic that we turn away from this simplified technological life, after all a jīvanmukta is one who is liberated in this world. Instead of a negative association, what if we purposely went back to being basic, not to the stone age or a primordial existence but to experience simplicity and see it as a positive thing. A chance to return to a place in our lives, in the world, in our yoga practice where we may have missed something or forgotten why something is done – a vinyāsa practice is something that is done on purpose. An āsana suddenly opens up new experiences when it is approached in a different way or with the help of props or specific alignment clues and maybe even a partner to assist. Chanting does not always have to be in beautiful melodies but instead with sincerity, correct pronunciation and love. A meal can be a simple combination of vegetables and grains and can be eaten in a simplified way – one that is not distracted by television or smartphone – or better yet a meal that is created as an offering for someone else and enjoyed with the company of others in person, not through a screen.

There are many ways in which our yoga practice – and life – can be more basic, without feeling the strain of ‘missing out’ or falling behind. Perhaps it time to empty the cup of all we know and start again, with a new appreciation and maybe even a sense of ease. It’s time to go back to basics.

– Doug Whittaker