Yoga, our Nervous system, and our Experience of the World

We know that our experience of the world depends on the state of the nervous system. This in turn is influenced by a host of factors : heredity, diet, environment and so on. If the nervous system is fresh and rested, the body will be healthy and the mind alert and comprehensive.

As a result our thought will be powerful and clear, and our actions, which are manifested thought, will be successful and rewarding. Conversely if the system is tired or strained, perhaps because of overactivity or the influence of poor food, then our outlook will be restricted, the mind dull and our actions ineffectual. Our life will become shallow and unsatisfying, a prey to all forms of negativity.

The techniques of yoga are methods of purifying the nervous system so that it can reflect a greater degree of consciousness and our lives can become an increasingly positive force n the world. If these techniques are correctly practiced, the whole nervous system is revitalized - the body enjoys better health and more energy, the rested mind is freed from the burden of past experience, and perception is restored to primal freshness. Thought and activity become coherent and integrated, life becomes richer and more fulfilling.

Whether we choose to practice Yoga, and interpret it's benefits within the framework of a conventional set of religious beliefs is up to us. Some people do, some people don't. Yoga itself is neutral. It is a catalyst that allows us to grown in whichever direction is natural and life supporting. Its methods work on a physical seat of consciousness, the nervous system, and as far as yoga is concerned, a Hindu nervous system is no different from an Islamic or agnostic one. Each obeys the same laws that govern the operations of mind and body. Whoever practices yoga will be enlivened in his or her own way.