MIND AND CONSCIOUSNESS
Mind, called as “MANN” in the Hindi language, is the only source with which we have the ability to do different, do better than other living creatures on this planet.
Without the sensory data that we gather, there is no mind. The mind develops from gathering sensory data from its contact with the external world. Such sensory information that is gathered colors the mind and generates, in turn, desires. Desires lead to action. Action leads to impressions and impressions to fresh desires.
Feelings cannot be treated separately from the states of consciousness. “Knowing” and “feeling” are but two aspects of the modifications of the same entity- the Chitta. Gunas or the ultimate constituents of the material life are themselves “feeling stuff”. There is a lot of play of feelings involved in our mental life. Latent memories of such feelings become the prime movers in making up the evolution of the gunas.
Gunas evolve and cause a variety of our experiences. Though it is the gunas that create all these experiences, they themselves are neutral.
Is yoga connected to the mind or the body? If the mind, then how is it connected to the mind?
- Yoga is the union of mind, body, and soul.
- Yoga is more concerned with the psychological aspect of the mind than the purely physical aspects. In fact, Yoga, unlike modern psychology, is not interested in the utilitarian aspect of exploiting the mind for material gains but is rather interested in disciplining the mind to reach the very ultimate source of knowledge.
- It is the speciality of Yoga that it tries to understand all human endeavours, joys and sorrows from the point of view of the identification of awareness with the mental states. To be exact, the entire technology of Yoga should be viewed from this point viz. that of creating a greater understanding of the source of awareness and thus avoiding identification with the ever-changing mental states.
Hence, the yoga is done by using the body, to attain a clarity in the mind of who we are, accept ourselves, and also to be present at the moment.