Physical Yoga and Austerities

Questions:

If the goal is to seek something which is beyond physical, why is it that more stress is given to different asana postures in the yoga practices?

Each person is different with a different history from the past and present lives. Consider what it would be like if humanity began with a precision ball bearing in an oxcart, instead of a crude non-symmetrical wood stub as the axis of the wheel. How would that be?

Consider the future, say in one thousand years. People travels in cars which use radio frequencies for car axles. Let us project ourselves into that future time and question those people like this:

Why did you human beings not do this in the beginning? Why did you have wooden pegs for shafts long ago? What was the purpose of that?

Asana postures was done by advanced yogins who perfected yoga practice and whom we cannot compare ourselves to, despite our modern situation. Patanjali and others mentioned asana postures. We could have faith in their suggestions about that and practice.

However, since currently we assumed a physical body and since the subtle body (suksha sharira) is interspaced and is reliant on the physical system, it may make sense to use that physical system to better target the subtle body.

One other way to look at this is to say to yourself. What am I required to do for achieving advanced practice? The answer to that question about be final.

Yoga requires renouncing various comforts of life (like moderation of food, celibacy, etc.). Does it come effortlessly when someone is devoted to practices or first efforts are made to control them and then we move on to the practices?

The renunciation of comforts to facilitate yoga, come naturally for some persons and it a large effort for others. It depends on what was achieved in past lives, and how that content of practice, or skill of practice, shifted over into the new body when one assumed it from the parents.

If much content shifted, then the yogi will find that the austerities are natural but if it is not, he/she will have to endeavors strenuously to make the austerities a habit in this life.

There is a verse in Bhagavad Gita which supports this:

śrībhagavān — the Blessed Lord; uvāca — said; pārtha — O son of Pṛthā; naiveha = na — either + eva — indeed + iha — here on earth; namutra = na — nor + amutra — above in the celestial regions; vināśaḥ — loss; tasya — his; vidyate — it is realized; na — not; hy (hi) — indeed; kalyāṇakṛt — performer of pious acts; kaścid — anyone; durgatiṁ — into misfortune; tāta — O ideal one; gacchati — goes down permanently

The Blessed Lord said: O son of Pṛthā, it is realized that neither here on earth nor above in the celestial regions, does the unaccomplished yogi lose his skill. Indeed, O dear Arjuna, no performer of virtuous acts, goes down permanently into misfortune. (6.40)

prāpya — obtaining; puṇyakṛtām — of the performer of virtuous acts; lokān — celestial places; uṣitvā — having lived; śāśvatīḥ — many, many; samāḥ — years; śucīnām — of the purified person; śrīmatām — of the prosperous person; gehe — in the social circumstance; yogabhraṣṭo = yogabhraṣṭaḥ — fallen from yoga; 'bhijāyate = abhijāyate — is born

After obtaining the celestial places where the virtuous souls go, having lived there for many, many years, the fallen yogi is born into the social circumstances of the purified and prosperous people. (6.41)

atha vā — alternately; yoginām — of the yogi; eva — indeed; kule — in the family situation; bhavati — is born; dhīmatām — of the enlightened people; etad — this; dhi = hi — indeed; durlabhataram — difficult to attain; loke — in this world; janma — birth; yad — which; īdṛśam — such

Alternately, he is born into a family of enlightened people. But such a birth is very difficult to attain in this world. (6.42)

tatra — there; tam — it; buddhisaṁyogam — cumulative intellectual interest; labhate — inspired with; paurvadehikam — from a previous birth; yatate — he strives; ca — and; tato = tataḥ — from that time; bhūyaḥ — again; saṁsiddhau — to perfection; kuru-nandana — O dear son of the Kurus

In that environment, he is inspired with the cumulative intellectual interest from a previous birth. And from that time, he strives again for yoga perfection, O dear son of the Kurus. (6.43)

pūrvābhyāsena = pūrva — previous + abhyāsena — by practice; tenaiva = tena — by it + eva — indeed; hriyate — he is motivated; hy (hi) — indeed; avaśo = avaśaḥ — without conscious desire; 'pi = api — even; saḥ — he; jijñāsuḥ — persistently inquiring; api — even; yogasya — of yoga; śabdabrahmātivartate = śabda — spoken description + brahma — spiritual reality + ativartate — instinctively sees beyond (śabdabrahma — Vedas)

Indeed, by previous practice, he is motivated, even without conscious desire. He who persistently inquires of yoga, instinctively sees beyond the Veda, the spoken description of the spiritual reality. (6.44)

prayatnāt — from steady effort; yatamānaḥ — consistently controlled; tu — but; yogī — yogi; saṁśuddha — thoroughly cleansed; kilbiṣaḥ — bad tendencies; anekajanmasaṁsiddhas = aneka — not one + janma — birth + saṁsiddhaḥ — perfected; tato = tataḥ — from then onwards; yāti — reaches; parāṁ — supreme; gatim — goal

From a steady effort and a consistently controlled mind, the yogi who is thoroughly cleansed of bad tendencies, who is perfected in many births, reaches the supreme goal. (6.45)