Why it is Impossible to Practice Ashtanga-yoga Today...
In the sixth chapter of Bhagavad-gita Sri Krishna explains to His friend Arjuna very elaborately the process of Ashtanga-yoga. He specifically speaks about dhyana-yoga, the seventh step of the ashtanga process.
After Sri Krishna has finished His explanations, Arjuna is rather sceptical:
"Arjuna said: O Madhusudana, the system of yoga which You have summarized appears impractical and unendurable to me, for the mind is restless and unsteady. For the mind is restless, turbulent, obstinate and very strong, O Krsna, and to subdue it, I think, is more difficult than controlling the wind."
As a practical man, Arjuna thought it was impossible to follow this system of ashtanga-yoga, even though he was favorably endowed in many ways. He belonged to the royal family and was highly elevated in terms of numerous qualities; he was a great warrior, he had great longevity, and, above all, he was the most intimate friend of Lord Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Five thousand years ago, Arjuna had much better facilities than we do now, yet he refused to accept this system of yoga. In fact, we do not find any record in history of his practicing it at any time.
Therefore this system of yoga must be considered generally impossible in this Age of Kali, the age of quarrel and hypocrisy.
In the Vedas, which are just like a manual for the appropriate use of the universe, the situation of mankind in this age called Kali-yuga is foretold in the following way:
"O learned one, in this iron age of Kali men have but short lives. They are quarrelsome, lazy, misguided, unlucky and, above all, always disturbed." (Shrimad Bhagavatam 1.1.10)
Indeed, these are not the qualities required for performing the difficult system of ashtanga-yoga...
Actually ashtanga-yoga was the prescribed process of self realization in the Golden Age, called Satya-yuga. The people of this age, which ended - according to Vedic calculations - about 2.597.000 years ago, met all the requirements for this mystic process...
"People in Satya-yuga are peaceful, nonenvious, friendly to every creature and steady in all situations. They worship the Supreme Personality by austere meditation and by internal and external sense control." (Shrimad Bhagavatam 11.5.22)
Moreover, the average life span in Satya-yuga amounted to 100.000 years, whereof 30.000 - 50.000 years were used for the performance of ashtanga-yoga.
In summary it may be clearly said that the ashtanga-process is impracticable in Kali-yuga. Of course, there are yoga societies everywhere claiming to perform ashtanga-yoga, but there is a vast difference between the original ashtanga process and that what is practized today in Western society. If you want to stay healthy, this diluted form of yoga may help you quite a lot, but if you are in search of a genuine, practicable and effective method of spiritual self realization, you are strongly advised to find out something else. You will find an appropriate link at the end of this page...
Yet another misconception about Ashtanga-yoga...
There is one more misconception about the mystic yoga process out there. Usually people think that in ashtanga-yoga it is recommended to stop all mental activities by meditating upon the void. In fact, nothing like that is mentioned in any Vedic scripture. Rather the yogi is instructed to fix his mind on the Supersoul or paramatma, an extension of Vishnu in the heart of every living entity. Even Pantanjali, the authority concerning ashtanga-yoga, prescribes meditation on Vishnu in his yoga-sutras.
It is unnatural for a living being to meditate on so-called nothingness or the void. It is even unnatural to meditate on "the light". The real object of yoga is to stop meditating on temporary and transitory material forms and to rather fix the mind on their eternal and substantial counterparts, which are found in spiritual reality...
Sometimes a living being is able to understand the miserable result of materialistic sense gratification. Being frustrated by the pain and suffering of materialistic life and being ignorant of any superior life, he adopts a neo-Buddhist philosophy and seeks shelter in so-called nothingness.
But there is no actual void within the kingdom of God. The desire to merge into nothingness is a reaction against material pain; it is not a tangible concept of the Supreme.
For example, if I feel unbearable pain in my leg and the pain cannot be cured, I may finally agree to have my leg amputated. But it is far better to remove the pain and keep my leg. Similarly, because of false ego we think, I am everything. I am the most important person. No one is as intelligent as me. Thinking in this way, we suffer constantly and experience intense anxiety. But as soon as we purify the ego by admitting that we are insignificant eternal servants of the Lord, our ego will give us great pleasure...
Also in Bhagavad-gita it is said:
kleso 'dhikataras tesam
avyaktasakta-cetasam
avyakta hi gatir duhkham
dehavadbhir avapyate
"For those whose minds are attached to the unmanifested, impersonal feature of the Supreme, advancement is very troublesome. To make progress in that discipline is always difficult for those who are embodied." (Bhagavad-gita 12.5)
Now, what is the perfect alternative for Ashtanga-yoga?
The one and only working alternative for ashtanga-yoga or hatha-yoga, which is definitely impracticable in our modern society, will be explained in the next verse of Bhagavad-gita (Bhagavad-gita 12.6)...
