Obstacles to Yoga

Obstacles to Yoga

Before considering the capacities needed for this definite

practice, let us run over the obstacles to Yoga as laid down by

Patanjali.

The obstacles to Yoga are very inclusive. First, disease: if you

are diseased you cannot practice Yoga; it demands sound health,

for the physical strain entailed by it is great. Then languor of

mind: you must be alert, energetic, in your thought. Then doubt:

you must have decision of will, must be able to make up your

mind. Then carelessness: this is one of the greatest difficulties

with beginners; they read a thing carelessly, they are

inaccurate. Sloth: a lazy man cannot be a Yogi; one who is inert,

who lacks the power and the will to exert himself; how shall he

make the desperate exertions wanted along this line? The next,

worldly-mindedness, is obviously an obstacle. Mistaken ideas is

another great obstacle, thinking wrongly about things. One of the

great qualifications for Yoga is "right notion" "Right notion"

means that the thought shall correspond with the outside truth;

that a man shall he fundamentally true, so that his thought

corresponds to fact; unless there is truth in a man, Yoga is for

him impossible. Missing the point, illogical, stupid, making the

important, unimportant and vice versa. Lastly, instability: which

makes Yoga impossible, and even a small amount of which makes

Yoga futile; the unstable man cannot be a yogi.