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Since yoga is experiential and relies on direct personal experience, as we progress on the path, our self-knowledge increases through these observations of body and mind. That is why yoga is often called a science that deals with the body and mind – the fluctuations of the mind are stilled by controlling the body, an observable situation.
When asked if yoga is a science, noted yoga historian Georg Feuerstein answers, “[Yoga] hovers between art and science as well as between science and technology. There is a high degree of precision in the terms used to describe yogic practices and the states achieved by them. The processes involved in reaching those states are related to personal growth. Thus Yoga is somewhat unpredictable. To that extent it is not scientific. But it furthers our understanding of ourselves.”
In the practice of yoga, the body and mind together grow healthier and stronger. In the process of this strengthening, the mind and body become more balanced, and a person cultivates readiness for deeper spiritual growth. “The science of yoga,” Geeta Iyengar says, “teaches one to attain this harmony in a skillful and systematic way.” The ultimate purpose is to attain enlightenment.
In an article in Ascent Magazine, Richard Rosen writes, “…is yoga a science? We've seen obvious points of contact between the scientists' and the yogis' methods, and both, in their own way, are searching for the truth at the heart of the world. But science truth is not the same as yoga truth. The scientists want knowledge that reveals and transforms the world, though it's conceivable that they too will be profoundly affected by their work. The yogis, on the other hand, while not indifferent to the world, only want knowledge that reveals and transforms the self. The answer to our question then is, it all depends.
If you interpret [science as], "to know," in a strictly Western sense, then no, yoga isn't a science. But if we allow ourselves to expand the territorial limits of this "knowing" to include the subtle and spiritual provinces – as the yogis do – then in this sense, yoga is the supreme science, the science of all sciences.”
References:
1. Georg Feurerstein, The Deeper Dimension of Yoga, 2003
2. Swami Rajarshi Muni, Yoga: The Ultimate Spiritual Path, 2001
3. Geeta Iyengar, Yoga: A Gem for Women, 1995
4. B.K.S. Iyengar, Iyengar Yoga Conference, Estes Park, 2005
5. T.K.V. Desikachar, Yoga In The 21st Century Conference, New York, 2000
6. Phil Catalfo, Yoga Journal, Is Yoga A Religion?
7. Richard Rosen, Ascent Magazine, Is Yoga A Science?
Copyright YogiMilan, 2008
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