What does this mean in terms of yoga and physical philosophy?
One may argue that humans participate in acts, and that via their actions, they express what is latent in prakriti.
In yoga philosophy, "activity" is referred to as karma and has a variety of meanings.
It refers to "cause and effect," "physical movement" (Nyaya-Upanishads), and "any action undertaken in the course of material existence" (Bhaktivedanta Narayana Gosvami Maharaja and Bhaktivinoda hkura 2015).
Mircea Eliade identified phenomena manifested via cause and effect as maya - ephemeral sensations granted reality but which were deceptive – in his early examination of yogis in India.
Yoga practitioners thought that the real essence of life was a single, eternal, and unchanging oneness, and that ignorance of an unchanging, basic Self could be transcended by the practice of yoga.
Though much is hypothetical when it comes to ancient minds and civilizations' meditative and active activities, one core assumption of early yogic teachings is that the person might come to experience this state of a reality that seems to be different from that which is obvious.
Separation was defined as the individual's erroneous conviction that their own existence was the genuine reality.
To break free from maya, yogis practiced great austerities in order to conquer the body's and mind's reliance on sensory input, attempting to gaze "inwards" to discover what was fundamental in the cosmos.
To put it another way, they were looking for a negation of "self," which they perceived as either a barrier to comprehension or the source of the illusion of separateness from the vast unity.
They put themselves in uncomfortable circumstances in order to attain mastery — to bring about significant and enduring change (standing on one leg or holding the arm in the air until the muscles wither; remaining motionless under the blazing hot sun).
Postures might last for hours or, in severe cases, years.
This pursuit of extreme postures and exposure to extreme events was apparently done in the notion that success in relatively benign circumstances would not ensure success under pressure, and that the results were less evident.
This necessitated a steadfast dedication to the inquiry of stopping to connect with the body and personality - an attempt to achieve an experience of "no activity," changelessness.
You may also want to read more about Gnani Yoga here.
You may also want to read more about Kundalini Yoga here.
You may also want to read more about Yoga here.
You may also want to read more about Yoga Asanas and Exercises here.
You may also want to read more about Hinduism here.
Be sure to check out my writings on religion here.
