In my teacher training with Senior Iyengar Yoga Instructor, Eyal Shifroni, he asked,
“Science and Western culture advocate skepticism: We shouldn’t accept things blindly; we must examine everything with the help of our senses and our minds. Most major scientific successes occurred when people asked themselves skeptical questions instead of assuming there were already answers and everything is known. Even yoga teachers encourage us to examine and experiment with ourselves, but yoga teachers also show that doubt (samshaya) is a liability (this is the third of the nine obstacles in practice that Patanjali teaches us), and that devotion and faith (shraddha) as essential elements of progress on the path of yoga. So what is the line between blind devotion and skepticism? When does doubt begin to become an obstacle and when is it essential? Is doubt something desirable in yoga? Or maybe there’s a kind of doubt that is positive and a different kind that is negative?”
This is a fascinating question as at its root we do not practice yoga in a vacuum, but in the context of our culture and our lives outside of our practice, which may or may not be integrated as a whole. The incredible advances in science have not really been able to prove positive the many health and wellness claims that yoga practice makes. There are many studies, but not a lot of conclusive evidence. Upon some research into several scholarly journals online on this topic*, I found that the method of testing and the wide variety of yoga styles make it difficult to isolate the precise cause of benefit (if benefit was found). For example, there are indications that yoga is good for stress and anxiety, but what aspect of it is it that is helping? Is it pranayama? Is it the asanas? Is it the fact that the participant is joining a group on a regular basis? Or would any form of exercise help (as it has already been proven that exercise in general can alleviate depression)? The language used when summarizing the results of these studies are often a collection of non-decisive words and phrases: “May,” “suggests,” “appears,” “encouraging,” “many methodological inadequacies,” and “not possible to say that yoga is effective…” While I did not do a comprehensive search of all the scientific research into yoga, my review showed inconclusive evidence that is full of indications of yoga’s benefits. These indications of benefits may then get spun into articles in yoga magazines and on the internet as proof positive, but the original studies in the scientific journals are not concrete.
However, as yoga teachers, we continue to teach and tout the benefits of asana and pranayama practice as we have learned through Light on Yoga, from our own teachers, and from our own experiences. It is largely anecdotal and experiential and in itself does not feel like a leap of faith, as we have felt for ourselves the benefits of practicing yoga. In fact, we are the greatest proponents of yoga practice and “true believers.” Which leads me to the question of what is belief and faith? Is there a difference? What is devotion? Doubt? Skepticism? There are subtle differences in these words and we must understand them in order to define our experience.
Belief is a product of the mind; we develop our beliefs and belief system through our discrimination and intelligence. They may be inherited or learned. We typically invoke our senses in this effort and our outcomes are usually supported by some kind of evidence or experience. Many yogis and yoga teachers can affirm their belief in the positive impact of yoga on the lives of its practitioners…this is completely honest, as it is based on their experiences. However, beliefs can shift and change, and often do, as we grow and learn.
In contrast, I see faith as a product of the soul. Faith could be seen as an incredible state of ignorance or as an audacious abundance of confidence. It is that leap from the security of the known to the unknown. It is an acceptance that sometimes there are not answers, and moreover, there is no proof of the source of your faith.
Devotion is faith supercharged with love. The complete trust of faith is further enhanced with its actions being performed with love. In Bhagavad Gita, Bhakti Yoga, the yoga of devotion, is emphasized as the preferred method of yoga. This loving, sincere commitment to serve God is the perfection of the yogic path, according to this text. Chapter 12, verse 2 reads,
“Those who fixing their minds on Me worship Me, ever earnest and possessed of supreme faith – them do I consider most perfect in yoga.”
Doubt, on the other hand, is uncertainty. It is, in fact, a belief that something may not be true. Doubt can lead to the pursuit of knowledge, and may spurn a quest that results in faith. Too much doubt may lead to a state of distrust, which leads me to skepticism. Skepticism is an attitude of doubt (whereas doubt is situational) that may be generalized or toward a particular object. There are those self proclaimed skeptics whose philosophy is that there is no certain knowledge – that it is impossible to know anything for certain. In an odd way, this is connected to faith. If there can be no certain knowledge, then there can only be faith. Perhaps that faith is devoid of the typical religious emphasis we lay upon it, but it is an absolute confidence in this singular belief.
So where does this leave us? If we look at the Yoga Sutras, Patanjali writes of the obstacles the yogi faces in his mastery of his Self in Sutra I.30,
“vyadhi styana samshaya, pramada alasya avirati bhrantidarshana alabdhabhumikatva anavasthitatvani cittaviksepah te antarayah,”
or
“These obstacles are disease, inertia, doubt, heedlessness, laziness, indiscipline of the senses, erroneous views, lack of perseverance, and backsliding.”
The seven sutras immediately preceding this sutra focus on Isvara pranidhana (devotion to God), on the supremacy and nature of God as the highest truth, on the representation of God in the mantra of aum, and on how meditation on God by using the aum mantra repeatedly removes the obstacles listed above. Though samshaya (doubt) is only one of nine obstacles, it is clear that devotion to God is of utmost importance in its obliteration. The sutras following sutra I.30 proceed to detail multiple other ways to overcome the obstacles, including cultivating positive attitudes, pranayama and meditation, but the way that the Sutras are written thereafter seem somewhat ambiguous. First, there are other impediments that distract the citta, the consciousness, (these impediments are sorrow, despair, unsteadiness of body and irregular breathing), and the next listed solutions could be referring to these impediments. Additionally, the method of listing, from sutra I.34-I.39 is of “or…” (“Or, by maintaining the pensive state…” “Or, by contemplating an object…” “Or, by contemplating on enlightened sages…”Or, by recollecting…” “Or, by meditating…” etc.) A Sutra, by definition, is a condensed aphorism; a phrase or saying that is pared down to its essentials. So, why the repeated use of this literary devise here? In my modern day reading of the text, I feel this lends these sutras an “after-thought” quality. The sutras that came before the listing of the obstacles (Sutras I.23-29), and the primacy of God in their meaning, present a strong case for this method (in particular meditating on God with the repetition of aum) being a direct line in removing the obstacles.
So, how or when can doubt be an obstacle? I think that if you look at doubt in the context of the other obstacles listed, it would be when doubt keeps you from action, just as disease, inertia, laziness, lack of perseverance and backsliding could also keep you from action. Essentially, action is a big theme of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras. To have doubt impeding one’s focused concentration and active striving is a huge obstacle. You can just picture it, various thoughts racing through your head, “I’m not sure if I should…I don’t know if I can…Can I trust this process…Who is this person to say…?” Certainly, the citta (consciousness) is disturbed by this inner monologue, and most likely such uncertainty will result in lack of action or withdrawal from action.
Can doubt be desirable in yoga? Perhaps. When doubt doesn’t paralyze, when it is the seed to sow knowledge, or the spurn of action to explore and examine our selves and our yoga, then this is svadhyaya (study of the self) and is a Niyama (an ethical observance; second of the eight limbs of yoga) of utmost importance. Doubt, by inviting curiosity, can lead to belief and faith and devotion.
I would like for you to take a moment an observe your initial reaction when reading the words “blind faith” or “blind devotion.” Typically, these words have a negative connotation to them; the very fact that the blind devotee is not using his most pervasive sense in the pursuit of his devotion proves that this devotion is not complete, but a state of ignorance. I would like to offer a different perspective….Imagine your eyes are closed. Consider yourself blind. Do you really need your eyesight in your inner quest? In fact, how distracting is this sense of “sight” to our ability to truly see and focus? Is this blindness not an essential aspect of pranayama and many meditative practices? Do we not wrap our eyes in a bandage to prevent the accidental peaking during pranayama or savasana? The intentional blinding we do helps to bring focus and to open an inner eyesight that is not so in tune with our external environment, but which is very much in tune with the state of our inner being.
Beyond the total covering of the eyes we do when wrapping, or closing our eyes in savasana or pranayama, there are other asanas that touch on and explore this concept of vision and obstructed vision. In Garudasana (eagle pose), the forearms are entwined and raised directly between the eyes, obstructing one’s vision and challenging one’s balance (which is already challenged as the legs are also entwined and you are standing on one foot). As a beginner practitioner, I used to slightly peek around my arms (not even the teacher would notice!), focus on a point in the distance, and balance with ease quite proudly. As I matured in my practice and stopped cheating myself, I found that when I softened my frontal gaze and expanded my peripheral vision, not only did I balance with just as much ease, but I began to experience an embodiment of the qualities of an eagle in this pose. The entire ear seemed to perk up, and in addition to the awareness of my side vision, the pose became far less front body oriented, and the expansiveness of the back and side body gave me wings. The arms and legs entwining along the midline of the body lend a natural balance to the body, and once the emphasis is removed from using our eyesight as our only method of balance, the rest of the body spreads out to the sides from this midline and you can truly soar.
In a different way, the regular practice of Sirsasana (head stand) can teach us important lessons on our eyes, our vision, our sight, and our insight. Beginning practitioners of Sirsasana experience a level of disorientation initially when first standing on their head. As time progresses, both in the pose and in one’s practice, the body systems regulate to this inversion, and you begin to experience homeostasis in Sirsasana. A bit more practice, and your eyes gaze straight ahead, not wandering about the room checking out your neighbor’s alignment and balance, but focuses on your new “horizon.” Further along still, and an awareness of the texture and direction of the skin on the face sets in. Surrendering to gravity, rather than resisting with tension in the facial muscles, a natural smile is in place. You may observe the lift of the cheekbones towards the skull, and the subtle sensations of the lower eyelid. The gentle pull of gravity brings a whole new level of awareness to the lower eyelids, which we typically do not experience. This in turn informs a new setting of the eyeballs in their sockets. With both sets of eyelids now enlivened, the eyeballs as an organ can recede and relax. The focused gaze is now softened, and though one’s eyes may remain open, they no longer truly see externally.
There is an expression in English, “The eyes are the window of the soul.” Even neurologists use the eyes as a window to the brain…what is happening in the brain is reflected in the eyes. Instead of directing our energy out of these windows, by learning to utilize underused aspects of our vision, like our periphery, or to withdrawal our intensity from our sight, we begin to cultivate the inner chambers behind those windows. Whether it is the still and quiet of the open eyes reflecting the still and quiet of the brain, or the intentional blinding we do when closing or wrapping our eyes, we begin an inner journey that may culminate in the soul. Perhaps blindness can lead to devotion.
Lastly, one thought on dogma. Unlike blind devotion, which is perhaps the epitome of unconditional love in faith, dogma, I believe, is antithetical to the process, or journey of true faith. Dogma is a belief or belief system that is accepted without questioning and is the basis of that ideology or faith. I disagree that faith can be handed down from any authority or institution, and the lack of questioning is immediately suspicious to me. The role of doubt is valid and perhaps even vital in the discovery of one’s faith when it spurns critical thought that brings insight, knowledge, and wisdom. But doubt must be tempered with receptivity, and humility, because though questions and doubt may lead the way, acceptance is the bridge to devotion.
Edited to add: (July 2021) I’m happy to say that since the writing of this article, I have seen tremendous advances in scientific research and evidence, proving the amazing benefits of yoga practice, and in particular, Iyengar Yoga practice and therapeutic applications.