Part 1.7 - Impediment in the Path of Yoga

It is necessary that the practitioner of Yoga should be forehand, be conscious of the impediments in the path, so that he may take appropriate measures to counter them.

The Amṛtanāda Upaniṣads says:—

The yogī should always give up—fear, anger, sloth, excessive sleep and keeping awake, excessive eating and no food at all i.e. going without food.^[1]

Almost the same sentiment has been echoed by the Bhagvadgītā as also Gorakṣapaddhati.^[2]

The Tejovindu Upaniṣad observes:^—

During the course of practice to attain samādhi, many obstacles present themselves perforce, such as absence of aim, sloth, langing for worldly enjoyment, a pause darkness, distraction, heat, perspiration and blackness.^[3]

According to Kuṇḍalinī Upaniṣad there are ten impediments to Yoga practice which a wise person should eschew. These are—

(1) Sleep during day time, keeping late nights, excessive sex in the night, a set of problems. Caused by regular withholding of urine and shit, the faults arising from add postures (āsanas) labored breathing and mediation. When the practitioner engages in the practice of holding the breath (stambha), with all the above things being present, the onset of disease takes place readily.

Then the practitioner starts saying “I have fallen ill because of the practice of Yoga”. With this belief he gives up the practice. This is the first impediment.

(2) Existence of doubt.

(3) Remissness (pramattatā).

(4) Sloth-laziness (ālasya).

(5) Sleep.

(6) Cessation, gap or irregularity.

(7) Confusion or misunder standing.

(8) Indulgence in the pleasures of senses.

(9) Anākhya (unmentimable)–It perhaps mean sexual intercourse of mansturation.

(10) Non-grap of the essence of Yoga.^[4]

The Yogatattva Upaniṣad describes obstacles like this:—

The problems arise in the beginning of the practice. These are sloth, boasting, society of rogues, attempt to master a certain formula (mantra) and mirages (mṛgatṛṣṇā) in the form of seminal discharge woman, excessive lust etc. Having known them, the right minded person should give up all these through the influence of merit (puṇya) earned by him.^[5]

The Haṭhayoga Pradīpikā observes:—

“In the beginning sitting before fire, woman and travel should be avoided”.

The books also quotes the observations of Gorakṣa paddhati in this regard:—

“One should give up the company of the wicked, use of fire and women and undertaking travel”.^[6]

The Śivasaṃhitā classifies them in three categories namely-those arising from enjoyment of worldly pleasures, those arising from observance of religious rituals and lastly, those arising from knowledge (jñāna).

But at the outset it says, that enjoyment of worldly pleasures is the greatest of all obstacles.^[7]

The Haṭhayoga Pradīpikā says:-

Excessive food, excessive effort, Too much talk, too much rigidity about rules such as morning bath with cold water etc., social intercourse and fickleness. These six things destroys Yoga.^[8]

What are the remedies? According to Varāha Upaniṣad:—

The recitation (silent or otherwise) of Om takes away all the obstacles and also dissolves all faults.

According to Viṣṇusaṃhitā, whenever these obstacles present themselves, one should concentrate on the Reality of things.^[9]

Things helpful in Yoga:

The Haṭhayoga Pradīpikā lists out:—Enthusiasm, Courage, Patience-pensenerence, a deep understanding of reality, determination and dissociation with people. The above six things are very helpful in achieving the objective of Yoga.^[10]

Footnotes and references:

[back to top]

[1]:

‌“bhayam krodhamathasyam atisvapnātijāgaram |
atyāhāramanāhāram nityam yogī vivarjayet”|| Amṛ.nā-Upa. mantra-27.

[2]:

‌“yuktāhāravihārasya yuktaceṣṭasya karmasu |
yuktasvapnāvobodhasya yoga bhavati duṭkhahā”|| Śrīmad Bhagavad Gītā VI-17 & Go. Pad.II-91.

[3]:

‌Tejobindu UpaniṣadI.40-41.

[4]:

‌Yogakuṇḍalini Upaniṣad-I.56-61.

[5]:

‌“prathamābhyāsakāle tu bignāḥ syuścaturānana |
ālasyam katthanaṃ dhūrtagoṣṭhī mantrādisādhanam ||
dhātustrīloutyakādīni mṛgataṣṇāmayāni vai |
jñyātvā sudhīstyejet sarvān vidvānpuṇyaprabhābataḥ ||” Yogatattva Upaniṣad-Mantra-30-31.

[6]:

‌Haṭhayoga-pradīpa-I.62.

[7]:

‌“varjayet durjanaprātaṃ vanhistrīpathisevanam |
prātaḥsnānopasādikleśavidhim tathā” || Śi. Saṃ-V-2.

[8]:

‌“atyāhāraḥ prayāsaśca prajalpo niyamagraḥ |
janasahgaśa laulyam ca ṣaḍībharyogo vinaśyati”|| Haṭhayoga-pradīpa-I-15.

[9]:

‌“sarvabighnaharaścāyam praṇavaḥ sarvodaṣahāḥvarā. Varāha Upaniṣad-V-71.

[10]:

‌Haṭhayoga-pradīpaI.16.