the purpose of the body

Hatha Yoga teaches how to keep the physical body in a fit condition so that the Jiva (individual soul) can reach safely the goal of life, self-realisation. It teaches a natural mode of living. A Yogi should have a thorough knowledge of the physical body and its functioning. Some of the Western travellers in Orient who have seen the care which the Yogis bestow upon their bodies, and time and attention which they devote to the task, have jumped to the conclusion that the Yogi philosophy is only a kind of physical culture without any spiritual background.

They see only the outer form and never try to take the pain to see what it really means. The Yogis believe that the real man is not his body. They know that the immortal “I”, of which each human being is conscious to a greater or a lesser degree, is not the body which it merely occupies and uses. They know well that the body is but a suit of clothes which the spirit puts on and off from time to time.

But while knowing these things, the Yogis also know that the body is the instrument in which and by which the spirit manifests and works. This fleshy covering is essential to the spirit for its own development. The care and development of the body is a as worthy a task as is the development of any of the higher parts of man, for with and unhealthy and imperfectly developed body, the mind cannot function properly, nor can the instrument be used to the best advantage by its master, the spirit. It is true that the Yogi goes beyond this point, and insist that the body be brought under the perfect control of the mind – that the instrument be finely tuned so as to be responsive to the touch of the hand of the Master.

Swami Vishnudevananda

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