Support for wellbeing comes from inner strength as well

Forty-one years ago, in 1984, in one of my personal classes with Sri Krishnamacharya, he spoke about how yoga and ayurveda complement each other in restoring wellbeing and balance.

He noted that the support to health and healing that arises from the practices of yoga is different from the effect created through the intake of medicine. Both can be useful—but they work differently.

We clean the body from outside by bathing, lotions etc. But through asana, trāṭaka etc. we are cleansing our imbalances from within.

Even exercise, he would note, is more external in its effect than asana. That is, asana done with slow breathing and attention to the inner experiences, including practices such as the mudras, has a more subtle, and internal effect than just exercise. And deeper even than this in balancing and cleansing our body functions from inside, is pranayama.

But good health is also dependent on our strength of mind. That strength includes the knowledge we have and the will to act on it. We must be clear of our choices and have the capacity to stay with them. Our steadiness and clarity of mind also reflects in our interactions: how we communicate with others, use our voice and touch.

Health is not generated just from the medicines we are given from outside. It depends on our self-strength from inside too.

This emphasis on inner wellbeing and strength was always a pillar of Sri Krishnamacharya’s message to students. Self-resilience through understanding our body and mind, and regular practices on that foundation, are vital. Yoga, as he taught and showed us, is a key to these qualities.