Behavioral Changes Through Yoga

Yoga is for self realization and when a person realizes about himself, he knows everything about his own self i.e. his inner self. He knows the in and out of him, the good and bad in him, the wrong and right of his behavior. Hence yoga is an incredible tool for changing, transforming inner self i.e. a person’s behavior. Even if seen in the prospective of medical science, emotions and behavior are very dependent on the hormones released in the body. These hormones are released by endocrine glands at the instructions of mind. So basically, it’s the mind which is controlling everything and since inception, the very aim of yoga is to control the wandering monkey mind, “योगश्चित्तवृत्तिनिरोध”.

The effect of yoga on behavior can be understood in both ways, physiologically and spiritually. Physiologically: Physically everything is related to hormones and neurotransmitters. These chemical messengers of the endocrine and brain systems are what magic means from what we call feelings. In the human body, hormones are chemicals secreted by the endocrine glands, acting as messengers, released into the bloodstream to influence physical, physiological, behavioral changes, thus interfering throughout the whole life with increasing roles, sexuality, reproduction, metabolism, sleep, mood, etc. Every emotion triggers hormonal secretions and this without knowing the rational brain. Joy, happiness floods someone with a wave of endorphins, while worries and tensions attract him in a whirlwind of stress hormones. The center of all emotions is located in the limbic system (cerebral formation). Here, emotions are decoded biochemically and labeled as pleasant or unpleasant. The reception of emotions is done in the hypothalamus, which then act on the pituitary gland. Following a local or remote order, there is a discharge into the bloodstream of hormones of stress or happiness. The immune system does not get rid of this influence, so the intensity of emotions reverts to physical health. Various yogic practices influence the endocrine system, hypothalamus and the pituitary gland. For eg. Sarvangasan has wide effect on various endocrine glands, similarly Bhramari Pranayama has special effect on Pituitary gland. Thus yogic practices regulate the functioning of endocrine system and various glands associated with emotions and in a way it regulates the behavior.

Spiritually: Yoga is meant to connect oneself with the supreme reality. When a person is connected with supreme reality then there is no ‘I’ ness and he is completely submerged in the wholeness. The mind is not self centered now and a feeling of total devotion is felt by the person. The person can realize the needs of his behavior which will be right for the society and surroundings. He can control and even change his behavior for the righteousness as he has control over his mind through the practice of yoga. He can now understand the society in a much better way through enlightenment of his total being. It will help him to make good decisions which will reflect in his behavior. Practice of meditation helps to awareness of body and mind, which gives him intellect. He is more motivated, enthusiastic, disciplined and conscious towards further practice of yoga. What yoga can definitely help a person change, is the texture of his own mind, the stickiness of certain emotions and views, and above all, the quality of his inner state. The most powerful shifts occur when he experiences a change in the way he identifies himself when he is able to see himself as the self, the unchanging consciousness behind the mind, or when he is able to identify himself as the witness to his thoughts rather than becoming his thoughts and feelings. Arguably, the core of yoga practice is the work that a person does to purify, reforge, and replace the inner patterns that in Sanskrit are called samskaras. Samskaras are the accumulated impressions, in scientific terms, the neuronal patterns—that create his character, his ways of thinking and acting, and his perspective on life. Samskaras are energy patterns in one’s consciousness and they create mental, emotional, and physical default settings. Yoga being part of the Indian tradition has quite closely linked to the samskaras. These samskaras are part of the behavior one possesses, and hence in turn behavior is affected by yoga in a big way.

Thus it is the beauty of yoga which can change the behavior positively and help a person to notice the triggers of his negative patterns, focus on the deepest level of feeling he can identify. This brings awareness to the energetic source of the behavior. Then work with a practice that can help him disrupt the patterns in the moment. This can be as simple as stopping and taking a deep breath, or talking back to a negative thought. Stick with his practice of self-inquiry and experiment with different ways of working to shift his state in the moment. Finally, take pleasure in even the subtlest changes of behavior and feel its exponential effect and practice compassion for any setbacks of it.

Wed Sep 6, 2023