ISKCON’s Govardhan Eco Village: Hatha Yoga Centre

New age ISKCON which provides you gymnastic and meditational yoga-related courses and compromises the mission of the organization. Below are some experiences which revealed the Srila Prabhupada’s position towards these mundane activities.

Danavir Goswami’s experience with Srila Prabhupada was that he wanted only the teachings of our Vaisnava books taught to newcomers. He wrote to Danavir Goswami, “It is good to hold more classes with the bhaktas, but they should all be on the basis of our books. You should not go beyond the jurisdiction of our teaching.” (Letter from Srila Prabhupada January 26, 1977) Someone may object saying that these new yoga students are not bhaktas but only guests so it doesn’t matter that we teach them something outside the Vaisnava books. However, if material attachments remain uncorrected then they abide permanently and affect others.
The problem here is that Srila Prabhupada clearly did not approve of these asanas at all being used and taught by devotees of the Krishna consciousness movement.

“So if we infect the Mayavadi quality, karmi quality, jnani quality, yogi quality… I see some of the students, still, they practice some yoga asana. That quality is not yet… He’s not yet free. But this is nonsense. This is nonsense. We should, by promise, we should not associate with any of their qualities.

asat-sanga-tyaga,-ei vaisnava-acara
‘stri-sangi’-eka asadhu, ‘krsnabhakta’ ara

Asat means bad element, bad association. So asat-sanga. We have to give up asat. Attached to women. He’s asat. And krsna-abhakta-and who is not a devotee of Krsna. So these Mayavadis, karmi, jnani, yogi, they are not krsna-bhaktas. They’ll say, “Krsna is not God. I am God. I am also God. Krsna is not God. I am God. But Krsna is not God.” This is their version. Therefore they’re rascals. “I am God.” They’ll declare, “I am God. You are God.” But Krsna is not God. Except Krsna, everyone is God.” This is their version. So how many rascals they are we must know. So therefore we should give up their company.” (Lecture by Srila Prabhupada, June 26, 1973 on Srimad Bhagavatam 1.10.13 in Mayapur)

Yoga teachers learn from impersonal yoga books and teachers and then pass on such contaminated association to others. They will provide you everything but not Krishna bhakti.

The Krishna consciousness movement should be training those who are very serious about learning the science of love of Godhead. Householders who are in need of money or who are unable to present Krsna consciousness directly may conduct yoga business and try to shepherd their flock toward ISKCON and devotional practices. That is acceptable to my mind.

“So yoga, yoga, this bodily practice, that if I am not a body, then what shall I get by bodily exercise? Bodily exercises can help me little, but that is not a spiritual platform. The (indistinct), kundalini, these are to the bodily concept of life. Actually, to tell the truth, those who are too much bodily absorbed, that “I am this body,” for them, this yoga practice is recommended. Not for the intelligent man. Because one who identifies himself with this body, he is not very intelligent. But because such persons are not very intelligent, for them this bodily exercise of yoga, astanga-yoga, is recommended. Not for the intelligent person. Intelligent person, they take immediately to the devotional service, immediate.” (March 7, 1972 Lecture by Srila Prabhupada)

Hatha yoga and derivatives are unhealthy for one on the path of bhakti yoga.

“In addition, the creeper has to be protected from the desires of sense enjoyment, monistic liberation and perfection of the hatha-yoga system. They are all detrimental to the path of devotional service.” (Srimad Bhagavatam Introduction)

All activities conducted within the campus of ISKCON should conform to the principles laid out by the founder-acarya in the seven purposes of ISKCON:

1. To systematically propagate spiritual knowledge to society at large and to educate all peoples in the techniques of spiritual life in order to check the imbalance of values in life and to achieve real unity and peace.
2. To propagate a consciousness of Krishna as revealed in the Bhagavad Gita and Srimad Bhagavatam.
3. To bring the members of the Society together with each other and nearer to Krishna, the prime entity, and thus to develop the idea, within the members and humanity at large, that each soul is part and parcel of the quality of Godhead (Krishna).
4. To teach and encourage the sankirtan movement, congregational chanting of the holy name of God as revealed in the teachings of Lord Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.
5. To erect for the members and for society at large a holy place of transcendental pastimes dedicated to the Personality of Krishna.
6. To bring the members closer together for the purpose of teaching a simpler and more natural way of life.
7. With a view towards achieving the aforementioned purposes, to publish and distribute periodicals, magazines, books, and other writings.

Below are some quotes from Srila Prabhupada’s books about hatha-yoga:

A paramahaṁsa, or pure devotee, is never attracted by haṭha-yoga or speculative knowledge. He is simply interested in the unalloyed devotional service of the Lord. Sometimes one who was formerly addicted to these processes tries to perform devotional service and the jñāna and yoga practices at the same time, but as soon as one comes to the unalloyed stage of devotional service, he is able to give up all other methods of self-realization. (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 4.23.12)

The yogī who is progressive is therefore on the true path of eternal good fortune. One who sticks to a particular point and does not make further progress is called by that particular name: karma-yogī, jñāna-yogī or dhyāna-yogī, rāja-yogī, haṭha-yogī, etc. If one is fortunate enough to come to the point of bhakti-yoga, it is to be understood that he has surpassed all other yogas. (Bhagavad-gītā 6.47)

The haṭha-yoga system is meant for controlling the five kinds of air encircling the pure soul by different kinds of sitting postures—not for any material profit, but for liberation of the minute soul from the entanglement of the material atmosphere. So the constitution of the atomic soul is admitted in all Vedic literatures, and it is also actually felt in the practical experience of any sane man. Only the insane man can think of this atomic soul as all-pervading viṣṇu-tattva. (Bhagavad-gītā 2.17)

The real purpose of controlling the mind by the prescribed method of clearing the passage of the life air is achieved immediately if one fixes his mind directly on the lotus feet of Krsna. The hatha-yoga system, or breathing system, is especially recommended for those who are very absorbed in the concept of bodily existence, but one who can perform the simple process of chanting Hare Krsna can fix the mind more easily. (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 3.28.9)

The jñāna-yoga system aims at the impersonal Brahman effulgence, and the haṭha-yoga system aims at the localized personal aspect, the Paramātmā feature of the Absolute Truth, whereas bhakti-yoga, or devotional service, which is executed in nine different ways, headed by hearing and chanting, aims at the complete realization of the Supreme Lord. There are different methods of self-realization. (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 3.25.29)

The yoga system, as described in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and Bhagavad-gītā or as recommended in the Patañjali yoga process, is different from the nowadays—practiced haṭha-yoga as it is generally understood in the Western countries. Real yoga practice is to control the senses and, after such control is established, to concentrate the mind on the Nārāyaṇa form of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Śrī Kṛṣṇa. (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 3.15.45)

The yogic practices in general and haṭha-yoga in particular are not ends in themselves; they are means to the end of attaining steadiness. First one must be able to sit properly, and then the mind and attention will become steady enough for practicing yoga. Gradually, one must control the circulation of vital air, and with such control he will be able to withdraw the senses from sense objects. (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 3.28.5)

The best practice of yoga in this age is Kṛṣṇa consciousness, which is not baffling. A Kṛṣṇa conscious person is so happy in his occupation that he does not aspire after any other happiness. There are many impediments, especially in this age of hypocrisy, to practicing haṭha-yoga, dhyāna-yoga and jñāna-yoga, but there is no such problem in executing karma-yoga or bhakti-yoga. (Bhagavad-gītā 6.20-23)

Srila Prabhupada’s position was very clear on this so don’t trap into these mundane activities and get illusioned by Maya. GBC should consider the thing that this kind of mundane activities shouldn’t be going on in the name of ISKCON. This is not what we have to do according to ISKCON’s principles.

Video of Yoga Class at Govardhan Eco Village