Any Seeker or Practitioner, when he takes the path of Yoga Sadhana, starts to be tested in different ways, not only by the world but also by nature itself. The Practitioner goes through all kinds of obstacles when he is on path of Yoga Sadhana.
Do you know any one practitioner who has not had the world fling dirt on him. – Is there any practitioner who was not free from being crushed by the world? And is there any saadhak who stepped over the vile talk of the world and kept his tracks on the path of the supreme God, and showed the path to the world?
If the Saadhak is a little cautious and careful then the cautious that come on his path disappear by themselves. In the Hatha Yoga Pradipika, Swatmaramji Mahraj explains to saadhak the restraints required to remain on the path.
Atyahaar: Prayaaschav Prajalpo Niyamaagrah
Jansangaschav Loulyam cha Shadbhiyorg Vinishyate
meaning
For the Yoga Sadhak, too much eating, too much stretching the gain success in the asanas, too much talking, become tied up in rigidity, meeting too many people and allowing the mind to remain restless, are the six kinds obstacles that can destroy the discipline of yoga.
Six Kinds of Obstacles in Yoga Sadhana
Excessive Eating
Eating more than one requires is the first obstacle for the yoga practitioner, because all of his energy gets used in digesting the food. The Result is that the saadhak begins to remain sad and unhappy; the opposite is also true – the one who eats less has a long life and remains always happy and his mind remains pleasant.
Eating too much cause constipation, which makes the mental and physical body functions sluggish; In this condition it is not possible for the saadhak to gain victory. Further to this, one takes the right amount of food becomes agrasaar in sadhana. Regarding food, it is said that the stomach should be filled with two parts of food, one part of food & water and one part should be left free for air.
Effort
To Much effort is also an obstacle in yoga. Using too much force or over-stretching to reach the final position of an asana should not be practised – one ends up doing more harm than good. Instead of putting in too much effort or trying to achieve success very quickly, be it an asana or pranayama, it is better to do it with patience and gentleness.
Excessive Talking
Talking too much is considered as wrong for the Yoga Practitioner. One who talks too much also ends up lying from time to time. The Result of which is to hide one lie, he then has to tell more lies, which becomes a distraction for the mind. Man waste a lot of energy in talking, meaning that accumulated meritable energy gets dissipated, thus to save this energy or shakti, many saadhak practice silence or ‘mauna’, through this their awareness becomes more internal, they become very strong from within, and they no longer even need to eat fortifying herbs like Chyawanprash.
Rigidity of Rules
To Become too stuck or rigid in rules and regulations is also considered as a hindrance for the growth of a saadhak. That’s why saadhak is advised to live a life of simplicity. If a saadha gets tied up in rules of rigidity, he can become bery hard and strict with himself.
For Example – If a saadhak makes a rule, “ I will only bathe early in the morning”, If for any reason he is not bale to do so,may be even for a lack of water, his whole day will go bad. That is why instead of being too bound in rules, it would be better to take bath when water is available. Hence the saadhak should want to lead a life of discipline while living a life of simplicity.
Too much association of People
When saadhak is doing the Yoga Sadhana, diving power begin to awaken in him. Due to his divinity, the world can become very attracted towards him. Here, if the saadhak is not careful, he may end up losing his sadhana and get lost in the worldly affairs. That is why even people can become an obstruction for some one practicing sadhana
Unstability
Meaning restlessness of the mind. When the saadhak does sadhana, naturally many big ideas and thoughts come to his mind. In this situation the saadhak should try and keeps his mind focussed only on his sadhana.
Final Words
These are six kinds of obstacles that can come in the way of the saadhak when he is on the path of Yoga Sadhana, as explored in Yoga Teacher Training in Rishikesh. However, if the saadhak is determined, he is able to cross over these obstacles and keep moving in his practice of Yoga Sadhana towards growth.
