Yoga and Bhoga

प्रकाशक्रियास्थितिशीलं भूतेन्द्रियात्मकं भोगापवर्गार्थ दृश्यम् ॥ १८॥

prakāśakriyāsthitiśīlaṃ bhūtendriyātmakaṃ bhogāpavargārthaṃ dṛśyam

“The seeable is composed of the qualities of sentience, mutability and inertia - these three are found in the manifested world and are embodied in our sense organs - they serve the purpose of both gaining experience of the world and liberation from it.” - Yoga Sutra II.18

There is so much confusion about what yoga is or what it should be - is it about finding a wholesome physical embodiment, about psychological or spiritual evolution, healing, union with god… is it intense discipline, surrender, balance… a physical practice, a path of meditation, a means of emancipation?

Well, actually, all of these things and more - it does not have to be just one thing.

But it seems, the hardest thing to reconcile is what we might call spiritual practice and daily life. Are these two separate things, do they interact with each other or should one dominate the other?

In the sutra quoted above, Patanjali says that physical embodiment has two purposes - experience or enjoyment (bhoga) and liberation (apavarga, or yoga). But how should these be balanced?

Every human being is born with unique circumstances, opportunities, skills, personality, drives, desires, duties and karma. Some people are born with very little desire for material things and others have great passion for everything. It is said that yoga and bhoga should be balanced, but that does not mean that each part should be given the same attention.

When we are young, we need to gain experience, we desire to create a family, a career etc. and even though we may be interested in spiritual practice, most of our time is spent dealing with worldly concerns. But as we age, our responsibilities become less and our interests may become more spiritually oriented - during this period of life, more time is available for meditation etc.. Some never have children, do not have much material desire and are attracted to spiritual practice and others have a lot of duties and responsibilities.

If you have many responsibilities, but spend an inordinate amount of time on spiritual practice, then those duties will not be fulfilled and through not taking care of your responsibilities you get stress, which then undermines your meditation. On the other hand, if you spend all your energy on the pursuit of material gain and sensual pleasure, then your spiritual life will suffer, which will again have a negative impact on your material pleasures and attempts at material gain.

So each person has to find their own balance, which is appropriate to their individual circumstances and aspirations. Yoga and bhoga are not in opposition to each other. Life teaches us many important lessons, without which spiritual teachings and practices can be meaningless. On the other hand, spiritual practice generates peace, joy and insight, which we can bring back into our day to day life and share with our loved ones.

“Real bhoga can only be experienced by yogi. In each bhoga (experience) she feels a door open to the eternal truth. And the system purified by the bliss experience (of spiritual practice) is able to carry noble qualities (into life).” - Acharya