Yogic Psychology

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Western psychology is still a
relatively young science, and it

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necessarily does not have the
complete picture of all the

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complex interactions that take
place within our being.

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By starting to look inwards and
starting to deal with the powers

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of mind, will, emotion, nervous
impulses and sensations, and the

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impacts of the physical body on
the psychology, Western

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psychology has been making
steady strides towards a more

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complete understanding of how we
function as human beings in a

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complex world filled with
impressions, impulsions,

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conflicting ideas and emotions,
exercises of will and physical

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limitations.
The spiritual science of India,

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encapsulated in the wide field
known under the general name of

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Yoga, has a long history of
study of human psychology

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necessary to the attempt to gain
understanding, control and

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mastery over the impulses, the
activities of mind, will and

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heart, and the powers that
represent our ability to

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experience and perceive and our
ability to act within and upon

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the world in various ways.
Yogic psychology holds that our

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perceptions, reactions and
responses are not based purely

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on a sensation reaching the mind
and the mind making a decision

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and carrying it out.
It also recognizes that not all

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interactions are mental in
nature.

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Thus yogic psychology sees that
there is a mental being with

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various powers and levels of
development, a vital being also

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with various levels and powers
and a physical being plus

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various statuses that are either
super conscient or sub conscient

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to our primary range of
experience.

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Yogic psychology also attributes
action to the movement of what

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are called the three gunas or
qualities of nature, Satwa or

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light imbalance, rajas or force
of action, and tamas or darkness

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or a state of rest or non
movement.

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These three are always
interacting and depending on the

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balance they strike at any point
in time within an individual,

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they dictate the manner of
response.

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The various levels of the being,
mental, vital and physical each

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have their own responsiveness.
And while normally one could say

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that Sattva would tend to reside
primarily in the mental being

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and Rajas in the vital being and
Thomas in the physical being,

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yogic psychology recognizes that
these expected predominant

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traits get modified at every
moment by the individual, his

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development and the pressures to
which he is subjected.

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Thus a mind may become clouded
by Thomas or Rajas and thus

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overpower any Sutwick tendency
that might naturally be expected

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there.
The power of reflection, the

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power of taking the stance as an
observer of the nature, is a

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powerful tool of yogic
psychology that helps the

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individual gain a deeper
understanding of his own actions

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and motivations and the forces
that impel him into action.

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Cultivating this inner attitude
of detachment from the action of

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the external nature of the mind,
life and body is an important

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milestone in gaining control and
eventually mastery of the

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external nature and the
expression of personality.

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This shift to the inner stance
of the observer helps create the

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reversal of consciousness that
leads practitioners to say the

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day for the ordinary person
living the ordinary external

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life in the world is night to
the yoging, while night for the

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ordinary individual is day for
the yoging, Dr. Dalal writes.

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Quote.
The psychology of yoga throws

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further light on the nature of
attitudes.

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Unlike modern psychology, which
lumps all psychological

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functions into what is called
mind, if at all, any subjective

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construct is utilized to explain
what the majority of

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psychologists today prefer to
describe simply as behaviour.

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The psychology of yoga looks
upon the human being as a

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composite of distinct, though
intermixed and interacting parts

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of the being, each with its own
characteristic consciousness.

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Different attitudes are related
to different parts of the being

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or different types of
consciousness.

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One's predominant attitudes
depend on the part of the being

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and its characteristic type of
consciousness, which is dominant

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in one's nature.
Broadly speaking, there are two

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divisions in the human being,
the outer being which

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constitutes the personality from
the Latin persona mask, and the

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inner being, the true being or
the person who uses the outer

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mask of the personality.
In the Sankhya school of Indian

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philosophy, the outer and inner
divisions of the being are

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called Prakruti, nature and
Purusha person respectively.

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The outer being is only an
instrument as a means of

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expression.
It is not one's real self.

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However, ordinarily we are
identified with the outer being

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and regarded as our self.
Therefore, it is the outer being

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that usually expresses itself in
our attitudes and actions.

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End Quote.
Reference Sri Aurobindo and the

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Mother, looking from within.
Introduction by Doctor Delal.

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Pages Roman, 5:00 to 6:00.