Yoga For Modern Times

by Sandeep Agarwallla, A practitioner of classic Yoga, Yogacharya (Sanskrit for 'Master of Yoga')

For thousands of years, yoga practitioners developed a range of practices to support physical health, mental harmony and spiritual upliftment. Over time, as societies and cultures changed, the ancient tradition of yoga was lost in many parts of the world, but it continued to be preserved in India.

Traditionally, yoga has always been a path of turning inward. At its heart, it is a science of human development: a way to bring body and mind into harmony and reconnect with the deeper spirit.

Yoga Then and Now

When yoga was first developed, its purpose was to awaken our inner potential - a spiritual journey, not a material one. Early practitioners began to understand that growth had to occur across all dimensions of existence. The body needs to be balanced so it can manage illness and disease, which led to the creation of asanas, the physical postures of yoga. Physical harmony affects the brain, and together cerebral and physical harmony shape our mental behaviour. In the process of harmonising the personality, the mind naturally reconnects with its inner strengths. Yoga teaches us how to understand and manage our mind, body and emotions.

Yoga has long been viewed as a mystical and abstract subject. Just 50 or 60 years ago, it wasn’t widely known about, even within India. In the 1960s it began to spread through the efforts of people who understood how valuable yoga would be for future generations. As awareness grew, so did the misconceptions surrounding it. Many people only practised the physical aspect of yoga because it made the body felt good: light, vibrant and energised. This is how hatha yoga first became popular, and why, even today, most people only know the physical aspect of yoga.

Yet as yoga guru, Hindu spiritual teacher and medical doctor Swami Sivananda Saraswati (1887–1963) taught his students:

“The important part of a tree is not the external part that can we see, but the roots which are underground and invisible.”

Integral yoga

Swami Sivananda taught that yoga needed to be explained in scientific terms, so people could understand both its practical and philosophical dimensions. Swami Satyananda expanded on his guru’s vision, becoming one of the first modern teachers to explore and explain how yoga can help manage physical, psychological and spiritual imbalances.

This approach became known as Integral Yoga or Satyananda Yoga.

The central theme of Satyananda Yoga is the awakening of the head, heart and hands.The head represents intelligence, wisdom, knowledge, understanding, awareness and observation; the heart represents feelings, emotions and sentiments; and the hands represent the ability to act, perform and to create. Balancing these three aspects is essential in the 21st century, as it helps create a complete and integrated human being.

Balancing Head, Heart and Hands

The entire system of yoga is traditionally divided into four main parts.

1. Physical Postures and Breathing Techniques

We begin by working with the body, supporting the physical organs with promoting overall health and well-being. Research has shown that many psychosomatic illnesses can be improved through yogic principles and practices, and in many countries yoga is now used alongside modern therapies. It has proven helpful in managing respiratory conditions such as bronchitis, asthma and emphysema, as well as circulatory, cardiac and digestive disorders affecting the stomach, pancreas, kidney and liver.

Through postures and breathing techniques, yoga helps remove the imbalances that contribute to illness. It is a process of managing oneself, not just the symptoms of the disease. When life becomes more balanced, many problems naturally diminish. In this sense, yoga supports the person rather than the disease – which is why it should be seen not just as a therapy, but as a lifestyle.

2. Training Mental Behaviour

The second component focuses on training and disciplining our mental behaviour, attitudes and engagement with the material world through the practice of yamas (restraints) and niyamas (disciplines). These two principles help transform our mental conditioning. Even changing a small habit can require tremendous willpower; we can lessen its intensity, but cannot eliminate it completely. For this reason, yoga emphasises restraint and inner discipline to soften the hold of these patterns, allowing our natural creativity to emerge.

3. Mind Management

The third component of yoga is mind management, which is the most important theme.This represents an ongoing approach to understanding and controlling our entire mental landscape, including thoughts, emotions, and overall well-being. We live according to the dictates of the mind, and when our expectations or desires aren’t met, insecurity, stress, fear and conflict arise. Anxiety increases, clarity fades, and confusion can take over. To address this, we must identify our strengths and weaknesses, our ambitions and needs.Yogic practices of relaxation and concentration help us observe and understand our mental patterns, regulating the mind and its expressions. One trick to manage the mind is simply understanding its nature.

Mind management yoga begins with a simple relaxation practice known as yoga nidra. As relaxation deepens, concentration naturally follows, helping us focus our mental faculties and awareness on what we need and aspire to achieve. In this way, relaxation and concentration become the tools that transform the mind’s nature and behaviour.

4. Spiritual Understanding

The fourth aspect of yoga is spiritual understanding, which allows us to apply the right knowledge in daily life. Often we know what is right, yet struggle to put it into practice.Meditation helps broaden our perspective, giving us the clarity and insight needed to make wiser decisions and act accordingly.

Yoga For Modern Life

In today’s fast-paced world, yoga offers more than postures and exercises: it is a complete system for balancing body, mind and spirit. By integrating the head, heart and hands, we cultivate clarity, emotional resilience and purposeful action. This holistic approach equips us to navigate modern life with awareness, harmony and a deeper connection to ourselves.

Visiting Master Sandeep Agarwalla will be in residence at AyurMa at Four Seasons Resort Maldives at Landaa Giraavaru from January 05 - 31 , 2026.