Dear Je,
Nowadays, in the West, a kind of criticism is emerging against yoga and dhyana practices. Some doctors are speaking against them, saying they are overrated. I want to know your views on this.
Dear Raj,
Everything becomes overrated when it turns into a business. Modern medicine is probably the most overrated thing in the world today. Yes, yoga is also propagated commercially, and many gurus give exaggerated explanations and claim unrealistic benefits. I do not endorse such things.
Let me put it this way: as a simple and well-articulated collection of exercises for the inner self and the organs of our body, yoga is more useful than any other form of exercise. As a way of silently listening to one’s own mind for some time and trying to concentrate it, dhyana (meditation) is more effective than any other form of self-contemplation or therapy. No doctor with rational thought can deny this.
Jeyamohan
