Sage Patañjali writes in the 3rd pada of their Yoga Sutra about the psychic powers, siddhis, that may show up as a result of our practice, emphasizing that we are not to hold on to them, yet our work is to let them go. It takes courage and stamina to stay on the path when these powers come as our ego truly wants to feel special and chosen, they are only derailing us on the way to the one true goal. As yoga practitioners our work is to stay grounded, walk the walk, talk the talk, to have faith in the bigger picture, and sometimes we need to learn how to receive support and help from others we meet on the path and share our love and kindness with others.
One “superpower” we may work on developing, on the other hand, is metacognition. It is the ability to observe your own thinking while it is happening. To see the machinery in motion, to catch the program running, before it runs you. Most of your mental life runs on autopilot.
Author Nasrin Grewal says: Your brain is running old code, scripts written years ago, maybe decades ago, and never updated. When you pause mid-reaction and ask wait, why did I respond like that, something measurable happens inside your brain. A region called the anterior prefrontal cortex activates. Your brain, in that moment, turns its attention on itself. It steps outside the automated process and looks at it from a distance. That distance is everything. The observer is the most awake version of you.
Hanumān was half man and half god. He was unaware of his own superpowers, yet they came about when he needed them. Born of Vāyu, the wind, Hanumān is prāṇa, the living current that moves through every creature. He is said to be able to shift size at will, carry mountains, slip from one form into another, possess limitless muscle and deep wisdom. Astonishingly, he would always forget about his powers. Again and again, it was his single-minded love for Rāma, his faith and loyalty, that carried him through fear and into what looked impossible. The tales of Hanumān brings us back to a simple truth; real strength comes from love.
Hanumān as practice is absolute devotion, unwavering focus and perfect seva. It is the channelling of prāṇa toward a higher purpose. In this way, Hanumān is not only mythological, but an archetype of ego-transcendence, humble power, and the courage to take a leap without attachment to personal glory. His greatest leap was not across the ocean, but beyond the limitations of doubt.
The tradition of Bhakti Yoga is focused on cultivating this same devotion so completely that fear and doubt fall away, leaving only remembrance of the True Self. Its tool is mantra, prayer and surrender.
Master B.K.S. Iyengar said that according to the Upaniṣads, prāṇa is the principle of life and consciousness. It is equated with the True Self, Ātman. Prāṇāyāma is very powerful and can be a tool to direct our energy towards Yoga, union. Through the abundant intake of oxygen by its disciplined techniques, subtle chemical changes take place in the sādhaka’s body. It also regulates all the sādhaka’s thoughts, desires and actions, gives poise and the tremendous willpower needed to become a master of oneself.
Like wind shaped by pressure, prāṇa moves through us. We are constantly in exchange – attraction, repulsion, connection, withdrawal. Yoga gives us the opportunity to practice finding balance in this movement, neither clinging nor resisting, but rather resting in awareness. We are naturally drawn toward some people and experiences while resisting others because of our inherent state. When you practice yoga, you can practice observing these tendencies without becoming ruled by them, gradually finding the still point between attraction and aversion, inhales and exhales, birth and death. Right there, you are awake.
The goal of yoga practice is Yoga. To be in union with the Divine. Hanumān reminds us to live life fully in that expansive state of awareness, experiencing life in all colours and shades. We are all a part of the harmony; each vibration is necessary for the whole.
