Ayoga is the painful state of disconnection from self and life
Definition
The word ayoga means disconnection, separation, disjunction, unfit, unsuitable, impossibility, inefficacy of a remedy, exertion, an inauspicious conjunction of the planets.
Meaning
We are constantly connecting and disconnecting with things in life, with friends, things and with events.
However there is one thing that we should never disconnect from and that is our self. To be disconnected from oneself and ignorant of our true nature is the greatest of all pains.
Ayoga occurs when we are either caught up in the things and demands of the world, or within the internal world of the mind, thoughts, desires and emotions.
In this state we lose touch with our deeper inner self, the part of us that holds meaning and our sense of who we are, along with our sense of purpose.
Application
It is easy to lose touch with ourselves when we are busy, tired, caught up in the demands of life and the demands of others.
At it’s most basic, the state of ayoga is a semi-animal state of existence in which most of our time is taken up with survival, routine and mundane repetition that does not require higher mental or emotional functions.
The state of ayoga is represented by the state of consciousness in muladhara chakra, the first chakra in the human body. The painful state of ayoga, and the mooladhara chakra, is the starting point for our search for meaning, purpose and connection using yogic techniques.
Resources
Read the Bhagavad-Gita – Chapter 1, which is called “The Yoga of the Dejection and Despondency of Arjuna”. In this chapter, the great warrior Arjuna, who is in a state of ayoga, has a nervous breakdown on the battlefield. The rest of the book details the forms of yoga he uses to escape from his state of disconnection to find true connection.