“Jane Austen’s novels were written during Europe’s Regency period, while Yoga Philosophy originated in India many thousands of years ago. These represent widely different cultures. So why think of combining ‘dear’ Jane with yoga? Well, she might never have practiced yoga, yet at least ONE of her heroines, the young Catherine Moorland, imagined herself walking ‘with great elasticity’ and if not from yoga, whence has this remarkable elasticity arisen?

The goal of yoga is self-knowledge. Deep understanding of self, or in academic terms, “depth psychology,” is the study of rational thinking and higher consciousness. Jane Austen grew up during the flowering of The Enlightenment Period, also known as The Renaissance, which means, literally, “re-birth”…rebirth of what? Of the ancient Greco-Roman classical age. It was a non-sectarian and science-centered time in history, before the medieval “Dark Ages” fell on Europe. It was named “The Dark Ages” by the intellectuals of that era, who set out to revive classical thought after realizing that they were living in a Monty Python movie. Lucky for us if we can access the knowledge taught by the classical philosophers, such as Socrates (via Plato’s writings) and Aristotle. To “know thyself” was the primary purpose, if one was interested in a good life.

Everyone mentions Jane Austen’s novels as being witty and “wickedly funny” yet there was a metaphysical aspect that went beyond this, and even beyond the excellence of her writing style, dialogue and sheer talent. Jane had an infallible moral compass. This is the metaphysical aspect of her art. Her novels are considered the most romantic love stories ever written. To this sense of ideal loving relationships, we add the highest principles of yoga philosophy, which culminates in pure consciousness. Voila! Jane Austen Yoga!

The first step to perfection is to understand the difference between the body and the conscious self. In this life, we are spiritual beings “dba” or having a human experience. Seeing the conscious self as separate from the body, is knowledge. The body is made of material elements and is just a vehicle for the conscience self. This distinction really frees us from illusions caused (even romantic illusions) by trying to use another person (or their body), for our own gratification, which is the cause of many of our sufferings. Certainly, in this mundane and materialistic age, hardly anyone understands the difference between the body and the self. We are focused on the external world, which we cannot control. We’re insensible to our inner, reservoir of bliss. However, if we rediscover our pure consciousness by this yoga, life becomes a state of “more than” happiness. It’s really a blissful state. By gradually coming to the state of pure self knowledge, and made easier by Jane’s novels that give elegant, first-class examples of profound character development, we begin to hear the inner voice of reason. It’s the beginning of a great life and this has worked very well for many people.

To begin with, there are stunning examples of friendship-based (Aristotelian) romance in Jane’s novels. I’m sorry to say, that Aristotle refused to believe that such friendship was possible, (poor Aristotle was a bit of a chauvanist). However, Jane took metaphysics very seriously and yet understood love as a sentiment that arose from ‘esteem’ and ‘gratitude.’ This is far from the usual impulse-driven, “love at first sight” thing that typically turns into a disaster. It’s not exactly meant as a rant against sex, yet in a world of glorified hook ups and unsafe relationships, do yourself a favor by going slowly and avoiding ‘casual’ physical encounters. Especially the ones that make you uncomfortable or unsafe. They’re the ones my mentor describes as, “Like climbing into one of those machines that grind up tree branches.” Of course, this goes for men and women. Learn safe dating.

By the way, if you’re tempted to hide in the corner, despairing over past “romantic” experiences, remember that Jane’s heroines and heroes all begin as flawed characters…and most of them, like most of us, are not “perfectly” anything. As she said herself, “Pictures of perfection make me sick and wicked.” This gives us hope (at least, it gives me hope). Yet it requires a bit of self-introspection. Jane very elegantly teaches us why we need to be cautious and to know whom we are involving ourselves with before it gets too serious (ie, it’s called chastity). Modern people are losing this useful “skill set” and they are instead choosing to unwisely act in favor of instant gratification. Why do we need to be patient and thoughtful about relationships?

The truth is, romance is real yet it isn’t a cheap or ‘casual’ experience. It requires a bit of strategy and self awareness. Jane brings us to this understanding of higher-level relationships because her novels explore metaphysics and philosophy. Her novels happen within a moral universe. It just works. Combined with the Bhagavad-Gita, an ancient wisdom, it’s the perfect combination for self discovery. The Gita is India’s main and most beloved text on yoga philosophy. In my blogs, I will be referring to the following translation, written by my mentor, HD Goswami: A Comprehensive Guide to Bhagavad-Gita, with a literal translation. Also, check out HD’s lectures on YouTube or FaceBook. For anyone interested in Jane Austen’s amazingly intelligent love stories, here’s a link below to a very reasonably priced, “Penguin Deluxe” collection of all her novels.

Dose of philosophy: Thousands of years ago, Socrates taught, “Know thyself” and centuries later, during the flowering of The Enlightenment period, during which Jane Austen lived, her message was part of this shift towards rational thought. She advised her friends and readers to, “Know thy own happiness.” There was serious public interest in science and, especially what a good life should look like. In any discussion of a good life, rational thought and rational behavior presuppose the acceptance of a metaphysical universe. Think about this: “justice” and “love” are not physical things, yet they we accept them as REAL things. Sometimes people lose their life fighting, for the sake of freedom, protecting loved ones or upholding justice. We even base our democratic society (in the USA) on “equality.” It is ridiculous from a material point of view, since none of us are equal in our abilities. For example, we are not equal in math skills or in our singing ability. There is no empirical sense of being equal, yet we can understand equality in the sense of our “shared identity” as individual spiritual beings. Since equality is not a physical thing, that can be touched or weighed, it is metaphysical. Literally, “beyond the physical.” Metaphysics is rarely spoken about in the modern media, yet we can try to understand it. Applying this science of yoga philosophy and finding our ‘moral compass,’ gives us a true path to becoming the best version of ourselves. An interesting idea!

Great links: “An Excellent lecture on the Philosophy of Yoga” for anyone new to eastern philosophy, and A lecture on Jane Austen, in Jane’s hometown of Chawton, UK. Both (amazing) lectures given by my teacher , HD Goswami.

For more info: HD Goswami’s YouTube channel or Facebook page.

A Stanford study, “Your Brain On Jane Austen.” Learn about the cognitive benefits to binging-reading Jane Austen novels!

Krishna West London, Germany and many other cities around the world.