“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?

Seriously, I find it interesting that the goal of yoga is self-knowledge and (amazingly), Jane Austen’s underlying message in her novels, is also self-knowledge. Deep knowledge of self, or in academic terms, “depth psychology,” is a type of study of rational thinking and higher consciousness. Ancient wisdom traditions in India were familiar with this, and it was part of the teachings from The Enlightenment Period, also known as The Renaissance, (which means literally “re-birth”)…of what? Of the ancient classical philosophy and science that was part of a ‘pagan’, non-sectarian and un-fanatical time in history, before the medieval “Dark Ages” fell on Europe. By the way, it was called “The Dark Ages” by those attempting to revive classical thought. They had noticed that in the Dark Ages….it was kind of like living in a Monty Python movie. So some bright folks decided to make a few changes. Lucky for us! It’s the same as that taught by the classical philosophers, such as Socrates (via Plato’s writings) and Aristotle.

Jane’s writing is all about witty dialogue, yet so highly rational. Of course, everyone mentions her ‘wicked’ sense of humor, yet beyond the excellence of her writing style, dialogue and sheer talent, was an infallible moral compass. Her novels are considered the most romantic (and intelligent) love stories ever written. To this ideal sense of romance we add the highest principles of yoga philosophy. We begin with knowing the difference between the body and consciousness. That is, we are spiritual beings having a human experience. This is the first step to freedom from illusions (even romantic illusions) that cause our sufferings, a type of liberation! We’ve all had moments of recklessness. Perhaps even one or two pesky, annoying and slightly stupid love affairs that one would give almost anything to forget about, especially in those “20/20 hindsight” moments. Never mind! With wisdom from yoga and Jane’s elegantly presented first-class examples of what true romance and friendship are based on, we begin to hear the inner voice’s rational side.

There are stunning examples of friendship-based (Aristotelian) romance that even Aristotle refused to believe possible, (poor Aristotle was a bit of a chauvanist). Jane’s novels to the rescue! The difference lies in taking metaphysics seriously. Jane presents love as a sentiment that arises from ‘esteem’ and ‘gratitude,’ rather than the (usually) impulse-driven, “love at first sight” tales that always veer off into unhappy endings. This isn’t an rant against modern love, yet it’s very much against exploitation. In a world of glorified “hook ups” and casual sex, do yourself a favor by avoiding relationships that my mentor describes as, “Like climbing into one of those machines that grind up tree branches.” Of course, this goes for men too.

By the way, for those (besides myself) tempted to hide in the corner, despairing over past “romantic” experiences, fear not! Amazingly, 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, chastity). Modern people are losing this, 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 fact is, romance is real yet it isn’t a cheap or ‘casual’ experience. Jane brings us to this understanding of higher levels of relationships because her novels explore metaphysics and philosophy within a moral universe, and the Bhagavad-Gita is ancient wisdom. It’s India’s main and most beloved text on yoga philosophy. 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.

A little 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 protecting loved ones or for the sake of justice. We even base our democratic society (in the USA) on “equality.” This seems ridiculous from a material point of view, as 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, EXCEPT in the sense of being 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 that may be changing, or we can hope. Applying this metaphysical 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.