Abhyasa: The Power of Practice

Human life is a profound gift. We are the care-takers of this land, set apart from other species by our remarkable ability to learn and train ourselves. While animals adapt over generations, humans flourish in new environments with astonishing speed. The evolution in the context of technology driven humans is more about expansion of our collective knowledge base. While the knowledge is always limited within few experts per field, the tools thus developed are available to the masses. For example - few understand MRI scanners soup to nut, but scanners are available to all - even in rural cities. And hence an evolutionary boon to entire man kind. Individually, our minds are general-purpose processors, capable of acquiring divergent skills - unique to our environments, a trait that has allowed us spread from Africa across the globe, and now we look toward to the stars.

The question is: How do we learn and train?

We all know: practice makes a man perfect, but why? What is the fundamental mechanism that allows us to improve with each repetition? This principle underpins all human accomplishment, from our survival to our greatest achievements. The answer lies in a philosophy of action and the incredible neural engine we carry in our heads.

The Philosophy of Action: Karma Yoga

Bhagavad Gita offers a powerful framework to understand "actions". Karma Yoga, literally means "connecting with actions". In most scenarios, when we act, our focus is on the outcomes. We are attached to the results. The key is to let go this attachment - detach from cravings for specific goals - focus purely on the action. This is not about despising sensory pleasures or hating senses. Senses are necessary for our survival. It is about dedicating time to actions for their own sake - remember your childhood play-time. When action itself becomes the focus of our attention, the desires automatically take a backseat. Karmyoga is not about what you are doing - it is all about how you are doing.

Krishna says:

"One who initiates actions by regulating the senses with the mind, engaged in Karm Yoga with active work organs, and detached to the outcomes, that person is special. He excels."

"Regulating the senses with the mind" means managing our emotional responses and distinguishing the metaphysical from the physical. Desires exist primarily in the metaphysical realm. By focusing on the action rather than its potential fruits, we make practice a ritual, a Yazna, and unlock our potential for excellence. Such actions are known as an offering to the divine.

This idea is not just spiritual; it is grounded in the very structure of our biology.

The Learning Engine: Our Neural Network

Our brain is the most sophisticated learning engine known. In Hath Yoga, it is symbolized by the Sahsrara Chakra, the crown chakra with a thousand expressions. It is a neural network of staggering complexity. For perspective, while the large AI model GPT-3 had about 185 billion parameters, the human brain contains roughly 86 billion neurons, with each neuron having an average of 7,000 synaptic connections. This amounts to approximately 60 trillion parameters—a network 300 times larger than our most advanced AI.

Each of us hosts a super-intelligent, general-purpose AI, and there are over seven billion of us, collaborating and learning. This immense natural neural cloud is continuously reconfiguring and evolving. While man-made AIs will undoubtedly grow, it may take them eons to match the energy efficiency and portability of the human brain.

Furthermore, this incredible processing power is seamlessly integrated with our "action organs." Our hands alone are connected to 200,000 neurons, translating to nearly one and a half billion synapses. The famous "Homunculus Man" illustration, which depicts the human body in proportion to the cortical area dedicated to its parts, shows our hands as enormous, highlighting their importance in our interaction with the world.

We are a complete package: a system designed for data collection, optimization, and testing through a continuous feedback loop. We are fundamentally built to explore our reality, which gives us two primary goals: first, to survive and perpetuate our genes, and second, to immerse ourselves in and understand the reality we inhabit. Karma Yoga is the method to leverage this sophisticated apparatus for that second, deeper goal.

The Mechanism of Mastery: Yazna and Sleep

How do we train this biological beast? The process involves two key components: the ritual of action (Yazna) and the consolidation that happens during sleep.

When we repeatedly perform a set of actions—our Yazna—we are feeding our brain training data. Modern science has shown that during the REM stage of sleep, our brain gets to work. With the senses and motor controls temporarily offline, the mind rehearses the day's activities, running millions of simulations and tweaks to find the most efficient neural pathways. This is why, when we wake up, tasks often feel simpler, and we are better prepared. Each cycle of Yazna and sleep refines our abilities, making us more perfect with each iteration.

Evolution has prioritized REM sleep, even though it makes us vulnerable, underscoring its critical importance for learning. This is our evolutionary advantage. When we focus on a specific problem set, the mind trains itself efficiently. However, if we feed it desires for specific outcomes, we divert its immense power to a simple, probabilistic calculation. It tries to predict the chances of success, which, in a complex world, often results in a 50/50 guess. This uncertainty creates doubt, or Sanshya.

By providing our mind with the clean data of action, it becomes a self-learning supercomputer. By asking it the wrong questions about outcomes, we create a mess of doubt that often requires sedatives to quiet. In our modern world, filled with distractions, Karma Yoga offers a proven path forward.

The Uniqueness of Skill

The result of this process is skill—a marriage of intelligence and knowledge. Intelligence gathers the training data, and knowledge is the optimized routine our neural engine produces. This knowledge is deeply personal and cannot be fully communicated. Fire cannot burn it, and air cannot dry it, for it exists beyond the manifested realm.

This is why a skill is uniquely yours. You can write down the steps to swim, but you cannot transfer the embodied understanding of how you swim. That knowledge is decrypted from your personal copy of the universal consciousness, the Bramha. We each hold a small, unique piece of the whole. By mastering even one skill, we bring something to the "potluck party" of collective knowledge, granting us access to the entire feast. The process of mastering the skill is ultimately more important than the skill itself. As Krishna advises:

"Nityam Yazne Pratishtitam"

"Situate yourself into your Yazna everyday."

He doesn't specify the type of ritual, because the nature of the work is secondary to the dedication of the practice.

Redefining Purpose

This brings us to the concept of "purpose." We often define purpose as a future state or an accomplishment we must chase. This is Sakaam Yazna—action performed with a desired outcome in mind. While not inherently bad, the Gita suggests it is not the optimal path to peace and knowledge.

Instead, consider "purpose" as a complete focus on the righteous actions required of you in your present situation. It is a shift in vantage from "where should I be?" to "what does this moment ask of me?" Millions of choices have led you to where you are now. Purpose is not about changing yourself into someone else; it is about realizing who you are through mindful action in your current reality.

The ignorant and the wise may perform the same actions, but their motivations differ. Krishna explains:

"The way ignorant people, attached to outcomes, perform their duties with passion, the learned must do the same for the greater good, but without any attachment."

Knowing Yourself Through Action

Ultimately, developing a skill is a process of knowing yourself. A marathon runner knows their own heart rate, the limits of their knees, and the fuel their body needs. By making every aspect of life—breathing, eating, sleeping—a skill, you come to know yourself intimately. Such a lifestyle is Karma Yoga.

A Practical Test

Let's approach one activity in a new way. Choose a fairly complex task you've wanted to try—cooking a difficult dish, running a 5k, or singing a challenging song. For one month, dedicate 30 minutes to it every day.

Do this not to achieve an outcome, but simply to provide your mind with training data. You are not trying to become a master chef or win a marathon. You are simply giving your mind a chance to work. Do not let expectations creep in. You might be pleasantly surprised by the improvements you make as your body and mind optimize the routine.