During Yoga practice – To sweat or Not to Sweat ?

In one of the Yoga fitness classes (conducted in a AC community hall :-)) recently, one of the participants said to the teacher, Teacher! teach us yoga by which we should not sweat and the teacher obliged !!!

I was compelled to look into the texts for reference for this scenario and I share my thoughts on this – Yoga is of course gentle and unlike physical exercise. But it is not that one should not sweat during yoga practice.

While Svātmārāma in Haṭhayogapradīpikā states that for success in Yoga ones should avoid Prāyasa - अत्याहारः प्रयासः च प्रजल्पो नियमग्रहः.../ atyāhāraḥ prayāsaḥ ca prajalpo niyamagrahaḥ... (1.15) which is defined as - श्रमजननानुकूलो व्यापारः - śramajananānukūlo vyāpāraḥ (by Jyotsnā commentary)– actions that are strenuous (that tire the body). This prayāsa may be stated as a prayāsa before the commencement of yoga session.

This Prayāsa can be equated the view of vijñānabhikṣu on the Prayatnaśaithilysūtra (2.48) from the yogasūtras of Patañjali. He states that - बहुव्यापारानन्तरं चेदासनं क्रियते तदा अङ्गकम्पदानासनस्थैर्यं न भवतीत्याशयः। - bahuvyāpārānantaraṃ cedāsanaṃ kriyate tadā aṅgakampadānāsanasthairyaṃ na bhavatītyāśayaḥ - if after strenuous work (बहुव्यापार – प्रयासः/ bahuvyāpāra - prayāsaḥ) I start practice of āsana, then, because of the trembling of the limbs/due to hard work – sthiratā (steadiness) in āsana may not be achieved.  This means that before the practice of āsana there should not be too much physical exertion (श्रम/ śrama).

But one needs to put in श्रम/ śrama – effort in/during Yoga practice. The ideas expressed in Yogasūtras such as दीर्घकाल-नैरन्तर्य-सत्कारासेवितः, देशकालसङ्ख्या परिदृष्टः, मृदुमध्याधिमात्रत्त्वात् ततोऽपि विशेषः (dīrghakāla-nairantarya-satkārāsevitaḥ (1.14), mṛdumadhyādhimātrattvāt tato'pi viśeṣaḥ (1.22), deśakālasaṅkhyā paridṛṣṭaḥ (2.50),) are all for intensifying our effort in Yoga practice, systematically. This is about the effort/strain. 

Now, specifically about sweating that happens out of putting in effort,   Haṭhayogapradīpikā says – कनीयसी भवेत् स्वेदः... kanīyasī bhavet svedaḥ... (2.12) during the practice of prāṇāyāma the initial signs of progress is sweating and hence it is a welcome outcome. If this is true for prāṇāyāma, it can be applied to āsana as well.

Haṭhayogapradīpikā goes on to state as to how to utilize the sweating that happens during Prāṇāyāma – 

jalena śramajātena gātramardanamācaret।

dṛḍhatā laghutā caiva tena gātrasya jāyate॥ (2.13)॥  

The sweat that emerges during prāṇāyāma should be massaged on to the body (As a person will do oil massage) This gives the body lightness and also firmness.

Excepting therapeutic Yoga practice for specific conditions - Yoga for fitness and also for spiritual progress can be and should be systematically and progressively intense.