ANyone interested in this topic seriously, should read Yoga Sutra by Patanjali. Things become quiet clear!
I think all classical forms of Yoga, especially patanjali's, and his extention in hatha yoga, as well as bakti-yoga, upanishdic yoga, tantric yoga, buddhist-yogachara, etc are against the core of Sikh Panth.
Yoga- which means to "Yoke together, or bring together two separate entities", has an inherent dualism built into it, which cannot be negated unless you oppose it to the greatest/classical Yoga texts (ie Patanjali's Yoga Sutras, and Hatha Yoga Paradipika).
The irreducible dualism of Purusha and Prakirti- ie the pure conscousness/mind Purusha over and against the active, fluctuating, natural Prakirti- cannot be thought of a life-negating interpretation of body/kudrat/world- Prakirti that is.
The path of Patanjali's and Hatha Yoga is a dualistic approach to life, where the senses, the Mann, the mat, the intellect and (in turn self itself ) has to be negated and suppressed by the practitioner. Through dharana (one-pointed-ness) dhyana (meditation), and samadhi (the cessation of the life-world) one arrive at the final samadhi of Kavaliya (sensation-less pure alone-ness).
This kaivaliya state is NOT union in any (Sikh) sense, firstly it means ALoneness, second, its not a collective/cosmic liberation but an entirely individual, ONE self/PURUSHA's liberation (from diluted, con-fused, existence with nature/prakirti). The collective/social approach of liberation in SIkhi, is irreconcilable with this appraoach. There can be no Sewa of the Other, let alone love. The avestha of "sagal bane aii", the aspirationg of "sarbat da Bhalla" is meaningless here.
Thirdly, there is no room fpr Nadar, Mehar, Kirpa, Bakshish... the singulr Purusha (atomististic yogic self) is on his own, the super-purusha lord- called Ishvara, is not a Waheguru, but another Purusha. He is valued only because he was never tainted by Bodily life, as all other (regular) purushas have been by being born! This is the zenith of perfection in patanjali: not ever having the filthy expereince of bodily existence! It is really quiet sad that people go around comparing, trying to synchretize the Guru Sahiban's Panth with this nihilistic life-negating theory that is a simply a manifestation of hatred of the physical, embodied existence.
What Maharaj has called the house of the True- as in "Balihari Kudrat Vasiya", "eh Sache ki Kothri", " Sache ter Khand Sache Brahmand"... - is devalued and emptied of life here, embodied life in its entirety pushed over to the side of Prakirti and set for annhilation, aka "Nirodha"-"cessation".
The socio-political, embodied, existence of the KHALSA cannot be subsumed under the systematic nihilism of Yoga, without violence and dishonest manipulation of the Texts: as we see in Yogi Bhajan's distortion and commodification of both Sikhi and Yoga. For in Bhajanism, the innocence of Yogic practice dies as well as the life-affirming radiance of Sikhi- at one hand yoga is reduced to "physical fitness" and "good health" subtracted from its spiritual yearnings; and on the other hand the NON-dual Khalsai spirit of spontaneous action= SAHAJ, as well as Political/social/collective fight for justice/sewa is marginalized. [Hence the cooperation of Bhajan with Indian intellegence Agencies in displacing the Sikh Struggle for Soveriegnity in Punjab, not to mention some horrendous acts of sexual abuse of (hence numerous pregnancies and law suitsin 1970s!, and also not to mention the sexual sercvices he offered to Visiting Indian POlitiicians etc. and then used their film records for extortion etc...!) Sorry for going off on to non-entities like Bhajan and his cult, but its really sad to see people get duped into his agencies, out of the good-ness of their heart- but luckily many White-Sikhs are recognizing his reality - seeing the exotic fetishization/mystification of SIkh life, and synchretism with YOga/hinduism/india etc. - and joining the path of the Guru Sahiban.
anyways,
I am open to serious discussion and responses, but please support arguements with Textual and philosophical history of the terms in questions.
Guru Fateh,
Amandeep Singh
