Thoughts on the Yoga Sutras - 1.5

vrttaya pancatayyah klistaklistah

The movements of consciousness are fivefold. They may be cognizable or non-cognizable, painful or nonpainful.

I particularly like this translation because of the word “may”. It isn’t until much later that we may find the movements were klista/aklista.

“Whether these activities are beneficial or create problems cannot be immediately seen. Time alone will confirm their effect.” - Desikichar

“It is important to note here that even the most subtle and benign workings of thought are obstructions to freedom of the spirit.” (Miller)

Whether these thoughts are happy or painful, they are all the same, culminating in a cycle of varying thoughts and emotions throughout our life. Even the most happy moments of our life can be surrounded by thoughts or emotions opposing the experience immediately and over time. (births, deaths, marriage, love, etc.)


The above post is a self-unpacking of the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. I am not a professional historian, I am only sharing my thoughts on the topic. The Thoughts on the Yoga Sutras postings came about as preparation for a weekly study group that I attend at Karuna Center for Yoga and Healing Arts (www.karunayoga.com). Please feel free to share your thoughts and ideas in the comments section.

Thoughts on the Yoga Sutras: 1.4

At other times, the seer identifies with the fluctuating consciousness.

BKS Iyengar uses the word uniting in his commentary. The seer identifies with the fluctuation of consciousness to such a degree that it unites with the objects seen or with consciousness or thought itself. So much so that the seer confuses prakriti (or matter) as the truth.

This sutra explains why the practices outlined in this text are so important - because if we do not move in the direction of the text, we are instead allowing, as BKS Iyengar states, for “objects to act as a provender for the grazing citta, which is attracted to them by its appetite.” It is for this reason why practice is defined later in the sutras as constant and over a long period of time, because it only takes moments for the citta to continue grazing

The above post is a self-unpacking of the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. I am not a professional historian, I am only sharing my thoughts on the topic. The Thoughts on the Yoga Sutras postings came about as preparation for a weekly study group that I attend at Karuna Center for Yoga and Healing Arts (www.karunayoga.com). Please feel free to share your thoughts and ideas in the comments section.

Thoughts on the Yoga Sutras: Sutra 1.3

1.3 tada drastuh svarupe vasthanam

Then, the seer dwells in his own true splendor.

“Once the seer is isolated from the turnings of thought” (Miller) “they can no longer distort the true expression of the soul. revealed in his own nature, the radiant seer abides in his own grandeur (BKS Iyengar).”

I often see this reflected in day-to-day life. When I can move beyond my own brain, my own insecurities, my own desires, I can feel a glimmer of a shining experience. It is in this moment that I feel like I am my own true self, or perhaps the best version of myself. This experience, I can only believe, is on the micro level - one short moment in time. The first step in Imagining what it would be like to live in the glory of freedom from our own insecurities and fears.

Think of a moment in time when you were “in the zone.” You were focused and clear. You did not worry about the outcome, you did not worry about what others were thinking, and you were absorbed in the moment. You may have been looking at something beautiful, you may have found a moment of complete quiet, you may have just opened your eyes in the morning. What did it feel like? How did you feel? Did it feel free? Spacious?

Really operating from our true nature - without the suffering of the mind. It is practically impossible to truly imagine. I think it is important to have something to remember, a moment when we are operating without the restrictions, complications, or influence of thought. This thought could potentially be our first step toward understanding.

Desikachar says of this sutra that when we are in our true nature, “The tendency not to be open to a fresh comprehension or the inability to comprehend are overcome.”

The above post is a self-unpacking of the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. I am not a professional historian, I am only sharing my thoughts on the topic. The Thoughts on the Yoga Sutras postings came about as preparation for a weekly study group that I attend at Karuna Center for Yoga and Healing Arts (www.karunayoga.com). Please feel free to share your thoughts and ideas in the comments section.

Thoughts on the Yoga Sutras: 1.2

1.2 yogascittavrttinirodhah

Yoga is the ability to direct the mind exclusively towards an object and sustain that direction without any distractions. (TKV Desikachar)

I chose Desikachar’s translation as I find that this translation ties most directly to the 8th petal of yoga - samadhi. Instead of leading the practitioner to the idea of silencing or stopping consciousness, he takes us back (by directing us for the first time) to the idea of samadhi, beyond concentration and beyond meditation, moving through the limbs of yoga.

I feel it is important to notice that this sutra states the goal. This goal is nirodhah (cessation) of thought - stopping the turnings of thought. In this sutra, yoga is a goal - not the practice. The practice is the working of the 8 limbs which bring us to this goal (in that the first 7 limbs lead us to success in reaching the 8th). So this sutra can be seen as the goal - not the practice.

One of my favorite concepts to consider is that one cannot still the mind. One can come to a quiet place to influence the mind, but cannot quiet it directly. That, comes from the practice of coming to a quiet place. We use the tools outlined in the sutras to move closer to nirodhah - there is no nirodhah switch to turn or try.

Miller says, “Insofar as the subtle mental processes are active, the subject or self is necessarily unstable and agitated. The goal of yoga is to stop the thought processes so that the spirit can be free, isolated from the turmoil of thought from which it mistakenly takes its identity.”

The above post is a self-unpacking of the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. I am not a professional historian, I am only sharing my thoughts on the topic. The Thoughts on the Yoga Sutras postings came about as preparation for a weekly study group that I attend at Karuna Center for Yoga and Healing Arts (www.karunayoga.com). Please feel free to share your thoughts and ideas in the comments section.

Thoughts on the Yoga Sutras: 1.1

1.1 atta yoganusasanam

"And now, the teachings of yoga"

“the disciplines of integration are here expounded through experience and are given to humanity for the exploration and recognition of that hidden part of man which is beyond the awareness of the senses.”

• BKS Iyengar

Often this sutra is unpacked as an introduction - the announcement of the sutras. “hello, the teachings of yoga.” I have heard many emphasize the word “now,” as though the teachings need to take place in this moment - in the present. This view is not often agreed upon.

Atha does, however “in sanskrit literature, carry the connotation of a prayer both for an auspicious beginning and a successful conclusion to the work which follows.” (TKV Desikachar) For this reason, I do think that the first sutra is beyond an introduction, instead wishing the reader/practitioner success in exploration and recognition of that hidden part of themselves. The use of the word Atha makes the exploration of this the yoga sutras more of a spiritual quest than a topic for discussion - a life path, rather than a philosophy.


The above post is a self-unpacking of the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. I am not a professional historian, I am only sharing my thoughts on the topic. The Thoughts on the Yoga Sutras postings came about as preparation for a weekly study group that I attend at Karuna Center for Yoga and Healing Arts (www.karunayoga.com). Please feel free to share your thoughts and ideas in the comments section.

Coming into Balance

As February (2015) draws near, I'm getting more and more excited about a balancing workshop that I'm offering In Northhampton. It's incredibly fun for me, because balancing poses are challenging, both in the way that they are taught as well as for the practitioner, for the student. These challenges are both physical as well as psychological.

In a physical sense, it's often hard to find balance because we are either too cautious or not cautious enough. We are too risky, or maybe afraid of taking a risk. It's strange, because this is often tied to the make up of what we believe and what we believe we are. We train our minds with our experience, creating patterns of practice to become pathways in our brains and our lives.

Because of these patterns, stepping outside of our comfort zone and into balance is scary, creating a fight or flight response, or fear. Fear of death or dying, Patanjali says, even affects the wise. Testing our boundaries and becoming fearful or scared. It is then no surprise that we cannot find balance in our own lives, or in the physical postures we attempt on our mat.

I make no secret that I consider our asana practice to be training for life. Just as we need to learn the opposite of our habits, risking, or protecting, we need to apply the same tools to our lives. This is something that I've begun to work more and more with as I balance my work life and my passion. It's a struggle I think most of us are trying to overcome. Finding work-life-balance, spending more time with our loved ones, or taking the opportunity to just enjoy our lives is often pushed to the back burner because were too afraid we won't make enough money, will disappoint others, or maybe disappoint ourselves. 

These fears become one more block to finding a true selves, and realizing our life's potential. In the spirit of self-study, I encourage you to look deeply into your own habits and see if there's a point to balance in your own life. Take the step and enjoy the risk or the safeguard, even if it is scary.

For more information on my workshop, you can visit the Karuna Center for Yoga and Healing Arts website at www.karunayoga.com

Namaste!

Bringing Us Together

I recently watched a video of the amazing Mary Dunn teaching Pranayama. On the video she did the legendary thing that I have heard about her - she waited until everyone did exactly what she said before moving on - for Sukasana! She was the queen of sticklers. I have to admit that I was rooting for her. Every once in a while I have a student that does not sit exactly the way I ask, or do something the way I ask and I always question myself. How do I handle it?

The beauty of this exercise was how she handled it. She said that "these directions are what bring us together." How gorgeous is that! I always try to plan my instruction based on my experience. For this reason, I want others to share my experience. Why wouldn't I insist on everyone doing the same thing(safely)? Why shouldn't I be a stickler? Anyone who is teaching yoga from their experience has the right to share their experience. And every student should be open to sharing that experience. After all, they paid for that class, they chose that teacher. So, why not try to achieve the experience they are creating.

Moving forward, as a student, I will take a vow of compliance. I will do my best to share in the experience of the instructor(safely). And as a teacher I will trust in the validity of my experiences. These promises to ourselves and to our teachers will do exactly what Mary suggested - bring us all together. Feel the same experience (or at least try). Be open to the vulnerability of a new experience. Trust in each other in the safe zone of our communities.

namaste!