Yoga Sutras For Modern Day Life: Don’t Start None, Won’t Be None
Yoga Sutras of Patanjali 2:16: Suffering, that has not yet come, can be prevented. Defining the Sutra There are 3 types of Karma. Two of them are created from past actions. Because the deeds have already been done, the consequences are almost impossible to avoid. It is kind of like someone confessing to a murder and not going to jail. A technicality or in the yogi’s case, some tapas, makes it possible, but highly unlikely The third is the Karma that we are currently creating. This is the Karma that we have the most control of. This is the place where we can take actions to prevent suffering. Modern Day…
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Yoga Sutras For Modern Life: What is Good and Evil To a Yogi?
Yoga Sutras of Patanjali 2:14-The karmas bear fruits of pleasure and pain caused by merits and demerit. Defining the Sutra As long as you are attached to the outcome, you get back pleasurable or unpleasurable consequences according to how you feel about your actions. Modern Day Application This is not about old school right and wrong which is usually based on culture and environment. The Yogi does what is appropriate, not what is right. Right and wrong attaches us to the play of opposites which is what Yoga is meant to break us away from. The nature of karma is not in the action that you perform. Karma means action,…
Yoga Sutras For Modern Life: The Yoga Only Works if We work
Yoga Sutras of Patanjali 2:11: When the Kleshas are full blown or manifest, they can be subdued through meditation. Defining the Sutra: 5 Kleshas Ignorance (avidya) Ego (asmita) Attachment to Pleasure (raga) Aversion to Pain (dvesa) Fear of Death (abhinivesah) When the Kleshas are taking over your life, meditate on them. This does not necessarily mean sitting on a cushion with crossed legs with your eyes closed. It is referring to acknowledging them, noticing that they are a result of ignorance of the true self and getting yourself to a place where you can make a different choice. Modern Day Application: The Yoga Sutras constantly reiterates that change takes…
Yoga Sutras For Modern Day Life: You Complete Me
Yoga Sutras of Patanjali 1:7 Attachment (Ragah)is that which follows identification with pleasure. Defining the Sutra Attachment is one of the most misunderstood concepts in Yoga. Many have understood it to mean being unemotional, aloof and not eschewing the enjoyment of life. Many people ask themselves, “what about my children? A good parent should be attached to them, right?” Misunderstanding this concept causes many to throw the baby out with the bath water. “Well, if being spiritual means not having any feelings or not having pleasure then I am just going to do Yoga as a workout.” One of the best ways I have ever seen it explained was…
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Yoga Sutras for Modern Life: Touching Greatness and Then Losing It
Yoga Sutras 1:44-1:46- Savichara and Nirvitarka Samadhis or like the two previous Samadhis, except more subtle. The objects can be so subtle that they are undefinable by words. All of these Samadhis are with seed, meaning that the person is still not free from conditioned thoughts and the states are not maintained. Defining the Sutra: If this does not make sense, please refer back to last weeks Sutra Savichara and Nirvitarka Samadhis are still on objects but the objects can be as subtle as the mind field (chitta) or the ego or I-maker (ahamkara). Being able to focus on something so subtle is no small feat. It is a…
Yoga Sutras For Modern Day Life: Yoga, the Cure For Global Insanity?
Yoga Sutras of Patanjali 1:42-Savitarka Samadhi is when one is aware of the meditator, the object of meditation and the meaning ascribed to the object of meditation. Defining the Sutra Savitarka is seen as a lower form of Samadhi. Samadhi is the state where we are fully established in our own true nature. In Savitarka Samadhi, the meditator is aware of himself, the object and all of the stories and meanings that have been placed on that object by themselves and society. So when the person meditates, the awareness goes back and forth between the 3 states. It is seen as a lower Samadhi because the stories or negative samskaras, are still…
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Yoga Sutras For Modern Day Life: The Choice is Yours
Yoga Sutras of Patanjali 1:39: Any inquiry of interest can calm the mind. Defining the Sutra: Patanjali continues to list ways to keep the mind calm. In this verse, he states that anything that brings up positive feelings within you can be used to calm the mind. It is implied that this object or idea had to be pure or satvic. It can’t violate the other tenets of Yoga discussed in the Yoga Sutras or be harmful to others. Modern Day Application: Meditation is the act of being fully present or absorbed with someone or something. There are two schools of thought on this. Some believe that, if you are…
Yoga Sutras For Modern Day Life: Peaceful Sleep, Peaceful Mind
Yoga Sutras of Patanjali 1:38 The mind can also be made steady by meditating on a dream or on dreamless sleep. Defining the Sutra Patanjali continues to talk about techniques to steady the mind. One of these techniques is meditation on a peaceful dream or on dreamless sleep. By meditating on the tranquility of a pleasant spiritually oriented dream or on the relaxed feeling of deep sleep, one can become relaxed. Modern Day Application There is an ongoing belief, in the modern world, that yoga is not accessible to all. Patanjali always disproves this by giving simple techniques for calming the mind. Everyone sleeps. Why not use it to further…
Yoga Sutras For Modern Life: Don’t Take It Personal
Yoga Sutra 1:37: By practicing non attachment, the mind gets stabilized and tranquil. Defining the Sutra: This is a continuation of the list of actions Patanjali recommends for helping the yogi stay on the yogic path. There are two general interpretations of this verse. I chose this one because, when I looked at the verse in Sanskirt, it was missing some of the words often included in one of the interpretations. I am certainly aware that there are other texts commentators use to guide in the understanding of the Yoga Sutras. I have not read those yet so I can’t really comment on that interpretation. So I went with the straight…
Yoga Sutras For Modern Day Life: The Yoga Is Within You
Yoga Sutras of Patanjali 1:36: Or by focusing on the supreme blissful light within. The yoga happens within you-Sharath Jois Defining the Sutra Patanjali continues to list ways to maintain calmness in the mind. One of those ways is to focus on the place of peace within or the light of the heart. The light within the heart is the pure soul without a story or identity. It contains our purist potential and is the spark of the infinite energy contained within us all. Modern Day Application Yoga is easy and hard at the same time. Throughout the Yoga Sutras, Patanjali lists many simple ways to maintain inner…
Making the Philosophy and Poses of Ashtanga Accessible for All
