Nirodhaḥ Yoga Blog
![]() Photo by Louis Galvez on Unsplash The human body has limitations. The human spirit is boundless. - Dean Karnazes This blog post is part of our Yoga Sutras series. Want to start at the beginning? Yoga Sutra 2.3 अविद्यास्मितारागद्वेषाभिनिवेशाः क्लेशाः avidyāsmitārāgadveṣābhiniveśāḥ kleśāḥ There are five causes of suffering: ignorance, egoism, attachment, aversion and fear of death In book two, Patanjali dives into the practical steps of yoga headfirst.
The first sutra in this pada (or chapter) tells us that there are three practices that constitute what BKS Iyengar defines as the “yoga of action” or kriya yoga. Yoga Sutra 2.1 says that kriya yoga is composed of discipline, self-study and surrender. Practicing kriya yoga will diminish “mental turmoil” (Shoshoni, 18) and bring one closer to enlightenment, according to Yoga Sutra 2.2. The third sutra in this pada might seem kind of heavy. 2.3 lists the five causes of suffering (kleshas) and Patanjali goes into depth about each one from 2.5 - 2.9. Yoga Sutra 2.4 tells us that the first klesha, ignorance, is the “fertile soil” (Stiles, 17) for the others. All other suffering and turmoil originates from a “lack of true knowledge.” (Iyengar, 112)
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![]() Photo by Michael Dziedzic on Unsplash Close your eyes and you will see clearly. - Taoist wisdom This blog post is part of our Yoga Sutras series. Want to start at the beginning? Yoga Sutra 1.41 क्षीणवृत्तेरभिजातस्येव मणेर्ग्रहीतृग्रहणग्राह्येषु तत्स्थतदञ्जनतासमापत्तिः kṣīṇa-vr̥tter-abhijātasy-eva maṇer-grahītr̥-grahaṇa-grāhyeṣu tatstha-tadañjanatā samāpattiḥ When the Mind Is One-Pointed, it Becomes Stable and Clear Like a Flawless Crystal. In this State, the Perceiver, Perceived and Instrument of Perception Are One, Just as a Crystal Reveals Objects Placed Near it. This Is the Consummation of Samadhi. Now, Patanjali dives into the most subtle parts of the method he is describing, called Raja Yoga or the Eight-Limbed Path (Ashtanga Yoga). As we discussed in February, this first book of the Yoga Sutras is for Patanjali’s most advanced students and is simultaneously a broad overview of Raja Yoga basics.
![]() Photo by Wonderlane on Unsplash Just be good and do good. - Sri Swami Sivananda This blog post is part of our Yoga Sutras series. Want to start at the beginning? Yoga Sutra 1.33 मैत्रीकरुणामुदितोपेक्षाणां सुखदुःखपुण्यापुण्यविषयाणां भावनातश्चित्तप्रसादनम् maitrīkaruṇāmuditopekṣāṇāṃsukhaduḥkhapuṇyāpuṇyaviṣayāṇāṃbhāvanātaścittaprasādanam Cultivating Friendliness Toward the Happy, Compassion for the Unhappy, Delight in the Virtuous and Disregard Toward Vice, One's Mind Becomes a Home to Serenity. A perennial favorite, Sutra 1.33 gives us some of the most practical advice in the entire Yoga Sutras. As practical as it is, it may also be the most difficult discipline of all.
Even more challenging than mastering any arm balancing asana or completing a 10-day silent retreat, I think. Because this yoga is applied within our daily activities and in our reactions to the various experiences that come our way. It’s very simple really. Yoga Sutra 1.33 reminds us that in order to retain our peace of mind, we’ll need four tools to overcome four different types of situations. In the Sonia Sumar Method, we often refer to them as the “four locks and keys.” ![]() Photo by Jukan Tateisi on Unsplash When the mind, one-pointed and fully focused, knows the supreme silence in the Heart, this is true learning. - Ramana Maharshi This blog post is part of our Yoga Sutras series. Want to start at the beginning? Yoga Sutra 1.32 - तत्प्रतिषेधार्थमेकतत्त्वाभ्यासः - tat-pratiṣedha-artham-eka-tattva-abhyāsaḥ The Practice of Concentration on a Single Subject (or the Use of One Technique) Is the Best Way to Prevent the Obstacles and Their Accompaniments. This month, we discuss only three Yoga Sutras (1.30-1.32) but boy, do they pack a punch! Last month, Patanjali hinted in Sutra 1.29 that by reverentially repeating Om, we can overcome all the obstacles on our spiritual pathway.
But it would be helpful to know just what obstacles to expect and how to spot them in order to prepare ourselves. Everything in life is vibration. - Albert Einstein Yoga Sutra 1.26 स पूर्वेषाम् अपि गुरुः कालेनानवच्छेदात्॥२६ sa pūrveṣām-api-guruḥ kālena-anavacchedāt Unconditioned by Time, Isvara Is the Teacher of Even the Most Ancient Teachers Why do we chant Om in yoga? Why chant at all? As modern science is beginning to shed light on the mechanisms behind the ancient science of yoga, we are learning that vibration - energy - is all around us and within us. After all, didn’t Einstein also determine that matter (e.g. our body) is simply a manifestation of energy in the physical plane?
![]() Photo by freestocks on Unsplash Practice is the most important factor in Yoga. - Swami Satchidananda This blog post is part of our Yoga Sutras series. Want to start at the beginning? Sutra 1.14 - स तु दीर्घकाल नैरन्तर्य सत्कारा असेवितो दृढभूमिः - Sa Tu Dīrghakāla Nairantarya Satkāra-ādara-āsevito Dr̥ḍhabhūmiḥ Practice Becomes Firmly Grounded by Patience, Devotion, and Faith From Sutras 1.13-1.20, Patanjali outlines exactly what it means to accomplish what we studied last month in Sutra 1.12. As a reminder, Yoga Sutra 1.12 tells us that by practice and detachment, we will reach the goal of yoga.
Sutras 1.13 and 1.14 discuss what it means to practice. Practice of yoga is defined as continuous effort to calm the fluctuations of our mind, as explained in Yoga Sutra 1.2. Sutras 1.15 and 1.16 describe what non-attachment is. It is a state of renunciation that is achieved through the application of our willpower. (Iyengar, 65) Ultimate renunciation occurs when we are no longer affected by the qualities of nature, which are known as the three gunas in Vedic philosophy. In other words, “one is no longer controlled by the dramas of the world.” (Shoshoni, 9) ![]() Photo by Guilherme Stecanella on Unsplash Make your heart and mind friends and you will have peace of mind. - Suzy Kassem This blog post is part of our Yoga Sutras series. Want to start at the beginning? Sutra 1.12 - अभ्यासवैराग्याअभ्यां तन्निरोधः - Abhyasa Vairagyabhyam Tannirodhah Peace of Mind Comes Through Practice and Non-Attachment You may be wondering, “wait a minute…we skipped from Sutra 1.3 to 1.12!” It’s true. If I covered every Yoga Sutra in this series, it would take us 16⅓ years to get us through them all.
Luckily, these threads are so terse (and when read one after the other become like poetry) that we can conveniently condense the Sutras between those formally in our exploration within these discussions. So while we are specifically looking at Sutra 1.12, we’ll also take a look at Sutras 1.4 - 1.11. In Sutra 1.4, Patanjali mentions that when we are not experiencing yoga as explained in the first three Sutras, we are convinced that our True Self is whatever our mind thinks we are. This perception of ourselves is usually derived from our experience of the world through our senses. Sutras 1.5 - 1.11 describe the five types of thought forms the mind has which cause us to identify with our senses. These thought forms can be painful or pleasant. ![]() Photo by mahamudul hasan on Unsplash Love is always the answer. - Sivakami Sonia Sumar This blog post is part of our Yoga Sutras series. Want to start at the beginning? Sutra 1.3 - तदा द्रष्टुः स्वरूपेऽवस्थानम् - Tada Drastuh Svarupe Avasthanam Then the Seer Abides in Its Own Nature Now we come to the result of practicing yoga. Abiding in the spirit’s nature. What is the spirit’s nature? What is the spirit?
The spirit animates the body and mind. It uses the body and mind to participate in nature. “The spirit is like a constant light. It has no name. It does not feel pain. It has no likes or dislikes. Right now within you, there is an exuberant spirit taking delight in watching the world. Whenever you are completely involved in what you are doing, you experience the creative and timeless nature of the spirit.” (Bhakt, 7) We experience the spirit’s nature when our mind is calm. Our spirit’s nature is love. This Sutra really is as simple as that! ![]() Photo by Rohan Makhecha on Unsplash Muddy water, let stand, becomes clear. - Lao Tzu This blog post is part of our Yoga Sutras series. Want to start at the beginning? Sutra 1.2 - योगश्चित्तवृत्तिनिरोधः - Yoga Citta Vrtti Nirodhah Yoga Is Calming the Fluctuations of the Mind This is a very simple and powerful yoga sutra. In fact, Swami Satchidananda wrote, “for a keen student, this one sutra would be enough.” (Satchidananda, 23) Again, let’s break this apart word by word to understand it better.
We’ve already discussed yoga extensively in the previous sutra. It is both the process and the end result. But Patanjali defines yoga further than that in this sutra. ![]() Photo by Wesley Tingey on Unsplash Just where you are – that’s the place to start. - Pema Chodron This blog post is part of our Yoga Sutras series. Want to start at the beginning? Sutra 1.1 - अथ योगानुशासनम् - Atha Yoga Anuśāsanam Now Is the Guide for Yoga The reason the Yoga Sutras take a lifetime (or even longer!) to understand fully is that many of the Sanskrit words contain multiple meanings. The richness of this approach means both that the essence of Yoga is expressed as succinctly as possible and that the process of understanding their meaning is the path toward Yoga itself. In that way, the Yoga Sutras are both philosophy and instructions (Satchidananda, 23); they give both the why and how in one breath.
To truly understand a Sutra, the student must devote successive readings to it. There is an unfurling process, as the student deciphers its meaning over time in conjunction with the student’s lived experience. This is why the aphorism, “when the student is ready, the teacher appears,” also applies to the Yoga Sutras. The lessons to be learned from this text develop in the student’s mind over time, finally becoming fixed when life gives the aspirant a chance to practice and then comprehend their meaning. So let’s start on the most surface level - the literal meaning of the Sanskrit words - and then delve deeper. |
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