Perfection In Yoga

Photo by kike vega on Unsplash

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The pursuit of perfection, then, is the pursuit of sweetness and light.
- Matthew Arnold

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This blog post is part of our Yoga Sutras series.  
​Want to start at the beginning?
Yoga Sutra 3.56
सत्त्वपुरुषयोः शुद्धिसाम्ये कैवल्यमिति
sattva purusayoh suddhi samye kaivalyam iti
Thus, the tranquil and purified mind becomes equal to the pure Self and spiritual integration is perfected.

In this final post of the year and of pada three of The Yoga Sutras, the image of perfection in yoga is revealed by Patanjali.  In essence, by samyama the spiritual aspirant refines their mind to the point wherein vivekajam jnanam (discriminative spiritual knowledge) is achieved and all is intuitively understood by the yogi.

This knowledge purifies the aspirant’s mind.  When a person’s mind is strengthened enough that their intuition can grasp the subtlest of distinguishing details between similar things, that mind becomes incredibly perceptive and will be able to understand the difference between what is real and what is unreal.  The mind and the soul find harmony.

Understanding the nature of one’s soul is perfection in yoga.  I’ve said this many times in this series but I will say it again!  This is how yoga differs from mere exercise.  Yoga is a discipline that leads us to understand the essential nature of our soul and accomplish its purpose (or dharma.)

By purifying one’s mind this way, the mind becomes equal to the soul and the yogi achieves kaivalya, which can be translated as “liberation,” (Stiles, 110) “absoluteness,” (Satchidananda, 248) “absolute independence,” (Bhakt, 185) “perfect[ion] in one’s self,” (Iyengar, 237) or “perfect freedom.” (Shoshoni, 44)  In the state of kaivalya, the yogi is “uncontaminated by the qualities of nature” (Iyengar, 238) known as the three gunas.

In 2026, we will dive into pada four of The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, which is called Kaivalya Pada.  So we will certainly investigate this state in depth beginning next month.


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What does it look like to live an absolutely liberated life?  What would it feel like?