Pratipaksha Bhavanam or the Power of Perspective

Photo by Joel Fulgencio on Unsplash

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There are no facts, only interpretations.
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― Friedrich Nietzsche

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This blog post is part of our Yoga Sutras series.  
​Want to start at the beginning?
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Yoga Sutra 2.33
वितर्कबाधने प्रतिपक्षभावनम्
Vitarka bādhane pratipakṣa bhāvanam

If troubled by negative thoughts, cultivate contrary thoughts.

Yoga Sutra 2.33 is one of the Sutras I return to most often.  In my view, this one gives perhaps the most practical advice that a practitioner can apply in their daily life.
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For that reason, I’d like to move a little out of order here.  We’ll study the eight limbs of Raja Yoga, one month at a time starting next month.  Now let’s look at Yoga Sutras 2.33 and 2.34, which appear in the middle of Patanjali’s description of these eight components and specifically, the first two: Yama and Niyama.

Yama and Niyama are the foundation of Raja Yoga and describe the ethical considerations and restraints we impose upon ourselves as yoga practitioners in order to achieve greater accomplishment in the final six limbs.

There is a very good reason Patanjali has placed the tool described in 2.33 in the middle of his discussion of the ethical precepts of Raja Yoga.  As we live life “off the mat,” we’ll encounter situations that push our ethical boundaries.  In these situations, wherein we’ve been disturbed by negative thoughts, we can use our discriminative faculties or viveka to cultivate opposite thoughts.  As Makunda Stiles puts it, pratipaksha bhavanam is “the method for success” (59) in practicing the yamas and niyamas.

Although the practice of patipaksha bhavana has transformed my mind and my life, I sometimes worry that it may come across as toxic positivity.  The truth is, I haven’t met a person yet who hasn’t run into some trouble at some point in their life that has caused a justified struggle. 

Our purpose, after all, is to experience life and overcome difficulties.  We may not like that things are always fluctuating between good and bad, but that is how life is to varying extents.

A confounding issue here is that usually, the more we push against something, the more resistance we receive back.  This is basic to both physics and psychology.

So it won’t work to push against negative thoughts.  No, our mind must be treated kindly.  It is trying to serve some (misguided) purpose and should at least be appreciated for the attempt.

It's good for us to acknowledge when we’re troubled by negative thoughts, emotions and even doubt or uncertainty.  There is no need to push a feeling away, simply cultivate the opposite thoughts.

This seems like a much healthier approach than either putting on a shield of fake positivity or ruminating on the negative.  When trying to improve our diet, I’ve heard it’s best to focus on adding in healthy foods rather than pushing against cravings for less healthy foods.  The more healthy food we eat, the less room we have for things that are less nutrient-dense.  Eventually, our body actually craves healthy foods.

It is necessary to take care of our mental health too because just like our physical health, actions to the contrary “cause suffering and doubt” (Shoshoni, 26).

Pratipaksha bhavanam is like a mental diet - adding in thoughts that ultimately make us feel better.  The ones that don’t serve us as well will naturally drop to the wayside as we’re ready.

This is exactly what I love about yoga.  There is no harsh force applied, only correct effort and everything happens on its own time.

​[In] yoga... there is no harsh force applied, only correct effort and everything happens on its own time.

We can use pratipaksha bhavanam to deepen our understanding of the Yamas and Niyamas in the next couple of months.  BKS Iyengar even translates these negative thoughts as “principles which run contrary to yama and niyama.” (145)  By applying the yamas and niyamas in our life, over time we cultivate thoughts that promote peace and don’t disturb us.

Pratipaksha bhavanam is expanded upon in Yoga Sutra 2.34.  I’ve found very different translations of this Sutra, which says to me there is a lot of information to be gleaned.  I will do my best to summarize the texts I'm using.

Patanjali explains that negative thoughts and emotions or their outward expression, words and actions, are a form of violence.  This violence may be directly committed, indirectly induced, or permitted.  “They cause injury to yourself and others, regardless of whether they are performed by you, done by others, or you permit them to be done” (Stiles, 25).   

Sutra 2.34 also tells us that regardless of whether violence is “indulged in with mild, medium or extreme intensity,” (Satchidananda, 129), it arises from greed, anger, or delusion.  The result of violence is always misery and ignorance (Stiles, 88-89).
Thus, we should cultivate thoughts that are contrary to any type of violence listed above.

Interestingly, bhavanam, the final word in both Sutras 2.33 and 2.34 and the end of pratipaksha bhavanam itself means both cultivation or manifestation and also “resting place” or “feeling” (Iyengar, 148).  So much like yoga itself, the technique of pratipaksha bhavanam could be considered both the method and the result of the method.  By cultivating our mind, we create a home for thoughts that bring us peace.

Let’s talk next month about how to use pratipaksha bhavanam in applying the five yamas of Raja Yoga.
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What has been your experience so far with negative thoughts and feelings?  Have you ever tried to cultivate positive thoughts when experiencing hardship?   Is it a challenge?  Does it get easier with practice?  What was the result of that cultivation?  If you’ve never tried this technique before, is there one area of your life that you could test it out for yourself for a sustained period of time?  

Practice Tip #1: place a note that says “pratipaksha bhavana” in a place where you need it most (i.e. next to your computer if you’ll be applying it at work) to remember to consciously apply it.  

Practice Tip #2: set a reminder on your phone to check in at a time you usually find yourself worrying or upset.