Takeaways from Patañjali's Yoga Sutras

"Enlightenment is when a wave realizes that it is the ocean"

At the end of June, I successfully completed my training as a Vinyasa Yoga teacher. Though learning about asana (the "postures" or "poses" of yoga) was exciting, the part I enjoyed the most was studying the Yoga Sutras, the philosophical instruction manual for living a yogic lifestyle. Here are some excerpts that struck a chord with me.

The Eight Limbs of Yoga

In the western world, the word "yoga" refers to a set of postures that we put our bodies into in order to get a good stretch, an intense workout, or to achieve relaxation. In fact, asana practice is just one of the eight limbs of yoga, and wasn't introduced as we know it today until the 19th century. The Yoga Sutras were written around 500-600 B.C. by Patañjali, a sage who condensed the teachings of the Vedas and the Upanishad into this guidebook. In sutra II.29, he presents the eight limbs of yoga as:

1) Yama: social ethics, how we should behave when we interact with one another. The five social ethics are nonviolence, truthfulness, nonstealing, impeccability in our relationships and nongreediness. Sutra II.31 tells us that "the great promise that we make to one another as human beings, to uphold these yama is unchanging, regardless of where one is in the world, and regardless of the time, place, and circumstance of one's birth."

2) Niyama: personal ethics, our personal behavior. It begs the question, "What kind of a person should I be?" The five personal ethics are cleanliness, contentment, intense discipline, self-study/introspection, and surrender to that which we cannot control (or to the divine).

3) Asana: body postures. These poses prepare the body to sit for long periods of time in meditation. They also allow us to explore and experience the physical body.

4) Pranayama: breath regulation. The ability to restrain the breath, and also to let it flow naturally.

5) Pratyahara: withdrawal of the senses. It is cultivating the ability not to be distracted by things we can see, hear, feel, taste, touch, and smell. When we achieve this, the mind is clear and balanced.

6) Dharana: concentration. It involves locking our consciousness in one place.

7) Dhyana: meditation. A continuous flow of attention towards a single object.

8) Samadhi: enlightenment; ultimate bliss/happiness, self-realization.

Vrtti

Vrtti is described as the fluctuations or whirlings of consciousness. It is our mind's incessant need to constantly be active, jumping from one thing to the next without ceasing. It is the thoughts that keep us up at night. Vrtti are the stories that we tell ourselves and that others tell us about who we truly are. In sum, vrtti are the things that prevent our ability to see things clearly, as they really are. As the second yoga sutra states, "Yoga is both the process and the goal of moving beyond the vrtti," of moving beyond these false identities. Yoga is the calming of these fluctuations of consciousness, so that, as the third sutra states, "we may live in our true nature."

Vairagya

Vairagya is often translated as the ability of non-attachment. If we attach ourselves to things that can or are likely to change, we are setting ourselves up for suffering. If you are attached to your profession, and identify yourself as being "an engineer" or " a musician," when circumstances change, as they often do, due to illness, monetary necessity, or a host of other reasons, you are left in a deep despair. The same is true for our roles in our family: "I am a wife" or "I am a daughter." If we identify with these roles too strongly, when they are no longer true due to the inevitable reality of death, we may not be able to pick ourselves up afterwards. For this reason, it is necessary to skillfully develop appropriate relationships with everyone and everything in the physical world. It is necessary to aim for the complete mastery of our cravings for objects that are seen or heard. An appropriate relationship with apples may be to eat one a day, while an appropriate relationship with crystal meth may be none, ever. An appropriate relationship with a loving husband may be devotion and unconditional love, while still maintaining your own sense of self, while an appropriate relationship with a toxic parent may be none at all. We must place our relationships on a continuum and take the responsibility to make good choices.

Samskara

Samskara are our habits, our unconscious patterns of behavior or thinking. If we aren't careful, we create for ourselves a biased mind that evaluates everything through a filtered lens. To avoid developing samskara, we must be mindful of our preferences. Once we have this awareness, it is necessary to always welcome other viewpoints, no matter how much we may disagree. "Yoga is the process of replacing old, less appropriate patterns, with new, more appropriate ones."

Samadhi

Samadhi, unlike the other limbs of yoga, is a shift in perception rather than a practice. It is the realization that we are all the same, that we are all one. The universe has infinite eyes (all beings), looking through infinite magnifying glasses, exploring itself. You are the aperture by which the universe observes itself.

Sutra II.33

"When we are faced with something negative, cultivate the opposite."

Chose to act, rather than to react. Rather than reacting without thinking, be aware of the fact that your reaction is emotionally charged. Pause, consider your options, and make a wise choice. "Never argue with a pig. You will both get dirty, and the pig likes it."

Sutra II. 2

"The purpose of yoga is to increase happiness and decrease suffering"

A huge thanks to Cheryl, Julie and Matt at Authentic Yoga Teacher Training, and to Betty at Wanderlust Photography for the photos. This is just the beginning of my exploration of yoga philosophy, and I look forward to a lifetime of learning more.