yogalila

1.3 tada drastuh svarupe avasthanam

Iyengar: The, the seer swells in his own true splendor.

Carrera: Then the Seer (Self) abides in Its own nature. 

Taimni: Then the Seer is established in his own essential and fundamental nature.

For those of us raised with the Bible, Carrera offers similar teachings from that book.  In the New Testament, Jesus says “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God”.  He notes the lack of choice in this phrase – when your heart is pure, you will see God.  In the Old Testament, Psalm 46.10, he points out “Be still and know that I am God”.  Like nirodha (a clear and steady mind), and like a pure heart, stillness is a requirement. 

Both Taimni and Iyengar point out that waves of consciousness distort the true expression of the soul.  Taimni points out that this state of self realization cannot be understood outside oneself, only from within.  Iyengar states that when the mind is regulated and restrained, knowledge can be seen truly and clearly and the “grandeur of the seer is seen and felt”.

1:2 yogah cittavritti nirodhah

Iyengar: Yoga is the cessation of movements in the consciousness.

Carrera: The restraint of the modifications of the mind –stuff is Yoga. 

Taimni: Yoga is the inhibition of the modifications of the mind.

Each author mentions the importance of this sutra as defining the meaning of yoga. 

Iyengar talks about the (citta) consciousness being a fluid that envelops the ego (ahamkara), intelligence (buddhi), and mind (manas) and how the fluid becomes cloudy due to contact with the outside world via these three components.  He also introduces the five sheaths or kosas in this section.  When this fluid becomes clear through practicing yoga –all eight limbs- the sadhaka (or student) is in a sattvic (or clear) state. 

Both Iyengar and Taimni go in depth on the meaning of the Sanskrit word citta.  Taimni says citta is a material medium which can be molded into different forms when mental images of different kinds are produced.  Both authors mention dharana and dhyana (concentration and meditation) as key factors in restraining the fluctuations of the mind. 

Carrera also gets deeply into the definition of each word of this sutra. He also talks about the three components of the citta and what he says about ego is most interesting.  The ego he says, has expectations and cravings and is the root of suffering.  But it is also the ego that has love, caring, and compassion.   The task at hand is to eliminate the selfishness of the ego, not the ego itself. 

He also discusses the whirling vrittis and has examples of this whirling in everyday thinking.  Nirodaha is both a process and a state – which requires discipline, redirection of attention, development of non-attachment, and supported by morals and principles. 

Carrera also shows the relationship of nirodaha and repentance in the Bible.  Both represent turning points for those who practice to move them towards spirit. 

1:1 atha yoganusasanam

Carrera: Now, the exposition of Yoga

Iyengar:  With prayers for divine blessings, now begins an exposition of the sacred art of yoga

Taimni:  Now, an exposition of yoga (is to be made).

Edwin Bryant mentioned the importance of the word “now” and Carrera mentions this too.  It brings the point of focus on yoga – not the past or future but now.  The sutra implies that yoga has a body of knowledge associated with it already.

The yoga sutras are only 196 lines and contain a wealth of information.  The word sutra has a root meaning of a string of pearls and each sutra has a wealth of meaning. 

I personally love Iyengar’s artful translation. 

Yoga Sutra Study

For years, I've been planning to study the Yoga Sutras.  In fact I have studied the Yoga Sutras.  I've been studying Iyengar Yoga with Patricia Walden (www.yoganow.net) for over two years and we spend thirty to forty-five minutes before each weekly class studying the Sutras.  I've also attended two full weekend workshops with Edwin Bryant (http://www.edwinbryant.org/), a scholar of the Sutras in the past six months. 

But yet, I still find the Sutras intimidating and daunting.  Studying with Edwin has opened them up a bit for me, made them more real to my life in 2009.  But I still resist.  Why?  One reason is I'm not good with foreign languages.  I studied Japanese for years and it nearly killed me.  The Sanskrit is beautiful but foreign.  It doesn't roll off my tongue.  It hurts to pronounce the phrases. 

So to get over my samskara (subliminal impression) of studying the Sutras, I will now embark on a weekly blog entry about the Yoga Sutras.  I will write about Sutras 1:1-1:4, all of 2 and maybe some of 3.   Pada 2 or Book 2 is mostly about yoga.  If I survive I will study all of the Sutras. 

I hope that readers of this blog will comment along with me.  I will be ready three commentaries: 

BKS Iyengar,  Light on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali
IK Taimni, The Science of Yoga
Jaganath Carrera, Inside the Yoga Sutras
 
These books were recommended to me by Patricia Walden.  I hope other readers of this blog will bring other interpretations to this study and comment on it. 

Patricia Walden recently shared an interesting story about the Yoga Sutras.  She said that Guruji Iyengar started out with a very physical yoga practice when he was younger and he continued into his fifties (at least) with this very strong practice.  His teacher, Krishnamacharya, came to him sometime during this period and told him to stop practicing, that he was too old, and he should focus on meditation.  But Guruji became sad and depressed without practice for three months and so returned.  But it was also during this time period that he became interested in the Yoga Sutras.  He grew his hair long and began studying the Sutras.  In 1993, he published Light on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. 

Next week - 1:1  atha yoganusasanam

Interpreting anatomy: hedge fund.

The sacrum takes the brunt of a lot of imbalance.  It's shape looks like the ancient horseshoe crab or even a nightmare monster: very primitive and, at the same time, very subtle and refined.

Conflict  between flexibility and stability (both necessary) plays out on the sacrum and it's attachments: holding the center.