I came across my Yoga Thailand journal, those thoughts I wrote as I spent five weeks in that paradise island of Ko Samui three and a half years ago. I noticed my dreams, my expectations, my fears over the job layouts overseas, my struggles with the learning and the articulation of the teachings, my first encounter with the Gayatri Mantra and its powers. My desire to detach, yet my clear attachment to having a mortgage to pay back home.
That trip was one of the best experiences of my life, it had everything: the yoga, the alignment of the rythms of the body with the ocean, the silence the deep breathing and pranayama, the food! and yet the mind was very active.
Makes me wonder about progress, about a more focused mind. Is there such a thing as getting closer?
I turn back to the Yoga Sutras, and I find hope and solace in Chapter two, in how it starts with one sutra which contains within it how an aspiring yogi with a distracted mind, one like mine at times, can also, (and the word "also" is actually there -in a commentary-) attain Yoga, be fully present, be the space and the awareness. Be the witness and watch the movie of life unfold with complete detachment.
"Also" means that there is hope. If you read this far then probably your mind also wonders but at times it can focus too. This is what that sutra says:
The yoga of action (for yogis like me with minds sometimes focused sometimes distracted) can be attained by means of:
Austerity or study of self-discipline -mental moral and physical
Repetition of sacred mantras or study of sacred literature
Complete surrendering of the result of our actions (to God if you will)
I get reassured, there is hope, here are the five reasons why:
1.- Anything I do that moves me into this moment, with the goal of stabilizing the mind, is "yoga of action" (kryia yoga). So my looking over the journal, wondering about changes, inquiring into the sutras, reading a chapter, writing this post. It's on the right path.
2.- The daily practice of asanas, the constant vigilance to bring the mind back to now, the accepting life as it is, as it comes, is also kriya yoga, is austerity and discipline.
3.- Renouncing pleasure for the sake of it, as in for example: eating only when I am hungry and for health preservation, speaking only what is necessary, keeping the vocabulary clean, not overdoing things is, not wasting energy is also the path of yoga.
4.- Letting go of the results of my actions, including who may or may not read this post, knowing that I am working from the deepest state of "now" I can muster, rooted in the present, and gathering the teachings is also yoga.
5.- Reading scriptures, which seems to be a lot more productive in the morning and pre-practice, is also yoga. Reading a good version of the yoga sutras, re-reading a chapter, staying with just one sutra, thinking about it, is also the path of yoga.
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I am grateful to Grimmly for recommending this book, which was in turn recommended by Ramaswami and which contains the Yoga Sutras with a clear commentary by Sage Vyasa and, also, further commentary from Swami Hariharananda Aranya. Definitely not a book for someone just getting started as the terminology assumes some base knowledge, but a delight to read once the basic surface has been covered. Here is the amazon link to the book in case you are curious.
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| Ko Samui |
Makes me wonder about progress, about a more focused mind. Is there such a thing as getting closer?
I turn back to the Yoga Sutras, and I find hope and solace in Chapter two, in how it starts with one sutra which contains within it how an aspiring yogi with a distracted mind, one like mine at times, can also, (and the word "also" is actually there -in a commentary-) attain Yoga, be fully present, be the space and the awareness. Be the witness and watch the movie of life unfold with complete detachment.
"Also" means that there is hope. If you read this far then probably your mind also wonders but at times it can focus too. This is what that sutra says:
The yoga of action (for yogis like me with minds sometimes focused sometimes distracted) can be attained by means of:
Austerity or study of self-discipline -mental moral and physical
Repetition of sacred mantras or study of sacred literature
Complete surrendering of the result of our actions (to God if you will)
I get reassured, there is hope, here are the five reasons why:
1.- Anything I do that moves me into this moment, with the goal of stabilizing the mind, is "yoga of action" (kryia yoga). So my looking over the journal, wondering about changes, inquiring into the sutras, reading a chapter, writing this post. It's on the right path.
2.- The daily practice of asanas, the constant vigilance to bring the mind back to now, the accepting life as it is, as it comes, is also kriya yoga, is austerity and discipline.
3.- Renouncing pleasure for the sake of it, as in for example: eating only when I am hungry and for health preservation, speaking only what is necessary, keeping the vocabulary clean, not overdoing things is, not wasting energy is also the path of yoga.
4.- Letting go of the results of my actions, including who may or may not read this post, knowing that I am working from the deepest state of "now" I can muster, rooted in the present, and gathering the teachings is also yoga.
5.- Reading scriptures, which seems to be a lot more productive in the morning and pre-practice, is also yoga. Reading a good version of the yoga sutras, re-reading a chapter, staying with just one sutra, thinking about it, is also the path of yoga.
-----
I am grateful to Grimmly for recommending this book, which was in turn recommended by Ramaswami and which contains the Yoga Sutras with a clear commentary by Sage Vyasa and, also, further commentary from Swami Hariharananda Aranya. Definitely not a book for someone just getting started as the terminology assumes some base knowledge, but a delight to read once the basic surface has been covered. Here is the amazon link to the book in case you are curious.
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Isn't it great, trying to plan a couple of weeks in Santorini (Greece) this month (asap), so I can just immerse myself in a close reading of it and K's Yogasanagalu/makaranda practice. Did you have a look at Appendix B p416? makes me want to run off to Kapila Math for a couple of years.
ReplyDeleteJust went to take a quick look. samkya philosophy too, ha? Amazing book indeed... I like how clear it is. Lucky you planning this yoga immersion trip, what a nice idea !
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