Yoga Citta Vritti Nirodha

One of Patanjali’s first Yoga Sutras tells us Yoga Citta Vritti Nirodha
 
Yoga Stills the Fluctuations of the Mind.
 
But what does that mean?
 
On further reading, we learn that we are ALL looking at the world through a viewpoint sullied by 5 ways of wrong thinking.
 
 
That means that the way you view the world, your friends, enemies, work, problems, loves, likes, and everything else first filters through these FIVE lenses of seeing.
 
The first is wrong-thinking – when you think you know, but you don’t really know what you think you know.
 
The second is mis-understanding, often the underpinning between disputes that is cleared when one takes the time to listen and hear.
 
The third is getting lost in Imagination (worry, FEAR) and then acting on the basis of imagination instead of reality.
 
The fourth is deep sleep, moving through life in an unawakened state, or, literally, sleeping all the time. (Looking at the phone all the time??)
 
The fifth is Memory, which is an unreliable narrator of our experience, as it changes, re-colors, and shifts over time.
 
How does Yoga and Meditation help? As we sit in the stillness that is seated meditation or move thoughtfully through a yoga practice, we learn to examine our thoughts as they arise and to look beneath the surface to get a deeper understanding of the matter.
 
As we take our practice off the mat and into our world, we learn compassion, because as  we see our own mistakes and misjudgements, we can be more compassionate when we observe others tripping on the same stones that we did.
 
So today, my wish for you is clear thinking, clear seeing, and clear action rooted in truth, wisdom, & understanding.  

Barriers to Practice

Creating any healthy new habit is not easy.  It’s heartening to me that Patanjali acknowledges this in the Yoga Sutras.  As he’s espousing the many benefits you’ll gain from your new yoga practice, he stops to mention the barriers you will encounter.

As with other truths discussed in the Yoga Sutras, these obstacles are as relevant for people today as they were for yogis committing to the practice thousands of years ago.

All nine obstacles are disruptions to the heart-mind field of consciousness (citta) and can be debilitating to a practice, because distracting thoughts and emotions (vrtti-s) arise when antarāya-s are present.  These nine obstacles are:

Disease

Apathy

Self-doubt

Carelessness

Fatigue

Regression

Sexual preoccupation

Erroneous views

Ungroundedness

~Nicolai Bachman, The Path of the Yoga Sutras

It’s great to know that these obstacles are out there, because, with planning, you can anticipate them and stop them from disrupting your practice.

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Kleshas – Avidya Dances with Maya

Yoga Philosophy talks much about Kleshas, or things on the yogic path that can lead us astray.  Like all moments presented to us in life, the kleshas can also help point the way back home to our divine self.

The Kleshas are described by Patanjali in the Yoga Sutras as afflictions on the path to enlightenment.  As we are able to identify these afflictions, or games our minds play, we are able to overcome them and move forward freer, lighter, and with a stronger connection to truth. Continue reading “Kleshas – Avidya Dances with Maya”

Santosha

Santosha is one of the niyamas, or self restraints, recommended by Patanjali in the yoga sutras.  Mastering the yamas and niyamas is an integral part of the practice of yoga, and so far, one that I find myself continually practicing time and again.  I’ve written before about Santosha, the practice of being satisfied with what one has, in my very first post.    Desire, though, is not an easy monkey to remove from one’s back nor one’s mind.

“I can resist everything but temptation”
~Oscar Wild

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