The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali

One of my goals for this year is to study the Yoga Sutras.  I have been learning them randomly over the years. There are certain ones that are common and quoted often, but I have often wanted to follow the entire thread from beginning to end.  After all, the word sutra means thread.There are 196 sutras according to B.K.S. Iyengar.  My plan is to tackle 4 each week and take a year to finish the entire book.  I hope you enjoy this exercise and I encourage you to read along with me.There are 4 chapters in the book of the Yoga Sutras.  The first one is called Samadhi Pada, or the chapter on Samadhi; a state of intense concentration achieved through meditation.  In this chapter, Patanjali analyses the components of consciousness and its behavioral patterns and explains how its fluctuations can be stilled in order to achieve inner absorption and integration or Samadhi.  This is where we will begin.

Chapter 1 – Samadhi Pada

Y.S. I.1 Atha yoganusanamatha - nowyoga – unionanus – adviceasanam – instructionsWith prayers for divine blessings, now begins an exposition of the sacred art of yoga.Each sutra is a condensed thread filled with meaning.  This first one can mean that Patanjali has acquired sufficient knowledge that is he now ready and able to pass the teachings on to us.  Or, it could mean that now, because you are curious, you are ready to begin learning the deeper meaning of yoga.  Also contained in the word now is the concept of living and being in the present moment.  There is always the opportunity to begin again and again no matter how many times you forget or fall off of your practice.  You can always start again.Y.S. I.2  Yogah cittavrtti nirodhahyogah – integrationcitta – consciousnessvrtti – fluctuations in mindnirodhah – obstructionYoga is the cessation of movements in the consciousness.I think this line is one that creates the most confusion for people because it makes them think that they have to stop their mind from thinking; this is the very job that the mind is supposed to do.  But if we turn inwards and we can see that there is the part of us that is thinking the thoughts and there is that part of us that is witnessing the thinking of thoughts.   At this level, often called the seer or the Capital “S” self, we can begin to realize that the thoughts are much like clouds passing in the sky and that the inner seer is much like the sun; the clouds may temporarily obscure the sun, but the sun is always shining.  Some of the clouds may be dark and stormy while others are puffy and light, but they are temporary and the sun is not.These movements of consciousness are often the cause of our changing moods.  I can feel that I have enough until I meet someone who has more and then while I was previously content, now I am not.  My circumstances haven’t changed, only my thoughts about my circumstances have.  These fluctuations in consciousness are the cause of suffering.Y.S. I.3  Tada drastuh svarupe avasthanamtada – thendrastuh – the soul, the seersvarupe – in his own stateavasthanam – abidesThen, the seer dwells in his own true splendor.By the time we get to this third sutra, Patanjali has told us all we need to know to dwell in the state of Samadhi.  However, while this is a simple concept, it is not easy.Y.S. I.4  Vrtti sarupyam itaratravrtti – fluctuationsarupyam – identificationitaratra – at other timesAt other times the seer identifies with the fluctuating consciousness.And that is where this fourth sutra comes in.  Most of the time, we identify with these fluctuations of consciousness, these clouds in the sky; we lose sight of the sun.