As we speak, let’s discuss what yoga actually is.
Within the Yoga Sutras written by Patanjali over 2000 years in the past, we discover the second Sutra – Sutra 1.2 – to be yoga chitta vritti nirodha. This can be a foundational assertion about what yoga is.
Yoga means oneness, union, the current second
Chitta means the thoughts – ideas and perceptions
Vritti means fluctuations, unsteadiness
Nirodha means quiet / tampered down / restrained
Yoga chitta vritti nirodha signifies that yoga is the quieting of the fluctuations of the thoughts.
So usually we understand yoga as these bodily postures that we do with our our bodies – however it’s so far more than that. Asana – the postures – are only one side of a yoga observe.
And asana is designed to take you right into a state of meditation. That is the place all yoga is absolutely going – in the direction of a state of calm, meditative consciousness the place we merge into oneness.
So after we are meditating, we’re training yoga, and after we observe yoga, we’re meditating.
A vital part to a meditation observe is to keep in mind that ideas don’t cease as a result of we’re meditating – and the objective of meditation is to not attempt to get the ideas to cease.
The objective (if there may be one), is to domesticate our means to witness.
After we can witness our ideas transferring by means of, the grip they’ve over us is lessened. We resist much less and study to turn into interested in what’s displaying up.
This makes meditation a welcoming exercise that we’ll wish to return to time and again.
On this video I share some sanskrit phrases with you:
Abhyasa = every day observe that we present as much as each single day. A observe that we dedicate ourselves to, that we make part of our every day life.
Vairagya = non-attachment.
So if we’ve got a devoted every day observe of abhyasa, and we’re additionally devoted to vairagya, then we’re actually studying the way to domesticate our means to witness. To witness the fluctuations of the thoughts, to witness our ideas and perceptions on a constant foundation.
After we domesticate our means to witness, it permits us to point out up with larger persistence, understanding and empathy. And we study to permit issues to point out up, even when they’re uncomfortable.
Let’s use concern for example.
If we permit emotions of concern to come up, it can present up after which transfer on. If we’re in a position to view it from a witnessing perspective, then it loses its attachment over us. If we resist concern, then we’re attaching to it – and it sticks round.
The continued observe of yoga chitta vritti nirodha permits us to deeply combine this cultivation of witness consciousness, and merge deeper right into a state of oneness – samadhi.
Yoga chitta vritti nirodha – let’s take this mantra into this week and make a shift inside!
Sending love,
– davidji
