4 SPOTS REMAINING!
In this episode, Casey and Erin discuss yoga sutras 12-14.
Yoga Sutra 12: ABHYASA VAIRAGYABYAM TANNIRODHAH
These mental modifications are restrained by practice and non-attachment.
I think for some people, especially the newer yoga students, this is hard to wrap their minds around. Shouldn’t I have goals when I am practicing yoga? The answer is, not really. I suppose if you do have a goal, it would be to reconnect with your true self. And to keep coming back to that space.
Yoga Sutra 13: TATRA STHITAU YATNOBHYASAH
Of these two, the effort towards steadiness of the mind is practice.
He continues, you always have to be at it, not just for a few minutes a day and then allowing the mind to have its own free time all other hours. It means you become an eternally watchful, scrutinizing every thought.
So this is what the ancient scripture says. I’m not saying I agree with every part of it. For me, at this point, it seems quite impossible for me to observe every thought, but you know I’m not there yet. I agree with managing the mind as best we can, so maybe, after years of practice, it becomes possible to witness everything.
Yoga Sutra 14: SAT TU DIRGHA KALA NAIRANTARYA SATKARASEVITO DRDHABHUMIH
practice becomes firmly grounded when well attended to for a long time without break and in all earnestness.
We are a culture of immediate gratification. Even though I think most people would agree that the best things in life come from consistently applying effort over time. We go through this growth process, which at times is uncomfortable, but it’s not the pose at the end, it’s the journey while we’re working on attaining it. It’s the daily grind. It’s the showing up for yourself by showing up to the mat and practicing.
Then the second part of the sutra talks about in all earnestness. So when we show up to the mat, we do so with focus and dedication.
I have seen in my yoga career, while taking classes, the same students show up year after year, and the poses never come. They could say, well, yes, I keep showing up to my mat, but only they know if they are focusing on the practice and surrendering while they’re there. Remember, Yoga is not just the poses, it’s the union of the mind, the body, and the spirit.
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