Yoga Sutra 1.15 – DRSTA ANUSRAVIKA VISAYA VITRSNASYA VASIKARA SAMJNA VAIRAGYM

Mastering (vasikara-samjna) detachment (vairagya) occurs when we have no desire or thirst (vitrsnyasa) for objects we can perceive (drsta) and for concepts or objects that we have heard of but never experienced (anusravika).

Desire usually comes from a place of lacking on the inside. In yoga the goal is to steer ourselves away from these desires as much as possible so our consciousness is not held prisoner by worldly things. Of course this takes time. If we don’t have compassion for ourselves and practice Ahimsa (non-harm alongside Satya (truthfulness to ourself and others) then we will place obstacles in our own path. Detaching is also a helpful practice to reach consciouness as we realize we are seperate from our thoughts, emotions, and actions.
Yoga Sutra 1.16 – TAT PARAM PURUSA KHYATER GUNAVAITRSNYAM

When there is non-thirst for even the gunas (constituents of Nature) due to realization of the Purusha (true Self), that is supreme non-attachment.

The more we detach from external things, the more peace we receive. Here it’s getting at the more we detach from our own darkness and light, the more free we become. When we drop into the place of connected consciousness and learn how to stay there we loosen the reins of our mind. If we can stay in that space consistently for a while, we start to prefer that place of consciousness over momentary pleasures and gratifications.

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