Practicing the Yoga Sutras Sample Pages

Practicing The Yoga Sutras

Carroll Ann Friedmann

What Has Led You to a Study of Yoga?

If you are like most Western students, you probably started your relationship with Yoga in a studio or gym. You came to a Yoga class because you heard it was “good for you.” Yoga postures are widely known to relieve stress, improve our concentration and mindfulness. Yoga may also be used therapeutically to treat diseases of the body. Physical Yoga practices have been used for centuries to bodies and to improve overall health.

After some months or years of practicing “mat yoga,” students often want to know what is behind this method of health and why it feels so different from other forms of exercise. They want to understand the philosophy

yogic

The Yoga Sutras are valuable as self-study or as part of a teacher training. Whatever your own motives, this companion study guide to the Yoga Sutras will help you to apply Patanjali’s Yoga to your own mind and life.

Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras presents the Yoga methodology in a way that most scholars believe to be a systematization and summary of a number of pre-existing Yoga traditions. The Yoga Sutras are a collection of the ideas and practices that have been proven effective in the experience of many accomplished yogis over a long period of time. While some of the sutras can fall under the category of “Yoga philosophy,” the majority direct us to an actual practice. The sutras at the end of the work describe experiences that may be had by an accomplished Yoga practitioner. As such, the Yoga Sutras can be understood as a succinct description of the thoughts and experiences of yogis who have come before. With its majority emphasis on actual practice and experience, Patanjali’s text suggests that Yoga is a path of action—it should be practiced in order to be understood.

behind the

practice.

Yoga Sutras of Patanjali

Samadhi Pada Sadhana Pada Vibhuti Pada Kaivalya Pada

Patanjali’s presentation of Yoga practice is divided into four sections, called padas. Pada of the Yoga Sutras is called Samadhi Pada. It describes the goal of Yoga and obstacles to that goal. Patanjali offers us motivation for our practice and a clear understanding of what holds us back. The second section is Sadhana Pada, which explains the practices necessary to reach the goal of Yoga. The third section, Vibhuti Pada, details an accomplished Yoga practice, including the special abilities that may arise in a Kaivalya Pada, describes the state of total liberation from the suffering of conditioned existence.

There are many wonderful commentaries that have provided students of Yoga with an opportunity to study and understand the meaning of the Yoga Sutras. They range from beautifully accessible and colloquial texts to highly technical and intellectual approaches. They have been written by academic scholars and by practicing monastics. Their variety and volume demonstrate the importance and value of the Yoga Sutras to modern Yoga practitioners and scholars. My own Teacher, Sri Swami Satchidananda, has given us a very beautiful, clear, simple-but-profound translation and commentary on the text. His work has formed the basis of my own experience and understanding of the Yoga Sutras and I have used his translations throughout this manual.

The goal of this workbook is somewhat different than that of a commentary. I would like to give Yoga practitioners an opportunity to encounter and engage the sutras on a very personal level. In my years of teaching this text to students in Yoga teacher training, in university and community settings, I have observed how meaningful and rich the Yoga Sutras are when they are personally applied. This workbook is designed to teach you about yourself and your own mind using the timetested and proven methods given to us in the Yoga Sutras. The workbook will help you understand Patanjali’s text in light of your own experience. It is my hope that this ancient text comes alive for you and takes you further toward the practical and sublime goals of Yoga!

AS YOU PREPARE TO STUDY, HERE ARE SOME SUGGESTIONS FOR SUCCESS:

1. Choose a half-hour each day, at the same time, preferably in the morning, to devote to this study. Make it part of a simple, daily routine. Set an alarm for the

2. Choose a quiet, clean spot with good light and no distractions. Make a steady, comfortable seat with a writing surface and a nice pen or pencil.

3. Let people know. Tell your family or some good friends about your study. If someone wants to join you, use the buddy system.

4. Before you begin each session, prepare. Use the restroom, dress, and make yourself a beverage. Don’t eat while studying. Play music only if it helps you to concentrate.

5. Work through the text in order. Patanjali is very systematic in his presentation, but you may feel like skipping ahead to a section that interests you. The

The most important part of any new undertaking is a commitment—sankalpa in Sanskrit. A sankalpa is an intention formed by the heart and mind—a solemn vow, determination, or act of the will. It is a one-pointed resolve to focus both Sankalpa is a tool meant to harness the will, to focus and harmonize mind and body. When we set a sankalpa we can expect the mind to push back, much like a child or puppy might when faced with

after some days or weeks your sankalpa will become easier. After a regular routine is established, you will start to look forward to and protect your sankalpa.

What days will you study? (The great yogis suggest that anything important to us must be practiced every day.) What time will you study? Where will you study? What do you need to do to prepare to study? What is your intention or goal for this study? What obstacles may arise? How will you work to overcome these obstacles?

Write your sankalpa here:

Sutra 1.4

vritti sarupyam itaratra

vritti

mind; sarupyam = assumes the forms; itaratra = at other times

At other times, the Self appears to

Descartes famously declared. “I think, therefore I am.” As humans, our experience of Reality is mediated by the thinking process. The mind is the mirror in which we view ourselves. It is our means of contact with the world. Chitta is the lens through which we experience everything that we are not. In this encounter with prakriti, we tend to become totally mesmerized. We seem to be put into a trance by the constant commotion of the mind and its powerful thoughts, feelings, images, and sensations. We seem to forget who we are, identifying instead with the tapestry, the web of prakriti. The mind-web seems to fragment and limit us and forms a false identity. Like a sticky web, it can also seem impossible to escape.

Set a timer for 3 minutes. Close your eyes and bring your awareness to the present, to your experience of sitting quietly here and now. Try to keep it there. Afterward, record the thoughts, feelings, mental images, etc. that disturbed your peace:

turnings of the mind, some metaphors can be useful.

Watching a movie > When we are in a movie theater, we can get so caught up in the story on the screen that we laugh, cry, feel afraid, anxious, overjoyed, or deeply sad. Although none of the movie action is really happening, nor is it happening to us, we may lose ourselves in these images and experiences that are being presented to us and have an experience that takes us out of ourselves completely.

The Mama Pig > One well-known Indian story of the power of maya, the illusion of worldly permanence, is of Lord Indra, who insults an important god and is cursed to

to take a pig-husband so he won’t feel so alone. Soon, he is convinced that he must

with lots of children to feed and look after. This goes on for some time, and Indra has completely forgotten his true identity amid the delights and challenges of being a mother to a large family. The gods start to worry about this. He is needed back in heaven, but he has gotten completely lost in pig-life. In order to shake him out of his attachment to life in the world, they kill his family. This only sends pig-Indra into a deep experience of grief. The gods decide that the only way to free Indra from this maya is to kill his mortal body and free his Spirit.

the physical world.

A diamond > The True Self, the Atman, is likened to a clear and pure crystal, transparent, uncolored in and of itself. However, when it is placed near something of color, it appears to take on that color. The purely sattvic transparency of the Self appears to be colored with all of its associations. However, the objects that appear to color it really have no effect on it at all. If the diamond is removed from these objects it can be seen to have retained its pure, uncolored form.

A jewel in a lake > The mind can be likened to a pool of clean, clear water. The True Self is a jewel down at the very center of the pool. If the water is still and undisturbed, the jewel can be seen. However, if the wind blows or objects fall into the pool causing turbulence, this jewel appears to be distorted or it is obscured from view.

Which of these metaphors is most useful to you? Can you think of a metaphor of your own to describe the fourth sutra?

chitta?

SUTRAS 1.5–11 THE MAKEUP OF A HUMAN MIND

Much of human life is focused on the senses, on sensory experience. We are also preoccupied with identity and achievement, with “being someone” in the world. We receive very little encouragement to develop the subtle aspects of human experience ability to understand and control the movements of chitta. In order to accomplish this,

It is like the problem that most of us encounter when our car breaks down—we have no idea what is wrong

out of the hood and the car won’t start, we may have a vague idea that we have an engine problem but we are helpless to do anything about it. We must call in an expert, someone who has thoroughly studied the inside of cars and knows how they work, why things go wrong, and how to resolve the problem.

In sutras 1.5–11, Patanjali takes us “under the hood” of our own minds. He describes the nature of the vrittis, the movements of the mind, and offers simple categories for our thoughts. This can help us to understand how our minds work.

Sutra 1.5

vrittayah panchatayyah klishta aklishtaha

vrittayah

panchatayyah

klishta = painful; aklishtah = painless T

Patanjali makes the astonishing claim that we can categorize every one of our the entire gamut of our chitta vrittis and can help us to understand and discriminate between thoughts.

First we should examine the two categories of thought—the painful thoughts and the painless thoughts. What is the difference between these types? How easy is it to identify which of our thoughts will cause pain? In later sutras, Patanjali will go more deeply into the nature of thoughts that cause mental distress, but there are some general principles to help us understand which of our thoughts are painful.

Swami Satchidananda says that the main determiner of whether a thought will because we may be longing for what we don’t have, rejecting what is presented to us, or fearing what we may lose. All of these thoughts are a disturbance to the natural fear. He advises, “Do not create thoughts that will rebound on you.”

Identify a frequent painful thought. Is it related to your desires, your ego, your ambition, fear of losing what you have or of not getting what you want? Identify a thought that does not disturb you, but brings peace. Why do you think that this thought is painless?

A

Oftentimes, a thought that is initially pleasurable will ultimately bring pain. These pleasurable thoughts can be based in ignorance, addiction, or bondage to something.

A pleasurable thought form can also be klishta because it stimulates desire and attachment—we wish to repeat these experiences. This can lead us to frustration, obsession, or a feeling of dissatisfaction. The Yoga masters teach that any experience or emotion to which we cling or become overly attached will ultimately cause us pain.

Identify some of your own thoughts that generate positive feelings. How might they eventually cause pain?

SUTRAS 2.46–55 THE EIGHT LIMBS OF YOGA: PART TWO

After Patanjali thoroughly describes the ethical and spiritual attitudes and Sadhana Pada with a presentation of the remaining three external limbs of Yoga. These three limbs are what most modern people think of as Yoga, and they are the practices that are most likely to bring us into curiosity about yogic life.

For most of us, asana was the gateway to Yoga. We attended classes that taught us different from other forms of exercise. Our fascination and enjoyment of the postures led us to seek more knowledge and understanding of yogic practice. These next sutras focus on the practices of posture, breathing techniques, and sense-management that are most alluring to many Western practitioners.

Sutra 2.46

sthira sukhamanasan

sthira = steady, stable; sukham = comfortable, happy, prosperous, easiness, pleasant; asanam = posture, pose, presence, sitting without interruption

Asana is a steady, comfortable posture.

The word asana literally translates as “seat.” Physical Yoga is designed to cultivate a body that can sit in steadiness and comfort for the time required for the more subtle practices of concentration and meditation. Hatha Yoga refers to the physical Yoga practices, and this intricate and intelligent system grew out of a need to cultivate a body

The ancient sage Adi Shankara taught that while yogic poses cannot produce the ultimate goal, they are very valuable in removing obstacles to it. When we begin a formal body. Our bodies can’t stay still. We slump. Our knees and back quickly start to complain with discomfort. Asana is a set of postures designed to create an ideal state of strength

To develop steadiness, sthira, we build strength and endurance in our musculature. We use the body in ways that increase the load-capacity of our skeletal system. We move our muscles and joints through their full range of motion every day to prevent them from becoming weak and diseased from under-use. This requires holding depending on your particular type of practice.

We also develop steadiness by carefully grounding and mindfully supporting our bodies in our postural practice. We are deliberate in our movements, seeking the most stable alignment of the hands, feet, head, shoulders, torso, and hips. If we are systematic and careful in our practice of asana—including forward bends, backbends, twists, hip openers, standing and balance poses, and inversions—we will asana gives us from certain diseases of the body that can disturb our peace.

While building strength in asana we must always be simultaneously seeking comfort, or sukha rigorous practice that damages our muscles, joints, and tendons. We avoid the “no pain, no gain” mentality of other forms of exercise, replacing it with a very patient, persistent, and gradual approach to progress in the asana forms. If our practice is comfortable we will engage our parasympathetic nervous systems, the part of the mind from the twisting and bending of our torso.

Our practices should not feel violent or sudden, and we need to avoid creating excessive stress to the body through any extreme conditions of posture or environment. We avoid struggle in asana. While we may exert effort and feel sensation that steady and patient effort will produce seeming miracles in our physical practice, harm.

Over many years of physical Yoga practice, we will discover that the classical asana systems have even more to offer us than physical health and strength. The suppleness of our bodies is also expressed in our mind and emotions. We become less distractible, sthira and sukha.

As we cultivate physical intelligence and discrimination in our asana practice, we become more able to discriminate between the voice of the ego and that of the True Self in our broader lives. The opening of new energetic and pranic channels created by the asana a better instrument for Spirit.

Are you steady and comfortable in your physical body?

Sutra 2.47

prayatna shaithilya ananta samapattibhyam

prayatna = preserving effort, continued effort, natural tendency for restlessness; shaithilya = by lessening, relaxation; ananta = unending, eternal; samapatti = meditation on, coalescence; bhyam = from both

By lessening the natural tendency for restlessness

C

tame the “monkey mind” we should expect to encounter immediate challenges and resistance. When the body is placed in a steady posture, the mind will soon complain and want something different, especially if it is distracted. It will point out very convincingly what muscles or joints are hurt, sore, weak, tired, or uncomfortable. The mind may tell us that we don’t really have time for this kind of practice.

In the type of Yoga asana that I teach, each student practices at their own pace and there are no mirrors or music to distract the mind. Students are advised to hold each

mean a 50–60 second hold, but almost all of my students have a tendency to huff and puff through a quick 15–20 seconds and then off they go to the next posture.

The mind likes for Yoga to feel like a “productive” physical workout. When students are encouraged or required to accomplish longer holds, most become irritated or distressed. The position and activity of our bodies has a great impact on our mental state, especially in the early years of practice. We are unlikely to gain any mental peace if we are unable to bring repose to the body. When we do accomplish physical steadiness, our minds will gradually come into a similar state.

We must build determination and strength of will in order to gain freedom from the natural restlessness in the body-mind and the resultant suffering. A deeply meaningful

mind and their accompanying attractions and aversions in the body and senses. Success is not identifying with, or being continually distracted by, the thought-streams. This brings us great power that we may use toward full liberation. However, we take care that our effort is not experienced as struggle, for strain and stiving only increase instability

thinks should be achieved through practice.

One of my Indian teachers would tell us, “If the mind is on God, the asana is correct.” Since it is impossible for the mind to actually used in this sutra is ananta, which can refer to the form of Patanjali as adishesha, the mythical serpent that allows the world to rest on its thousand-headed hood. This same image is classically seen as the vehicle and shield for Lord Vishnu, who reclines on the serpent in the turbulence of the ocean of samsara and is sheltered by its hood. In this image, Vishnu represents the Self, and the churning sea is uncontrolled prana. We may meditate on our state of safety and stability in the lap of the Cosmic Serpent.

lead to a gradual slacking of effort, softening of struggle and resistance, and a gentle you tame the natural restlessness of your body? Are you able to experience a sense of

Sutra 2.48

tato dvandva anabhighataha

tato = thereafter, in consequence; dvandva = dualities, two by two; anabhighatah = undisturbed, not approaching

Thereafter, one is not disturbed by the dualities.

This sutra encourages us to practice the third limb of Yoga as a means toward equanimity. The dvandva are the pairs of opposites in the external world that usually cause constant oscillation in our bodies and minds. We react to sensations of hot and cold, pain and comfort, hunger and fullness, light and dark, beauty and ugliness, order and chaos, good and evil, and other dualities. These reactions to life as it is experienced in the body distract us from paying attention to our internal state.

The pairs of opposites reveal themselves as being seamless, each containing and blending into the other. Pleasure will soon slip away, leaving us with pain. Cold will stimulate a warming action in the body. Light is always gradually followed by darkness. Utilizing asana to be non-reactive to the constant onslaught of the dualities in nature. Instead of being overwhelmed by habitual attraction and aversion to conditions of the body and our environment, we recognize this push-pull as a thought-generated

sensations; we are the awake and aware Consciousness in which the nonstop chatter of bodily sensations and thoughts arise. Our ability to gain an equanimous relationship with the physical body prepares us to seek a more subtle equanimity in the energetic and emotional bodies.

What are the dvandva pairings that are the most distracting for you? Heat and cold, hunger and satiation, ugly and beautiful, pain and pleasure? How do these opposites interrupt your ability to concentrate on your internal life?

Sutra 2.49

tasmin sati shvasaprashvasayorgativicchedah prana ayamaha

About the Author

Carroll Ann (Prashanti) Friedmann was educated at Vanderbilt University, Princeton Theological Seminary, and the University of Virginia.

From 2007– 2012, she received Yoga training at the Integral Yoga Academy at Satchidananda Ashram–Yogaville (Buckingham, Virginia).

F rom 2013– present she has studied at the K. Pattabhi Jois Ashtanga Yoga Institute with Saraswathi Jois and the Anantha Research Foundation with Dr. M. A. Jayashree and Sri M. A. Narasimhan in Mysore, Karnataka, India. She currently studies and practices Yoga under the guidance of Richard Freeman, Mary Taylor, Ty Landrum, and other classical teachers.

She and her husband, Liam Buckley, are devotees of Sri Swami Satchidananda. They have four adult children and live in Charlottesville, Virginia, where they own and direct Ashtanga Yoga Charlottesville and the Ivy Yoga School. They teach asana, pranayama, meditation, chanting, philosophy, and hold an annual Yoga teacher training.

The Yoga Sutras is a distillation of the concepts and practices of yogis over a long period of time, perhaps thousands of years. While some of the sutras pertain to “Yoga philosophy,” the majority direct us toward actual practice or a description of the yogic experience.

Each sutra is a succinct description of the thoughts and experiences of yogis who have come before. Patanjali’s text describes Yoga as a path of action—it is practiced in order to be understood.

This book is designed to take you into a deep and very personal encounter with this text. It will support your practice of Yoga and your personal development whether you are a novice or seasoned practitioner.

Practicing the Yoga Sutras includes:

• Clear translations and commentary for each sutra

• Questions for refection and space to respond with journaling or drawing

• A study guide highlighting key teachings that can be used in groups

• Images that can deepen your interaction with the material

$21.95