This week, I figure I can take you along with me as I look into some great passages in the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. Of course, if you want to see something with great detail and get into a big study of the sage Patanjali’s work, by all means, there are many great translations available out there. I would suggest reading a couple in tandem, so you can get a better feel for the language used and the true meaning of the text.

 

Personally, I use single lines from the sutras to guide my practice, and to think on, and try to put into physical practice throughout the day. This week, I invite you into this practice with me.

 

Today’s sutra: Yoga Sutra I:2 Yogas citta vrrti nirodhah. “The restraint of the modifications of the mind-stuff is yoga.”

In other words, anything you do to help calm the whirling or churning of thoughts is work towards yoga.

Work with the breath is often one of the first encounters a yoga student has with this concept in practice. Practicing is what is the most important thing here. So today, I invite you to work with your breath and begin to notice when the thoughts begin to move quickly. See if you can use pranayama (breath practices) or just slow the breath to help the mind move into a more calm experience.

 

Yoga Pose of the Day: Deergha Swasam – Yogic Breath 

Yogic Thought for the Day: The restraint of the modifications of the mind-stuff is yoga.