Hello everyone and welcome to my discussion on the Yoga Sutras of Pantanjali.
For this discussion,
I'm going to talk about the first Yoga Sutra written in Pantanjali's first book,
The Samadhi Pada.
So the first Yoga Sutra as written in Sanskrit reads like this,
Ata Yoga Nusasanam.
Now let's explore the path of yoga.
So as a yoga teacher,
I look at yoga as a journey.
And everyone needs to start somewhere on the journey.
And for most yoga students,
Especially in the West,
They come to the yoga mat for the physical practice to gain strength and flexibility.
And for most of these students and even some yoga teachers,
This is where the journey ends just on that physical level.
Sure,
You might be able to execute a perfect crow pose,
But can you keep the mind still and focused when life gets challenging?
For most who practice yoga,
The deeper meaning is lost.
And most of the focus is on the asana or the physical practice.
And are we really executing poses to bring in inner awareness,
Or to impress others by our abilities?
So Pantanjali wanted his students to understand how to practice yoga in its entirety as it was intended.
And this is the only true path towards Samadhi or that inner bliss.
So there's nothing we can do on the outer level that's going to bring us to that inner bliss that has always been there.
It just leads to more illusion and suffering when we stay focused on our physical being.
So in yoga,
You must bring your awareness within.
Life is not happening to you.
Life is happening as you perceive it to be.
So we need to change that perception from within as opposed to reacting what is happening outside.
So yoga means union,
To unite states of consciousness,
To unite the spiritual self with the physical self by removing obstacles that create illusions of suffering.
So let's explore yoga,
What causes suffering and how our dedication to the practice can lead us toward a blissful experience.
So when we step on the yoga mat,
Either starting our journey through the whole practice of yoga as Pantanjali intended it to be practiced,
We cannot judge or compare ourselves to any other student in practice,
Because we all have a different journey here on earth in this reality.
So we cannot look around and feel either inferior or superior than any other students or even the teacher in that aspect.
For the yoga teacher is just a guide through the practice,
Understanding the eight limbs of yoga that Pantanjali created to guide the students toward their inner light,
To help them see and uncover and bring awareness within.
It's sort of like leading those back to the light when they have found nothing but darkness,
Whether it be through meditation,
Through the physical practice,
Through breathing,
Through all those things that cause suffering and bring that veil of illusion usually created by the ego mind.
So starting the path of yoga is like a cycle.
We start to have to start somewhere.
Each time we practice yoga physically on the mat,
It's a new place to start to check in and to begin where we left off.
And each time we uncover a little bit more of ourselves.
So in the next discussion,
We'll talk about the next yoga sutra.
And just taking with you from this discussion,
Starting your path of yoga wherever you may be on it,
Toward finding that inner bliss,
Inner peace,
Harmony for this physical experience,
Because life can seem difficult,
But it's all state of mind.
Until next time,
I'll see you guys soon.
Namaste
