If you could truly see yourself, your true essence, even for just one moment, you would be amazed at the beauty of the light that is you.  Vibrant, shining conscious essence, that is the true reality of our nature.  But if you were too look at your self now, you would see this shining essence muddied by magnetic fields.  These fields are thoughts, emotions, and karma.  They reduce our perception of the clarity of the light.  The practice of yoga and meditation is a formula designed to remove the muddied magnetic fields that obscure our perception regarding our true nature, which is soul.  Regrettably most people have no concept of what soul means.  Many people believe in a soul, that they have a soul.

For the serious beginner student of yoga, or student of life, The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali should be required reading.  These sutras introduce us to the 8 limbs of Raja yoga.  They are:

1)      Yama

2)      Niyama

3)      Asana

4)      Pranayama

5)      Pratyahara

6)      Dhrana

7)      Dhyana

8)      Samadhi

The mistake most people make is in believing that the limbs must be followed in order from 1 through 5.  Yama/Niyama are rules of conduct.  Some say they are moralist rules, other scholar’s say they are more or less.  In reality postures, breathing exercises, withdrawal of the senses should increase and deepen our understanding of yama/niyama.  Likewise yama/niyama should reinforce our practice of the other three steps.  The five steps should work in concert with one another.  While it is true that yama and niyama is required to some degree to even start the practice of yoga; most students will not have mastered these basic concepts at the beginning of their yogic journey.  After having developed proficiency in the first 5 limbs.  A foundation has been built for the 6^th limb, concentration.  As we practice postures, breathing exercises, and pratyahara, we are strengthening our ability to concentrate.  It is through developed concentration that true meditation can be experienced.

The yoga sutras introduce us to this dynamic in the second sutra, “Yogas citta vritti nirodhah” 1.2.  Translated means, Restraint of the thoughts of the mind is yoga.  Often vritti is thought to mean modifications, but modifications are activity or thoughts.  Because sattva (harmony) is the minds natural state.  When it is modified, it no longer exists within harmony.  Vrittis have occurred and the chitta (mind) is disturbed.  Citta is the mind, often referred to as mind-stuff.  The organ of the citta is the brain and nervous system. 

Many scholars suggest that the rest of the book works to explain how to deal with the second sutra.  Learning to control the mind is one of the goals of yoga.  Even basic students are introduced to this immediately when they sit down to meditate.  Immediately they experience vritti within citta.  They think, “Why am I doing this?” “I need to pick this up at the store”.  Thoughts reoccurring within the mind are removing it from its natural state of harmony, sattva.  This process creates what I described in paragraph one in this article. 

Applying this same process to the eight limbs, your natural state is samadhi or super-consciousness.  And by continuous thought and emotions your have moved backward and temporally lost your state of super-consciousness.  You have temporally lost your meditation.  And for some, they have lost even the ability to concentrate.  This often occurs due to our senses always flowing outward and not being directed inward.  Meditation teaches each person to stop the outward flow of the senses and redirect them inward (pratyahara).  Pratya means senses and hara literally means take away.  Pratyahara means take away the senses or more correctly withdrawal of the senses from the external world.   Powerful concentration and then meditation does just that.  It shuts down the senses and sensory input.  Allowing for deeper concentration and meditation that eventually leads to super-consciousness.  This is when we remember our true identity and the mind returns to it natural state of harmony (sattva).

 The beginner student can greatly benefit from study of the sutras and the advanced student must master the information within the sutras.  In other words, you can work with this material for a long time and still gain insight and guidance from its teachings.

 There are numerous commentaries on the yoga sutras that are available.  The commentaries are very important, because they help you to understand the sutra more deeply.  I find beginner students benefit from a practical application of the sutras.  One that deals with the “How does this affect me” approach.  The finest book I have seen to date is, The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, translation and commentary by Sri Swami Satchidananda.  Satchidananda’s commentary provides realistic application in everyday life.  Read it, contemplate it, study it, it will not lead you astray.  There are numerous more technical books available on the sutras, too many to list.  Many of these books will go deep into the exploration of specific words, and some are quite scholarly.  Let your heart guide you to the one that will guide you to the next step.  Within this great text you will find Raja, Hatha, Kundalini, Karma, and Bhakti yogas.

 May Ahamkara (ego) be elevated to the perception of the Atman (Soul).   Bless you all.

Yogi Harinam Baba Prem Tom Beal

 

Notes on Patanjali:  The exact dates of the yoga sutras are not really known.  They are dated from several thousand years old to 5 or 6 thousand years.  Patanjali has been credited with numerous works including the Charaka Samhita, which is a major Ayurvedic text.  Some scholars speculate that several authors or followers of patanjali may have written under his name.  It was a common practice to write a great work and name it after your teacher.  This can be observed in the Bible, Peter II.  Most scholars know that this was written long after the death of Peter.  Either way his works or writings that are credited to him are an important record/contribution to yoga, and humanity

Copyright 2001, Yogi Harinam Baba Prem Tom Beal.  All rights reserved.