Book 1 Part 1 : Yoga Sutras of Patanjali
written by Dr Elena Bacash
Book 1 of The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali describes the stages to achieve that state which the yogis call Union or Samadhi, known as liberation. This state is the opposite to the state in which we usually find ourselves feeling separate, cut off, at odds with those around us, unable to see the bigger picture of our lives. We can use the analogy of an ocean – we see the waves rippling on top of a deep and vast ocean. In yoga we would liken the waves to our thoughts or the citta, the mind in action and the rippling is called vritti and the only way to calm this restlessness of the thoughts is to train ourselves to still it so we can merge with the calmness and depth of the Universal consciousness which is akin to the depth of the ocean.
The two things a student has to do to begin the process of remembering their connection to Source or Spirit is to calm the addiction to preferences and still the thoughts. The desire-mind – the kama-manas is how this is described in sanskrit. The part of us that has preferences for material items, ideas and the way people should behave around us represents our addiction to our opinions and way of being and is known as the personality or lower self. In addition, an unchecked mind and desire shut off the inner wisdom – the intuition or Soul, called the Higher Self. The lower self is the sum of our learned experiences for this life, but we have had many lives and many short-lived experiences that mould our experience of life. However, imagine we were born into a family that is the opposite of our experience now – this would shape us in a different way and we would have different preferences for how life should be. The point of this is to see that there is so much more to the Universe than our small experiences, if we broaden our perspective life becomes less stressful and the challenges are seen as a way to shape us into more beautiful directions.
The second sutra in Book 1 states citta vritti nirodha which means we need to still the ripples or fluctuations of our thoughts. It is the process of moving our attention from what we perceive outwardly through our senses and turning it back to our Higher Self. We are the observer watching our thoughts and emotions, therefore we are not our thoughts and emotions or sense perceptions. So, what happens when we stop this narrow focus? We become open to our inner wisdom, we begin to feel connected (which by the way is a main driver of longevity) and we feel fulfilled and our lives have meaning because we know we have a part to play in the greater whole. The experience of disconnection, isolation and separateness is the opposite of our natural state.
References
Patañjali, & Bailey, A. (2013). The light of the soul : its science and effect : a paraphrase of the Yoga sutras of Patañjali. London.
Iyengar, S. (2012). Light on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. HarperCollins UK.
Paramhansa Yogananda. (2013). Demystifying Patanjali: The Yoga Sutras. Crystal Clarity Publishers.
Satyananda Saraswati, Swami. (2013). Four chapters on freedom : commentary on yoga sutras of Sage Patanjali. Yoga Publications Trust.
Sounds True. Second Initial. Michael Singer 2024-2025 Michael Singer Podcast [Audio podcast]. Website. https://resources.soundstrue.com/michael-singer-podcast/