This is the seventh in a series of posts intended to shed light on Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras, the authoritative text on classical Indian yoga, or meditation.
So far Patanjali has told us:
- the definition and goal of yoga (enlightenment);
- the key to success;
- how to monitor progress;
- the type of effort it takes; and
- about an alternative route.
Now he lists obstacles and symptoms we may face in our pursuit of enlightenment and how to overcome them.
Chapter 1, aphorisms 30- 32, loosely:
1.30 there are nine distractions which can become obstacles to attaining enlightenment: illness, dullness, doubt, negligence, laziness, cravings, misperceptions, failure and instability
1.31 symptoms of obstacles include distress, despair, trembling and uneven breath
1.32 concentrating your mind can remove the obstacles
In short, distractions become obstacles when our focus shifts to whatever distracted us – so the trick is not to become distracted!
It’s sort of like saying, “stop eating if you want to lose weight”, or telling an alcoholic all they have to do is stop drinking. A LOT easier said than done – though the point is valid.
For info about private lessons or workshops in self-discovery and peace of mind see the ‘Contact Us’ page of this site.
God bless, Skip
#patanjali #consciousness #meditation
