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Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras – chapter 2 loosely translated

Patanjali takes a two-pronged approach to living peacefully, giving equal weight to attitude (kriya) and behavior (astanga).

Chapter two (25%) of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras is 55 lines long and entitled “Prepare” to meditate; section headings below are inserted for reference:

EMOTIONS

What is Kriya Yoga and what’s its purpose?

1.     Kriya Yoga is a practice in serenity, courage, and wisdom

2.     Practicing reduces the cause of self-inflicted suffering (“emotions”)

What are the causes of self-inflicted suffering?

3.     Ignorance, ego, attachment, aversion and fear

4.     Ignorance causes the other four, which are dormant, feeble, intermittent or sustained natural impulses

5.     Ignorance is mistaking the impermanent [body/mind] for the permanent [Consciousness]

6.     Ego is mistaking mind for awareness

7.     Attachment stems from pleasant experiences

8.     Aversion stems from unpleasant experiences

9.     Fear, specifically of loss and death is natural

How are emotions subdued?

10. Effects of emotions may be subdued via concentration,

11. And may be eliminated altogether via meditation

KARMA

Why is it important to subdue emotions?

12. Emotions influence thoughts which precede actions; every action precipitates an endless cycle of cause & effect: karma

13. Karma set in motion before we were born is largely responsible for the quality, duration and circumstances of our lives

What is Karma and why is it important?

14. Karma refers to the perpetual cycle of cause and effect initiated by every action

15. Karma is the natural consequence of two energetically charged, oppositional states of matter [Yin and Yang]; this energetic, oppositional nature is the cause of our constant mental conflict

16.  Only when the energetic, oppositional states of matter constituting our body and mind are in balance can peace be found

CONSCIOUSNESS vs. COGNITION

Consciousness vs. cognition is the key; avoid pain by remaining aware of the difference!

17. Avoiding future pain is a matter of remaining aware of the distinction between matter and Consciousness

18. The latter witnesses life through the former

19. The oppositional states of matter are infinite

20. Consciousness is just that; it’s perceived as, but isn’t, a mental function

21. Matter is the instrument of Consciousness…

22. ….although its not our nature to see it that way

23. The union of Consciousness with our body/mind makes us miraculous

24. Confusing Consciousness with cognition is the source of ignorance

IGNORANCE

How to eliminate ignorance

25. Eliminate ignorance by remaining aware of the distinction between thought and awareness of thought

26. Constant, discriminative awareness of our dual nature is how to do so

27. This ultimate self-recognition is liberating in every sense

What is Astanga Yoga?

28. The eight limbed practice leads to discriminative awareness

29. Abstentions, observations, outer bodily control, inner bodily control, conscious mind control, and three successively subtle stages of subconscious meditation

Abstentions & Observances

30. Abstentions: harming, lying, stealing, lust and greed

31. There are no exceptions to this most important limb

32. Observances: cleanliness, serenity, courage, wisdom and faith

33. Foster positive thoughts

34. Reflect on the source and strength of emotions behind your thoughts

Abstentions:

35. Hostilities cease in the presence of one who abstains from harm

36. To abstain from lying, focus on your thoughts since words are preceded by thoughts

37. One who abstains from stealing becomes rich in more meaningful ways

38. Restraining lust produces vigor

39. One who abstains from greed attains ultimate knowledge

Observances:

40. Take care of your self; recognize your frailties

41. Cleanliness and self-care foster self-awareness and self control, engendering peace of mind

42. Serenity is the source of bliss

43. Courage brings out the best in us

44. Wisdom deepens one’s faith

45. Faith, surrendering to something greater than yourself, makes bliss possible

Outer bodily control [posture]

46. Posture should be steady and comfortable

47. Overcome restlessness in your posture by concentrating on the infinite

48. That’s how to attain balance; tranquility conquers the outer body

Inner bodily control [breath/energy control]

49. Now you’re ready to control your inhalations and exhalations

50. Learn to control the duration, separation, and rate of your breath

51. There’s a fourth, non-physical aspect to breathing [i.e., in addition to inhalation, retention, and exhalation] which occurs during concentration

52. As a consequence of this fourth state of breath, the veil of ignorance is lifted

Conscious mind control [concentration]

53. Now you’re ready to concentrate [i.e., to control your conscious mind]

54. Concentration is focusing to the point that you’re not aware of your sensory (sub-conscious) perception

55. Practice concentrating until you have complete mastery of your sensory mind

 

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Raja Yoga – misconception #1: no time to practice!

Raja Yoga is a “householder’s” practice. In other words, it’s for those of us who don’t or can’t devote hours a day to living mindfully – but certainly want to know how!

Ninety percent of the practice of Raja Yoga takes place BEFORE we sit to meditate. We may not have time to sit still every day, but we can act in a manner that will make it easier and more rewarding when we do. Here’s how:

1). Follow the Golden Rule.

2) Treat yourself respectfully.

3) In thought and deed be faithful, courageous, strong & wise.

4) Practice controlling your body – so you can sit upright & comfortably when you do meditate.

5) Practice controlling your breathing – so you can breathe deeply & subtly when you do meditate.

6) Practice controlling your thoughts – so you can focus when you do meditate, and

7) Meditate when you want or need to draw closer to the subtlest aspect of yourself: your still, calm, quiet consciousness: the awareness OF your thoughts.

The physical, energetic and mental affects of meditation are similar to massage: almost blissful, though fading.

Raja Yoga is one path to realizing beyond any doubt what you already know intuitively: that your consciousness is different than your mind. That realization WILL change your life.

From my heart to yours, Skip

skip@rajamarblehead.com      www.rajamarblehead.com

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CONSCIOUSNESS

Consciousness is the subtlest aspect of each of us; it’s subtler than our subconscious mind.

Humans are three-dimensional: body, mind and consciousness. Ancient texts describe consciousness as the aspect of us that “can neither be wetted nor burned”. It’s the part of us that’s not subject to the laws of karma (i.e., it doesn’t age or change; it’s immutable). In the same way that matter and energy can’t be lost or destroyed, neither can consciousness.

Consciousness doesn’t operate or function in the same sense that our bodies and minds do; it’s so subtle, the only way to verify it’s existence is to recognize that without it, you wouldn’t be aware that you were reading this (your body & mind may still work, but without awareness you’d effectively be a biological, non-sentient robot).

Your consciousness is identical to mine, though obviously WHAT yours has witnessed – in essence, what you have witnessed – is entirely different than what I have. Collectively, our individual consciousness is referred to as Universal Consciousness.

The general nature of consciousness or awareness is: Calm – Still – Quiet – Observing – Witnessing – Non-judgmentally accepting – Unconditionally loving – and it’s at the center of each of us!

Your consciousness has witnessed EVERY thought you’ve EVER had, EVERY word you’ve EVER uttered, and EVERYTHING you’ve EVER done – without judging you.

Raja Yogis celebrate consciousness for what it is, but we also turn inward via meditation to “get me some o’ that”. We meditate to literally draw closer to, or better understand – and perhaps begin to experience – our own true nature, or at least allow it to have a greater affect on our body and mind!

The holy grail of this practice is to remove our physical and mental self as obstacles to our consciousness becoming Self-aware. In that sense, meditation is a form of self-sacrifice (self for Self). This practice grew out of a time in human history when we were literally sacrificing our animals and possessions in hopes of changing our fate; Raja Yoga piggybacked on the concept of sacrifice, though teaches us to find faith in ourselves!

BKS Iyengar [a universally revered, modern day yogi] said “Yoga isn’t a religion; it’s the study of religion.”

I’ve never met a Raja Yogi who wasn’t a spiritual person, though I’ve met several whose yoga practice has clearly turbocharged their religious practice!

As you practice this form of yoga, you begin to see yourself (and frankly, everything) as miraculous, and in the process develop a curiosity about your own intangible, immutable consciousness – which leads to even more fundamental questions about the source of THAT, which is why we go to church, synagogue, temple – places of prayer, study and devotion!

Studying various understandings of the source of the universe can only deepen and broaden our own spiritual and/or religious practice; however, developing faith in something BEYOND our readily verifiable individual consciousness is beyond the scope of Raja Yoga. This practice just expedites that process.

Meditation, the inward quest for answers to questions about THIS life, fosters faith and confidence in yourself (Self and self) and engenders in you – if you’re not already so blessed – reverence and devotion to something you can only imagine: the source of life itself.

Here’s the thing: your consciousness is not just the essence of who you are – it is who you are.

God bless, Skip

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Meditation tips

Don’t forget your training!

Raja Yoga’s posture and breathing exercises prepare you to hold your physical body very still – specifically, your brain:

• Asana (posture exercises) help maintain a strong, stable outer body so you can hold your skull properly-positioned and still.

• Pranayama (breathing exercises) help maintain a subtle, rhythmically functioning inner body minimizing internal disturbances to your brain.

Raja Yoga’s concentration exercises prepare you to still your conscious, thinking mind, while the three stages of meditation sequentially quiet the sensory, memory, and ego functions of your subconscious mind.

Initially,

Sit balancing a notepad on your head; hold your head up as if you were looking out at the horizon, but look down your nose to a spot on the floor about arm’s length in front of you. I like to use a candle as the object of my focus. Try keeping your spine (which your brain rests on top of) still.

Focus on the mechanics and sensation of your inhalations and exhalations; allow enough time for your breathing to settle into a subtle, rhythmic pace.

Try “creating space” in your body:

• Vertically – as you inhale (the bottom of your diaphragm contracts, pulling it down and drawing air into your lungs), energetically press your perineum down into whatever your sitting on – and as you exhale (the top of your diaphragm contracts, pulling it up and forcing air out of your lungs), energetically press the crown of your head up into the notepad.

• Circumferentially – energetically emphasize the 360-degree expansion of your chest as you inhale.

It’s a matter of self-awareness and control: as you sit still, eyelids partially closed, staring down and concentrating on the candle flame, monitor and make any necessary adjustments to your posture, breath, and thoughts.

Remember that your attitude makes a huge difference: practicing for physical and mental benefits will produce very different results than practicing as a tribute or homage to consciousness (the universally common aspect of each of us that makes life rich!) – so that consciousness might witness the awesomeness of itself!

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Meditation isn’t for our minds

We exist in three dimensions: body, thoughts and consciousness. The latter is our awareness, without which we wouldn’t realize we were reading this!

Raja Yoga’s conduct, posture, breathing and concentration exercises prepare us to meditate: to still our thoughts so that our consciousness might become self-aware. Meditation progressively settles our entire body and mind – quieting our four, incessant mental functions (thinking, sensing, remembering and ego) from obscuring consciousness.

Why bother?!

Without consciousness, our bodies would still act, and our thoughts would still direct our actions – we just wouldn’t realize it! In essence, our body and mind serve as a vehicle for our consciousness to experience life. Said differently, we experience life thorough our body and mind, or we are our consciousness, not our body/mind.

Consciousness is intangible. Our awareness OF something can’t be manipulated like our bodies and thoughts; thus, it’s not subject to the vagaries of time and space (karma); in that sense, it’s eternal and not unlike the concept of a soul or spirit, but you can readily verify the existence of your consciousness!

Your consciousness, the observation OF your thoughts is no different than the observation OF mine, even though what we’re aware of is unique to each of us.

Raja Yoga – the science of meditation – is a personal sacrifice of body and mind in service of our collective, universal consciousness for which our tangible body and mind are rewarded with a blissful sense of union, belonging, acceptance, and love. Note that the sense of bliss is precipitated by our motivation to serve rather than any expectation of reward.

Meditation tips:

• Hold your body comfortably still in an effort to hold the brain inside your skull perfectly still.

• Breathe rhythmically and subtly to minimize the physical disturbance to your brain; focus for a while on your breath: the inhalations, pauses, and exhalations.

• Settle your conscious mind first; quietly, softly recite a simple mantra.

• Continue concentrating single-pointedly until you’ve progressively quieted or mesmerized the three functions of your subconscious mind: sensing, remembering and ego.

• Practice in tribute to our collective, universal consciousness – without which we’d all be robotic rather than sentient beings.

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Chapter II: Preparing to Meditate

Having devoted the first 50 lines (or 25%) of the Yoga Sutras to the science behind meditating (the intent, types of thought, importance of correct thinking, the four stages of mental awareness, etc.), Patanjali devotes the entire second chapter (the next 50 lines, or 25% of the poem) to PREPARING to meditate. Chapter two describes the constant, routine stress-reducing practices of Raja Yoga: 1) fostering and maintaining a positive attitude, 2) following the Golden Rule and Serenity Prayer, and 3) exercising your body and mind to increase self control and reduce stress and fatigue.

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Practice self love

Raja Yoga the art of self loveYour body/mind is your most valuable resource so treat it accordingly!

Keep it in clean, proper working order – like anything you want to last longer; and constantly practice the Serenity Prayer: be content, courageous, wise and faithful.

Raja Yoga is a constant, dual practice in self-awareness and self-control; specifically, it’s a code of conduct and a series of physical and mental exercises which facilitate a calm, clear mind. The routine practices and exercises make it easier to:

• act with clarity and confidence [tip: when in doubt, don’t do it]

• form healthy habits

• meditate.

When you meditate you allow your mind to rest, recover and recharge. It’s like taking a nap without the mental distractions.

 

 

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Rule 6: Find yourself

Having practiced the first five rules (being kind to others and yourself, exercising, controlling your breath, and concentrating) you’re ready to sit quietly and experience a self-induced state of tranquility.

As you sit very still with your heart beating at a very relaxed rate – breathing deeply, subtly and rhythmically – holding the rate and content of your thoughts steady – you’re ready to begin an inward journey through the most subtle aspects of your mind: passed your senses, memories, and sense of identity to your consciousness.

Meditating isn’t about controlling your awareness – that’s not possible; awareness never changes; rather, meditating is about minimizing the fluctuations of your body and mind – finding a state of utter stillness in which to relax, rest and recharge. It’s a calmer state than sleep: you don’t dream, or toss and turn.

When your mind is virtually still, and consciousness has nothing else to be aware of, it becomes aware of itself and you experience something akin to a sense of oneness with the universe.

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Rule 4: Junk in, junk out

The next rule for cultivating a peaceful frame of mind after following the Golden Rule, being kind to yourself and exercising is to turn inward – literally.

Three thousand years ago, our internal organs and systems were still largely a mystery. Yogis referred to our insides as our energy body: the parts that keep us alive.

People understood the rudimentary mechanics: food, liquids, and fresh air are converted into fuel and circulated throughout our body via blood while our brain communicates with the rest of our body through a system of nerves – but the science of exactly how that’s accomplished hadn’t been verified.

People also understood the primary functions of our larger, more critical organs and system components: our brain, heart, voice box, digestive and reproductive organs, and that they’re linked through our circulatory and nervous systems; specifically, that arteries carry enriched blood in one direction while veins carry depleted blood in the other – and that thoughts are transmitted energetically between our brain and body via a separate system of nerves.

Yogis figured out that we can affect the functioning of our internal organs and systems by manipulating our diaphragm like a bellows – by controlling the rate and depth of our breaths. Your diaphragm is a large flat muscle that serves as the floor of the upper chamber of your abdomen, which contains your lungs and heart within your rib cage, and the ceiling of the lower chamber your abdomen, your stomach, which contains your digestive and reproductive organs, contents and systems.

As you breathe, your diaphragm moves up and down within your abdomen – pulled down to draw oxygen into your lungs, and pulled up to push carbon monoxide out [fun fact: its the only muscle in your body which you can pull in opposite directions]. The practice of controlling the rhythm, depth and subtleness of your breathing stimulates nerve and organ function and blood flow and is very soothing, reducing physical and mental distress.

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Rule #2: Be kind to yourself

Put your own oxygen mask on first. Like everything else, your body and mind will function better and last longer if lovingly maintained; therefore, remain:

Pure – Content – Determined – Studious – Devout

Take care of your body and mind because if you don’t, who will?

www.rajamarblehead.com