Two weeks ago, we started our foray into what Patanjali calls “kriya yoga”, the yoga of action (Yoga Sutras, 2.1). Kriya yoga has three components: – “tapas”: self-discipline, self-restraint – “svadhyaya”: Self-inquiry, Self-study – “ishvarapranidhana”: devotion, surrender This week, we focus on svadhyaya. Svadhyaya is any form of “study that leads to knowledge of the … [Read more…]
Last week’s class focused on “tapas” – the energy of self-restraint. When we practice tapas, we choose to restrain ourselves from habits that in the end bring us suffering and/or lead us away from Truth. There are many examples of this, but today we focused on one such habit: thinking too much! (Recall Patanjali’s definition … [Read more…]
In the first chapter of the Yoga Sutras, Patanjali defines “yoga” as “the cessation of the waves of the mind” (sutra 1.2). In the second chapter, he presents “kriya yoga” – the yoga of action – and prescribes three actions to alleviate our suffering and to bring about this state of mental stillness (sutra 2.2). … [Read more…]
Last week at Mill Road Community Space, we explored the five causes of suffering described in the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali: 1/ the belief that this physical world perceived by our senses is the only Reality and Truth (This physical world is so changeable, so impermanent – how can we rest, where can we stand … [Read more…]