மனையாள்

மனையாள் இல்லார்க்கில்லை இவ்வுலகம்
அவளிடம் யோகம் இல்லையெனில் இல்லை அவ்வுலகம்!

Ancestral identity

संस्कारसाक्षात्करणात् पूर्वजातिज्ञानम्
saṁskāra-sākṣātkaraṇāt pūrva-jāti-jñānam ||3.18||

As one pays deep attention to ones habit patterns, ones identity as a separate entity begins to segue into an entirely different identity where one experiences oneself as the present state of a continuum that goes back to ones ancestors!

Samyama

A small note after that talk on the relationship between sthayi and sanchari by Jyotsna. For those who missed it, sthayi is the unchanging centre around which the sanchari flows and weaves a story.

Just felt a lot of sutras in the third chapter of the yoga sutra are an application of this simple logic. Samyama on the sthayi leads to understanding of the sanchari and vice versa.

Some of the sutras are:

1. Samyama on the navel (sthayi) leads to understanding of the body (sanchari)
2. Samyama on the sun (sthayi) leads to understanding of the world (sanchari)
3. Samyama on the habit patterns (sanchari) leads to understanding of prior jati (sthayi)
4. Samyama on the heart (sthayi) leads to understanding of the citta (sanchari)

The connections are amazing!

Locus of control

"Shift the locus of control from the ego to the breath." - Great piece of guideline on the core of the daily yoga practice from Saras!

First word

Interesting discussion about the first word usage in some of the key books in Indian thought in a workshop at YogaNidhi

1. Bhagawad gita stats with
"dharma-ksetre kuru-ksetre ..."
First word is dharma (complex questions on decision making in life) indicating what to expect from the Bhagawad gita.

2. Ramayana starts with
"tapaH svaadhyaaya nirataam tapasvii..."
First word is tapah (cleansing of personal impurities) indicating what to expect from Ramayana.

3. Yoga sutras start with
"atha yoganusasanam"
First word is atha (engaging with ones life afresh this / each / every moment) indicating what to expect from Yoga sutras.

அகக் கடல்

ஆழ் கடலே அமைதி கொண்டிருக்க
அகக் கடல் மட்டும் கொந்தளிப்பதேனோ?

Yoga

योगः विपर्यय उत्कर्षः
Yoga is the steady and progressive improvement of ones perception of reality!