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The Philosophy of Yoga
At Susquehanna Yoga, we believe that
understanding and studying the ancient philosophy behind the practice of
Yoga helps our students get the most benefit out of their class time. For
this reason, we include the ‘Philosophy of Yoga’ Lessons in
sequential order in our newsletter. All lessons are also
archived for reference and are
available on this page.
Yoga is prescriptive - IF you do this, then that will happen. Yoga teachers sometimes describe to their students how certain poses should
feel, or what happens to their body in a particular posture. But students
must learn to listen to their own body and find their own way.
Classic Yoga instruction takes out the descriptive and is solely
prescriptive, and is therefore the most direct route to the center.
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The Philosophy of Yoga (Yoga
Sutra 1.33)
Yoga Sutra 1.33 – maitri karuna
mudita upeksanam sukha duhkha punya
apunya visayanam bhavanatah
cittaprasadanam
Through the cultivation of
friendliness, compassion, joy and
indifference in the face of
pleasure, pain, virtue and vice, the
consciousness becomes favorably
disposed, serene and benevolent.
Development of these qualities keeps
the mind in a state of well-being
and lays the groundwork for our
journey towards Self-Realization.
Citta viksepa is a current of
disturbed thoughts running like a
river. In citta prasadana
(graceful diffusion) this turbulent
flow is dammed up and consciousness
diffuses calmly like water in a
lake. If the citta is caught
in the web of the senses, and the
sadhaka (student) fails to cultivate
friendliness, compassion, delight
and equanimity, then sorrow and
unhappiness will arise in his heart.
This sutra asks us to rejoice with
those who are happy; to be
compassionate to the sorrowful,
friendly to the virtuous, and
indifferent to those who continue to
live in vice. This mental
adjustment builds social as well as
individual health. Besides
cultivating these qualities, one
should follow the social virtues of
yama (11.30) for the well-being of
society as a whole. This
approach to life keeps the mind of
the sadhaka serene and pure.
How does one create a graceful
diffusion? Yoga Sutra 1.34
pracchardana vidharanabhyam va
pranasya
Graceful diffusion is achieved by
maintaining the serene state which
is felt during a soft and steady
exhalation, continuing all the way
to the end of the exhale. One
can also inhale, exhale slowly and
pause, maintaining the pause for as
long as is comfortable. In
this and the following five sutras
(1:34-39) several alternative
methods of calming the mind and
preparing it for spiritual evolution
are described. This practice
ensures a state of consciousness
that is like a calm lake. (For
additional information on breath
control, see Light on Pranayama .)
Paraphrased from:
Light on the Yoga Sutras of Pantanjali
B.K.S Iyengar |
Philosophy of Yoga Archives:
Invocation Chant
Yoga Sutra 1.13
Yoga Sutra 1.15
Yoga Sutra 1.16
Yoga Sutra 1.17
Yoga Sutra 1.18
Yoga Sutra 1.19
Yoga Sutra 1.21 & 1.22
Yoga Sutra 1.23 - 1.26
Yoga Sutra 1.27
Yoga Sutra 1.28
Yoga Sutra 1.29 & 1.30
Yoga Sutra 1.31
Yoga Sutra 1.33
Yoga Sutra 1.35 & 1.36
Yoga Sutra 1.37
Yoga Sutra 1.39
Yoga Sutra 1.40
Yoga Sutra 1.41 & 1.42
Yoga Sutra 1.43
Yoga Sutra 1.44
Yoga Sutra 1.45
Yoga Sutra 1.46
Current Yoga Sutra
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