Many say these first two yoga sutras are the seed of all other sutras. They are simple yet deep. Describing them in accessible terms can sometimes help us receive their profundity. Here is our attempt to do that.
Sutra 1.1 – atha yoga anushasanam – and now… yoga begins
Have you ever met a wealthy person who lives in scarcity? Have you met a poor person who finds a way to be generous and live in abundance? We’ve all met people with material wealth that do not seem to enjoy that wealth. We’ve met vibrantly healthy people who still find things to grumble about. We’ve met people with loving partners who take that love for granted. We’ve also seen the reverse. How many times have we thought, “if I could just change that one outer condition, then I’d be happy” only to find out that when the change comes, it is not enough. Nothing in the outer world will ever be enough because what we are really seeking is within us.
As humans we try many things to find wholeness; making money, conquests of love, death-defying adventure, power over others, drugs, etc. But what we don’t realize is this: the root essence of every calling is a calling to connect to our Source, to understand our infinite nature. So nothing in the physical world will ever be enough. So after we’ve exhausted external options, there comes a time when every seeker stops the outer searching, sits down and turns inward… and now, yoga begins
Sutra 1.2 – Yogas Citta Vrtti Nirodhah – Yoga is the calming of a fluctuating mind.
Remember when you were very young and you’d think up a cool fantasy and just run with it? We didn’t care whether or not it manifested, we loved the feeling of the dream. We loved unfolding the thoughts one right after the other. There was no resistance to our joyful creative mind flow. But as we grew, doubt was introduced. Perhaps from what we observed around us, perhaps from the adults who were teaching us about the world. So as adults, when the naturally create mind begins to unfold a pleasing idea, we resist it with doubt. In other words we change the direction of the mind and it begins to oscillate: “wouldn’t it be wonderful if…” turns into “oh, but that could never happen because…”. We all recognize this mental back and forth. This is an example of Citta Vrtti.
If you were going on a trip and each step towards the destination you changed directions, how likely are you to reach the destination? It would be a crap shoot, right? This sutra is reminding us that interrupting the naturally creative mind flow (Citta) keeps the mind from being the creative tool it is meant to be. Any amount that we can calm the habits of doubt, unworthiness, negative prediction, and other types of resistance (vrtti) the more the mind comes into union (or reunion) with its natural power. And we return to our natural empowerment as great creators. This union or reunion is Yoga. The practices that clear the vrtti and bring the union are Yoga.