In this episode Casey and Erin discuss the yoga sutras one through four. The yoga sutras for those who do not know are a complete manual for the study and practice of yoga. They include advice on mastering the mind and achieving physical, mental and emotional harmony and life through applying the ancient yet timeless techniques of Raja yoga.

We start by breaking down the first yoga sutra; Atha Yoganusasanam means now the exposition of yoga is being made. This means that yoga can only take place in the present. Sure, we can discuss events for the future and past, but that is not the practice. Yoga means to connect, and unite. We are connecting and uniting our mind body and spirit.

The second yoga sutra is Yogas Citta Vritti Nirodhah. It is said that for the beginning yoga student this is the only yoga sutra you need. This sutra means that yoga is the restraint of the modification of the mind. If you can control the rising of the mind into ripples, you will experience yoga. The extraordinary experience gained by controlling the modifications of the mind is its self called yoga. So as we are already learning the poses are just one small part of an eight Limb system.

Yoga sutra three is Tada Drastuh Svarupe Vasthanam. This means that the seer abides in his own nature. To break that down further, your mind when left un-directed will choose to distort the truth. When we can leave that place and tap into our truth, life is OK. Nothing is wrong until we attach an opinion or judgment to it.

Yoga sutra four is Vritti Sarupyam Itaratra At other times the self appears to assume the forms of the mental modifications. So this means that at times we put on a pseudo-identity, which means that we think one of our thoughts is reality, but it’s not. Without any identifications, who are you? That is how you come back to your true self.

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