40 DAYS PRACTICE MANUAL

One Yoga 40 Day Sadhana Workbook

practice courage. grow roots. fly high. truth is. we are one.

Choose Your Own Adventure. Please make Sadhana this your own!

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SADHANA:

A Sanskrit term for spiritual practices or disciplines.

40 DAYS:

Is a significant time period/amount of time for transformation and transcendence, according to many traditions.

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A Note From Ryan:

Welcome to the 40 Day Sadhana. Over the next few weeks the intention is to share with you the ancient art and science of yoga and make it accessible to your daily life.

Yoga is medicine. Yoga is freedom. Yoga is mind control. Yoga is union with the creator. In the Bhagavad Gita, Krishna tells Arjuna that Yoga is equanimity and yoga is skill in action. Yoga was designed to make us into more peaceful,truthful, tolerant people and it is based on Ahimsa (Sanskrit for non-violence) and at its core is reverence for life. The spiritual side of yoga has been downplayed for years and it is possible through the physical that we can reach the spiritual. Ultimately the poses (asana) are designed so we can sit still and meditate and know our Self. Like the Psalmist says, Be still and know...

During the Sadhana I will share the tools and teachings that I have studied and attempted to live during my short time as a religious studies student, yoga student and teacher. I am still a junior teacher and full time student.

These practices may bring more strength and flexibility to the body, a clearer, calmer mind and also, (hopefully) awaken the knowledge or understand that we are human, and also divine. The Buddha taught, “To straighten the crooked you must straighten yourself first.” Discipline and hard work are one part of the Sadhana. The other part is summed up by Ramakrishna,

“The winds of Grace are always blowing, it is for us to raise our sails.”

The balance of yin / yang, doing / being done, giving / receiving, working / resting will be very important during your journey and I believe the more loving attention you pay to this sadhana the more medicine you will receive. What works for me may not work for you. When we go to the doctor with different issues, doctors give different prescriptions for different ailments. Traditionally, that is how yoga was transmitted one to one, individuals were treated individually. Each of our 40 days will look a little bit different, and while we will have different prescriptions we can also support and hold space for each other.

This Sadhana is designed to bring you to your inner teacher and guide. You have your own guide (Guru) inside. I will share with you some of my inspirations and teachers, some of whom have never set foot on a yoga mat, but carry the yoga teachings.

“At the center of your being you have the answer; you know who you are and you know what you want.”
-Lao Tzu

Let’s Go!

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Saha Navavatu - Śanti Patham Peace Chant

Saha nāvavatu

Saha nau bhunaktu

Saha viryam karavāvahai

Tejasvi nāvadhitamastu mā vidviṣavahai Om śāntiśśāntiśśāntiḥ

Translation:

May we be protected as we study together May we be nourished by our work together May we practice with courage and strength

May it leave us energized, filled with Light, dispelling all darkness, dispute and misunderstandings between us

May it bring Peace to our thoughts, words and actions – body, speech, and mind

May this Peace free us from our own negative actions, those of others, and any natural disasters – These are the three types of human suffering.

Let us do everything in peace.

Making peace with the past (regrets, judgments, defeats).

May we find peace in the present (discovering the inherent peace that lies underneath the storms and turbulent tendencies).

May we continue forth with enthusiasm and perseverance to sow seeds of peace in the future.

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Psalm 23

The Lord is my shepherd I shall not want.

He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul. He guides on the path of righteousness for his name’s sake.

Even though I walk through the valley of the the shadow of death, I fear no evil for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies; thou hast anointed my head with oil, my cup overflows.

Surely goodness and loving kindness will be with me for the rest of my days and I will dwell in the house of Jah forever.

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Metta Prayer

May I be filled with Loving Kindness. May I be well.

May I be peaceful and at ease. May I be happy.

May all beings be filled with Loving Kindness May all beings be well

May all beings be peaceful and at ease. May all beings be happy.

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Lakota Instructions for Living

Friend do it this way – that is, whatever you do in life,

do the very best you can with both your heart and mind.

And if you do it that way,

the Power Of The Universe

will come to your assistance,

if your heart and mind are in Unity.

When one sits in the Hoop Of The People,

one must be responsible because

All of Creation is related.

And the hurt of one is the hurt of all.

And the honor of one is the honor of all.

And whatever we do affects everything in the universe.

If you do it that way – that is, if you truly join your heart and mind as One – whatever you ask for, that’s the Way It’s Going To Be.

Passed down from ~ White Buffalo Calf Woman

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YOGA PRACTICE

“Yoga is to be known by yoga. Yoga is the teacher of yoga. The power of yoga manifests through yoga alone. They who do not become careless, negligent or inattentive, they alone rest in yoga and enjoys yoga.” ~ Sage Vyasa

“Practice alone is the key to success in yoga.” ~ Swami Svatmarama

”Strengthen yourself through the fire of practice and be humble.” ~ T Krishnamacharya

“Practice is my mantra, the progress will come as one goes on practicing. Practice, practice, practice alone makes the intelligence to be humble.” ~ BKS Iyengar

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“Yoga is a way to freedom. By its constant practice, we can free ourselves from fear, anguish and loneliness.” ~ Indra Devi

“Vinyasa Krama yoga strictly follows the most complete definition of classical yoga. Yoga is typically defined in two ways: In one definition it is defined as union, or yukti in Sanskrit; in the other, it is mental peace, or samadhana (samadhi). By using the breath as a harness, vinyasa karma yoga integrates body and mind and so is the yoga of union. And because the mind follows the breath, the mind is made part of the whole process and achieves an elevated level of mental peace (samadhana). Thus the undercurrent of peace and joy is established permanently.” ~ Ramaswami, The Complete Book of Vinyasa Yoga

“Yoga is compressed evolution.” ~ Eddie Modestini

“Yoga is the intentional calming and stilling of all the self-limiting, self- defeating, self-judging tendencies of the Citta, which is our deepest place inside; our subconscious mind. It is the intention that makes all the difference. Otherwise, the practice (for example, Hatha yoga), without intention, is merely physical exercise. Yoga is total freedom. It is truly learning how to love ourselves more, and carries with it a reminder to not believe everything we think; especially about ourselves.” ~ Nicki Doane

“Yoga is to become one with the force that propels the universe.” ~ Father Joe Pereira

“In the end, yoga teacher can tell you what you need--not in a pose, not in a diet, not in a lifestyle. They can give you the principles, but it is up to you to use your intuition to find what is right for you. You have to practice your own naturalness.” ~ Baron Baptiste

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THE YAMAS

Ahimsa: Non-Violence

Satya: Truthfulness

Asteya: Non-Stealing

Brahmacharya: Walking with God / Moderation

Aparigraha: Non-Greediness

THE NIYAMAS

Saucha: Cleanliness

Santosha: Contentment

Tapas: Discipline

Svadhyaya: Self Study

Ishvara Pranidhana: Surrender

Source: The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali

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The Vitamins

Enthusiasm, Perseverance, Discrimination, Unshakable Faith, Courage, Good Company.

The Poisons

Over Eating, Talkativeness, Over Working, Unsteadiness, Bad Company, Following Too Many Rules.

Source: Svatmarama’s Hatha Yoga Pradipika

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Daily Asana Guidelines (of course optional!)

• Shower and clean clothes before practice

• Wait at least 2 hours after major meal (ideally 3-4 hours)

• Wait at least 1 hour after light meal

• Create a clean, uncluttered space

• Make it special (incense, music, candles) and sacred (smoke cleansing, photos)

• Have a plan (count number of breaths in each pose, or set a time, or use a video)

• Same time each day if possible (early morning and before dinner are best for me) (early morning mind is fresh, body is stiff, early evening body moves more freely)

• Breathing done through nose, except for Sitali pranayama . (ujjayi breathing is preferred for many)

• Eyes open or closed

• Less is more, take your time, build slow

• Be like Goldilocks! (don’t under-do or over-do)

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Daily Guidelines

• Practice moderation (food, drinks, smoke, sports, sex)

• Eat moderately (simple nourishing food from fruit, vegetable and grain families, get protein through tofu, nuts, peanut butter and legumes)

• Hydrate

• No gossip

• Self care daily (ie epsom salt bath, massage, yoga nidra)

• Get sleep (6 hours per night is essential for most)

• Get direct sunlight / nature daily

• Take a quieter, restful, restorative day once a week. Burn bright, don’t burn out.

• We suggest you give up or refrain from something for the 40 days (hitting the snooze button, meat, alcohol, TV, etc)

• We suggest you add something healthy daily for the 40 days (walk in nature, Ones non-alcoholic wine, green juice, scripture study, journal, etc)

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Daily Practice Outline Prayers / Chants / Stillness / Intentions

Asana

Pranayama (optional)

Meditation

Remember the real yoga is how you live your daily Life!

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Sample Iyengar Home Practice Sequence I

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Sample Iyengar Home Practice Sequence II

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Krishnamachrya Sequence for his son, Desikachar

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Sribhashyam (Krishnamacharya’s son) said his Father created a yoga practice session that helped Westerns to learn about the soul.

He called them “‘life’ (more precious than biological life) saving sessions.”

He purportedly said, “Even if you don't come to me anymore, don't stop the practice!”

Keep an eye out for workshops, trainings, and retreats to learn more of the beautiful Vinyasa Krama practice (Ramaswami lineage) from Ryan!

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Encouraging Words by Zen Master Guishan

Some day you will die.

Lying on your sick bed about to breathe your last, you will be assailed by every kind of pain.

Your mind will be filled with fears and anxieties and you will not know where to go or what to do.

Only then you will realise that you have not practised well.

The skandhas (matter/form, sensations, conceptions/apperceptions, impulses/mental formations, and consciousness) and the four elements in youwill quickly disintegrate, and your consciousness will be pulled wherever your ancient, twisted karma leads it.

Impermanence does not hesitate.

Death will not wait.

You will not be able to extend your life by even a second.

How many thousand more times will you have to pass through the gates of birth and death.

If these words are challenging, even insulting, let them be an encouragement for you to change.

Practise heroically.

Do not accumulate unnecessary possessions.

Don’t give up.

Still your mind, end wrong perceptions, concentrate and do not run after the objects of your senses.

Practise diligently.

Be determined not to let your days and months pass by wastefully.

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The Yoga Sutra of Patanjali

[Source: Yogacarya B.K.S Iyengar. Astadala Yogamala Volume 1. Allied Publishers, 2006 New Delhi]

SAMADHI PADA

Chapter of Total Absorption

1.1 The treatise on the discipline of yoga for enlightenment begins now, with auspiciousness

1.2 Yoga is the cessation of movements in the consciousness.

1.3 When consciousness is silent, the seer (ātmā) radiates in his own grandeur.

1.4 At other times, the seer becomes entangled with not the objects seen but the consciousness.

1.5 Consciousness has fivefold waves, painful or non-painful, cognizable or uncognisable.

1.6 The fivefold waves of consciousness are caused by correct knowledge, incorrect

knowledge, imaginative knowledge, sleep and memory.

1.7 Correct knowledge is dependent upon direct perception, inference and authoritative scriptural testimony.

1.8 Incorrect knowledge is mistaking the identity of one this or the other or one object for another.

1.9 Fanciful knowledge or imaginative knowledge is that which is devoid of substance.

1.10 Sleep is the non-feeling of mutation in the mind.

1.11 Memory is the recollection of expressions and experiences without colouration.

1.12 Practice (abhyasa) and detachment (Vairagya) are the means to still the consciousness.

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1.13 Practice is an effort to still the mind’s fluctuations in order to silence the consciousness.

1.14 Long, uninterrupted, alert practice is the firm foundation for stabilizing the consciousness.

1.15 Keeping the consciousness detached from desires helps one to practice with perseverance.

1.16 When the intelligence of the head and the intelligence of the heart are clean and clear, one develops to reach true renunciation.

1.17 Practice and renunciation develops four types of awareness in the consciousness. These are vitarkā, vicāra, ānanda and asmitā. I have prefixed sa(auspiciousness) for the sādhaka to use the facets of intelligence auspiciously: savitarkā (self-analysis), savicāra (reasoning and reflection) sānanda(the feeling of delight) which is not just pleasurable(preya) but spiritual (sreya) and sāsmitā (the pure and divine state of being).

1.18 When pure consciousness is developed by practice, hidden impressions may shoot up and disturb the purity of the consciousness.

1.19 Pure consciousness brings a bodiless state or a merging into nature, leading towards stagnation in practice and/or isolation.

1.20 Pursue yogic discipline with faith, vigor, memory, keen intellect and power of absorption to experience the absolute consciousness.

1.21 For one who is sharp and extremely vehement in practice, the goal is instant.

1.22 For those whose practices are mild, average or intense, it becomes time-bound.

1.23 Several ways are offered to restrain the consciousness. One is total surrender of oneself to God.

1.24 God is defined as ONE who is untouched by reactions of actions or by cause and effect.

1.25 God is the seed of all knowledge.

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1.26 He is the first and foremost preceptor of all preceptors, unconditioned by time.

1.27 He is represented in āum, which is termed as pranava.

1.28 This āum must be constantly uttered while feeling its full significance.

1.29 This develops pure consciousness and minimizes or eradicates obstacles.

1.30 The causes which obstruct serenity and purity of the consciousness are: disease, doubt, carelessness, laziness, sense gratification, living in the world of illusion, inability to persist in what is undertaken and being unable to maintain the achieved progress.

1.31 Besides these nine obstructions, sorrow, despair, depression, tremor of body, nervousness and labored breathing run concurrently, distracting the consciousness further.

1.32 Single-minded effort is the only way to overcome these obstacles.

1.33 The effort begins in cultivating consciousness to become favourable, disposed, serene and benevolent through cultivation of friendliness, compassion, gladness and indifference respectively, towards joy and sorrow, as well as virtue and vice.

1.34 Or/and by maintaining the quiet psychological state of consciousness that is felt after exhalation;

1.35 Or/and by concentrating on an object that helps to maintain steadiness;

1.36 Or/and by meditation on a sorrow-less, luminous, effulgent light;

1.37 Or/and by contemplating on enlightened beings who were and are free from attachment;

1.38 Or/and by reflecting on the knowledge obtained while one is in a sleepy, dreamy or wakeful state;

1.39 Or/and by contemplating on an object or on an idea that is conducive to yogic practice.

1.40 By following the preceding various alternative methods of practice, according to one’s physical, mental and intellectual capacity, one develops the power to penetrate from infinitesimal particles to infinitely great objects.

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1.41 The practitioner experiences that the knower, the known and the instrument used to recognize the knower is himself – the seer. He develops sensitivity, stability, choicelessness, stainlessness and purity like a pure transparent jewel.

1.42 For him the word, with its meaning and with its knowledge, is moulded to shine forth as new knowledge (savitarkā samādhi).

1.43 Consciousness loses its identity when memory is cleansed and purified. It becomes non-analytical (nirvitarka samādhi)

1.44 Contemplation on subtle aspects of the elements of nature (tanmātras), whether deliberate or non-deliberate, becomes savicārā and nirvicārā samādhi.

1.45 The subtlest component of nature is consciousness. When it dissolves on its own in the seat of the Self, it is free from stain.

1.46 All these above-mentioned methods of concentration and contemplation are with a see or support. They are known as sabīja samādhi.

1.47 Proficiency in non-deliberate contemplation leads towards the knowledge of the seer.

1.48 When consciousness dwells in wisdom, there dawns direct spiritual perception.

1.49 This matured, truth-bearing wisdom is first-hand knowledge, or intuitive knowledge. (It does not depend upon sutra 1.7 from now on.)

1.50 With this new truth-bearing wisdom, a new life begins.

1.51 This has also to be relinquished to experience the seedless state of samadhi (nirbija samadhi).

SADHANA PADA

Chapter on Practice

2.1 Discipline, study of the spiritual scriptures and surrender to God are the fountain for yogic sādhanā, termed as kriyā yoga.

2.2 Through Kriya yoga, afflictions get reduced and it helps as a precursor to samadhi.

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2.3 Lack of understanding, pride, attachment to attractions, aversion to pains and fear of death are the five afflictions.

2.4 The mother of all afflictions is want of understanding. It may remain dormant or attenuated, interrupted or fully active.

2.5 Accepting mundane things as permanent, impure things as pure and sensual pleasures as spiritual is lack of knowledge.

2.6 Assuming that the ego is the seer, is pride.

2.7 Pleasure breeds desire.

2.8 Distress breeds hatred.

2.9 The urge for self-perpetuation and fear of death are the subtlest of all afflictions.

2.10 These afflictions have to be minimized and eradicated.

2.11 Brooding on afflictions leads to psychosomatic diseases. These thoughts get washed out by meditation.

2.12 The latent imprints of accumulated actions form the ‘cause and effect’ in life.

2.13 The fruits of actions of previous lives shape the present birth, the span of life and

the things to be experienced.

2.14 Good or evil actions in the past qualify one for pleasant or non-pleasant experiences in the present life.

2.15 The wise man knows that pleasant experiences have tinges of sorrow and keeps aloof from them.

2.16 The pains that are yet to come can be prevented.

2.17 Association of the seer with the seen is the cause of distress. Avoidance of union

between them is the remedy for distress.

2.18 Nature, with its three guna(sattva, rajas and tamas), exists for the enjoyment of pleasure, or for the emancipations of man.

2.19 Nature has four divisions. They are differentiable and undifferentiable, phenomenal and noumenal.

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2.20 Though the seer is pure, he witnesses nature without being reliant on it.

2.21 Yet nature exists only to serve the seer so that he abides in his own pure state.

2.22 Nature is meant for the emancipation of the seer. The relationship ends when nature’s job is fulfilled, whereas it continues to affect ordinary souls.

2.23 Nature reminds the seer to discover his true Self.

2.24 Lack of spiritual understanding is the cause of the false identification of the seer

with the seen.

2.25 When the seer is separated from the seen, want of knowledge is vanquished. Emancipation or kaivalya is explained.

2.26 All pains are avoided through uninterrupted awareness of discriminative knowledge.

2.27 This discriminative knowledge develops seven states of awareness: conquest of

body, senses, energy, mind, intelligence, consciousness and self.

2.28 Practice of yoga removes the cause of afflictions so that the crown of wisdom radiates in its own glory.

2.29 Yoga is an eight-petalled discipline. These are yama, niyama, asana, and pranayama, pratyāharā, dhāranā, dhyāna and samādhi.

2.30 Moral injunctions (yama) are non-violence, truthfulness, non-stealing, continence and freedom from greed.

2.31 The above five components of yama are universal vows unconditioned by place, time, class or concept of duty.

2.32 Observance of cleanliness, contentment, discipline, spiritual study and devotion to God are niyama.

2.33 Principles that run contrary to yama and niyama are to be encountered with knowledge and awareness.

2.34 Pains are of three degrees – mild, medium and intense, caused by three types

of behaviour – direct indulgence, provoked and abetted. They are motivated by greed, anger and delusion and they have to be countered and corrected with right knowledge and awareness.

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2.35 Non-violence in word, thought and action causes one to abandon one’s hostile nature.

2.36 When one is established in truth, whatever one says happens.

2.37 Precious jewels come to one who is free from covetousness.

2.38 Spiritual knowledge flows through the observance of continence.

2.39 Knowledge of past and future lives shines like a mirror when one is free from greed.

2.40 Cleanliness develops disinterest in the pleasures of the world.

2.41 A cleansed body with a purified mind becomes a fit instrument for self-awareness.

2.42 Contentment brings immeasurable delight.

2.43 Self-discipline (tapas) eradicates the impurities of body and mind and kindles the sparks of divinity.

2.44 Self-knowledge (svādhyāya), understanding of oneself, leads towards God-realisation.

2.45 Surrender to God induces samadhi. Or: Samadhi leads one towards God (Isvara pranidhāna).

2.46 Perfection in asana brings firmness in body and benevolence in mind.

2.47 When the effort to perform becomes effortless, perfection in an asana is achieved.

2.48 From then on, the practitioner is undisturbed by dualities and is fit to begin prānāyāma.

2.49 Pranayama is the regulation of the inbreath and the outbreath.

2.50 Pranayama has three movements – deep and fine inhalation, retention and exhalation.

They are measured according to the space in the trunk, time and precision.

2.51 The fourth type of pranayama is a non-deliberate and an effortless one. It transcends the previous three types and restrains (all external and internal) thought movements.

2.52 Pranayama removes the veil covering the light of knowledge and heralds the dawn of wisdom.

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2.53 Then, the mind becomes fit for concentration.

2.54 By this dawn of wisdom, the mind controls the organs of action and the senses of perception, and takes an inward journey towards the seer. This is pratyāhāra.

2.55 With this control, the mind turns ripe and avid to reach its maker – the seer.

VIBHUTI PĀDA

Chapter on Attainment

3.1 Concentration (dhāranā) means focus of attention.

3.2 An uninterrupted flow of attention with awareness is meditation.

3.3 The merging of the meditator and the object of meditation is absorption (samadhi).

3.4 When concentration, meditation and absorption become one it is integration.

3.5 Lustre of wisdom and insight comes through integration of subtle senses: intelligence, “I” and consciousness.

3.6 This wisdom can be used compartmentally or totally as needed.

3.7 Concentration, meditation and absorption of the later three subtle practices of yoga are internal, compared to the first five components of yoga.

3.8 Similarly, concentration, meditation and absorption are external compared to seedless (nirbija) samadhi.

3.9 When he loses attention, the sādhaka has to return towards the restraining of consciousness. This is nirodha parinama.

3.10 In between rising thoughts and restrains, the stream of tranquility flows.

3.11 Alternation of attention takes place between one point and many points or vice-versa. Controlling this oscillation leads towards absorption. This is samadhi parinama.

3.12 Maintenance of total attention without interruption is ekkagrata parinama.

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3.13 The transformations accrue on account of the culture of consciousness from the present to potential state (dharma) towards a special significant development (laksana) and then to reach its essence, the real state (avastha) of the Self.

3.14 The changing quality of the consciousness derives from the characteristic properties of nature, namely, sattva (purity), rajas (energy) and tamas (dormancy).

3.15 Successive sequential changes cause the distinctive transformation in the consciousness.

3.16 By this distinctive transformation, the yogi integrates with himself and reads the past and future.

3.17 He will have the mastery of language by listening to sounds.

3.18 He knows all about his past and future lives.

3.19 He becomes a clairvoyant.

3.20 He develops the faculty of studying precisely the minds of others.

3.21 He acquires the ability to be invisible at will.

3.22 He will have the ability to stop the infrastructure of the elements without others knowing it.

3.23 He has the foreknowledge of his exact time of death.

3.24 He gains physical, mental and spiritual strength through friendliness to all.

3.25 He can be at will as strong as an elephant.

3.26 Concealed things that are near or far appear to him on their own.

3.27 He has the knowledge of the solar system.

3.28 He has the knowledge of the changing position of the stars.

3.29 He knows beforehand the cause and course of events.

3.30 He has perfect knowledge of the human system.

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3.31 He acquires the power to overcome hunger and thirst.

3.32 He can remain immobile like a tortoise at will.

3.33 He gets visions of perfect beings.

3.34 He becomes the knower of all knowledge.

3.35 He has thorough knowledge of the functions of the consciousness.

3.36 He differentiates consciousness from the seer with ease.

3.37 He feels, sees, tastes, hears and smells without the help of the senses of perception.

3.38 The powers, which appear natural to a yogi and super-natural to others, are hindrances to samadhi.

3.39 He can enter another’s body at will.

3.40 He can walk on water, swamps and thorns.

3.41 He can blaze like the fire.

3.42 He can hear divine sounds irrespective of distance or place.

3.43 He can levitate.

3.44 He can move outside his body.

3.45 He knows in full the gross subtle mutation of nature.

3.46 He can reduce himself to the size of an atom or expand. He can become light or heavy.

3.47 He acquires unsurpassed beauty, grace, strength and lustre.

3.48 He has mastery over nature and recognizes the purpose of the conjunction without involving himself.

3.49 He subdues nature and moves faster than light and sound.

3.50 He gains lordship over all things; he becomes omnipresent, omnipotent and omniscient.

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3.51 With all these successes, he should cultivate non-attachment, so that he may live in the abode of the Self.

3.52 Celestial beings try to seduce him and pull him down from this grace of yoga.

3.53 He must detach himself from these powers and concentrate his attention on the moment as well as the movement of moments (time) to gain an exalted knowledge without the feeling of time and place.

3.54 By this, he distinguishes faultlessly the differences in similar objects.

3.55 Such a yogi grasps anything and everything in an instant.

3.56 This exalted intelligence being equal to the purity of the seer, he has reached perfection in yoga.

KAIVALYA PADA

Chapter on Absolute liberation

4.1 Divine powers are the results of birth, herbs, incantations, self-discipline and meditation.

4.2 Transformation takes place in these four types of souls due to the abundant flow of

the potentialities of nature.

4.3 As a farmer builds embankments to regulate the flow of water to his fields, the prudent yogi channels the potentialities of nature for spiritual development.

4.4 Created intelligence of the head is asmitā, which forms bias and prejudice. It is the cause of pain and distress. When it is nurtured, it becomes ripe and leads the sādhaka to know the seer.

4.5 The root mind is one, but it branches into numerous activities creating fluctuations, modifications and modulations.

4.6 The restraining of these various activities brings the root mind to the surface.

4.7 Actions are of four types: white, gray, black and that which is beyond these three. The yogi’s actions are neither white nor black nor mixed. But for others, actions are either white, black or mixed.

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4.8 Performance of these types of actions leaves impressions, which manifest when conditions are favourable and ripe to reach the goal of Self-realization.

4.9 Though life is interrupted by species and lineage, place and time, memory and impressions exist uninterruptedly to connect them to the present life

4.10 Impressions and desires are beginning-less and endless for an average person.

4.11 Though life is bound by desires and subliminal impressions (samskaras), culturing of intelligence and consciousness puts an end to desires and fades out the subliminal impressions in a gradual process.

4.12 Existence of past and future is as real as the present. The past has been experienced, it has lost its flavour. The future is yet to manifest, while the present is a moment. The movement of moments creates past and future and affects consciousness.

4.13 The qualities of nature and time interweave with consciousness in both gross and subtle effects.

4.14 The rhythmic mutation of sattva, rajas and tamas is the cause for action, reaction and effects.

4.15 The essence of objects remains the same but appears different according to the movements of qualities of nature in the consciousness.

4.16 The essence of an object is not dependent upon one’s consciousness. If the consciousness fails to recognise an object, the object has not stimulated the consciousness. It does not mean that the object does not exist.

4.17 The essence of objects reflects according to the state of the consciousness whether it is tainted or pure. They remain unknown if the consciousness does not ponder on them.

4.18 As the seer is changeless, he is aware of the mutation of the consciousness.

4.19 Consciousness cannot perceive its own nature, as it is not self-luminous.

4.20 Consciousness cannot comprehend both the seer and the seen at the same time.

4.21 If consciousness were both perceiver and perceived, things would end in confusion because of its multiple states.

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4.22 Consciousness distinguishes between its own light and that of the seer. It develops purity and leans towards the changeless seer.

4.23 Consciousness realises that it has no light of its own but it borrows the light from its source, the seer. Hence, its sense of comprehending all comes to an end.

4.24 Consciousness is equipped to act equally in conjunction with the seer or the seen on account of its proximity to both of them.

4.25 But intelligence cultivates the consciousness to develop purity to dwell closer to the seer.

4.26 On account of this purity, consciousness inclines towards the seer to experience the state of individual existence.

4.27 With this progress, the force of past impressions may disturb its path towards emancipation.

4.28 The yogi has to relinquish all powers. Otherwise, he will be caught in the web of afflictions at once.

4.29 By this relinquishment, virtue pours forth, washing away all subliminal impressions and affliction in the consciousness. From then on, a seedless state of cleanliness and clarity are experienced.

4.30 In this state, the cycles of reactions of afflicted actions come to an end. Freedom flows like an unruffled river.

4.31 Henceforth, all other kinds of knowledge appear insignificant compared to this virtuous knowledge which is free from all impurities.

4.32 By this the guna retire in nature, having fulfilled their duties.

4.33 On account of this, the uninterrupted cycle of moments is comprehended.

4.34 From now on, the yogi is devoid of all aims of life. He is free from the qualities of nature and lives in the state of kaivalya (emancipation).

Here ends the spiritual journey of yoga after this teaching. Here ends the Gems of Wisdom of Sage Patanjali.

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My Practice

Asana:

Meditation:

I am subtracting from my life:

I do this daily by:

I am adding this to my life: