I think we all would agree there is a lot of change happening in our world right now. Whether we like the changes and welcome them, or fear them and wish them away, change is inherently stressful. Change requires that we integrate it. We must rearrange our mental architecture when structures we have relied on suddenly dissolve or shift in availability or value. Economic change we have to accept, but we must make a mental decision as to whether we will adopt the shifting values of our society, or become an outlier closing down to some aspect of our culture. Changes may affect what foods we buy, how safe we feel in our community or what we expect from our leaders.
Integrating change consumes a tremendous amount of energy. It initiates a struggle between what was old and comfortable and what is new and doesn’t quite fit yet. It may require us to rethink ideas that we had accepted as foundational truths. Every change is a reminder of the fragility of our health, wellbeing, even our lives. Change means losing our center and integration is reestablishing a new center.
Most of us have learned to rely on yoga practice to help us integrate change. But the changes we are facing now are coming so fast that many yoga students are finding their practice to be inadequate or harder to access. Students integrating economic change may find it harder to justify the expense of classes as they fear more change to come. And students with a solitary practice may find it harder to disconnect from what is happening outside and relax into their practice. In this swirling world of change we may find that the integration our practice brings is ripped away soon after we step off the mat.
Times like these may challenge us to strengthen our practice, which can be very hard when we feel an increasing need for the benefits of practice and a weakening of our strength and dedication.
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Into this storm of change and struggle I would like to offer a simple technique that I have found to increase the benefits of practice without a commitment to harder work. It is based on the words of the Yoga Sutra enhanced by the teachings of Swami Kripalu and my own learning from practice.
In the first chapter of the Yoga Sutra, verse 30, the author gives a list of nine distractions that can inhibit us from moving closer to Self-realization. These obstacles are mostly mental and physical qualities like laziness and making incorrect assumptions and decisions. These can all be remedied by education and practice. By education I mean learning the philosophy of yoga and the components and practices of the path. Practice is utilizing the techniques of yoga to discipline and strengthen the mind and body.
The following verse gives another list. This list gives four consequences or effects of the nine obstacles. Yes, laziness and decisions based on desire can certainly cause these conditions, but I think for us modern practitioners they can come from working hard to integrate a changing world.
From these obstacles, there are four consequences that also arise: mental or physical pain; sadness or dejection; restlessness, shakiness, or anxiety; and irregularities in the exhalation and inhalation of breath.
Yoga Sutra 1.31
The obstacles are overcome by education and the practices of yama, niyama, asana and pranayama. We overcome the consequences through meditation. The word used in this part of the text for meditation is ‘Ekagrat,’ a Sanskrit word for the state where the mind holds onto only one thing. This is synonymous with Samadhi, which means that the mind is steady in one state (without vritti). Another list follows that gives techniques to obtain Ekagrat. The list includes several techniques including mindful pranayama. The technique that I would like to focus on is presented in verse 36. The Yoga Sutra is very terse and allows a range of translations. This is how I like to translate it:
By meditation on inner light or inner radiance, knowledge or Spirit can be reached and peace achieved.
Yoga Sutra 1.36
The Yoga Sutra makes pithy statements but usually leaves out the details. It tells us to practice asana, but doesn’t give us a list of recommended asanas to practice. It gives us a definition of pranayama, but does not teach any techniques. So how are we to meditate on inner light or radiance? Most teachers through the ages have instructed the students to visualize a light like a star, a lotus, or a form of a god or saint, Usually they say to visualize this image in the crown of the head, in the third eye, or in the heart.
I have never observed where Swami Kripalu spoke about this verse, but the first time I read it in the Yoga Sutra, I believed that I knew exactly how Swami Kripalu would instruct its practice. It was a technique that he had spoken about in many ways in many places. It is a simple technique that can easily enrich practice.
The word Jyotiṣmatī, found in this sutra, is translated as ‘light’ and ‘radiance’, but can also mean ‘lucidity’ or ‘inspired vision.’ I believe that Swami Kripalu would tell us to prepare for practice and then sit quietly.
Take a few deep breaths to calm the heart and mind. Then, remember a time in the past when you had a very deep practice or even a few moments of depth. Perhaps during a retreat or with a skilled teacher. Perhaps a moment of meditation at the end of asanas or deep shavasana where you felt close to yourself or to spirit. Hold that memory in your mind, feel it in your body. Make the memory as fresh and full as you can. By evoking this memory and holding it for a few minutes, you are reminding yourself that it is possible and available. You are reminding yourself why you practice.
…Stay tuned for Part 2 next week
