YOGAJOURNAL.COM / 54 / DECEMBER 2017
EMBODYING THE SUTRA
PRACTICE WELL“good yogi,” how to perfect
my posture, how to be even
more aware—masquerade as
important notions, but they
are really just nuisances.
What I like about Sutra 1.2
is that it reminds us we are
actually closer to self-realiza-
tion, and finding harmony,
than we think we are. There
is a part of us that, while our
mind struggles to focus on
the breath and settle our
vrttis, is already sitting qui-
etly and watching all of these
sensations, thoughts, and
feelings. If we are asking
“Who is the meditator?”,
“Who is watching?”, “Who
am I?”, and “What is the field
of awareness in which all of
these mosquitoes breed?” we
are on the right track. Just
the acts of observing and
asking help to arrest the fluc-
tuations of the mind, or con-
sciousness, and we start to
see that awareness itself is
our true nature and that the
temporary buzz of thoughts,
feelings, and sensations is
not real or significant.
But if distractions—from
discomfort in your hips to
thoughts about what hap-
pened an hour ago—are too
loud, then it’s easy for your
true self to be eclipsed by
vrttis. So, it’s important
to use all the yogic tools we
have access to (asana, man-
tra, pranayama, and more),
in addition to meditation,
to alleviate discomfort and
move us closer to a sense
of steadiness, ease, and free-
dom where we can shine
the light of awareness on the
fluctuations of the mind.TRY A RESTFUL PRACTICE
from Rodney Yee to move
into a deep state of relax-
ation, on page 79.continued from page 531-800-PILATES (745-2837)
pilates.com/education
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