Sutra 2.13: Stop It

 

Sadhana Pada: Yoga in Action (Experience the Now)

2.13 Sati mule tad vipako jaty ayur bhogah 

• sati = being present / existing
• mule = root / cause
• tad = that / these
• vipako = fruits of / consequences of action
• jaty = state of life / quality
• ayur = life span / duration
• bhogah = resulting experience / type of experience

Transformation in yoga doesn't ultimately come from the asanas (physical postures). The physical practice of yoga moves the body, directs energy and clears space in order to get to the deeper layers where transformation happens. Transformation in yoga happens by tapping into the internal world of self, spirit, something more than you, subconscious mind, etc. It's not a religious practice, but more of a mystical one in the sense that our rational minds (which we have been trained to heavily rely on) find it difficult to comprehend that there is a place within ourselves that just knows, and there is no logical way to explain that. Yoga is mental training because it is our rational mind that gets in the way of our ability to tap into this knowing.

Last week's sutra 2.12 introduced the idea that our previous thoughts and impressions create what our life looks like now. Sutra 2.13 goes further into this by giving three specific areas - state, span and experience - that will be influenced in our lives by the thoughts we plant and allow to grow. So, let's take the example of a fear based thought such as worry. If I've planted the seed of worry, it eventually sprouts into something such as anxiety (state). How long I hold this thought will determine the span or length of time it stays in my awareness and affects me. Because it is a fear based thought, what sprouts will create a negative experience. Now this is a very simplistic example, but think about how all of our previous thoughts played into the experience we are having now. Then, reflect on if you are even aware of the thoughts you are having now that will affect your experience in the future.

So, what to do? Let's continue to keep it simple, by thinking of thoughts as either love or fear based. I know we've practice observing our thoughts in previous weeks, so let's do this again by bringing more awareness into it by asking ourselves at any moment "Is the thought I'm having right now based on love or fear?" If it's based on love, let it stay to sprout into future positive experiences. If it's based on fear let it go and direct your attention to more loving thoughts. So, your homework for the week is to do exactly that. Observe your thoughts, tend to the loving ones and weed out the negative ones. Need a technique to deal with those pesky negative thoughts? Watch the video below for some inspiration.    

Sutra 2.13 As long as the root is present, the consequences will determine 

state of life, duration and type of experience.