Okay girls. So this is the sutra that showed up in my flipping through the Yoga Sutras book this morning, so that’s what I’m going with. And it’s a DEEP one!

Virama Pratyayabhyasa Purvah Samskaraseso Nyah = By the firmly convinced practices of the complete cessation of the mental modifications, the impressions only remain. This is the other Samadhi (non-distinguished)

Here’s a question: Can you be at peace AND in joy, when the kids are fighting, your man is mad at you for God knows what, the house is a mess, and you are “hangry” (hungry + angry)? That’s kinda what this sutra is getting at.

This sutra is all about becoming “liberated” from our thoughts. Many religions describe this experience as being “enlightened” or being IN the world but not Of the world.  This is also what the Ashtanga yoga practitioners are looking to practice in the 7^th Series of Ashtanga (Family life series), where they are to practice asana no matter who is around and no matter what is going on.

What Patanjali is saying here, is that to be truly free and joyful, we can’t be attached to any condition. Our joy (or our lack there of) is not determined by the “good” things that happen in our life or the “bad” things that happen either.

MORAL OF THE STORY: Even though shit is going on in the world that is disturbing and outrageous, we can still be undisturbed by it and remain joyful, because our joy comes from the source within us.  Our regular yoga practice is a TOOL to help us seek our joy and practicing being joyful, even in the most undesirable of conditions.

I’d love to hear your thoughts, insights and interpretations of this sutra! Share below!