Sutra Class Feb. 6th

patanjali, originally uploaded by wengletian.

The next sutra class is Saturday, Feb 6th, 2pm at Stillwater Yoga Studio. We will be looking at the second chapter, Sadhana Pada, sutras 3 and 4. These are sutras concerning the klesas, the afflictions. Read these 2 sutras and the commentaries. Here are some questions for contemplation:

Do any of these afflictions dominate my actions, emotions, or interactions with others?

Am I ready and willing to point out the afflictions of others so as not to deal with my own?

How can my asana and pranayama practice help me see and possibly begin to overcome these afflictions?

How do my efforts to better myself ease the pain of other living beings ?

"Yoga is a release from the preoccupation with ourselves and that release is sometimes joyous and other times painful. We cling to our history even when our history is painful. We cling to bad habits even when we know otherwise. we always desire what is known and comfortable even when it's bad for us if only because it's a repeatable experience- predictable, comfortable, conservative. This conservative and repetitive aspect of the human personality is exactly what the yamas and all yogic practices focus on interrupting. Reality is always greater than our theories of reality, and the unbound attention the yamas orient us toward brightens and clarifies the yogic way."

from Yoga for a world Out of Balance, by Micheal Stone