Simple Yoga Blog

Yoga Sutra 3.14 Essence and characteristics. The world is real and every object has an underlying essence. Does the essence of an object exist as a pure idea somewhere beyond physical reality? Or, is that essence purely physical? In that case, does the essence of something relate to its DNA? Or, does the essence of an object manifest as a result of the interaction between awareness and the natural world? If your ways of being change continually, who is noticing these changes?

Yoga Sutra 3.13 Changes in properties, characteristics and states Tuning into the changes in your senses, external world and inner life. Everything that exists, including you and your internal world, manifests along those three dimensions: properties, characteristics, and condition.Can you notice the changes in the characteristics of your physical body over time? Can you tell that your ideas and thoughts have changed? Are you aware of how your emotions change as well as why?

Yoga Sutra 3.12 Transformation of unification The illusion of fragmentation disappears Can you start seeing everybody as your brother or sister? Can you relate to life as something you are deeply embedded in? Can you recognize that you are an individual manifestation of awareness in life?

Yoga Sutra 3.11 Transformation toward integration Releasing internal commentary and identification with externalities Are you being with what is happening without placing conditions? What is the actual experience of awareness of your own perceptions? When you have less judgments and opinions, what is the quality of your participation in your own life?

Yoga Sutra 3.10 Inner Silence Expands Peaceful impressions contribute to expanding inner silence. Is being more aware of your tendencies motivating you to cultivate helpful tendencies? How are you cultivating greater peace in your outer and inner life? What are the effects of your practice, a tendency towards greater harmony or disharmony?

Yoga Sutra 3.9 Towards inner silence A transformation of body, mind and senses. Gravitating towards personified consciousness. Do you notice a change in your attitude, mood, distraction, and inner environment? Do you complain more or less than before? Are you more willing to participate in all aspects of your life with kindness and compassion?

Yoga Sutra 3.7 & 3.8 Levels of awareness Gradual process toward clarity Still lingering traces of separateness preventing the practitioner from fully embodying pure awareness. As you cultivate spaciousness, stillness, and silence within, can you soften your grip on anything and everything? Would it be possible to relinquish ownership of your beliefs?

Yoga Sutra 3.6 Step by step Samyama is a gradual distillation of attention from a dense object to increasing levels of subtlety. There are no shortcuts in yoga. Is your sensitivity growing? Are your knowledge and intuition growing? Do you feel like you get subtle suggestions during the day?

Yoga Sutra 3.5 Insight into higher wisdom Practicing yoga helps you recognize insight by distinguishing it from your opinions. As you become more practiced in connecting to your inner spaciousness, stillness, and silence, what do you discover? How is your yoga practice fostering your receptivity? How does insight manifest in you?