Book 1, Sutras 1-2: Yoga Sutras of Patanjali
Freedom, Unity and Stilling the Desire-Mind
Book 1 of The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali describes the stages to achieve that state which the yogis call union or samadhi, also known as liberation. This is a very evolved state of being and is the opposite to the state in which we usually find ourselves when we are feeling separate, cut off, at odds with those around us, unable to see the bigger picture of our lives.
Yogis often use the analogy of the ocean - we have the waves rippling on top and then we have the deep and vast ocean. The waves rippling on top can be likened to our thoughts, the mind in action or the citta. The only way to calm this restlessness of the thoughts is to train the mind to be still so we can merge with the calmness and depth of the universal consciousness which is akin to the deep, vast ocean.
The two things a student has to do to begin the process of remembering their connection to spirit is to calm the addiction to preferences and still the thoughts.
Our preferences and our aversions are described as desire-mind or kama-manas in sanskrit. The part of us that has preferences for material items, ideas and the way people should behave around us represents our addiction to our opinions and way of being and is known as the personality, ego or lower self. In addition, an unchecked mind and desire shut off the inner wisdom – the intuition or Soul, called the Higher Self.
The lower self is the sum of our learned experiences for this life, and is informed by previous lives.
The second sutra in Book 1 states citta vritti nirodha which means we need to still the ripples or fluctuations of our thoughts. It is the process of moving our attention from what we perceive outwardly through our senses and turning it back to our Higher Self. We are the observer watching our thoughts and emotions, therefore we are not our thoughts and emotions or sense perceptions. So, what happens when we stop this narrow focus on our desires, preferences and aversions? We become open to our inner wisdom, we begin to feel connected and we feel fulfilled and our lives have meaning because we know we have a part to play in the greater whole. The experience of disconnection, isolation and separateness is the opposite of our natural state.
References
Patañjali, & Bailey, A. (2013). The light of the soul : its science and effect : a paraphrase of the Yoga sutras of Patañjali. London.
Iyengar, S. (2012). Light on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. HarperCollins UK.
Paramhansa Yogananda. (2013). Demystifying Patanjali: The Yoga Sutras. Crystal Clarity Publishers.
Satyananda Saraswati, Swami. (2013). Four chapters on freedom : commentary on yoga sutras of Sage Patanjali. Yoga Publications Trust.
Sounds True. Second Initial. Michael Singer 2024-2025 Michael Singer Podcast [Audio podcast]. Website. https://resources.soundstrue.com/michael-singer-podcast/