Book 1, Sutra 12: The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali
Practice and Non-Attachment
Alice Bailey says that ‘the yogi or Master is the result of patient endurance.’
The main idea in this sutra is that the control (nirodhah) of the vibrations of the mind is achieved through persistent practice (abhyasa) and non-attachment (vairagya ) from the dualities we find ourselves between, which are attraction/desire (raga) and aversion/repulsion (dwesha).
The stillness and control of the mind*, which is the goal of yoga, can be achieved through two key disciplines:
· Abhyasa – Persistent spiritual practice.
· Vairagya – Detachment or non-attachment to the fruits of that practice and to worldly desires and preferences. The idea here is that expanding our preferences for different circumstances leads to less suffering because things do not have to be a certain way for us to be happy.
Spiritual Progress Requires Effort and Letting Go:
It is not enough to just meditate occasionally or read spiritual books.
True spiritual progress is the result of constant, focused effort (abhyasa) and the ability to remain detached from both success and failure (vairagya).
Practice (Abhyasa):
It involves consistent, disciplined control of thought and behaviour
We must engage in daily mental, ethical, and physical disciplines, so that we know how to handle the rise and fall of mental-emotional states that are triggered by work, friends and family and world events.
Practice needs to be sustained over a long period and with sincere dedication to free ourselves from the lower personality which can feel like a physical, mental and emotional prison at times.
It imposes the soul rhythm on our daily lives
Non-Attachment (Vairagya):
It means freedom from craving or aversion, whether toward people, outcomes, or material things.
Non-attachment is essential to avoid emotional disturbances that disrupt meditation and clarity. It is not a cold indifference to others or situations but a withdrawal of the centre of focus from the outer to the inner Self and that of others.
Non-attachment means withdrawing our identification with the senses so that we use our energy more efficiently for the good of the group.
To calm the fluctuations of the mind (which is the very definition of yoga), the aspirant must:
Be persistent and disciplined in spiritual work (abhyasa),
Remain non-attached to results, possessions, people, ideas and opinions, and even spiritual experiences (vairagya).
As it is said by many of the teachers of the Ageless Wisdom, we do not pull a plant out by its roots to see if it is growing. This means the progress is slow but over time there will be a noticeable shift in our lives. If we don’t notice it because it is incremental and our friends and family probably will!
*In Yogic Anatomy the physical body is not considered a principle. The force/energy centres or chakras in the etheric body (blueprint of the physical) are the informing factor of their ‘shadows’ or the physical organs, glands and plexuses of nerves. Therefore, the mind is the informing factor behind the physical brain not the other way around as in Western medical theory. In fact the compartments of the brain have a correlation to parts of the human instrument found on the mental plane.
References
Patañjali, & Bailey, A. (2013). The light of the soul : its science and effect : a paraphrase of the Yoga sutras of Patañjali. London.
Bryant, E. F. (2015). The Yoga Sutras of Patañjali. North Point Press.
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 The Michael Singer Podcast [Audio podcast]. Website. https://resources.soundstrue.com/michael-singer-podcast/