_The below are my personal thoughts and interpretation on Yoga Sutra 1:2. As with the rest of this site it is a continuous work in progress._ Sutra 1:2 "Yoga is the stilling of the changing states of the mind." - Bryant, Edwin F.. The Yoga Sutras of Patañjali (p. 87). Farrar, Straus and Giroux. Kindle Edition. The most commonly shared meaning or definition of what yoga is in the many yoga classes I've attended is that it means union. This is most likely because the literal transliteration of the Sanskrit term yoga is "union" or "to yoke". This isn't quite right, though you could end up at this interpretation from a certain perspective. For a deeper, and in my opinion more complete, understanding of the meaning of _yoga_ we should look into the explanations given in the past, and the primary source for yogic philosophy is the Yoga Sutra(s). From this we get a fairly straightforward definition. The translation above, from Bryant[[YP - Yoga Sutras#^8dacdd]], is in line with most translations I've read. Essentially our being centered on, or caught up with, the churning nature of our mind and the thoughts and emotions created therein are the main obstacle to yoga. Once we are detached from those movements of thought and emotion we abide in our true nature (1:3 - [[YP - Yoga Sutras#^24552b]]) which is the goal of yoga. At other times, when the changing states are not stilled, we are identified with those changing states of the mind. #### What Does Stilling Mean? Thoughts are constant. If you've ever tried to sit down and stop thinking, which a lot of people think meditating is, you know this is a ridiculous, probably impossible, task. We may even think that the only time this could be possible is when we leave our physical body. I don't think that makes much logical sense. Otherwise the quickest way to stop thinking and achieve knowledge and experience of our true self would be to jump off a tall bridge. In a greater sense we're talking about detachment (vairagya) or dispassion. We cease to be connected with the thoughts we have, we stop fantasizing so much about what we want to acquire or worrying so much about what we are afraid to lose. The Sutras go on to talk about the different types of changing states of the mind, as well as ways to create the detachment necessary to achieve the goal of yoga (abiding in our true nature). And that may be where some people could claim that yoga means union; that yoga is union with our true self. The problem with that definition is that the effort in yoga practice is toward detaching, so a blanket statement of yoga being "union" doesn't really ring true. It may be a nice sentiment, it may create nice warm and fuzzy feelings, but the effort of yoga practice is to separate from the false sense of self created by our mind and our ego. --- Created on: 2023-08-15 [[Home]]