At All Other Times....

A few weeks ago, I began a new year of study and practice of the Yoga Sutras with incredible teachers in the YTCG*. I am in awe of the perspective offered in these 4 verses all over again. Here is my loose interpretation of the first 4 Sutras (with emphasis added) and the fascia-like web it weaves through life (from my perspective**): 

1.Here and now is where the practice of Yoga begins.

2. Both the definition and the goal of Yoga is the practice of stilling the fluctuations of the mind (thoughts).

3. When the mind is still, we abide in our True Nature.

4. At all other times, we mistake what we see in ourselves, others, and the world due to our thoughts. 

Here is what it makes me think of and why I feel like this is such a life- changing thing (IMHO***) to understand and put into practice:

Our family, culture, education, and life experience provide us with context for how we see the world. Before the age of 7 we develop what will be our foundational subconscious beliefs for our entire lives.

This initial sense imprints on the Nervous System signaling to us what is safe and unsafe. You can reprogram these subconscious beliefs but the thing is they are subconscious so you can’t necessarily identify them (unless you make a practice of bringing them to the light often with help in the form of deeper therapies that break apart this connection in your Brain and Nervous System****).

As we get older, our logical minds might recognize some of this through noticing limitations and patterns, but the subconscious is still the lens we see through and is determining what we believe we (and others) deserve, directing our relationships, and running our lives.

“Until you make the unconscious conscious,

it will direct your life and you will call it fate.”

― C.G. Jung

At all other times......

We need to be present and feel safe in order for the shadows that are holding us back to even come to light and help us clarify the view of what we are seeing. In order to do this, we have to be in the mode of the Nervous System that allows us to digest all we haven't been able to digest before. It can take time to unravel and go to the depths, and that is if we feel safe (and want to). The physical practice of Yoga is one tool that helps to support this through breathing, movement, and stillness.

Just as we need space to digest food, we need space to digest experiences and information. In the Digestive system the whole premise behind fasting is that it takes 8 hours to break down our last meal and then additional time for the body to clean itself beyond that (autophagy).

The Digestive system isn’t the only system in our bodies that works this way. When our lives are full or an event is too much to process at once, we don't have the ability to digest. What doesn't get digested is stored in our bodies and can, over time, keep us in the Sympathetic mode of the Nervous System, take away our clarity, and become dis-ease. 

If the fluctuations in our mind (like waves on a pond) are keeping us from seeing our depths and distorting our vision, we are not seeing clearly. I don't know about you but the time I spend with a quiet and still mind is a very small amount of time while the time my mind and life are full is well, MOST. 

If most of the time is the "at ALL other times" the Sutras mention then I am seeing the world through a dirty lens and not living the quality of life and connection with the Divine and others that I was created for. Maybe you are like me and we are all missing out. 

“We don't see things as they are,

we see them as we are.”

― Anaïs Nin

This is part of what keeps me in practice, seeking out things that support me, and sharing what I’ve found so far. We each have a unique design and don’t have to all be doing the same things, but I do encourage you to find some small things that support you in clearing your lens. The great news is that we don't have to do a complete overhaul of our lives in order to make progress.

Jenna Zoe, one of my Human Design teachers talks about the 0.1 (she is British so says,” Naught Point One,”  which I love). The 0.1 is the amount of effort required to take toward a goal, a practice, or a mind with a clearer lens. When done in faith, alignment, and authenticity this 0.1 amount of effort will be met and supported by the Divine in a way that clears a path in front of us. This is the Divine Grace that is accessible to all of us in everyday life. I can personally testify to the magical power of putting the 0.1 into daily practice and highly recommend it if (like me) you would like  "at all other times," to be a little less of the time. 

“You will be free,

once you realize the cage was made of thoughts.”

-unknown

* I am truly in complete joy and honor over this fabulous group of teachers who have come together to grow through practice and be an encouragement to each other. A few weeks ago a new year of study with the Yoga Teacher's Community Group (YTCG) began. This course is for those who have graduated from a 200 YTT and miss the community aspect. We meet once a month for a year where one person teaches a class they have created themed around that month's reading, we spend one hour hearing the teacher's intention and reflections, and offer our own feedback. The last hour is spent discussing the chapters of the book we are reading on Yoga philosophy. This year we are studying "The Path of the Yoga Sutras" by Nicolai Bachman which, rather than being a literal translation of the Sutras, breaks the themes down in Sanskrit terms. Conveniently for us it works out to one term per week for an entire year. 

For our first class, Sarah volunteered to begin and taught a new style she has been working on combining Yin and Restorative with some gentle movement. She calls this class, "Stretch To Rest" and it's so beloved already that she will be teaching it on the regular schedule at Prana starting next week.

You can join her class (and all of the wonderful classes we are blessed to have at Prana) here: www.PranaYogaDenville.com/schedule. 

**which is a funny first-4-Yoga-Sutras joke

***In my humble opinion- spelled out for those who, like me, are slightly less cool and in touch than they'd like others to know. This will save you from googling it. 

****EMDR therapy, plant medicine, binaural beats, BodyTalk, EFT, hypnosis- tools that help you to reprogram your subconscious mind

For More Reading:

The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk

The Biology of Belief by Bruce Lipton

The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali- various translations

"The Path of the Yoga Sutras" by Nicolai Bachman

If you'd like to learn more about your unique design and have some support in practices that support your clearest lens and highest good please reach out to me for a Human Design 1:1 session or come to my next group workshop where we learn how our living unique designs support the highest good for ourselves and the world!