What a great first meeting to the new year earlier this month! There was a lively discussion of many aspects of the sūtras II.46, II.47, and II.48, with many sharing their personal reflections, understandings, and experiences.
With all that was covered, there wasn’t a chance to look into Sūtra I.33. This particular sūtra is quite rich and reaches many aspects of the yoga philosophy.
While the maitrī (friendliness) and karunā (compassion) aspects of this sūtra are clearly related to the yamas and niyamas, they can also be applied towards asana. Maitrī and karunā are both qualities which should be present in the practitioner to cultivate the connection between the mind and the body. When there is that connection between the mind and the body, it is possible to begin to understand the Self.
The sūtra immediately following, I.34 is the earliest reference to pranayama in the Sūtras. It discusses how the stability of the consciousness (developed through the maitrī and karunā of asana) is further cultivated by the regulation of the breath.
This is why in the Iyengar tradition there is an emphasis of starting with asana and then adding in the pranayama.
Resources: Core of the Yoga Sūtras: The Definitive Guide to the Philosophy of Yoga. B.K.S. Iyengar. London: HarperThorsons, 2012. 156.
Light on Astānga Yoga. B.K.S. Iyengar. New Delhi: Alchemy Publishers, 2012. 142 – 143.
Pātañjala Yoga Sūtra Paricaya: An Introduction to Pātañjala Yoga Sūtra-s. B.K.S. Iyengar. New Delhi: Morarji Desai National Institute of Yoga. 2013 (2011). 44 – 45.
Light on the Yoga Sūtras of Patañjali. B.K.S. Iyengar. London: Thorsons, 1993. 86-87.
The Yoga Sūtras of Patañjali: A New Edition, Translation, and commentary with Insights from the Traditional Commentators. Edwin P. Bryant. New York: North Point Press, 2009.128 – 135.
Yaugika Manas: Know and Realize the Yogic Mind. B.K.S. Iyengar. Mumbai: Yog, 2010. 97-98.
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