Light on Yoga - Day 13

 

Tribute to Guruji and Light on Yoga - Day 13

Yesterday may have left one wondering how can we ever really reach emancipation?

 The list of obstacles and mental disturbances is so long and to overcome takes much work.

Thankfully, Mr. Iyengar gives us a clue into how this can be achieved. 

He writes, "To overcome the obstacles and to win unalloyed happiness, Patanjali offered several remedies."

The fourfold remedy is friendliness (Maitri), compassion (Karuna), delight (Mudita) and disregard (Upeksa).  

Maitri - Mr.Iyengar writes that maitri doesn't mean just friendliness, but a feeling of oneness with the object of friendliness.  This happiness turns enemies into friends.

Karuna - This is compassion with action to help relieve the misery of those suffering.

Mudita - This is delight for all that has done good work, even those we do not like.  Delight for all relieves " heart-burning", by not showing "anger, hatred or jealousy for another who has reached a desired goal."

Upeksa - This disregard is a searching or self-examination, realizing that to understand the faults in others one must study themselves first.  This self-study teaches one to be charitable to all.

Mr. Iyengar gives us more clues saying that, "the fourfold remedy of Maitri, Karuna, Mudita and Upeksa cannot be felt by an unquiet mind".  

His many, many years of practice has led him to conclude that to achieve a quiet mind one must work with determination on two of the eight limbs of Yoga given by Patanjali. 

These are asana and pranayama, where the mind and breath are so "intimately connected and the activity or the cessation of activity of one affects the other."
 

 

Namaste.

Pamela Nelson

www.plnyoga.blogspot.com