Yoga: today’s chant

A reminder as we complete our yoga term week that yoga is more than throwing shapes on the mat. The first sutra from chapter two of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras:

YS 2.1 Tapaḥ svādhyāya īśvara praṇidhānāni kriyā yogaḥ

The three elements need to be present for the yoga of action – kriyā yoga: practice, lifestyle and attitude

• tapas = practice (discipline to create some heat in the system)
• svādhyāya = a life of active awareness through self-study and reflection as part of our every day existence; to keep us safe within our chosen tapas and to notice when we stray from our practice
• īśvara praṇidhānāna = cultivating an attitude that ultimately we are not in control; surrendering to something beyond ourselves