Patanjali's Yoga Sutras

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Literal translation: “Steady-standing, a well-lubricated axle-hole, in posture”

Meaning: “A firmly set, smoothly-moveable position in which you can use and hold a good posture is Asana (the third Limb).”

Definition: In Astanga or Eight-Limbed yoga, Asana—the postures or positions —are discussed in only three sutras, a rather small portion compared to how important they are in many yoga systems today. This sutra thus implies that though posture is important, it is less so than your internal states. This sutra suggests three elements:

Comment: Clearly, this sutra is not about the modern physical yoga movement’s strong emphasis on dozens of positions and breathing patterns. This trend began in Sweden in the early 1900s and has swept through the West. Rather, for thousands of years, Hindu yogis developed hundreds of teachings and schools of thought about how to do asana—to stand, sit, lie, and, especially, move for better health—in support of improved meditation.

Asana now generally is called hatha yoga. Hatha is one of the five great traditional branches of yoga that also include, karma (physical work), bhakti (love work), jnana (mind work) and raja (concentration work). Hatha is excellent for stretching and as mild to moderate exercise, a sort of yoga version of physical therapy. You should combine them, according to Astanga yoga, with meditative focus so that you are “going to God” with them, as Sutras 2.30 and 2.38.

One popular form of Western Hatha practice is “hot yoga.” Patanjali antici-pated this: it makes you sweat. Chapter 1 describes how “warming” or “heating” exercise is one road to the clear mind.* Hot yoga can be accomplished through asana or through running, vigorous walking, or other forms of heating exercise. A form of the clear mind occurs, in fact, when athletes experience “runner’s high.”

The element of smooth movement also is important. The language for it in this sutra is “sukham” or a “well-lubricated axle hole.” This refers to the body as a cart pulled by an animal (much like the Vedas refer to a human as a chariot pulled by a horse), with its parts needing to be healthy and comfortably moveable.

Perhaps the most important lesson in this sutra is maintaining a relatively straight spine (firm but not rigid). And you may do so not just in sitting, but also in walking, running, sleeping, or even dancing (swaying is allowed).

Literal translation: “[Posture] loosens [you] like the cosmic serpent on the waters of infinity [and in] the oneness of Awareness”

Meaning: “Best posture happens when your tensions relax in infinite waters where samapatti samadhi happens (where subject and object merge).”

A chant in English: “You’ll find good posture when your tensions relax like water, or when you reach a deep Awareness.”

Definition: This sutra explains that learning a good posture is not that difficult. You can adjust your posture according to what releases your inner physical and emotional tensions, or in step with experiencing deepest meditation states.

For example, if anger swirls within you, one effective method of chasing it away can be to relax your fists, arms, and legs; sit straight and breathe deeply again and again; let your jaw loosen; and relax your forehead. All of these are part of developing an improved posture. In addition, movements, even dances, that are meditative, however spontaneous, that include swaying and turning are allowed. They are the undulations of “the cosmic serpent on the waters of infinity.”

Comment: Why is there such a stark contrast between the previous sutra’s seemingly straitlaced postures that imply holding still for meditation versus this sutra’s dramatic “cosmic serpent” twisting about? And how does this lead to a very deep type of samadhi called, here, “samapatti”?

One reason is that this sutra may refer to ecstatic states of union of God. These can occur in as simple a situation as watching a sunset or sunrise, meditating deeply, or seeing beautiful art. But they especially are common in normal life when people are singing or dancing and reach a point of sudden ecstasy when a “oneness of Awareness” occurs. Such also is an aspect of asana when the mind and body are clear and “going to God” has succeeded in a marvelous experience of joy or bliss. That kind of brief, temporary samadhi erases or melts away the swirling difficulties within us.

Another reason is that much of these troubles we harbor—our constantly replaying tapes of worry, fear, doubt, blame, anger, etc.—are set in place by some small or large part of our inner body. And if we can release or relax that part of our body through better posture and breathing or even through stronger movements such as dance, then we can more easily get rid of the troubles. Hartranft remarks in his translation of the Sutras that we must create “relaxation of even the subtlest bodily efforts, almost all of which arise subliminally from suffering one cause or another, and which promote instability. Āsana [posture] is a window that opens onto some of our deepest personal conditioning and the suffering it generates.”*

Posture thus includes not just a straight back. It also means developing an inward physical disposition to feel the “infinite waters” inside you. This relaxes your hypervigilant body tensions, offering them to the Self/Presence.

An interesting historical note about this sutra is the identity of this “cosmic serpent.” Its name, says Satchidananda, is Ādiśeṣa, snake of a thousand hoods. Each hood is like that of the Indian cobra.

The word Ādiśeṣa divides into two ancient roots, Ādi and śeṣa. Ādi, possibly Aditi, is the boundless Mother of all who in one Hindu version of the creation story started the cosmos. This goddess represents the original “golden dust” or “gold raindrops” of the first material creation, which is the golden dharma megha raincloud discussed in Patanjali’s final five sutras.

The other word, śeṣa, means “leftovers.” These leftovers are the thousand “hods” of the cosmic serpent: extra energy and matter lying around in the universe after creation. All of it forms not just our bodies but also our thoughts, memories, and emotions swirling within and around.

Another symbolic interpretation that advocates of chakra yoga might make is that this cosmic dragon represents the internal Kundalini or “snake” that awakens to dance through one’s spine. In this symbolic vision, if you can let the internal serpent “dance on” your internal “waters of infinity”—the golden energy you can develop in your body—then you will be more likely to experience a cosmic “oneness of Awareness.”

All of this symbolism is conjecture. The rishis who authored these texts long ago, changing them from oral tradition to scripture, are no longer with us to explain. However, the ancient writers were as logical as they were visionary. Mystical and meditate experiences help guide an understanding of their ancient words.

Literal translation: “[As in Sutra 2.47] the ‘two-twos’ [pairs of opposites], not towards striking [not afflicting]”

Meaning: “(From good posture from feeling infinite waters or in deep samadhi), pairs of opposites will not disturb you.”

A chant in English: “With deep, relaxing posture in strong meditation, opposites no longer afflict.”

Definition: Once you have achieved the states of meditation in Sutra 47—one or both—you will no longer be bothered by extremes of opposites like hot and cold, pain and pleasure, doubt and pride, fear and anger, etc. Some of the extremes simply go away. Others, especially physical ones, may remain, but they will not bother you as you develop increasing equanimity about life’s forces, emotions, and seeming opposite contradictions.

This does not mean you suddenly and easily will stop experiencing them. Rather, you gradually, first in meditation and then in the rest of your life, will see them affect you less. Even pain will diminish in importance and intensity.

Comment: When I used to experience sudden pain, I would jerk away, grit my teeth, and worry about what was wrong. Now I have learned, instead, to relax into the pain and let my body energies work to heal it. The same is true of pleasure: I accept it but try not to snatch or hoard it as a young child might grab onto a piece of candy. They are just opposites, nothing more or less, that I learn to accept and to give to Self/Presence.

Some opposites are insidious, more difficult to treat with balance, diffidence, or retreat. The world always is falling apart in some way because of bad decisions. Why not escape? Eternally there are those who, purposely or accidentally, make you feel sorrow or despair while others lead you to excitement. Why not react to them, attach to them, with anger or desire? But in meditation is balance. Good posture in deep meditation helps you balance such forces so that you are in the eye of life’s hurricane, rather than helpless in its winds.

Sanskrit Text: Patanjali, c. 400 BCE-400 CE

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See also Meditationary.org, a Meditation Dictionary; and BodyMeditation.org, Introducing Yoga Meditation.

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