Inside The Yoga Sutras - by Reverend Jaganath Carrera
A Comprehensive Sourcebook for the Study and Practice of Patanjali's Yoga Sutras

Paperback, 406 pages
Weight: 1.5 lbs

You hold in your hands a revolution in consciousness; a manual for transcending all artificial notions of self and the universe we live in. The Yoga Sutras is the classic text of Yoga theory and practice. It speaks with clarity and authority on the inner workings of consciousness, the purpose of the creation, and on suffering and the means to transcend it. It is a step-by-step manual for attaining the unshakable peace that is your True Identity.

Inside the Yoga Sutras presents a clear, up-to-date perspective on these transformative teachings. This comprehensive sourcebook for the study and practice of The Yoga Sutras, includes:

• Commentary for each sutra
• Extensive cross referencing
• Sutras-by-Subject Index
• Section by section previews and reviews
• Study guide for teachers or students
• Word-for-Word Sutra Dictionary
• Continuous translation of all 196 sutras
• Sanskrit glossary highlighted by scriptural quotes
• Down-to-earth hints for daily practice

Reverand Jaganath Carrera

has shared the joy and wisdom of the

Yoga Sutras

with thousands of students for over three decades. A long-time disciple of Sri Swami Satchidananda, he has taught all facets of Yoga at universities, prisons, Yoga centers, and interfaith programs.

He established the Integral Yoga Ministry and is a spiritual advisor and visiting lecturer on Hinduism for the One Spirit Seminary in New York City.

He is a former chief administrator of Satchidananda Ashram - Yogaville and founded the Integral Yoga Institute of New Brunswick, NJ, where he was director for fourteen years.

He served as Dean of Academics at the Eastern School of Acupuncture and is a member of its Governing Board.

A senior member of the Integral Yoga Teachers Council, he co-developed the highly regarded Integral Yoga Meditation and Raja Yoga Teacher Training Certification programs.

Following is an excerpt from Inside the Yoga Sutras, as Reverand Carrera shares his reflections on specific sutras and help us to delve deeper into the timeless wisdom contained in the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, the foundational textbook of Raja Yoga. Rev. Jaganath analyzes sutra 1.2. and says:

"I caught a glimpse of a different way of viewing and especially describing vritti as a behavior more than as a 'thing.'"

Pada One--Samadhi Pada: Portion on Absorption
Sutra 1.2: The restraint of the modifications of the mind-stuff is Yoga.

This is the heart of Raja Yoga. This sutra alone could form the basis of a lifetime of contemplation and practice. The four words that comprise this sutra are, in Sanskrit: Yogas chitta vritti nirodha. In this issue, we will take a deeper look at the meaning of "vritti," or modification.

Vritti: literally to whirl, turn, revolve, to go on. It's a colorful term that suggests incessant and maybe dizzying movement. It is the word that Sri Patanjali uses to describe the primary activity of the mind. A vritti is not simply a thought; it is the activity of forming conceptions from individual thoughts that arise in the mind. It is activity that takes place both on the conscious and subconscious levels of the mind. Vritti activity is the mind's attempt at making sense of the experiences it encounters. It impacts our mental landscape by largely determining our perceptions of who we are and the world we live in.

Let's examine how vrittis are born and the way they develop... The mind takes a solitary thought (pratyaya) and begins a tornado-like dance, rapidly weaving together webs of thoughts in a frenetic search for other related thoughts. Through a process of comparing, contrasting and categorizing, individual thoughts cease their existence as isolated bits of information and become part of a complex web of ideas, self-constructed conceptions of "reality" that build self-identity and our understanding of the world.

What this means is that our experience of life is largely determined by the nature of the webs we have woven. In a real sense, vritti activity is the practice of constructing and deducing concepts of reality from mental impressions.

Vritti activity acts like filters that can distort perception, selectively admitting and rejecting information. Our understanding of the world is limited and skewed by the biases and limitations that are built into and result from vritti activity. In other words, we project our conception of reality onto the screen that is Reality. When vritti activity ceases, when all thought processes are stilled, then every filter is removed from our vision and we perceive Reality in its entirety. In perhaps the most colossal "aha" moment a human being can have, we realize that we have been staring into the eyes and heart of Truth--almost assaulted by omniscience, omnipresence and omnipotence all along--but have been only allowing bits and pieces of it into our minds.

Vrittis Encourage Identification

The obscuring power of whirling vrittis is only half the story. The real trouble comes when we identify with the "realities" our mind has woven. Identification with vritti activity obscures our experience of our True Self (see sutra 1.3 and 1.4). It takes us away from the objective truth of pure experience and involves us in the drama of the mind; the dance of light and shadows that is vritti activity.

In order for identification to take place, several factors are required:

• Ignorance: To be unaware or forget that our True Identity is the Purusha (Spirit).
• Egoism: The belief that we are the body-mind.
• Vritti activity: The habitual behavior of the mind to form or find relationships...

For more information on Swami Satchidananda please visit www.SwamiSatchidananda.org

For more information on Yogaville please visit www.Yogaville.org