LIVING THE SUTRAS-A guide to Yoga Wisdom beyond the mat.

06 Apr LIVING THE SUTRAS-A guide to Yoga Wisdom beyond the mat.

Before I talk about the book. let me give you a small idea about Patanjali. No, I am not talking about the Ayurveda company but the real Patanjali. He is the father of modern yoga and he is one of the 18 classical Tamil siddhars (sages and intellectuals). He distilled the essence of yoga into Yoga sutras. And we could rightly say that though he lived a thousand years ago his sutras were thousands of years ahead.

Keeping this in mind though let’s move into the book review of LIVING THE SUTRAS –A GUIDE TO YOGA WISDOM BEYOND THE MAT compiled and written by KELLY DINARDO AND AMY PEARCE-HAYDEN The book offers an outlook to the yoga training for the mind and spirit by introducing a sutra or group of sutras on a related theme. If you think this book will explain in detail all the sutras of Patanjali then this is not for you. The book is divided into three parts; Samadhi Pada, Sadhana pada and Vibhuti Pada.

The first part or Samadhi pada the authors introduce us to the awareness of self. Whether we truly understand what is our real need; materialistic or spiritual. The speciality of each chapter is that there is a section for reflection where we have to journal our thoughts on certain questions that the authors have asked us. To be frank it’s not at all tedious because it is not necessary that we have to journal anything the first time. We could start once we finish the whole book. And that experience is more blissful I would say!

The second part or Sadhana pada we are introduced to the five limbs (not the physical ones, of course) and each limb leads us to the ultimate goal which is to be in a perfect state of calmness and awareness. It is true that we become what we constantly think of. Be it positive or negative thoughts, the impact is always the same. If we are always with negative people with negative intentions hovering over us then we will be pulled down even if we were meant to achieve something great. The best way to change this is to first observe your thoughts. Observing thoughts meaning there shouldn’t be any violent or negative thoughts. Here violent doesn’t mean killing someone but not to have unhappy thoughts for someone whether they are doing good or bad in their life. We should be more compassionate to them as well as ourselves. Everything starts with us and also ends with us. If this simple thought takes a permanent place in your mind then definitely the heart will overflow with pure love and compassion for all those around you then you will be surrounded by people who think alike. The first thing to do is we have to start observing our breath. Yes! You read it right! Just for 10 seconds, you observe the flow of your breath and immediately you will feel a sense of calmness surrounding you. Imagine when you start doing this for a couple of minutes. The book does give you amazing techniques to follow and also to reflect what you felt after a week of doing so!

The third part or Vibhuti pada, the journey after this. We all know that no matter what we start we should be consistent and evaluate regularly. Whether it be meditation or a new business our basics should be strong. The greatest adventure of our life is to discover our true nature. Remember it’s a practice, a path to achieve nirvana.

I would recommend this book to all those who find that there is no real meaning to their lives and they are just living for the sake of living. Being just a book of 200 pages, you should have no excuse not to read it. It is not expensive either! Don’t be lazy to journal your thoughts and the most important thing is to have a gratitude journal which will make all the difference in not only your life but also in the lives of all those who love and care about.

A few lines I want to quote down here from the book that truly resonated with me and my situation right now in my life are below:

‘The mind’s fluctuations are stilled through practice and acceptance.’

‘Acceptance arises when we are free from craving.’

‘The divine plan is the source of our true nature and its flawless.’

‘Strength and Vitality come to those who use their energy for the greatest good.’

‘As this stillness arises, the obstacles fall away and we expand our awareness of self.’

‘When the mind is ready and calm we know our true nature.’

RATING: 3.5 out of 5