In the study of great literary works there is a popular premise that a great first line is critically important and sets the tone for a whole book.
The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali are one of the great works of yoga philosophy and are foundational to all practices that we call Yoga.
The first line of these sutras brilliantly points us to the very heart of what yoga truly is, which is not a quest for super flexibility and physical prowess. It is something both more simple and paradoxically more complex than that.
The first line of the Yoga Sutras is “Atha Yoganusasanam,” which in my tradition of Kripalu Yoga we translate as “Now, the inquiry of Yoga.”
This short statement holds a lot of meaning and instruction.
The very first word, now, tells us to become conscious and rooted in the present moment. When we direct our attention to this moment, so much of our illusions, distractions, and obstacles immediately dissolve, because they are either memories of the past or imaginations of the future. Nothing real ever happens in the past or the future. The present moment is the only moment and yoga draws toward that truth. This intention sounds simple, be present and in this moment, but when we practice it we will discover how challenging that really is!
The next word inquiry describes the quality of awareness we are called to bring to this moment. Yoga intends to create a nonjudgmental awareness, or witness consciousness. This state is one where we are open and curious, where we are not grasping anything or pushing anything away. Inquiry is a state of relaxed interest, where we observe sensations, thoughts, emotions, and any state that moves through us with a kind of loving wonder. In fact Swami Kripalu said, “The highest form of spiritual practice is self-observation without judgment.” This inquiry is active, it is call to practice, and those practices can be varied, but all of them are rooted in this quest to become present and conscious.
You can begin to practice in any moment by directing your attention to this moment in your body, your breath, your mind, your spirit. Come home to the power and peace that this moment has to offer.
Namaste.
If you are looking to go deeper in this inquiry, let my book Before You Go be your guide.