Practice

12.  They (thought waves) are controlled by means of practice and non-attachment.

13.  Practice is the repeated effort to follow the disciplines which give permanent control of the thought waves of the mind.

14.  Practice becomes firmly grounded when it has been cultivated for a long time, uninterruptedly, with earnest devotion.

Yoga means "union" or "to yoke".  According to Patanjali, "Yoga is the control of thought waves in the mind."  Later on he outlined an eight limb path that would accomplish this.  It is of interest to note that Patanjali wasn't referring to the system of Hatha Yoga to accomplish this.  The eight limbs refer to a system of ethics, concentration (meditation) and pranayama (breath control) to accomplish this.  By practicing the eight limbs we would eventually arrive at Samadhi (the final limb) where the control of thought waves has been accomplished.

I want to highlight the importance of practice as stated in the three sutras noted at the beginning of this blog.  Practice has three qualities:  repeated effort, over a long period of time and devotion.  Certainly these three qualities can be applied to a Hatha Yoga practice and a meditation practice, both of which I want to cultivate in 2011.  My practice has been spotty at best but the devotion is there.  The one thing that I have been consistent with is study of the written word as the library of books I have accumulated will attest.  However, I want to apply what I've learned to a physical practice.  The Bhagavad Gita assures me that:

"On this path no effort is wasted, no gain is ever reversed;  even a little of this practice will shelter you from great sorrow."

*  Yoga sutras taken from How to Know God, The Yoga Aphorisms of Patanjali and the Bhagavad Gita quote is taken from Bhagavad Gita  A New Translation by Stephen Mitchell.