Some days it is as if I am a small boat at the mercy of big water. The challenges of life roll in like waves in a storm tide. It feels overwhelming. Tiring. Isolating.

Sometimes you cannot escape the storm. You simply have to allow it to be -
to let go and ride the wave, to stop bracing against it and trust that you will not sink.

On these days I remind myself:
My breath is my anchor.
My mat, my safe harbour.
My practice, my way home.

— Christine Walton

Sutra 1.2: Yogas Chitta Vritti Nirodha

The teachings of the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali describe yoga in a way that is both simple and profound.

Yoga: from the root ‘yuj’, meaning to yoke or unite
Chitta: the mind – our thoughts, perceptions, and awareness
Vritti: the fluctuations or whirlpools of the mind
Nirodha: to still, calm, or quiet

Therefore, yoga is the practice of calming the fluctuations of the mind.

Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras are one of the most important writings in the yogic tradition. Yet during the early part of my teacher training – when my teacher said ‘You must read and understand the Sutras to become a good teacher’ – I completely dismissed them.

I have always had a bit of an aversion to doing anything someone tells me I have to, need to, or must do.

In the beginning, my priority lay in learning the physical postures – the asanas. Over time, however, my teacher did a brilliant job of challenging my beliefs and nurturing a deeper curiosity about the ancient teachings. She encouraged me to question and explore, to cultivate curiosity, and to search for my own meaning within the ancient texts we were studying.

Cleverly, she sparked a curiosity in me to dive in to the Sutras and other teachings that form the foundations of yoga.

She once asked a question that stayed with me:

“There’s a saying: ‘Yoga will ruin your life.’ What do you think that means?”
(often attributed to Richard Freeman - see How Yoga Will Ruin Your Life video for context)

I remember thinking, Gosh if I can’t answer this one question – what kind of teacher will I make?

Today, I understand she was simply trying to get me to see a bigger picture. To question the effect the practice of yoga has over a lifetime – because that is what yoga truly is.

It is, at its heart, an ancient system for understanding the nature of the mind and our deepest self. A system that helps us cultivate awareness, presence and an inner steadiness that acts as an anchor for when our inner or outer world becomes turbulent.

While often marketed as a form of fitness, yoga is much more than the postures alone.
Through movement, breath and compassion the yogic tradition offers us a way home to ourselves.

And perhaps that is the real meaning of yoga –
Not escaping the storm,
but learning how to steady ourselves within it.

What does yoga really mean?

Sutra 1.2: Yogas Chitta Vritti Nirodha

Further Reading