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Namaste – we regularly chant and study Patanjali’s yoga sutras in our Milpitas (and other) Yoga Bharati yoga classes.  A few folks from our classes have asked me to share some of these discussions in a blog so that their friends and families can also benefit from these wonderful messages.  With blessings from our gurus like RaghuramJi, Ashwini, and a few authors who have imparted most of this knowledge to us, this is a humble effort to share some thoughts here, on a regular basis.
In today’s fast paced world, our mind can be easily distracted and disturbed by all the interruptions (think Smartphone!), peer-pressures, competitions, relationship issues etc. Sage Patanjali gives a few techniques that can be applied in our daily life to overcome these disturbances and lead the mind to a tranquil state. 

One such technique that Patanjali suggests is to cultivate an attitude that exhibits the following four qualities:
Maitri (Friendliness) – Can we always be pleased and be friendlier to others who are happier than us?
Karuna (Compassion) – Can we always be compassionate to others who are suffering and less fortunate than us?
Mudita (Joy) – Can we always be glad and appreciate others who are doing praiseworthy things in this world?
Upekshanam (Undisturbed calmness) – Can we always maintain our equanimity and be undisturbed by others’ errors and unfortunate, non-virtuous activities happening in this world?

Practicing such attitude can lead us from a distracted mind (Chitta Vikshepa) to a tranquil and serene mind (Chitta Prasadanam).

We can also connect the above beautiful message by Patanjali to Swami Vivekananda’s famous quote – ‘Manifest the divinity within us by one or more techniques – work, worship, philosophy and/or psychic control’.  Can we be compassionate and have our full heart and joy behind every work we undertake, especially to serve the less fortunate? Can we dissolve our ego (worship) and be friendly and loving towards everyone? Can we ensure our knowledge doesn’t become our arrogance, but is used to maintain calmness in difficult situations and to handle others errors with a balanced state of mind? Can we develop a deep inner discipline to meditate on above attitudes and to develop and maintain healthy relationships (See importance of good relationships: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8KkKuTCFvzI)?

Thank you and wishing you all a very happy and healthy 2017!

Best wishes,
Shailesh
(Yoga Bharati)


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