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pratyakṣā ‘numānā ‘ ‘gamāḥ pramāṇāni

What is right thought? Right thought is direct perception, deduction, and scriptural testimony–that is, the things you have experienced, the things that you can reason about and the ideas that have endured the test of time.

These all sound like good things–they are ways to try and see the world as it is, which is part of the fundamentals of yoga–so how could these be manifestations of the vrtti? This xkcd cartoon would seem to sum it up:

Being right can easily put us on a path of distraction, when we need not just to be right, but to be acknowledged as right; ultimately, when we decide to impose our will on the world around us. The more sophisticated our practice, the more we understand freedom in our bodies and in our hearts, the more we realize that we can never impose freedom, that we can only try to help others see how they are limiting themselves. They have to find their freedom themselves.

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It’s a thin line

Working at home presents you with the maximum amount of distraction. And yet it also provides you with the maximum opportunity for focus.

The yoga practice is like treading that balance all day, every day.

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Roll up, see the show

Setting aside distractions is a path to engaging with our experience.

1.5 vṛttayaḥ pañcatayyaḥ kliṣṭā ‘kliṣṭāḥ

1.6 pramāṇa viparyaya vikalpa nidrā smṛtayaḥ

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No distractions

We are an ocean of experience–only our awareness feels like a tiny drop.

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pramāṇa viparyaya vikalpa nidrā smṛtayaḥ

Right thinking, wrong thinking, vision, sleep and memory.

These are the things we mistake for what is.

We often seek mediation between our experience and…our experience. A path to “understand” rather than simply being in the experience. We seek reasons and justifications for what is happening, we cultivate a vision of why it’s happening, we try to escape in in sleep and memory.

But in the end, the experience is what is.

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Clear as the nose on your face

Letting ourselves be grounded in what is helps us avoid unhappiness: the artificial unhappiness when we imagine things are worse than they are, and the unhappiness when we imagine things are better than they are, and are disappointed.

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Learning to Crawl

We can choose how we view the world–at every moment, we must practice choosing over and over again. The good news is that this means we have a lot of opportunity to shift our habits.

+10Three-part breath, Regular, Vrksasana > Virabhadrasana I, Parsvottanasana > Utthan Pristhana
+30Uttkatasana, Parivrtta Uttkatasana > Parivrtta Parsvakonasana, Hasta Padangusthasana I > Ardha Chandrasana > Parsvakonasana > Trikonasana
+50Adho Mukha Vrksasana (Backbend), Eka Pada Rajakapotasana (Regular, Thigh Stretch), Setubandhasana (Urdhva Dhanurasana), Hanumanasana
+70Agnistambhasana, Ardha Gomukhasana, Supta Padangusthasana, Jathara Parivartanasana, Shavasana

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Offering

Offering #1

A practice (should take 20–40 minutes depending on how fast you move):

  • Cat & Dog tilts > Thread the Needle > Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward Facing Dog) > Utthanasana (Simple Forward Fold w/ hands clasped behind back, arms extended) > Tadasana (Mountain Pose w/ Garudasana (Eagle-pose) arms)
  • Surya Namaskar A (Tadasana > Utthanasana > Adho Mukha Svanasana > Palankasana (Plank pose) > Bhujangasana (Cobra pose) > Adho Mukha Svanasana > Utthanasana > Tadasana)
  • Surya Namaskar A w/ Parsvakonasana (Side-Angle)
  • Surya Namaskar A w/ Trikonasana (Triangle) > Ardha Chandrasana (Half Moon)
  • Prasarita Padatonasana (Wide-leg forward fold) > Sirsasana I (Headstand)
  • Eka Pada Rajakapotasana (Pigeon)
  • Agnistambhasana (Fire Logs)
  • Eka Pada Bhekasana (Prone thigh stretch)
  • Setubanda Sarvangasana (Bridge)
  • Ustrasana (Camel)
  • Ardha Hanumanasana (Runner’s Stretch) > Hanumanasana (The splits)
  • Janu Sirsasana (Knee to head)
  • Omega (Open Cobbler’s pose)
  • Jathara Parivartanasana (Supine Twist)
  • Dwi Pada Yogidandasana (Happy Baby)
  • Savasana

Some contemplations (only work with one during a particular practice):

  • Before you start your yoga practice, what is your expectation? At the end is it satisfied?
  • What pose do you anticipate the most? Is your anticipation positive or negative? What pose evokes the opposite reaction? Is it as strong?

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vṛttayaḥ pañcatayyaḥ kliṣṭā ‘kliṣṭāḥ

Our illusions come in five varieties, some of which are painful, others painless.

The important thing to remember in all cases, though, is that they are, ultimately, illusions. Our imagining winning the lottery may make us happy in the short term, but in the long term we will likely be hurt when we do not win. Remembering a departed loved one may seem painful initially, but if they passed after a long illness, perhaps we will come to see that it was a blessing that they were released from suffering.

Ultimately, though, these states of pain and pleasure are transitory. They are not our true state of being. When we vest importance in them, we are setting ourselves up for disappointment.

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Mad World

We are most effective when we are grounded in the real world.

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