February 2026 Week 4

February is coming to a quick ending, how has this intention served you? Has it prompted you to an awareness of your focus or better yet, if needed, to shift your focus? I have been living this month in the awareness of my focus on particular pieces of my life that I view as “not in alignment”. (In quotes because, who am I to say I know what is the right alignment!). I read something earlier in the month that was super helpful to me and follow my stream of consciousness here as it relates to the quote……
“I am going to make the most of this opportunity. I hate this set of circumstances, but here I am. I have no choice but to go through it, but its up to me whether I come out the other end better or bitter.”

Are you in a situation that you wish was different in some way, and if so can you look at it as an opportunity and learn from it?
Remember the definition of suffering - desperately wanting a situation to be other than it is.

If so can we have the perspective that……
Suffering has a purpose - that purpose fulfilled depends on how we decide to be shaped by it. Will it form us into bitter, hardened people or will we be refined and come out the other side stronger, wiser and more spiritual - the choice is ours.

So…….what we focus on we become for me has evolved into me focusing on the opportunity rather than the “suffering” or me wishing some part of life was different. On the other side of this shift in my focus is me coming out “better not bitter” and “stronger, wiser and more spiritual rather than bitter and hardened” - how lucky am I to dig in and do the work!

Before we leave the month I want to highlight sutra 1.29 which says that by repeating and meditating on the sacred sound Om, the mind becomes calmer and we begin to feel more connected to our true self. When you gently focus on a meaningful sound or prayer (like Om), it helps quiet mental noise, reduce distractions, and bring a sense of inner peace and clarity. It’s like giving your mind one steady point to rest on instead of jumping from thought to thought. Over time, this practice helps you feel more centered and aware of who you really are beneath stress and worries.
At first this sutra seems repetitive of sutra 1.27 and 1.28, but actually Patanjali sets these three sutras up as a sequence:
1.27 – Ishvara (the higher consciousness / divine presence) is expressed through the sound Om.
1.28 – Repeat and contemplate Om with meaning and devotion.
1.29 –Result: The mind becomes clearer, obstacles lessen, and inner awareness grows.

So you can think of them like:
1.27 = What the symbol is (Om).
1.28 = How to practice with it (repeat and reflect).
1.29 = What happens when you do (peace, focus, connection to true self).
They are not repeats — they are steps in a process.
Love these sutras and breaking them down 1 by 1 makes them digestible.

Enjoy the last few days of February and the quickly melting snow here in the northeast.