November 2023 Week 2

My hope for our intention - “I choose to trust myself” - is that it will bring us into alignment with our true nature, our individual integrity this month and from that grounded place we can easily trust ourselves and move into the holidays embracing all it has to offer us.

In addition to our intention this month, I am starting at the beginning of the study of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras and I will continue to share them with you along our journey together. So first, a little explanation of the Yoga Sutras before I proceed:
Sutra means thread, it is a combination of words threaded together - each sutra is a bare thread of meaning upon which a teacher might expand by adding their own “beads” of experience. There are almost 200 sutras - within the space of these 200 short sutras, the entire science of Yoga is clearly delineated: its aim, the necessary practices, the obstacles you meet along the path, their removal, and precise descriptions of the results that will be obtained from such practices - that is yoga in a nutshell!

The Sutras are divided into 4 sections:
Portion of Contemplation (Samadhi Pada)
Portion on Practice (Sadhana Pada)
Portion on Accomplishments (Vibhuti Pada)
Portion on Absoluteness (Kaivalya Pada)

We are starting at the beginning, the Portion of Contemplation and Sutra 1-1 which states: Now the exposition (or instruction) of Yoga is being made.
Now for the “beads”: Sutra 1:1 is saying this is not merely philosophy that the Sutras are going to teach us but a direct instruction on how to practice Yoga. “Mere philosophy will not satisfy us. We cannot reach the goal by mere words alone. Without practice, nothing can be achieved.” SriSwami Satchidananda. In other words, as I say in my cleanses: Information without application is just information. Well lucky us! The Calm Crew is my attempt to apply the information of yoga philosophy that I learn to my life and to share it with you so you have the opportunity to apply it as well.

Use your yoga practice, meditation and possibly journaling time this month to apply our intention to your life - to discern who you truly want to be and then trust that version of you.