Nicolai Bachman wrote the book "The Path of the Yoga Sutras" to make the concepts of the sutras more easily understood. As I journey through the Yoga Sutras and truly explore what they mean to me and how to apply them to my life, I will be referencing Bachman's book, along with the linear form of the Sutras presented by Sri Swami Satchidananda in his book, "The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali". Both books provide a great amount of wisdom and perspective, as well as presenting the Sutras in a manner that is more relatable and easier to understand. I am taking the base of the knowledge I gained through my 500 hour yoga teacher training in the philosophy of yoga to take my journey farther. I hope to encourage you to start or go deeper into your yoga journey by embarking on the path that leads to the discovery of the true self; the self that exists free from the constraints of the mind.
The translation of atha into English from Sanskrit according to Sanskritdictionary.com is "now; an auspicious and inceptive particle." To take this translation further, auspicious is defined by Oxford Languages as, "conducive to success, favourable; giving or being a sign of future success" and the term inceptive is defined as "relating to or making the beginning of something; initial." The term atha does not translate directly, and for that reason, is more difficult to grasp in the English language. I started to look at this word through the perspective of my own life. I asked myself the question, "When I set a goal and begin working toward it, what steps do I take to try to make sure that I will succeed and achieve my goal?" I think the answer to this question is different for everyone because each of us approaches different situations with different eyes. For me, I know that in order to be successful I have to make sure that I have time to truly spend practicing and/or studying, my desire has to be strong, and I have to be completely committed. If one of these things is missing in the scenario for me, it is too easy for me to falter from my practice and lose sight of my goal, failing to take the journey. In my head, I don't fail if I am walking forward on a path; I only fail if I stop taking steps forward on my journey.
For me, understanding the word atha more clearly gives a much deeper meaning to the yoga sutra 1.1, "Atha Yogānuśāsanam." This is not merely beginning the practice of yoga, for me, this means making a full commitment to be present on my yoga journey. To me, this means preparing my mind, heart and body to be fully committed to a journey that will take a lifetime. This is not a journey to start lightly, but rather, a journey to begin fully committed to, knowing that success will come with time, practice, and dedication. There will not be instant gratification, but rather, in time, hard work and dedication will guide me to success as I practice yoga. Understanding and wisdom are not gained by simply sitting in a classroom, they are developed over time through study, the guidance of teachers, hard work, practice, dedication, open-mindedness, and insight. The same can be said about any significant, successful change in life, including starting new habits, studying new subjects, or beginning the journey of a new lifestyle.
Understanding this sutra and accepting it mean I am making a deep commitment to myself to be present on this journey, moving always forward, even if I may stumble sometimes along the way.
Works Cited
Bachman, Nicolai. The Path of the Yoga Sutras: a practical guide to the core of yoga. Jaico Publishing House, 2016.
"Oxford Languages and Google - English." Oxford Languages | The Home of Language Data, 20 May 2020, languages.oup.com/google-dictionary-en/.
"Sanskrit Dictionary: Definition of Atha." Sanskritdictionary.com, Monier-Williams, www.sanskritdictionary.com/atha/4151/1. Accessed 4 Nov. 2020.
Satchidananda, Sri Swami. The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. Integral Yoga Publications, 2012.
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