Tuesday, June 10, 2008

THE JOY NEEDED

Book II. Sutra 41
"When the body is cleansed, the mind purified, and the senses controlled, joyful awareness needed to realize the inner self, also comes."

From Light on Yoga Sutras of Patanjali by BKS Iyengar


Upon waking up one recent windy morning, I whimsically wondered if the birch trees outside my bedroom window experience some joy in the movement of their branches. Do their limbs revel in enthusiastic swaying like the waving arms of the audience at a rock concert. Is joy part of the natural experience?

For many years, I have thought of Sutra II. 41 (see side bar) as my life’s mission statement. The formula it outlines appealed to my need for some order in my practice. Since asana cleanses the body, pranayama calms the senses and emotions, and meditation purifies the mind, I was “on track” for self-realization. Then, one day, as though they were illuminated in golden light and accompanied by celestial music, the three words that had seemed like sutra filler, jumped off the page and into my heart.

JOYFUL AWARENESS NEEDED. The sutra does not say, the suffering needed, or the strict discipline needed, not fear and submission or even worship and salutation. Its says joyful awareness is needed to realize the inner Self or soul. Yes, and the most natural kind of joy. The kind that is not suppressed by a polluted body, nervous senses or worried thoughts. This joy cannot be annihilated by outer circumstances, only temporarily suppressed by inner conditions.

A criticism, a worry, a judgment can slam the door in the face of joy. But joy is loyal, patient and steadfast. It waits for faith, forgiveness and compassion to crack open the door. Then it humbly hands over the gift of realization that joyful awareness IS our connection to each other, to our Inner Selves, and to the birch trees imparting their delight as they sway in the wind.

Pranams,
Lynne