Yoga teaches us how to think and not what to think.
Shri Hamilton-Hubbard- with many thanks to Ted for an amazing conversation over a Thanksgiving feast! (And Yoga teaches how to not think at all which is when the answers truly come!)
Yogas chitta vrtti nirodhah.
Yoga is the cessation of the fluctuations of the mind.
Tada drastuh svarupe vasthanam.
Then the seer rests in his/her own true nature.
Yoga Sutras of Patanjali 1.1 and 1.2
Yoga teaches us that if we can quiet the mind then we will know who we are. Patanjali tells us how to know who we are but does not go so far as to tell us who we are. I love this about the Yogic system! It lets practitioners discover Truth on their own.
The same state of mind- quiet enough to hear divine guidance and inspiration- serves us well in life practically. We make much better decisions if we are fully present in the moment.
"When our perceptions are no longer dressed up or boxed in by our endless list of ideas,
we can understand what is meant by "Seeing things as they are."
When we are very, very still, in the way that meditation allows us to be,
we can find the space to let everything be as it is.
It is from that space that you will find the room you need
to see who you are and how you fit in the world."
Angel Kyodo Williams
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I believe the more we deepen our yoga practice, the more our minds naturally evolve! From my own experience, I find this to be so true and I have heard other serious student of yoga say that when they are really into their practice, they notice they are making healthier lifestyle choices!
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