Unravel The Thread: Living the Yoga Sutra today

The more invested we are in our identity the greater our attachment to our life. What is your life? Do you live your life with a tacit assumption that your embodied life will last for a long time? Can you consider that millions of people before you have lived and died and that life itself has continued? https://simple-yoga.org/ You can get your copy of the book Unravel the Thread at: https://www.a...

Are you in charge of your likes and dislikes, or are they driving your decisions and actions? What is the origin of your wanting and cravings? To what extent do you believe that your likes and dislikes define who you are? Is there any time during your day when you are free from all of your preferences? https://simple-yoga.org/ You can get your copy of the book Unravel the Thread at: https://www.am...

What is your sense of "I"? Is there something in you that is not temporary? Do you entertain misperceptions distorting who you think you are such as “I am not good enough,” “I am not complete,” “I am lacking” and “I do not deserve unconditional love”? https://simple-yoga.org You can get your copy of the book Unravel the Thread at: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1737648202/ This is a public episode. If...

Avidya leads you to get entangled in endless internal chatter What in you is permanent? What in you is impermanent? What is pure? Wat is impure? How do you know the difference? What motivates you to be fully present in your life? https://simple-yoga.org You can get your copy of the book Unravel the Thread at: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1737648202/ This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss...

Not knowing who you are (avidya), misidentification (asmita), likes (raga), dislikes (dvesha) and fear of daying (abinivesha). Is your identity at your service or are you at the service of your identity? How much energy do you invest in pursuing what you desire and rejecting what you dislike? Is it possible to make peace with the undeniable fact that one day you will die? https://simple-yoga.org/...

Yogic actions result in dynamic harmony What afflictions take you away from your natural harmony and balance? Is it true that acting with enthusiasm, intelligence and humility helps you remove the tensions that disrupt the integrated harmony between body, mind and emotion? Are you aware of the significant difference between uncovering existing afflictions and creating new ones? https://simple-yoga...

Act with enthusiasm, intelligence and humility To engage in any worthwhile action, you need enthusiasm. Tapas, enthusiasm can best be synthesized as: Do the best that you can. Svadhyaya is embodied intelligence that can be applied by ensuring that you know why you are doing what you are doing, and by confirming that you are in fact doing what you think you are doing. Ishvara pranidhana can be summ...

An exploration of the state of being This first chapter consists of six interconnected topics: what is yoga? [1.1-1.4], ways of being [1.5-1.11], a method for self-regulation [1.12-1.22], an alternative approach, humility [1.23-1.29], distractions, their symptoms and removal [1.30-1.39], the progression of insight into liberation [1.40 - 1.51] https://unravelthethread.com/ You can get your copy of...

All Impressions and identification dissolve The level of integration when there are no subconscious impressions left (nirbija samadhi). Culmination of the process of cultivating your natural inner stillness and inner silence with the curiosity that might reveal the obvious yet elusive essence of existence. https://simple-yoga.org You can get your copy of the book Unravel the Thread at: https://www...

Beneficial impressions contain unhelpful impressions As you remove distractions and experience your inner calmness you allocate more energy and attentional resources to helpful impressions. Then the less-than-helpful impressions dwindle and, eventually, disappear. Are your unhelpful tendencies diminishing?   https://simple-yoga.org You can get your copy of the book Unravel the Thread at: https://w...

Bearing the truth in one’s self (rtambhara) Witness with greater clarity the intricate and delicate interconnectedness between all aspects of life. Your direct experience of wisdom cannot be replaced by inference and testimony. How does wisdom manifest in your daily activities? Do the insights you receive, when you trust them, result in greater harmony? https://simple-yoga.org You can get your cop...

Releasing ways of being Free from distractions. Ways of being neutralized. Wisdom. Is the internal voice that comments and judges everything you perceive becoming quieter? https://simple-yoga.org You can get your copy of the book Unravel the Thread at: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1737648202/ This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episode...

Eventually the focal object is released Two interpretations of bija, as focal point and as subconscious impressions that remain and generate future actions. A practice to release the focal object of the meditation. https://simple-yoga.org You can get your copy of the book Unravel the Thread at: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1737648202/ This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other...

Experiencing pure awareness directly   What are the subtlest aspects of your own experiences? What is beyond your subtlest aspect? What is the space where all experiences take place? https://unra https://simple-yoga.org You can get your copy of the book Unravel the Thread at: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1737648202/ velthethread.com/ This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other...

Focus on subtler objects of meditation What focal objects are fascinating enough to invite you into these deeper stages of meditation? What effect does it have on you to experience a focal object directly? What effect does that have on your beliefs, values, desires, and interests? https://simple-yoga.org You can get your copy of the book Unravel the Thread at: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1737648202/...

The meditation object stands alone Are you noticing a refinement in your perception? To what extent can you be so absorbed in something that your internal chatter stops? When that happens, do you experience objects, actions and interactions with greater vividness? https://simple-yoga.org You can get your copy of the book Unravel the Thread at: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1737648202/ This is a public...

First stage of integration, savitarka samadhi Once there are no distractions, awareness is filled by the focal object, its name and its meaning. This is the beginning of integration (samadhi). https://simple-yoga.org You can get your copy of the book Unravel the Thread at: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1737648202/ This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get ac...

Yielding, giving way and coming together (samapatti) At the threshold of integration. Letting go of internal commentary and reactivity. What is coloring your experiences? Is it possible to perceive without distortions? If some distractions remain, are they connected to who you think you are, used to be or should be? https://simple-yoga.org You can get your copy of the book Unravel the Thread at: h...

Progression of insight towards liberation What are the filters you use to interpret what you perceive? What happens when you set aside your usual ways of seeing the world? What happens when your attention is not directed in many different directions? What is the biggest thing you can focus on? What is the smallest thing you can focus on? https://simple-yoga.org You can get your copy of the book Un...

Are you inspired? Are you dedicating your energy and awareness to something uplifting? How does inspiration feel? Are you cultivating inspiring thoughts, intentions, actions and interactions in your daily life? Is it possible to find inspiration in everything you do? https://simple-yoga.org You can get your copy of the book Unravel the Thread at: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1737648202/ This is a pub...

What can you learn from your dreams? Is dreaming a way to make sense of your own life story? Do dreams show you the influence of your thoughts, actions and interactions? As your inner calmness grows, what subconscious impressions linger in you? https://simple-yoga.org You can get your copy of the book Unravel the Thread at: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1737648202/ This is a public episode. If you'd l...

Are you in touch with your deep inner calm? Cultivating inner tranquility. What makes you forget your inner peace? Are your desires contributing to enhance your internal harmony? What inspires you? Who can serve as an example of profound serenity? https://simple-yoga.org You can get your copy of the book Unravel the Thread at: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1737648202/ This is a public episode. If you'...

Are you conscious of your inner light? What might be covering your inner light? To what extent is it possible for you to connect to your inner light? What happens when you try gazing at a candle flame (trataka)? Can joyful thoughts ignite your inner light? Is gratitude effective in re-connecting to your inner light? https://simple-yoga.org You can get your copy of the book Unravel the Thread at: h...

Eliminate distractions by focusing on subtle sense perceptions Develop sensitivity to focus your senses instead of chasing after sensory stimuli. Internal exploration through direct experience. What do you notice? Where does your awareness go as subtle impressions dissolve? https://simple-yoga.org You can get your copy of the book Unravel the Thread at: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1737648202/ This i...

Your breath as a focal point Tuning into your breathing patterns as a direct portal to presence. Invite your attention inwardly and establish an intimate connection with your respiratory processes. Are there differences between the qualities of your breath when you regulate it and when your body breathes naturally? What happens at the intersections between each in-breath and out-breath? https://si...