Kriya Yoga - Yoga in Action

Kriya Yoga - Yoga in Action

The First Section of Chapter Two

Yoga Sūtras of Patañjali

Chapter two of the Yoga Sūtras of Patañjali is titled “Sādhanapādah,” and it is the portion on practice and procuring.

As discussed in my earlier blog posts, chapter one of the sūtras is an overview of what Yoga is, how it works, and what is necessary to accomplish a state of Yoga.  Patāñjali explains that Yoga is the capacity to direct the mind in a chosen direction, and to maintain that focus.  But in order for this to happen, we must first bring our systems into balance.

Chapter two is where Patañjali explains how to obtain some sort of balance in our lives, and is also the focus for most teachers and dedicated practitioners.  This directly relates to its title:  Portion on Practice and Procuring [a state of Yoga].  We practice  physically (āsana, prānāyāma, etc.) and mentally (mantra, meditation, svādhyāya, philosophy, etc.) to maintain balance in our systems.  As we do this, we acquire and obtain greater focus and control over our minds (or presence).

In the Viniyoga lineage we break down the chapters into sections, and chapter two is broken down into three sections as follows:  Kriya Yoga or Yoga in Action (2.1 - 2.16), Viveka Khyati or Discriminative Discernment (2.17 - 2.27), and Ashtanga Yoga or the Eight Limbs of Yoga (2.28 - 2.55 & 3.1 - 3.3).

The first section, Kriya Yoga means Yoga In and/or Yoga Through Action. This is what Yoga looks like when it’s happening in someone’s actions.   In other words, whatever someone is doing or is not doing is Yoga.  Further, it depends on three practices, which we’ll discuss shortly.  If our actions have these three qualities, then what we are doing is Yoga.  If they do not, it is not Yoga.

This section discusses how we, ourselves, cause most of our own problems.  Patañjali gives us a process for identifying this and a methodology for escaping it: this is Kriya Yoga.

The three practices that comprise Kriya Yoga are svādhyāya (self-observation), tapas (efforts), and īśvara pranidhānā (faith or trust).

[Note: You may recognize these three principles as the last three niyamas in the Eight Limbs of Yoga; however, in the context of Kriya Yoga, tapas, svādhyaya, and īśvara pranidhānā have different meanings.]

Patañjali explains the process as follows:  We turn auto-pilot off by observing ourselves and potential actions or reactions (svādhyaya self-observation); then we respond instead of react (tapas, efforts in the moment); and finally we have faith (īśvara pranidhānā, faith or trust) in ourselves and the process.

In other words, we observe ourselves and then re-train ourselves to not act out of patterning (or auto-pilot, if you will) so as to not get stuck in a cycle of pain or suffering.  As we continue to do this, we suppress old patterning which is no longer serving us, and we create new more skillful patterns which become increasingly dominant over time.

This is not a comfortable process, but we have to get comfortable with the discomfort if we want to be free of these cycles caused by senseless, sometimes harmful, patterning.  Constantly observing ourselves (thoughts, impulses, emotions, etc.), and then intentionally turning off our auto-pilot and resisting automatic responses, is challenging.  We are conditioned to avoid situations and things that make us feel awkward or uncomfortable, but we have to be willing to feel awkward and uncomfortable to change.

All of this requires courage and preparation of our thoughts before our actions.  This is easier to accomplish when we are balanced.

Patañjali then expands upon our practice of self-study and gives us a methodology to help us recognize if our actions will cause problems or suffering.  He explains that as we observe actions, we need to ask ourselves “why am I doing this?”

Naturally we will have many different answers to this question; however, he tells us that there are five answers (kleśas or afflictions) that will cause us suffering:

1. Avidyā: Misperception or wrong knowing

2. Asmitā: Wrong Identity

3. Rāga: Desire

4. Dveśa: Aversion

5. Abhiniveśah: Fear

So if our action comes from a kleśa, it will cause us suffering.

If we ever find ourselves acting from a kleśa, we need to do tapas, or make an effort in the moment to take a different action.  We then need to have īśvara pranidhānā, or faith that things will unfold in a better way.  This is Yoga In and Through Action: Kriya Yoga.

As we practice Kriya Yoga, we slowly become very aware of ourselves.  We start to realize that we are many different people, and those people are not all the same.  There is one that has a different quality than all of the others — spirit, purusha, essence, intuition, gut, Knowing.  Kriya Yoga facilitates Viveka Khyātih (discriminative discernment) which is the ability to discern what is my container from what is my spirit, my Knowing.

A note for context: My perspective is based in the Viniyoga/Desikachar lineage. Viniyoga is a traditional Indian lineage of Yoga taught by TKV Desikachar, who was the son of Krishnamacharya.   My teacher, Chase Bossart, was a 20+ year private student of Mr. Desikachar.  I have studied this text with Chase, word for Sanskrit word, consistently for the past four years.

Stay tuned to learn more about Kriya Yoga (Yoga In and Through Action) and the kleśas (afflictions) in my upcoming blog posts.

Namaste,

Kelly

*If you have been misguided on your yogic path, or have felt frustrated with the current yoga scene, I invite you to download my free e-book: How Yoga Philosophy Can Transform Your Teaching.