my body is my bow, the asana is my arrow

Happy new year a little share.. a celebration: Sutra 4.34 "When the highest purpose of life is achieved, the three basic qualities do not excite responses in the mind. That is freedom. In other words, the Perciever is no longer coloured by the mind" Desikachar translation. The last sutra tells us when the continuous change into a state of freedom will happen. It's when we have fulfilled the highest purpose, Iyengar tells us about how the highest purpose is the four aims in life; dharma -science of duty artha -purpose and means of life kama -enjoyments of life moksa -freedom from worldly pleasures Iyengar tells us that the four chapters of the yoga sutras, reflect these four aims that we need to fulfill. I am grateful to have a course to follow. This means I need to find out what is my duty in life, what gives me sense of purpose, what I enjoy and how to be free from the attachment to pleasures, in order to lead a full life. This holiday I get to see how I have a duty to my students, to show up and give the best class I can, to prepare and take care of my family and loved ones. I feel sense of purpose when I get to help a woman asking for special help, I feel purpose when I unite with a loved one, and everything is such a fit. I get to see what I enjoy, these days it's been about seeing the horizon vaporise into the white light at sea, to see the morning light growing, sitting still in the kitchen, to feel warm and protected with my loved one and to see how much love there really is in my life. To be free, well I feel freedom from the worldly greed in eating loads of bad food these days, I feel freedom from needing to buy more or have more stuff. Of course this is also where I feel most challenged, some of my pleasures are very much things I want to hold on to. But there is progress so I'm happy. Iyengar writes; "One must learn to use the body as a bow, and asana, pranayama and dhyana as arrows to be aimed at the target -the seer or the soul." Now, these are words I can understand and relate to. I've understod these words since I was a little kid. So it's not about for example; asana, asana is the tool with which I shot and aim for my inner seer, or my greater power, and my true being. But at the same time, asana is a special arrow, that only flies far if I give it my full attention as if there was no other target at all. Kaivalya, is what the last sutra is about; complete freedom. Desikachar writes; "serenity in action and inaction.. No obligation to take responsibility or reject it" I only know this in parts of my life, only bits and parts, but these places where there is.. well a form for surrender. There is a good source to check into this for me, I have a person writing very angry e-mails to me, and I get to experience an enormous peace in being free to answer or not answer to this communication. Here ends the last sutra. With the word "iti" meaning "that is all". A great gratitude fills my heart. When I say the Patanjali mantra, I mean it from the bone-marrow and from the core of my being! Gratitude to Patanjali. I have been writing and using these sutras for four years and seven months. Now I either start a new round :-) or.. I start on the bhagavadgita. I feel a bit unsure and surprised, I just got into the habit of this. Yogena cittasya padena vacam malam sarirasya ca vaidyakena yopakarottam pravaram muninam patanjalim pranajaliranato'smi abahu purusakaram sankha cakrasi dharinam sahasra sirasam svetam pranamami patanjalim. Hare om http://www.bksiyengar.com/audio/invocation.mp3 Namasté Jenni

Second last sutra - wow amazing! And landing on my birthday (15/12), cannot imagine something better to do today (listening to fabulous music in the background) - I am grateful!!! Iyengar translation of 4.32 "As the mutations of the gunas cease to function, time, the uninterrupted movement of moments, stops. This deconstruction of the flow of time is comperhensible only at this final stage of emancipation." Time is uninterrupted succession of moments. Moments are instant. "When moments slip away from ones awareness, one lives in movements." We are striving for becoming free from the ever-changing movements and live completely in the moment. Oh Yes I like this!! Very excited about this sutra. So I get that in yoga, as in life, I get to seek the moment, the space when time stops to exist. I had a very clear sense of this space one of the last times we had pranayama with my master, we worked on antara kumbaka, I think the full pranayama session must have been over two hours, but after I told everyone I might have to leave a bit earlier from the next train in order to catch the train. But then he asked when the train left, and I told him he said, "but Jenni, this is now!". I had lost full contact to movement of time, I felt like our pranayama session had been 20 minutes or something like this. This happens often with this master. Time just ceases to exist working with this man. Iyengar writes: " When change comes, it arrives at once in a moment" even though we work on something for very long time, it always arrive in a moment. This are the moments that I sometime get so amazed. Something that seemed impossible the moment before, suddenly happens. This is also something great to experience. Change or transformation always happen or exist in the moment. It is so seductive to believe it is a movement slow and progressive. Of course it is too, but my experience is close to this sutra. It is in the moment it just suddenly have happened. So for this week; working towards the moment. Letting go of past and future. Maybe I will enjoy some more pranayama this week. Probably a good idea, since I just want to sleep and eat these days.. Namasté Jenni