Sutra 1.39: Choose Your Focus
Sutra 1.39: Yatha-Bhimat-Dhyanat-Va
Focus on what has meaning for you to attain steadiness of mind
For the past several sutras Patanjali has suggested a multitude of places for us to attend so as to develop our ability to concentrate from the breath to our senses, to our own inner light, to someone who exudes liberation, to our dreams. He has made it abundantly clear that for one to experience a deep inner peace, it is essential that we train our mind to develop the skill of focus. Here in Sutra 1.39, yoga does what yoga does best, and graciously, opens its doors to everyone, taking into account our differences and once again, suggesting there are many paths to peace. This sutra is here to relax any suffocating grip you might be feeling about attaining yoga in a specific way. This sutra places us directly in the drivers seat, and asks us to choose our own focus.
You may feel a bit overwhelmed like when you feel polarized, illuminated in fluorescent lighting, looking down the vast, innumerable isles in a Wallyworld. Sometimes too many choices leaves us immobilized and send us straight back to scrolling, raiding the refrigerator, or any other numbing activity that holds us hostage to our own expansion.
When we consider the observer becomes the observed, perhaps asking yourself, what do I want to feel more of? Is a great place to start. Once you’ve gained that clarity, then you can remember when or how or where you have felt that. For me, this rules out all generic physical objects and starts to highlight memories of transcendental encounters which have happened in nature, and when immersed in sound, song, and images of Gods and Goddesses. So my suggestion, meditate on God. Your version of course which may have another name, but God, holds the most universal understanding for a power beyond oneself as Love itself.
Our time and energy is limited and what we do with it will alter the way we get to experience ourselves, our relationships, our pleasures and even our pains. We can choose to focus our attention on he said she saids, or the latest I-phone, or what we have or don’t have or who has what vaccine and because the observer becomes the observed, that is the chaos, the discontent, and the dis-ease we will become OR we can choose to focus on Ishvara, which is the yoga name for God, which is ultimately choosing to focus on love. We simply cannot know what we don’t experience and we cannot experience something we don’t show up for.
Show up for love by simply using the moments of your life to focus on it.
Muchas Gracias beautiful human,
May this interpretation inspire you to deepen your relationship with Ishvara. May it inspire you to believe in the love and bliss available for us through this relationship. There’s no right way, just the matter of you choosing to be on the way.
Blessings,
Andrea Dawn
