02-May-2010

Contain Yourself

Making Sattva Last

There’s nothing like that feeling: you’ve given your all and, completely spent, you wake from the post-effort nap totally refreshed. It feels amazing, like a totally new you. It’s easy to get caught up in that feeling. But if you understand what’s really going on at these moments, you can relax more thoroughly and truly appreciate the experience.

In terms of yogic philosophy, you have worked your way through the gunas, or states of matter, going from lethargy (tamas), through action (rajas) and into the state of purity and virtue, known as sattva. At this moment you are in a euphoric state and it is only natural to want to hold onto this “high.” Interestingly, acting, or even speaking from an attachment to this sensation, makes it dissipate more quickly. As a result, you may be disappointed when the glow fades away. However, when you recognize that this bliss comes from the alignment of your earthly, bodily form with that truthful, “pure” self-identity, you relax, making this joy your foundation. The effect is a deeply ingrained clarity and a more magnanimous you.

Recommended: The Inner Tradition of Yoga: A Guide to Yoga Philosophy for the Contemporary Practitioner