

20 mins
In this session, David unpacks Sūtras I.33–I.40, which offer a whole menu of methods for transforming a clouded mind (citta-vikṣepa) into a clarified, serene one (citta-prasāda). The practices begin with cultivating attitudes—friendliness toward happiness, compassion for pain, delight in virtue, and neutrality toward non-virtue. From there, Patañjali expands the toolbox: working with the breath (prāṇāyāma), subtle perceptions in āsana, contemplation of light, freedom from attachment, insight from dreams, and meditation “as desired.” David shows how these sutras resonate with daily practice, where stamping the feet, lengthening the spine, or savoring ease can become mind-clearing acts. He emphasizes the nimbleness yoga requires: meeting sorrow, joy, virtue, or confusion with the right inner stance. The talk closes with a poem evoking the luminous flower at the crown of the head, urging us to clear space for light even amidst sorrow, and to rediscover the radiant presence that yoga reveals.