Who's Look In'? Shiva Sutra 3.39
Who’s Looking? Shiva Sutra 3.39
How would you describe the state of awareness you exist in while meditating? It’s a personal question that only you can answer, and even then it takes a lot of inner feeling and reflection. Who are we when we meditate? What are we? As we deepen our practice, this ability grows in us, until we are able to cultivate this state of being on and off the cushion, which is exactly where today’s Sutra picks up.
Citta sthiti-vaccha-rīra Karaṇa-bāhyeṣu
“The awareness of God consciousness should not only be infused in that state where one’s mind is established in one-pointedness, but it should also be infused in the establishment of the yogi’s body, in their organic actions, and in the external objective world.”
We are taught that we must not only infuse this state of awareness through meditation, but we must infuse this state of being our lives throughout all of our daily activities. This is the work at the heart of our practice, the Shambhavi Mudra, the practice of keeping one’s attention inside while navigating their karmic arena. Though the practice of the Shambhavi Mudra can seem like the pinnacle of our work, we must strive for that peak no matter where we are on the mountain’s path. For example, when performing mantra, we aim for the heart, but of course the first mantras are the most superficial, vibrating at the level of the mouth or throat. If we keep our aim true, though, over time those mantras vibrate from a deeper place within. And as we see in the first part of this Sutra, as yogis we must practice turning our gaze within in all life’s situations. Eventually, this practice does more than just bring clarity and joy, it brings life to our life.
This Week’s Pocket Sutra
When You Carry the Sutras, the Sutras Carry You. A pocket sized edition of this weeks class text to promote deeper reflection within the context of your daily life and practice.