The Creativity of Reality: Shiva Sutra 3.37
Raise your hand if you consider yourself creative, if you dream at night, if you see animals in the clouds. Raise your hand if you’ve ever added a spice that wasn’t in the recipe, told a story about your day, or chose a new color for your wall. The Yogic Tradition says that your hand has to be in the air, because whether we realize it or not, Creativity is a Universal quality shared by all sentient beings. All day, everyday, we are constantly creating our own reality through the ways we move, the thoughts we choose, and the state of being in which we reside.
Shiva Sutra 3. 37: karaṇa śaktiḥ svato’nubhavāt, “The power of creation is the experience of every individual.”
Unfortunately though, our participation in this creative process is far too limited, rearranging what’s on the surface instead of working deeper within ourselves to truly allow our lives to express themselves. That’s why we practice asana and pranayama, to create a reality that moves with, not against, the harmony. That’s why we do mantra, to create a reality permeated by Shiva. That’s why we expand our hearts as we exhale, to create a state an expansive state of being. And as we become more proficient at these levels of creation, our happiness begins to flow from the inside out, no matter what the situation— and in this way, as the Sutra concludes, we literally become our own ‘wish fulfilling tree’.
This Week’s Pocket Sutra
When You Carry the Sutras, the Sutras Carry You. A pocket sized edition of this weeks class to promote deeper reflection within the context of your daily life and practice.