Now Is the Time
The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali begin with the first sutra, “now, the teachings of yoga”. Of course being the first sutra, we may simply assume that the use of it is to just tell the reader that what is coming are the teachings of yoga, so pay attention. However, there actually has been much discourse on this sutra and its more important implications. NOW is the present moment, and in each present moment yoga is unfolding, and yoga is a union or integration of the knowledge of the Self.
This more practical implication of the first sutra has been on my mind as we face this current external crisis. NOW we are forced to live in a certain way that may not be of our choosing. NOW we are forced to strip away the “extras” that are meant for distraction or avoidance of our own Self knowledge. NOW we are meant to face our own individual lives separate from others in competition or comparison. NOW is the time to look at what we know in yoga and outside of it and integrate that knowledge for good and health and progress in our lives.
Very clearly NOW is the time for yoga – to integrate toward YOU.
And what better time than now? I know that some schedules have not changed much, but some are turned upside down. Mine in particular has not changed too much, but even still I have noticed a quiet that has come over life that is new. With my husband home, even the distraction of a Podcast while doing laundry or putting earbuds in for a book on tape during walks is not allowed. Those minutes I could “tune out” for a while are gone and I am much more present with EVERY action I do. Even if your schedule has changed, possibly working from home instead of out in a public space, there is a need to set up better personal boundaries and particular spaces for particular activities. These “restrictions” can become freedoms that keep us more focused on the NOW and have less distraction in the end.
With the space and quiet of NOW comes the time of integration. And the good news is that time only has to be a moment. NOW is a moment and will pass and then there is another opportunity and another. Even to capture one becomes a benefit to the mind and the emotional state. One breath, one clear thought, one smile, one pure undistracted experience of YOU is yoga.
This may happen at any time, at any moment, at any now. So be ready, be open, be listening, be aware…
Now is the time – now, the teachings of yoga…
