As practitioners of yoga, class often begins with a description that sounds something like: “The word yoga is derived from the Sanskrit root “yuj” meaning to yoke or to bind. So, yoga means union.” If you have ever practiced yoga in a studio, you have probably heard some variation of this definition. Union of body, mind and heart. Union of Shiva and Shakti.
But what if yoga doesn’t only mean union? What if yoga means peace?
The Sanskrit root of yoga (“yuj”) does not only mean “to yoke.” It can also mean “to discipline, to control, to subjugate.” Many yogis and yoginis would agree that yoga has much to do with control and discipline. And so we can ask: control of what?
Perhaps the most famous definition of yoga, as written by the great sage Patanjali, is yoga citta vritti nirodhah. There are countless translations: Yoga is the silencing of the modifications of the mind; Yoga is the cessation of the fluctuations of the mind; Yoga is the restraint of the agitation of thoughts within the mind. The Sanskrit word nirodhah means cessation or removal. Citta is often translated as “mind” but it refers to a more complete organ of perception than what Westerners would call “mind.” It could be translated as “heart-soul-mind” for it denotes the lens through which we view the world and through which thought arises. Vritti, in this instance, refers to the modifications of consciousness that colour and add to the originally clear lens of perception. Vritti are disturbances or ripples upon the lucid clarity of undisturbed and peaceful citta.
Therefore, if yoga is the end of turbulence and agitation in our thoughts, in our minds and in our hearts and souls, then, Yoga equals Peace. Peace of mind. Peace in our hearts. Peace in our Souls.
Wishing you all Peace.
Shanti Shanti Shanti
Peace with your past. Peace in this present moment. Peace for the future.
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