7 Courageous steps to contentment
Lessons from Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras. By Komal Dadlani
Reading time: 4 minutes
If I told you that the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali helped me through depression, anger and resentment, you’d probably picture me at the yoga studio, doing fancy postures while cultivating forgiveness to a lot of zen! But Patanjali’s mastery extends itself far beyond movement, and his Sutras contain rich insights into thought, mood, overcoming grief, jealousy and very practical tips to uplift yourself from a vibratory state of pain.
According to Patanjali, whether you feel anxious, centred, depressed or confident has to do with the way that your energy or prāna is flowing and nothing to do with your personality or DNA. There is you, as consciousness, and then there is the energy, or the mind that you are experiencing, as a separate energetic entity. You can mould this energy to shape a mind that is resilient, present, forgiving and compassionate (also known as ekagrata), regardless of your family history or genetic predisposition. This is why the Yoga Sutras became one of the most popular Schools or Darshanas in yoga philosophy, embedded into teacher training courses worldwide. To assert the distinction between yourself as pure consciousness (Purusha) and your emotional world is a brave step as you must willingly relinquish bits of yourself that you have appropriated towards your self-image. You might be left thinking what, or who am I, if I am no longer this pain? What should I speak about if not about my suffering? Relating to your mood as energy, rather than hereditary or a trauma-based-response that justifies your life, is an extremely courageous step, as it encourages ownership above blame, but also brings its fair share of uncertainty in regard to your identity. But don’t worry…your true Self and who you are behind your lifelong narrative will become clearer as you journey on Patanjali’s advice, helping you carve a new sense of belonging.
There is no doubt that what a person says, and the outside world, carry their weight. But whether you respond to it with anxiety (kshipta), depression (moodha) or can remain centred (ekagrata) harnessing the opportunity that lies therein at every challenge, is totally reliant on the vibratory state of your prāna or energy. To know that your ‘mood’ and reactivity are nothing more than a wavelength and that every situation can be lightened if you nurture the right frequency, is liberating. The more you cultivate presence, or ekagrata, the freer you will be to respond to people and situations in a way that serves you. These are the seven mood-enhancing tips that help me harness life, own my energy and move beyond loss, anger and years of PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder):
1. SUPERIMPOSITION (PRATIPAKSHA-BHAVANA)
Paint a super clear picture of how you’d like to feel in relation to a person, a meeting, life, and even yourself, and start acting and speaking coherently with that intent (sankalpa). It might feel ‘fake’ and inauthentic at the beginning, and you will feel the pull of the ‘old you’ at times, but you must persist and continuously rehearse (abhyasa) your ideal until it prevails.
2. BEFRIEND THE PROCESS
Normalise experiencing the hungry pull of your old patterns, as you simultaneously nurture the new. One of the main reasons we default back to our old selves is the expectation of immediate change, and changing to perfection. Patanjali very compassionately recognises the need for dirgha-kala — repeated practice, over a prolonged period of time. Change isn’t something that will magically dawn upon us with a few yoga classes, or that can be ‘activated’ by a therapist, as is commonly sold these days. Having to co-exist with the old, while you nurture new pathways, is nairantarya (rehearsal) and the most effective means to instil change that is long-lasting and sustainable in the long run. Even Patanjali, a super yogi that could get into Samadhi at will, had to go back and forth in this process several times.
3. FIRE UP YOUR SLEEP
If you want to regulate your mood, you must sync yourself to the element of fire. This means maximising your sleep between 10pm and 2am, which is when fire metabolises all of the emotions and thoughts that drag you down. Literally! There is no better time for our subconscious to do this than the darkest hours of the night. Be sure to spiral up on anxiety if you sync your sleep to air (past 1am); and pile up on depression if you sleep well into the element of earth (past 8am). If you want to regulate your mood, regular sleeping habits and sleeping in sync with the elements of nature is crucial.
4. KARMA YOGA
Most often mistaken with ‘doing things for free’ or volunteering to clean the bathrooms at the yoga shala, its truest intent is to encourage purpose-drivenaction, a massive game changer for depression. Whether you are a sales rep at a fashion retailer, an accountant or a nurse at a care home, you have a meaningful role to play in society. Treating your colleagues with respect, uplifting people with your words, serving clients with interest — these things aren’t reserved for doctors and teachers only, and can crucially impact someone’s state of mind and selfesteem. Recognise the impact you have on those around you on a day-to-day basis and your power to elevate every person you interact with, from the bus driver to the client you serve at the till. Karma yoga awakens our interconnection with those around us and instils a sense of belonging that can shake off the heaviest of veils.
5. SPEAK POWERFULLY
Wellness is a vibration you can encourage through words or māntras. Made up from phonetics already existent in your astral body, vocalising sanskrit sounds or māntra practice, can fully transform your emotional world. Think about what happens when you sit by the ocean or a beautiful green forest. Whether you are angry or depressed, the inner shift is inevitable while in contact with the sound of flowing water and the fluttering of the leaves, respectively. Somehow, even while not trying, you feel more centred and relaxed. Sound or vibration is the subtle aspect of an emotion or thought; and you can promote the right kind by tuning into māntras, in both spoken and silent form. (Top tip: Hop onto my “Intro to Māntra Practice” course available on demand on www.omstars.com for further guidance on how to make māntras a part of your daily life.
6. LEAN INTO THE DIVINE
Often misunderstood for weakness or naiveness, surrender, or pranidhana, is a powerful move, which can sometimes propel more shift than effort, especially when it means leaning into nature and the force that surrounds you. Just imagine, even a super intellectual yogi like Patanjali understood the need to soften one’s heart. Both growth and transformation are amplified when we allow ourselves to be accompanied by a higher force. The Upanishads stand by this: walk one step towards Brahman (Source); Brahman will expand ten-fold within you. Your effort is nothing other than Source manifesting through you; its grace. I often look at the sky, the stars, sun or the moon and speak to them as living entities. Your surroundings are listening. Ask for help.
7. SERVICE (SEVA)
“You love that you may learn to live; and you live that you may learn to love”. This was one of Swami Sivananda’s most popular sayings. Nurturing and loving those around you, can be a powerful way to find your way back to yourself and connect to the essence of life, the foundational principle behind Bhakti Yoga. Responding to someone’s blank stare with a smile, complimenting a stranger on their choice of outfit, making eye contact with a homeless person, sharing a positive remark with the cashier at the till – these are all simple things that make other people feel seen and expand both their heart and yours, releasing tension and reducing anxiety (also known as an increase in oxytocin). Acceptance, forgiveness and most uplifting thoughts and emotions are nurtured by engaging in meaningful activities towards others and by cultivating bhakti (love) and service towards fellow sentient beings, both human and animals.
BONUS TIP: SEAL YOUR LIPS
Your nostrils are the main point of entry for prana, the energy that sustains your thoughts. If you breathe from your mouth, you are satisfying the biological purpose of the breath which is the gaseous exchange between oxygen and carbon dioxide, but you are not absorbing nor regulating the prana that harmonises your emotional world. Observe: people who tend towards anxiety and frustration often breathe from their mouth, rarely breathe through their nose and tend to hold their lips open. Patanjali says: “pracchardanavidharnabhyam va pranasya” – in other words, you can regulate your mind through your breath. Try setting an alarm clock a few times per day to check on your nostril breathing to see the impact it makes.
Connect with Komal Dadlani on Instagram @komi_yogi if you would like to know more Patanjali’s advice for a better sense of self and greater contentment.
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