“Working together with and directed by past impressions,
the three Guṇa, Sattva, Rajas and Tamas determine
whether the mind is calm, agitated or dull.”
– T Krishnamacharya on Yoga Sūtra Chapter One verse 4
“Past impressions also determine the
mind’s direction and quality of perception.”
– T Krishnamacharya on Yoga Sūtra Chapter One verse 4
The less we act from within the field of the present moment,
the more we re-act from within the field of past memories.
– Paul Harvey on Yoga Sūtra Chapter One verses 4
“The mind acts in countless ways and all of them
stem from the power of past Karma Vāsanā.
This is why individuals differ from one another.”
– T Krishnamacharya on Yoga Sūtra Chapter One verse 6
Abhyāsa or Practice is,
the effort to remain within
the stillness of the present.
Vairāgya or Dispassion is,
the absence of thirst towards
the dance of the past.
– Paul Harvey on Yoga Sūtra Chapter One verse 12
“Satkāra
To feel better about things than in the past.”
– TKV Desikachar on Yoga Sūtra Chapter One verse 14
“You cannot change the past,
only our understanding of the past.”
– TKV Desikachar on Yoga Sūtra Chapter One verse 42
We need to be able to separate
our past from our present,
in order to move forward
within our meditational path.
The same applies as we move
forward within our life path.
– Paul Harvey on Yoga Sūtra Chapter One verse 43
If you remove the past from the present what is left?
– Paul Harvey on Yoga Sūtra Chapter One verse 43
More usually the past dominates the present.
Through Yoga Sādhana we work towards
the present dominating the past.
– Paul Harvey on Yoga Sūtra Chapter Two
“Knowledge from the past prevails and
influences me to either judge or inquire.
Assuming my knowledge and my
memory and I proceed is Asmitā Kleśa.
Assuming that I may be wrong and
wishing to find out more is Asmitā Jñāna.
However to hesitate completely or
question everything is Asmitā Kleśa.”
– TKV Desikachar on Yoga Sūtra Chapter Two verse 6
Fear and Insecurity feed on the leftovers
from the meals of past experiences.
– Paul Harvey on Yoga Sūtra Chapter Two verse 9
“The way to better oneself is not to
ponder over the past but to look ahead.
Even Duḥkha is a great teacher.
In fact it is the first and important step
in the ladder of Vivekaor clarity.
The greatness of Patañjali is to look at
Duḥkha as the stepping stone to success.”
– T Krishnamacharya on Yoga Sūtra Chapter Two verse 16
In our journey towards foresight
lies the quandary of whether we can
grasp our past sufferings positively,
or be negatively held within their clasp.
– Paul Harvey on Yoga Sūtra Chapter Two verse 16
Better to be
creators of our future,
rather than
curators of our past.
– Paul Harvey on Yoga Sūtra Chapter Two verse 16
Saṃskāra always looks
to our past experiences
to determine our choices
for our future actions.
– Paul Harvey on Yoga Sūtra Chapter Four verse 9
“When we act unconsciously
we go back into the past.”
– TKV Desikachar on Yoga Sūtra Chapter Four verse 27
The safest place for the mind is in the past.
– Paul Harvey on Yoga Sūtra Chapter Four verse 27
Feelings from the past remain eternally potent ravagers,
especially pervasive within the illusion of our present and
with it a tendency to recreate an old shape from our past,
whilst we are believing it to be a new shape for our future.
– Paul Harvey Yoga Sūtra Chapter Four verse 27
