“Cit is always the same.
Nirodha always refers to Citta.
Thus Cit is a witness.
What changes is only Citta.”
– TKV Desikachar on Yoga Sūtra Chapter One verse 2

“Mind is not the highest point in Yoga.”
– TKV Desikachar on Yoga Sūtra Chapter One verse 2

“The mind depends on Cit.
It is like a stone,
it depends on Ātman or Cit to give it life.”
– TKV Desikachar on Yoga Sūtra Chapter One verse 2

“When we say our name we relate to our mind and not Cit.
However we are not able to separate mind from Cit.
They are so close – mind and not mind.”
– TKV Desikachar on Yoga Sūtra Chapter One verse 2

“To experience the spaciousness of Cit,
Yoga says practice enclosing the Citta.”
– Yoga Sūtra Chapter One verses 2-3

“During such a moment, without distractions,
the power of the source of perception,
full of clarity and completeness, shines forth.”
– T Krishnamacharya’s commentary to Yoga Sūtra Chapter One verse 3

“In the Yoga state we experience what is beyond the mind.”
– TKV Desikachar on Yoga Sūtra Chapter One verse 3

“Yoga is about refining the skill
to rest in the awareness of the Cit,
rather than nest in the nature of the Citta.”
– Commentary on Yoga Sūtra Chapter One verses 3-4

“One of the artful illusions presented by the Citta,
is its ability to as if dress in disguise,
so as to appear as if the Cit.”
– Reflection around Yoga Sūtra Chapter Two verse 5

“A necessary step in Yoga is to experience a state of complete and utter disillusionment.
Arising from that is a state of Citta prepared to give up its conviction of being the Cit.”
– Commentary on Yoga Sūtra Chapter Two verse 5

“The Yoga Sūtra is about reflecting on that which reflects,
in order to reflect from that which is the source of attention,
rather than from that which is the scene of intention.”
– Reflections on Yoga Sūtra Chapter Three verse 49

“The witness cannot be witnessed.”
– Yoga Sūtra Chapter Four verse 18

Awareness is a quality not a quantity.
Commentary on Yoga Sūtra Chapter Four verse 34

“Yoga is when the mind is completely absorbed in the great force within.”
– TKV Desikachar France August 1983

“Yoga is awareness,
a type of knowing.”
– T Krishnamacharya 1988

“Whatever is the source of life is surely the source of freedom,
a source which knows us and cares for us.
It is everybody’s right, and is not beyond us, but within us.”
– TKV Desikachar from unedited manuscript for ‘What are We Seeking?’

“In each one of us there is something that experiences.”
– TKV Desikachar introducing the Taittirīya Upaniṣad 2001

“Yoga is the pursuit of the unpursuable.”
– TKV Desikachar

“Cit or awareness is the heart of Yoga.
Neither full nor empty, nor mine nor yours.
Awareness is as it is and is as it isn’t.”

“Yoga is about refining the skill in resting in the pure awareness of the Cit,
rather than nesting in the playful nature of the Citta.”

“One of the skilful illusions within the Citta
is its ability to dress in drag so as to appear as if Cit.”

“It is difficult to realise the wonders of Cit
within the wanderings of the Citta.”

“When seeking the light better to verify
that it is the power of the light
rather than the light of power.”

“The less we act from within the field of the present moment,
the more we re-act from within the field of past memories.”

“The ten senses or Das Indriya are the gateway between the inner and the outer,
in the twin roads of this phenomena we call experience or action.

The five senses that transport experience from the outer to the inner
are called the Jñāna Indriya, or the senses through which we receive the world.

The five senses that transport actions from the the inner to the outer
are called the Karma Indriya, or the senses through which we put out into the world.

The co-ordinator of this remarkable interface is known as Manas.
The identifier in this remarkable process is known as Ahaṃkāra.
The discerner in this remarkable trinity is known as Buddhi.
The observer in this remarkable play of experience and action is known as Cit or Puruṣa.”

“Yoga is the experience of stillness,
within the fluctuations of mind,
rather than the experience of stillness,
of the fluctuations of mind.”

“Āsana is an interface between the body
and the systemic energy processes.
Prāṇāyāma is an interface between the
systemic energy processes and the psyche.
Dhyāna is an interface between the psyche
and the awareness that pervades our sense of being.”

“Activities that nurture a state of Yoga involve
self-discipline, Self-inquiry and Self-awareness.”

“A postscript to the above quote around the three Niyama within Kriyā Yoga on the uses of the terms ‘self’ or ‘Self’ within the legs in the tripod supporting our efforts at nurturing a state of Yoga.
The first leg supporting the tripod refers to Citta
as the self in terms of nurturing self-discipline.
The second leg supporting the tripod refers to Cit
as the Self in terms of nurturing Self-inquiry.
The final leg supporting the tripod refers to Cit
as the Self in terms of nurturing Self-awareness.”

“It’s not until I understand how to
cultivate a space within My self
can I begin to experience that
which is the essence of the Self.”

“Constancy of the body
reveals the inconstancy of the breath.
Constancy of the body and breath
reveals the inconstancy of the mind.
Constancy of the body, breath and mind
reveals the constancy of awareness.”

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