Patanjali's Yoga Sutra were compiled approximately five thousand years ago. It is in these Sutra (sutra can be translated as threads...as in threads of wisdom) that Patanjali laid out 194 (or 196 depending on who you ask) aphorisms (or short bits of wisdom).
It is in these four chapters that Patanjali described the infamous eight limbs of yoga. These eight limbs of yoga are contained in chapters two and three. "It is in chapter two, entitled "Sadhana Pada" (can be translated as "Treading the Path)" that Patanjali gives us ways we can live our lives that will lead to awakening." (from mindful YOGA mindful LIFE by Charlotte Bell).
It could also be said that the eight limbs of yoga lay out a way for us to "tread the path" and reduce suffering, thus leading us to a happier life. It seems unimaginable that even now, the eight limbed path is relevant in our lives and, yet, it is. Just in case you haven't had an opportunity to dive into the Yoga Sutras, here is the layout of the eight limbs:
1. Yamas: ethics or as I see it, things not to do.
• ahimsa: non-violence
• satya: not lying (telling the truth)
• asteya: nonstealing
• brahmacharya: not misusing our sexual energy
• aparigraha: not being greedy
2. Niyamas: personal practices or as I see it, things to do.
•saucha: cleanliness
•santosha: contentement
•tapas: discipline
•svadyaya: study of self or spiritual texts
•Ishvarapranidhana: surrender to the presence of something bigger than us
3. Asana: physical practice of postures
4. Pranayama: extension of life force: breath practice
5. Pratyahara: sense withdrawal
6. Dharana: concentration
7. Dyhana: meditation
8. Samadhi: absorption into spirit
At the risk of sounding crazy, I think Patanjali might have been telling me we should rent a dumpster. I think he thought it would be one step on the path to less suffering and to more clarity about what's important and who I am. All of that from a dumpster? Extra amazing since he probably had never even heard of a dupster.
I had this realization about the connection between the dumpster and the Yoga Sutras as I was preparing to teach Monday night . I was working through how to teach the importance of how we keep our props (think blankets, blocks, mats, etc) and our practice space. I recognize some people make fun of how meticulous I am about keeping the blankets folded and the studio in order. I see the space we practice in, whether is at Ahh Yoga, at home or anywhere else, as sacred space. It is space where we are opening ourselves both physically and emotionally; and as I see it, it is space that ultimately represents the rest of our lives. It comes back to that motto "how you do anything is how you do everything."
So, as I try to tie most of the beginning classes to some piece of the Yoga Sutra, I realize this notion of cleanliness and orderliness is part of Patanjali's niyamas (the second of the eight limbs of Patanjali's Yoga). In fact, it is the first of the niyamas. It is called Saucha. Saucha is sometimes translated as purity and sometimes it is extended to cleanliness. For now, let's just go with the cleanliness concept.
Our garage needed a serious cleaning as did our basement. So, we rented a dumpster and filled it with all kinds of stuff that didn't need to be saved and didn't need passed on to someone else. For instance, I found my 1986 Arthur Marching Band Award, all of the notes given to me by my high school friends and high school boyfriend, framed certificates of achievements from undergraduate school, an empty coke bottle filled with glitter from my college dorm room, mardi gra beads (that I didn't earn) and the list goes on and on and on.
I knew that all of that clutter in the basement and garage was weighing on me, but I didn't know how much until they pulled the full dumpster out of our driveway. It seems accurate to me that when my environment is less cluttered, is clean and organized, my mind is more settled and clearer. When my mind is clearer and more settled, I am able to see more clearly who I am and see more clearly what is important. Who knew that filling that dumpster to the brim was going to remind me that what we all are at our core is perfect, beautiful, blissful love, and what is most important is that we live from that space, both in our hearts, in our basements, and garages.
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