Yoga Sutras, More Ways to Quiet the Mind

Sutra 1.34:Panchchhardana vidhaaranabhyam va pranasya, Or that calm is retained by the controlled exhalation or retention of the breath.

The breath is a powerful means to calm the mind. It is also a way to check the activity of the mind. A well-known yoga metaphor describes this phenomenon as follows: The wind can't be seen by the eye but if you look at the leaves of a tree you see what the wind is doing; likewise the activity of the mind is hidden from view but if you check the breathing of someone you can see what the mind is doing. If the breathing is erratic and shallow, the mind is unstable and superficial. If the breath is deep and calm, the mind is steady and focused.

The use of the breath to quiet the mind is beyond recorded time. Their are many yoga techniques that involve the use of breath. In this sutra Patanjali uses a simple breathing technique to show the link between breath and mental calm. The two parts of his methodology are using exhalation (it is a proven fact that this part of breathing calms the nervous system) and retention. When most of us try to focus on something we spontaneously hold the breath. Even in meditation techniques that don't involve the breath, as the mind calms down the breathing reflects this state and becomes very subtle and quiet.

Sutra 1.35:Vishayavati va pravrittih utpanna manasah sthiti nibandhani, Or that (undisturbed calmness) is attained when the perception of a subtle sense object arises and holds the mind steady.

In his translation and commentary Baba Hari Das adds, "The subtle manifestations are super-sensory perceptions of a celestial quality, such as fragrance, taste, form, touch, and sound: By concentration on the tip of the nose a celestial fragrance is smelled. By concentration on the tip of the tongue, a celestial taste is experienced. By concentration on the palate, celestial form is seen. By concentration on the middle part of the tongue, celestial touch is felt. By concentration on the root of the tongue, celestial sound is heard." Perception of a subtle sense object, he goes on to say, "fixes the mind firmly, removes doubts, and becomes the gateway to knowledge achieved by concentration." This explains how it works to hold the mind steady. If a practitioner sits for hours and has no palpable experiences, what is to attract the mind to be steady? How is faith to grow? What knowledge from experience is to be had? It all becomes quite tangible when the signposts of subtle experience are seen. It would be similar to going fishing with your dad and never catching a fish. It is very hard to motivate for future fishing trips without some results. Taimni warns in his commentary, however, not to let the ego get inflated with a few experiences along the way, that the goal is not reached until total liberation is achieved.