Day 35

Patanjali knew the human mind very well. And he knew all the crooks and bumps in it. He knew that it could not have the same feeling towards everybody all the time. Feelings can be developed and they keep changing, too. So he said that we should have feelings of friendliness, compassion, joy, happiness, etc. 

And ignore or have upeksha - indifference for the sinful things. If this is done, our chitta, our mind would be pleasant. It will become graceful, gracious. In that gracious and grateful mind, one pointedness becomes easy. We should practice devotion to one thing or one aspect.

Then, Patanjali said that if all this was difficult, then he would give one more sutra. Breaking the natural rhythm of the breath, holding it and sustaining it in different rhythms. Patanjali has not mentioned Sudarshana Kriya directly. But in this sentence, there is a clue. You can trace your practice to that one sutra because we are doing the same thing here. 

We are not just breathing anyway we like. We are consciously breathing in a definite rhythm. We are splitting the breath, dividing them and holding them with different rhythms. This also makes our mind focused. Suppose, it does not work and you feel it is not complete. This means that the mind can be stilled through any one object of senses. 

What happens in eye gazing? You are looking at somebody for a few minutes. You gaze at that person from the bottom of your heart. At that time, your mind is not running here and there. You sit with your eyes closed. The mind is completely settled. We may sit for a meditation after singing bhajans. The mind has come to a standstill.

Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankarji 

PATANJALI YOGA SUTRAS