Yoga Sutra 1:4

Vrtti sarupyam itaratra translates into: "At other times [the Self appears to] assume the forms of the mental modifications."


In other words, the individual identifies himself with shifting thoughts and temporary conditions--young, poor, or cold. Rather than seeing himself as the pure "I," he is seeing himself as someone who is late to dinner, successful in business, etc. He is not seeing his spirit or self.

In this weekend's restorative teacher training, Jillian Pranksy talked about the short, flickering nature of thoughts. If we attach to each popup menu thought, our nervous systems become overcharged with irrational thought, sending us into the sympathetic nervous system. Overtime, our organs, tissues, and systems show the damage of our fight-or-flight thoughts and resulting hormone shifts.

Again, 1.4 highlights the importance for taking a breath, meditating, and pausing in our parasympathetic nervous system.