First Light
How First Light worksTuesday 27 October·
- Sunrise
- 07:55
- Quiet hour
- 06:19–07:07
- Brahma Muhurta
- Moon
- Waning gibbous
- Next full moon: Tue 24 Nov
Autumn
The quiet hour (Brahma Muhurta) is the traditional time for practice, just before sunrise.
योगश्चित्तवृत्तिनिरोधः
yogaś citta-vṛtti-nirodhaḥ
Yoga is the settling of the mind's restless movement.
Yoga Sutras 1.2 · verse 2 of 196
Unfolding the thread
This is the most quoted line in all of yoga, and the whole definition comes in four words. Citta is the mind, vṛtti are its ripples (thoughts, reactions, stories), and nirodha is their coming to rest. Notice what it doesn't say. It doesn't mention flexibility, poses or belief. Yoga is described as something that happens in the mind, and the body is one doorway into it.
Try today
Once today, when you notice your mind racing, stop and let it run on without you for ten breaths. Just watch.
The Echo
The same truth, heard in another tradition
“Be still, and know that I am God.”
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