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.
वृत्तिसारूप्यमितरत्र
vṛtti-sārūpyam itaratra
Otherwise, we take on the shape of our thoughts.
Yoga Sutras 1.4 · verse 4 of 196
Unfolding the thread
When the mind is not still, we mistake ourselves for whatever is passing through it. An angry thought turns into "I am angry." A worry turns into "I am anxious." The sutra isn't telling you off. It's pointing out that the identification is a habit, and habits can loosen. You have thoughts; you are not their shape.
Try today
When a strong feeling arrives, rename it: "There is anger here," not "I am angry." Notice the small gap this creates.
The Echo
The same truth, heard in another tradition
“All that we are is the result of what we have thought: it is founded on our thoughts, it is made up of our thoughts.”
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