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.
ते समाधावुपसर्गा व्युत्थाने सिद्धयः
te samādhāv upasargā vyutthāne siddhayaḥ
These are obstacles to absorption, though they seem like powers to the outward-turned mind.
Yoga Sutras 3.38 · verse 144 of 196
Unfolding the thread
Here is Patanjali's crucial warning, right in the middle of the list of powers. To the outward-looking mind, these abilities look like achievements. To the one seeking absorption, they are distractions, even obstacles. Every tradition says the same: gifts can become traps.
Try today
Notice one thing you're proud of in your practice or work. Hold it lightly today.
The Echo
The same truth, heard in another tradition
“It is better to be unknown and take heed to oneself than to neglect oneself and work wonders.”
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