It is said of the 196 ancient yogic sutras that if you totally and fully understand the first word of the first sutra then you completely grasp the whole concept of these ancient texts.
These texts were compiled by the sage Patanjali around the 2nd centure bce and are a framework for understanding the whole human condition and for exploration of higher intelligence.
So what is this first word? It is atha and it means pay attention. Finding peace of mind is all about paying attention – to what you are thinking when you are thinking it, what you are feeling when you are feeling it and what you you sensing when you are sensing it. Only by paying attention can we ensure that our actions and behaviours are in line with our heart felt values and beliefs. Only by paying attention do we ensure that our life is moving in the direction of our intentions. Some people call this mindfulness. I call it living with purpose.
More of sutra 1.1 later.
