Finished Yoga Sutras

I finished the Yoga Sutras this evening. I have to go back and read a few I skipped over in the first book, but nevertheless it felt good to come to completion, especially on the eight limbs which are covered in Books 2-4.

I would like to meet Swami Satchidananda some day. His analogies and commentary was understandable and amusing at times, as though he was trying to lighten up some of the very heavy stuff. For instance, in Book Three, Suta 21 explains how one can become invisible. Satchidananda explains, "Oh boy! Do you want to become invisible?" I can almost hear him laugh as he writes.

I do have to think more about his explanation of Sutra 56 in Book Three. He explains that we are not here (on this Earth) to grasp a little of this and that. We should not settle for little things. I know this is a summary of the explanation of controlling wants and desires. But it sounds a little too "Dr. Phil". I do not watch Dr. Phil, but caught a bit of him during a commercial once telling a large group of people that none of them was happy. And that if any one of them would come forward and tell him that they ARE completely happy, then he would show them that they were not and help them find true happiness.

This bothered me. I am completely happy with my life. And I think it is because I have learned to find happiness in little things. Or happiness in situations that people stress over. There are forces constantly testing your will. If you let them get to you, they win. Learning how to deal with the little things is a part of life, and if you want to make your life happy, you need to find happiness in negative forces.