Science Behind Yoga

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Yoga Teacher, Qigong Enthusiast. We should all approach yoga without prejudice, with an open mind, and be willing to learn more about ourselves.

11/03/2026

𝑺𝒖𝒕𝒓𝒂 1.3 𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑺𝒆𝒆𝒓 𝒂𝒃𝒊𝒅𝒆𝒔 𝒊𝒏 𝒊𝒕𝒔 𝒐𝒘𝒏 𝒕𝒓𝒖𝒆 𝒏𝒂𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒆.

The Yoga Sutras are closely connected to Sankhya philosophy, which says every living being is made of two elements:
🔹 Purusha, spiritual matter
🔹 Prakriti, physical matter

According to the sutra, as we calm the citta (the mind), we move back toward our spiritual essence, which is our true substance.

A teaser 👀
This idea comes back in the very last sutra of the text.
Sutra 4.34 ends with svarūpa-pratiṣṭhā,“establishment in one’s own nature.” The Yoga Sutras open with the seer abiding in its true nature (avasthānam) and close with the seer being firmly established in it (pratiṣṭhā). We’ll come back to it at the end of the series.

Reflexion time 💡

Have you ever experienced a moment when:
• Your mind became quiet, even briefly?
• You observed a thought without getting caught up in it?
• You felt present without needing to analyze, judge or control anything?

What did that experience feel like?
Could these moments help us understand what it means to rest in our true nature?

✨ Let’s learn together!
I’d love to hear your thoughts and experiences.

And just in case, here are a few more questions! 😊
• How can you connect with the witnessing awareness?
• What helps you minimize distractions and settle your mind?
Tell me in the comments! 👇
📚 Resources:
Yoga Sutras by Sri Swami Satchidananda
Yoga Sutras by Dr. P.V. Karambelkar
Yogic Gurukul
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10/30/2026

𝑾𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒊𝒇 𝒚𝒐𝒈𝒂 𝒊𝒔𝒏’𝒕 𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒕𝒓𝒐𝒍𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒃𝒐𝒅𝒚, 𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝒖𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒅? 🧠🧘

In Sutra 1.2, Patañjali introduces one of the central ideas of yoga:
Yogaś citta vṛtti nirodhaḥ
Yoga is the restraint or cessation of the fluctuations or modifications of the mind.

I find this sutra fascinating for two reasons.
First, because it introduces such a fundamental definition of yoga that the remaining sutras, in many ways, expand on and explore this very idea. You could say that the entire Yoga Sutras are an exploration of this one definition.

Second, because yoga can be understood both as an ACTION and as a STATE.
As an action, it is the practice and discipline we cultivate to restrain the constant movements of the mind.
As a state, it is the experience of mental stillness, clarity and the peace that can arise when those fluctuations settle.

For me, this sutra opens up also an important question:
𝑪𝒂𝒏 𝒘𝒆 𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒏 𝒕𝒐 𝒐𝒃𝒔𝒆𝒓𝒗𝒆 𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉𝒕𝒔 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒃𝒆𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒄𝒂𝒓𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒅 𝒂𝒘𝒂𝒚 𝒃𝒚 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒎?
Can we develop a different relationship with our thoughts, rather than automatically believing or reacting to everything our minds tell us?

I’m exploring the Yoga Sutras one verse at a time, reading, listening, questioning and learning along the way. I’m sharing my reflections here, and I’d love for you to join me.

💬 𝑯𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒏𝒐𝒕𝒊𝒄𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒅𝒊𝒇𝒇𝒆𝒓𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝒃𝒆𝒕𝒘𝒆𝒆𝒏 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒂 𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒃𝒆𝒍𝒊𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝒕𝒆𝒍𝒍𝒔 𝒚𝒐𝒖?

💬 𝑯𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒆𝒙𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒆𝒅 𝒚𝒐𝒈𝒂?

Share your experience or ask a question in the comments. Let’s learn together! 🙏

.2

10/22/2026

𝐘𝐨𝐠𝐚 𝐒𝐮𝐭𝐫𝐚 𝟏.𝟏
अथ योगानुशासनम् ॥ १.१ ॥

𝐀𝐭𝐡𝐚 𝐲𝐨𝐠ā𝐧𝐮śā𝐬𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐦
“𝐍𝐨𝐰, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐘𝐨𝐠𝐚 𝐛𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐬.”

Patañjali begins the Yoga Sutras with a single word: atha (अथ) - now
But what does now really mean?

While we often interpret atha as “now,” in the sense of the present moment, it may carry a deeper meaning: the readiness or disposition of the student to receive the teachings that follow.

In this traditional interpretation, atha marks not simply a moment in time, but a transition, a point at which previous experience, study, or inner inquiry has prepared the student to begin the study of yoga.

Some commentators have also explored whether this opening word points to teachings that preceded the Yoga Sutras and that this could imply that the Yoga Sutras were intended for students who had already acquired a basic understanding of yoga through earlier teachings. In this interpretation, a more introductory text may have preceded the Yoga Sutras, guiding beginners before they were ready to move on to a deeper, more advanced study. Having completed that earlier study, the student would now be ready for Patañjali’s exposition of yoga. However, this remains an interpretation, as no specific earlier text has been conclusively identified.

And yet, how often have we heard another interpretation of now, one that invites us to begin where we are, rather than waiting for the right conditions?

Not someday. Not when you’re more flexible, more experienced, or when life finally settles down.
Perhaps these interpretations are not mutually exclusive. Readiness doesn’t mean having everything figured out. It means being willing to pay attention, to learn, and to engage with the practice.

And 𝓪𝓷𝓾śā𝓼𝓪𝓷𝓪𝓶 (अनुशासनम्) reminds us that Patañjali is offering instruction in yoga. Yoga is not simply a philosophy to understand intellectually; it is something we explore through experience and cultivate through practice.
We can study the philosophy but understanding deepens when we bring them into our lived experience.

09/03/2026

꧁ For a long time, I thought difficult transitions were something I needed to get through as quickly as possible so I could get back to my regular life and responsibilities. ꧂

But some of the hardest transitions in my life taught me something different.
Here are 5 things I learned along the way ↓↓

➜ 𝟭. 𝗟𝗶𝗳𝗲 𝗼𝗻 𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗵 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗲𝗺𝗽𝗼𝗿𝗮𝗿𝘆. 𝗟𝗲𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲. ✦
Awareness of mortality doesn’t have to make us afraid.
It can remind us to stop postponing what matters.

➜ 2. You are more than what is happening to you. ✦
You are not only your job, relationship, health, role, or the chapter you’re moving through.
In fact, difficult moments can reveal parts of ourselves we may never have discovered otherwise.

➜ 3. Nothing stays the same, and that’s not always a bad thing. ✦
The difficult chapters.
The identities we thought would define us.
The places we called home.
The relationships.
Even the version of ourselves we are right now will change.
Ask yourself:
What if I don’t need to rush to make things feel normal again?
Sometimes the work isn’t getting back to who you were.
It’s learning who you’re becoming.

➜ 4. Happiness is not related to pleasure. ✦
Happiness is peace, love, connection and meaning.
We can’t always choose what happens to us.
But we can learn to choose how we meet what happens.
Our habits. Our perspective. Where we place our attention. How we care for our body and mind.
Happiness isn’t just something we find outside ourselves. It is something we cultivate within.

➜ 5. You can care deeply without trying to control everything. ✦
Yoga teaches us to act wholeheartedly without becoming attached to the outcome.
Do your best. Participate fully. Do what you believe is right, not because you need applause, recognition or a particular reward.
You can influence your life, but you cannot control every part of it.
Sometimes letting go isn’t giving up.
It’s making space to see what happens.

💬 Which one do you relate to the most right now?
1, 2, 3, 4 or 5? Tell me in th

09/01/2026

𝑾𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒊𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒎𝒐𝒔𝒕 𝒖𝒔𝒆𝒇𝒖𝒍 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒚𝒆𝒂𝒓 𝒘𝒂𝒔𝒏’𝒕 𝒘𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒄𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒚, 𝒐𝒓 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒎𝒊𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒏𝒏𝒊𝒖𝒎?

The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali have been shaping how people think about the mind, discipline, and stillness for somewhere between 1,500 and 2,200 years. Nobody’s even certain “Patanjali” was one person, some scholars think the name covers a lineage of sages, not a single author.

Four chapters. 195 aphorisms. One long argument for why the mind can be trained.

We’re starting a slow walk through all of it, sutra by sutra, starting now.

Follow for the next one :)

08/14/2026

You can also follow on Instagram to see more.

05/21/2026

✨ “One who, recognizing oneself in all beings, sees the same essence in the joy and suffering of others… that one, O Arjuna, is a perfect yogi.”
— Bhagavad Gita 6.32

This verse keeps living in me lately.
And yet… sometimes it feels like we are moving in the opposite direction. More divided. More isolated. More “us” and “them.”

Maybe the practice is not only learning to sit in meditation, but learning to recognize ourselves in one another again.

To remember that behind every opinion, fear, identity, or wound… there is still a human heart wanting peace, love, and belonging.

04/25/2026

SUPPORTED NAVASANA

Using a strap in boat pose isn’t necessarily easier, but more intentional.

It offers feedback, stability, and space so your core can engage without gripping or collapsing.

Find balance on your sitting bones, and you may even experience a few moments of effortless Navasana, supported and steady.

03/15/2026

𝐀𝐝𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐀𝐬𝐡𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐚 – 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐡𝐲𝐚𝐬𝐚𝐧𝐚 𝐃

A variation where the bottom leg doesn’t need to be in half lotus.

Options to explore:
• Elbow to knee
• Hug the front leg
• Bottom leg extended

The counter-rotation of the torso remains, honoring the intention of the pose.

Some days we deepen.
Some days we adapt.

Find your edge — or choose ease.
Your practice is your guru.
Your guru is within.

WestChesterYoga
YogaWestChesterPA

03/07/2026

🌸 𝐌𝐢𝐝𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐂𝐚𝐟𝐞 𝐆𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠

📅 Tuesday, March 10
🕡 6:30 PM
📍
432 W Gay St, West Chester, PA
group

This month we’ll be joined by Chloe Feltrow, , who will introduce us to lymphatic drainage and dry brushing—simple practices that can be especially supportive during the menopause years.

A gentle space to connect, learn, and share with other women in midlife. 💛

✨ Free to attend — donations welcome
👉 Register through the link in the Midlife Cafe bio

Address

401 E Gay St
West Chester, PA
19380

Website

https://danielalejtneker.offeringtree.com/, https://bit.ly/4gZNKw6

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