The Seer Reflects In The Mind Which Is Your Mirror

The yoga unit of Professor Salazar's ethics class really changed my perspective on many things in my life. The topic of Purusha was crucial in this perspective change, and really captured my attention. Purusha is the soul, the self,  and the state of consciousness. During this unit i read a quote by Swami Satchinanda in sutra four of, "The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali". In this quote Swami Satchinanda says, "The seer, or true you, reflects in the mind which is your mirror. Normally, you can't see the true self because your mind is colored. If the mind is dirty you will say I am dirty. If it is all shining and polished you will say I am beautiful".To me his is saying that people are sometimes afraid to be themselves based off of what others will think of them, or the stereotypes they have encountered in society. In my opinion Purusha is being true to yourself regardless of whether that image is acceptable to others.

 

This relates to my experience with the way i approached yoga. In the beginning i was opposed to the idea of ever doing yoga. My pre-judgement told me that it was a very feminine practice, and it wasn't something i would enjoy with such an jock-ish background. As i began to experience the different yoga poses and participate in the class' weekly challenges i found that yoga was actually a great way to loosen my muscles after working out and a great way to relax my mind from the stress i was feeling with schoolwork. Yoga allowed me to take a break from my schoolwork and totally clear my mind of everything. Once i was done focusing on my muscles and my breathing i was then able to refocus my mind and make rational decisions on how to accomplish the work i had to get done.

People now days are so concerned with the judgment of others or the “color” clouding their minds, that they are afraid to dig deep and reveal the true person they are. In my case i was so concerned with my friends seeing me doing yoga and what they would think of me that i was afraid to try something out of my comfort zone. The stereotypical feminism associated with yoga also popped into my head and "colored" my judgement on the subject. I was so focused on what other people and society thought of yoga that i instantly rejected the idea of ever enjoying it. This goes hand in hand with another one of Swami Satchinanda's quotes which says, "The true you is always the same, but you appear to be distorted or mixed up with the mind. By making the mind clean and pure, you feel you have gone back or you appear to have gone back to your original state”. This says that the true you never changes, but you appear “distorted” to yourself based off of others judgment. In my case i appeared distorted to myself because i was doing an activity that wasn't considered typical for males as opposed to females. This prejudgement really clouded my mind and at first prevented me from completely giving yoga a chance.

 

In my opinion it is up every individual to “make the mind clean and pure” or clear the mind of color (prejudgments), before engaging in a new activity or meeting someone for the first time. These stereotypes and prejudgments could be completely wrong and totally prevent you from enjoying this new activity or making a new friend. This unit has taught me to never pre-judge anything until you have given the activity your all. You can never truly judge someone or an activity until you have first cleared your mind of judgement and really participated with that person or activity. Prejudgement clouds this world and creates different opinions amongst everyone which poison great new experiences before they have even begun.