CULTIVATING A YOGA MIND

“In yoga we simply try to create the conditions in which the mind becomes as useful as possible for our actions. This can only happen gradually – every shortcut is an illusion. It is a step-by-step process, one that includes a great number of techniques from which one must choose intelligently according to the individual need. The Yoga Sutras give many suggestions, which together comprise our yoga practice, the yoga sadhana. Asana practice, breathing exercises, study of the Yoga Sutras, surrender to God, detachment from one’s own action, visiting a holy person, and investigating the nature of dreams are all part of the process.
Every person is different and has a unique set of life experiences. That is why there are so many suggestions for helping the student on the yoga path. In one way or another, you can bring your mind into a state in which it understands and can act with complete involvement. And who is not searching for opportunities to understand things more clearly, to make new discoveries and rectify faulty perceptions? If you can say anything about what happens in the state of nirodha, it is this: you see and you know. Whatever the mind may be preoccupied with, it sees and understands it so completely that there is little left to learn. If you go into this process further, you can catch a glimpse of what lies beyond normal observation and experience. Therin lies the basis of yogic wisdom. A yogi or yogini has not seen something others can never see; rather, he or she sees what others do not yet see.”
Extract Taken From The Heart of Yoga By T.K.V. Desikachar