The Yoga of Patanjali

Lesson - 7 127Law of Alternation. Let your awareness manifest through analternation of effort and relax, i. e. what Patanjali indicates.Continuity of consciousness can exist only when you begin tolive above and beyond the pairs of opposites, like heat andcold, happiness and unhappiness. Had not your mind startedits career with the pairs of opposites you would not have anychance of getting at the continuity of conscionsness. Just asman can keep on walking on his two legs you can grow awareand exist in continuous awareness by crossing the pairs ofopposites. A road is a way to the destination but it is also adistance between you and the destination. Unless there is thegap of distance, there is no way that leads you to the goal.Cross the distance and reach the goal. The third step Asanaincludes these things.(4) The control of pulsations (Pranayama). This is whatwe have seen, the art of breathing. It is the process of regularisingpulsations until they are tranquilized. I have explained about ityesterday. This fourth step gives you the fitness to contemplate.(5) The practice of Absorption (Prathyahara). It is theart of reversing the direction of the traffic from mind to senses,from senses to objects. Hitherto the Journey was outward andnow you have to make it inward. From the objects to the senses,from the senses to the mind, from the mind to the soul- light,the Lord-consciousness you are asked to travel. This is achievedby properly practising the fourth step. Pranayama. It isautomatically achieved. The continuous process of observingrespiration, uttering SO - HAM, and uttering OM will bringabout the fifth step. Henceforth the steps of advancement arerather automatic and they require only a little effort. It is likethe work of the pilot after the aeroplane is taken off into themidst of the winds. The attempt to lift up against gravity is nomore required. It is only to steer awareness to reach the destination