Category Archives: Patanjali

“Heaps,” “Aggregates,” Skandhas

Posted on May 20, 2016 by Donna Mitchell-Moniak

“Each plane of our being: mental, vital, physical – has its own consciousness, separated though interconnected and interacting; but to outer mind and sense, in our waking experience, that are all confused together.” From Integral Healing by Sri Aurobindo  posted … Continue reading →

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The blossom of meditation

Posted on September 12, 2015 by Donna Mitchell-Moniak

Meditation, classic and true, is a result like a blossom is to a plant. Many parts are necessary to be in place first in order for the blossom to open. Shamatha (tranquil abiding) is the ground of all meditation practice, … Continue reading →

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Light of the Soul, Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras, final session Sutras 23-34

Posted on August 31, 2015 by Donna Mitchell-Moniak

The final week’s discussion brought forward some extremely clear, succinct, and pure understandings of Patanjali’s final sutras. In those he, once again, reminds the practitioner of the final hurdles or snags to realization: the very nature of Mind itself and … Continue reading →

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Light of the Soul, Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras: book 4 sutras 18-27

Posted on August 16, 2015 by Donna Mitchell-Moniak

We’re in the final two week’s of discussion of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras. I think we all have enjoyed this deep excursion into the rishi, Patanjali’s, comprehensive teaching on life, the spiritual path, meditation, and Reality. The Eight Means to, or … Continue reading →

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Light of the Soul: Yoga Sutras of Patanjali: book 4, sutras 11-17

Posted on August 8, 2015 by Donna Mitchell-Moniak

We begin with a recap of sutra 10 in Book 4 in relation to compassion. We traversed the consideration of consciousness and its states (gunas), including a useful exercise for the Path and self-observer, and completed with considerations on Reality … Continue reading →

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