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In Book One of The Yoga Mind—The Yoga Sutras According to A Course in Miracles, we respectfully apply the universal principles of A Course in Miracles to Patanjali’s thought system. There is power in bringing two timeless truths together. Writing this book has been a deep joy and a gift to our own spiritual process. We hope you find this book inspirational and gain as much from reading it as we did writing it!

We would like to thank Sri Swami Satchidananda for his loving heart and his open mind. He paved a way to truth that includes all spiritual disciplines. He would often say and demonstrate, “Many paths, one Truth.” We would like to thank Richard Freeman for his inspiration to make Hatha Yoga an inner experience and a lifetime activity. Lastly, we want to thank Dr. Kenneth Wapnick for his deep understanding of A Course in Miracles and his ability to clearly share its message.

Peace and Love,
Jeff and Gene

We hope this book has been inspirational to you on your spiritual journey. To deepen your inner Yoga practice, we encourage you to study A Course in Miracles. The book itself is a timeless masterpiece. You may also consider visiting The Foundation for
A Course in Miracles (www.facim.org) or The Gift (www.thegift.org), an online self-study developed by the authors of this book.

Jeff Bailey

Jeff Bailey began practicing Yoga in 1987. This inspirational turning point changed the goal and purpose of his life. In addition to studying various Yoga disciplines, Jeff is a trained Rolfer, entrepreneur, husband and father. His life’s meaning was forever enhanced when he discovered A Course in Miracles in 1990. He has a gentle passion for sharing his intuitive sense of inner healing with others. He is currently an owner and Yoga instructor at Yoga Loft in Boulder, Colorado. You can learn more about Jeff’s Yoga teacher trainings and workshops at www.yogaloftboulder.com.

Gene Langlois

Gene Langlois owes his playful, creative nature to his first vocation, teaching children as a dynamic elementary school teacher. Gene became a Unity Minister in 1980 and has been facilitating
A Course in Miracles for 23 years. He has performed more than 1,400 weddings. As a marriage counselor and relationship specialist, he inspires couples to grow and blossom. Gene is actively retired and lives in Boulder, Colorado. Visit Gene’s website at
www.genescottage.com

ATHA YOGĀNUŚĀSANAṀ

1. Now the exposition of Yoga is being made.

Apart from informing us that the instruction of Yoga starts here, this first Sutra tells us that Yoga is an ongoing practice that never ends. Now sets forth the meaning or purpose of Yoga. “Now” is the key word because it represents the present moment without fear of past or future. Yoga is now—a guide to the present moment.

The present moment is the closest approximation we have to eternity while living in a world of time and space. Eternity is not time going on forever; it is the concept of time disappearing from the mind. The first step to this experience is functioning in a timeless state called “now.” Yoga, then, must include the practice of being present, regardless of the situation. Conscious of it or not, every moment is founded in either the thought of fear that separates or the thought of love that joins—and Yoga means “to join.” This joining principle of oneness, fundamental to A Course in Miracles, brings purpose to a lifetime as the Yoga student learns to allow this way of thinking to become a constant guide to the present moment in every moment. Inner peace, joy, and guiding clarity are the result. Most importantly, Yoga is a way of thinking, and what you think is critical to both spiritual and worldly success.

Applying This Sutra To Your Life: The inner practice of Yoga never stops. Therefore, without judgment, your ongoing Yoga is simply to be aware of any discordant thought that takes you out of the present moment. When you take this simple yet profound idea to heart, your journey has truly begun! Yoga is now!

ABHĀVA PRATYAYĀLAṀBANĀ VṚTTIR NIDRĀ

10. That mental modification supported by
cognition of nothingness is sleep.

Restated from the perspective of A Course in Miracles: The mental ego modification supported by its own cognition of nothingness is mindlessness. In other words, the ego is nothing trying to be something to hide Everything. Form is mindless. Anything that upholds a sense of separate self is mindless—the ego’s false cognition of nothingness. Only a dream could hide reality. Therefore, while participating in it fully, your life’s goal is to acknowledge the ego’s false reality and awaken from the world’s sleeping dream of nothingness.

Just as you awaken from a sleeping dream in the morning light, the practicing Yogi awakens from this dream called life. A sleeping dream at night is but a dream within a dream, cleverly designed by the ego to portray a worldly contrast between sleeping and waking. The ego must disguise your ability to truly awaken to a better way because awakening to the inner light means “death” to the ego. Good day, bad day...good dream, bad dream...it matters not. A dream is a dream that only seems real until you awaken from it. How do you awaken from the dream we call life? You observe the ego modifications of mind that make up the dream and restrain them through forgiveness, automatically awakening to your reality as a right-minded reflection of true Self.

Through the ongoing practice of Yoga, you begin to realize that you are not a helpless figure in the dream but the dreamer of the dream. As you awaken, you increasingly recognize your power as a decision-making mind. Yoga is a process. Life may or may not change on the outside, but that has no effect because true joy, peace, and guidance are all found within. A happy dream is not the result of manipulating it to get your way, as the ego has you believe. The ego recognizes only dream figures, each seemingly separate with unique ambitions and truths. The truth is, one shared mind makes up all characters in the dream, of which you are a part. This awareness is the foundation for the ability to look into the world and “see” your brothers and sisters as yourself, not as bodies, but as minds sharing a common goal to awaken. It is only from this awakened state that the dream becomes a happy one that reflects love’s deepest ambitions. As A Course in Miracles states, “Minds join, bodies do not.” Seemingly separate, we are all on a shared journey to awaken to the same mind, and when you awaken for yourself, you awaken for all.

With this awareness, Yoga students continue on with their lives with a renewed purpose: to awaken from the ego’s sleeping dream of nothingness by choosing against the non-reality of fear and separation. As an awakening Yogi and dreamer of the dream, you kindly reflect your reality as mind’s oneness into your dream called life.

Applying This Sutra To Your Life: As you awaken from all dreams, ponder this koan: What is a dream, but an illusion hiding the dreamer who dreams it? Is there a difference between a sleeping dream at night and the dream called life? Patanjali gives us instructions to awaken from both!

ANUBHŪTA VIṢAYĀSAṀPRAMOṢAḤ SMṚTIḤ

11. When a mental modification of an object previously experienced and not forgotten comes back to consciousness, that is memory.

Whether pleasurable or painful, memory is the decision to give “present reality” to a past experience. Depending on whether you listen to love or fear as your inner teacher, any memory will have but two functions: It sets you free by becoming a guide to the present moment through total forgiveness of the past or it is a “jailer” that upholds the belief of time as a distraction to the present moment. It does not matter whether the memory is of something “good” or something “bad.” To the ego, memory of anything is simply another tool to make the illusion of a separate self real in time and “modify” your timeless reality, which is experienced in time as “the present moment.”

As the ego is restrained, memory ultimately has but one function: to heal and join in the present moment through forgiveness.
A Course in Miracles explains that there is only one true memory: the memory of Heaven, experienced through the Seer within as a soundless song shared by all.

Applying This Sutra To Your Life: The ego uses memory to make the past real and detract from the power of real choice in the present moment. Your healed right-mind uses memory to remember that you are not an ego! Notice how memories remind you of self, form, bodies, situations, and events. With the Memory of God in the present moment, gently smile upon all past memories. Remember only Love and set yourself free!

ABHYĀSA VAIRĀGYĀBHYĀṀ TANNIRODHAḤ

12. These mental modifications are restrained
by practice and non-attachment.

Decisively stated, this Sutra takes us back to Sutras One and Two. Yoga is the ongoing practice of restraining the ego modifications of the one split mind we all share. The ego-modified part of mind that believes in a separate self is confused and does not recognize its own Oneness joined as One. To explain this, we return to the ocean/bubble analogy. Confused, believing it is separate from the totality of the ocean yet resting on its surface, the bubble erroneously thinks it is the ocean. As seemingly separate bodies, we do the same thing, believing we are separate from the Whole and yet complete in our own unique individuality. As a thought of separation, the ego substitutes itself for the totality of the Mind of God. The ego thought system wants you to believe that you can be both separate and whole, but you cannot be both. You cannot simultaneously serve two masters. In any given moment, you either project the ego (bubble of separation) or extend the Love of God to all (Ocean of Joined Oneness).

Your reality as Mind never left God. Rather than returning to something, you simply need to remember and awaken! In the mind’s power to dream of a separate self outside of God and make up a world of form, it only believes it is separate. At a deep, unconscious level, this belief produces guilt and fear for believing that the mind, as a seemingly separate self, left or betrayed the oneness of God’s eternal Love. This “original mistake” is so deeply painful that it must be projected out of awareness and into a dream-world of form. At a more personal, often unconscious level, we repeat this mistake by projecting our own painful inner guilt and fear onto others in an attempt to get rid of it and avoid the inner responsibility of self-correction through forgiveness. A Course in Miracles tells us that this true correction or healing (experienced as inner peace) happens only on the level of mind. Though it seems otherwise, neither problem nor solution is outside of mind. Through forgiveness or restraint of the ego, learn to correct the problem in mind first before kindly solving any problem in form. Reflect mind’s oneness by excluding no one. Only then can helpful, lasting worldly change take place.

Mind never left Heaven; it only believes it did. For now, it is not necessary to understand the metaphysics of A Course in Miracles, but it is helpful for a deeper understanding and embodiment of the Yoga Sutras. Non-attachment is easier when you understand how the ego thrives on attachment. Real healing becomes possible when you know where to look for it.

As practicing Yogis, we restrain the modifications of the mind by practicing non-attachment to the dreamworld of form while participating fully and kindly in it. We are erroneously attached to the ego’s nothing posing as something trying to be Everything. In truth, nothingness is nothing to be attached to, but we cling to it because we think it is all we have! We are actually terrified of joining (remember Yoga means “to join”) with that which we never left! For in that, our ego would “disappear,” and only the reflection of our reality as Heaven would remain. This—the ability to look at thoughts of attachment that maintain a separate self and patiently, kindly choose against them—is true healing. With love (the absence of thoughts of loss or fear), we are truly guided by compassion and kindness. This is, as A Course in Miracles calls it, “miracle-mindedness.” It gives the ego’s world of separation a different purpose...to join.

Applying This Sutra To Your Life: There is a difference between attachments and preferences. Attachments (to anything) are hidden demands that if not satisfied, come at the cost of “lost” inner peace, whereas preferences do not. Examine your life. Do you live by attachments or preferences? Ask yourself periodically, “Is anything worth the peace of God?” Replace attachments with preferences and make inner peace your goal. It will be your guiding light.

TATRA STHITAU YATNO´BHYĀSAḤ

13. Of these two, effort toward steadiness
of mind is practice.

Steadiness of mind is the constant Yogic practice of non-attachment. We are all too tolerant of mind wandering or giving permission to fear-dominated thoughts that lead to an unsteady, vacillating mind. Steadiness of mind is the practice of observing your wrong-mind’s unsteadiness without judgment, which automatically brings you back to love’s right-minded steadiness. Do not confuse steadiness with rigidity. This is a gentle practice of self-vigilance that incorporates a Yogic quality of flexibility and openness. Steadiness of mind is not a demand that anything in the world of form be changed or different. Rather, steadiness of mind is an ongoing inner recognition of an inner seed that has already been planted. It is a seed of heightened awareness that sees past the ego’s world of attachment and separation and kindly repurposes it to join in mind. This repurposing is what gives meaning to a lifetime. Purpose is always given from within; it is not found by looking outside of yourself.

Applying This Sutra To Your Life: Moment by moment, be vigilant for any thoughts of fear or attachment, no matter how slight, and correct them through self forgiveness. Why wait for Heaven’s reflection when you can have it now? The seed of heightened awareness was planted long ago. Nourish it and grow by recognizing and restraining the ego’s futile attempts to snuff it out. Enjoy the steadiness of mind this brings to your life!

SA TU DĪRGHA KĀLA
NAIRANTARYA SATKĀRĀSEVITO DṚḌHABHŪMIḤ

14. Practice becomes firmly grounded when well attended to for a long time, without break, and in all earnestness.

How long is a long time? A week? A year? A lifetime...or more? Perhaps even just an instant? Beyond form, outside of time and space, how would we know the difference between an instant and eternity? As A Course in Miracles asks, “Why wait for Heaven?” Reflect It in your life now!

Once you have begun this practice, asking for a better way and meaning it, the destination is as certain as Heaven Itself. When you see the world as a classroom, you will come to see your entire life-path in absolute gratitude. You have chosen the ego’s thought system; therefore, you are able to choose against it for a better way. This joyous inner experience becomes so fulfilling that only fear would have you “turn back” from an earnest Yoga practice that deepens awareness of your reality. Only fear would have you deny the true inner vision that guides you through the world’s dream and ultimately lights your way Home, where the need for dreaming is over.

This is a practice in time that takes you beyond time. While the journey can seem long and the destination far away, this “long time, without break, and in all earnestness” is a practice achieved moment to moment. Ultimately, the time it takes is up to you. Just as it is with your physical asana, earnestly attending to the practice of transcending the ego modifications of the mind will firmly ground you in right-minded awareness. This transcendence of time itself is what time is for! The inner reward outside of time is beyond words but not beyond experience. The outer reward in time is a firmly grounded life filled with real purpose and a sincere feeling of accomplishment.

Applying This Sutra To Your Life: Yoga is a practice that gives deep purpose and meaning to your life. It is a gentle inner commitment to yourself. Perfection in time is not required, but kind participation in time is required. You are rewarded as you practice because Yoga takes only an instant of commitment. In any given moment, look at the power of your mind’s ability to choose. Do you practice love or fear? Say to yourself, “Practice makes perfect, and Love’s Perfection is timeless.”