Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Foreign hello and welcome to Deepen youn Yoga Practice. I'm Lauren Leduc, the owner and founder of True Love Yoga in Kansas City, Missouri. And today we're diving into some yoga philosophy. This particular piece of philosophy is rooted in Patanjali's yoga sutras, so specifically Sutra 133. If you are interested in learning about the history of the sutras, what it entails, how old it is, etc. I have a full episode on that. I can link to it in the show notes so you can get that background information. But do know that it is one of the primary works of philosophy that people specifically reference to today. It gives a very clear outline of what yoga is, of the ethics around yoga as well and how to practice it, which lends to its popularity I think, because it's very straightforward and many parts of it are digestible and extremely relevant to modern life, which I think this Sutra 133 definitely is, probably has always been and will always be relevant to us as humans and because it's all about emotional intelligence. So Here is Sutra 133. By cultivating attitudes of friendliness toward the happy, compassion for the suffering, light in the virtuous, and equanimity toward the non virtuous, the mind retains its undisturbed calm. This is also known as the locks and keys. And as it says, it's a way to find calm and peace and equanimity within our own beings instead of being reactive toward other people. So I hope this episode encourages you or reminds you that when you are faced with some sort of trigger from someone or something else, to take a moment, to pause of course, to feel your initial reaction. Because, because we don't want to deny our emotions. Our emotions are important, but we get to choose how we react and that is how we develop and strengthen our emotional intelligence. So by using this yogic framework we can learn how to stay grounded, open hearted and peaceful in almost any situation or relationship. So let's go, let's talk about the four locks and their corresponding keys. So the first part of the sutra talks about cultivating friendliness toward the happy. So the happy is the lock and joy is the key or friendliness. So when we are faced with someone who is celebrating something or being celebrated, who is very happy, maybe even positive, when it seems like they shouldn't be in a certain situation in a very genuine way, you know, not to mask what's going on inside, but they just truly are one of those light bearers, it can be really easy to face Those people and feel jealousy to feel cynicism and to almost feel like by them being happy or successful, then it means we are lacking. So often this happiness can bring up a comparison game and when we don't measure up, it can bring about really tough feelings. And I think this is really natural. It's part of being human. I'll use my daughter as an example. She's four, almost five. And sometimes if we're playing a game and someone else wins, she can celebrate and be really happy for them. But others, maybe if she's not feeling as emotionally stable that day, and that can be for different reasons, like maybe she didn't eat enough food or get enough sleep.
[00:04:17] I'm sure we could all relate to that. She can become jealous and upset over someone else winning because to her it means that she is not as good as them, that she's losing and she just doesn't understand.
[00:04:33] So I think that instinct is just part of being human. And human yoga is a practice. These locks and keys are a practice. So think about maybe how you've responded when someone else has won something, when they are joyful, when they've gotten married or had a baby, or gotten that promotion at work, or quit their job and did something new, or took a really awesome trip, something maybe that you really want. And without judgment, just reflect on how you have reacted. I can think of many times where my initial reaction has not been joy to something like that. I'm not going to judge or blame myself for that, but just know that it's very, very human. So the yogic response rather than jealousy or comparison is to cultivate friendliness and to celebrate the success and joy of others. So again, really normal when something happens to have those initial feelings that come up. But what do we do with those feelings? We can come back to our yoga practice, find our space of equanimity and make the choice to be happy and to celebrate others joy. We can practice gratitude for what they have and what we have. We can practice an abundance mindset that there is enough for everybody. And just because one person has joy doesn't mean you're not allowed to access it. And we can reframe success as collective rising. You rise and I rise too. Or you are showing me what is possible.
[00:06:12] How amazing. When we are on our yoga mats, we can practice this by resisting comparison to others postures. So maybe you see that person in class who is just really nailing their crow pose that day and it feels like something you are never going to be able to do in the moment you can take a deep breath and instead feel joyful toward them and know that maybe someday it's something you'll be able to do in your own practice. And that is such a more easeful, joyful way to live than in constant comparison and jealousy. The next part of the verse talks about cultivating compassion for the suffering. So the suffering is the lock and compassion is the key. So when we see someone else suffering, yes, some of us might immediately feel compassion, but also know that it's human to not. You might feel instinctively wanting to avoid the situation, to look the other way, to detach, or even to feel so overwhelmed that you freeze. Think about for those of us who live in the city, we see houseless people a lot.
[00:07:28] And it can be so easy to start to not even notice them because we become jaded, maybe overwhelmed by the feelings that it can bring, helpless even to their situation. That's something I know that I've done before. I. You know, I've lived in the city of Kansas City. I also lived in the city of Chicago, where that was absolutely a part of daily life. And at times I find myself avoiding eye contact and honestly feeling a lot of shame around it.
[00:07:58] And again, I think it's a really human instinct towards seeing people suffering. But our yogic response after we pause and take a breath is cultivating compassion and presence. And we do this without pitying someone or feeling like we are the savior of them. We don't have this savior complex. Instead, we're able to be with them in this combination of sorrow and love and perhaps offer any help that we are able to give so we can practice holding space for others, finding small acts of service. Maybe if we have nothing physical to give, we're giving a thought or a prayer. Maybe it's practicing compassion meditation. So holding someone in your heart and offering them love and messages of may you be or metta. And when we're on the mat, oftentimes we need self compassion.
[00:08:56] So when we are facing limitations, when we're facing pain, are we detaching from these feelings? Are we ignoring them? Are we pushing through them? Or are we holding space for them with yes, maybe some sadness, but also with love. How can you be more compassionate toward yourself on the mat and others off? The next part of the verse says cultivating delight in the virtuous. So the virtuous is the lock. It's what we might feel. Resistance or bad feelings toward goodness or delight is the key. So when we're faced with someone with a lot of virtue, maybe who walks the walk, talks the talk, who embodies ethics similar to the joyful person.
[00:09:46] Our instinct might be skepticism and it might be inferiority. We might think, oh, that person thinks they're so good, but I bet they're not. We might compare ourselves to them. I remember at times, I guess I'm thinking back to like, high school right now, and I was having a really hard time and suffering with an eating disorder. And there was this girl at my school who was very popular, very kind, and I remember just constantly thinking, she's so fake, and really holding on to that notion. In reality, she wasn't. She was who she was. She was very confident and secure in herself even from a young age. And I was feeling the opposite of that at the time. So instead of looking at her with admiration and respect by comparing myself to her, I decided that there's just no way that what's showing on the outside could be actually what she's feeling on the inside. So she must be fake. Now the yogic response would be again to pause, to take a breath, and to take joy in the goodness of others, to be inspired by them, to feel admiration and respect rather than feeling threatened. Those people who are living in such integrity are inspirational. They're aspirational, and they show us what is possible. It is possible to love yourself and for that to shine on the outside.
[00:11:09] It is possible to be kind to yourself, and therefore you are kind to others. To be selfless at times, to show your intelligence on the outside. It is not meant to be a threat to anyone else. It simply is. And it's good and it's virtuous. And that is absolutely worth celebrating. So let's practice celebrating other people's wins. Let's practice seeking mentorship from those who we admire. Let's practice seeing the good in others, and let's practice seeing the potential for that same good, that same integrity within ourselves. I'll tell you, even though feelings of jealousy arise every once in a while in me now, I am not that same person that I was in high school. I've had many years of healing. I have many years on my mat, many years of philosophical yoga practice. That is not where my mind automatically goes to where I genuinely do feel happy for others. And I'm so grateful for those who are my gurus or the light holders, those who have shown me what is possible.
[00:12:16] And it's not about attaining some level of perfection. It's about being authentic and owning who we truly are.
[00:12:24] Showing that on the outside and all that is so Good. We might practice that on the mat of admiring others, dedication or growth with true joy. The fourth lock and key says cultivating equanimity toward the non virtuous. And I'll be honest, this can be the hardest one. So the non virtuous would be the lock and equanimity would be the key. So when we come across someone who is not virtuous, so let's say the opposite person of who I was just describing, they aren't living in integrity.
[00:12:59] They might lie, steal, cheat, all of the things that most of us do not value. Our first instinct is often righteousness, anger, judgment, trying to fix or control. So this might be someone we know from our personal life. It might be a media figure. I can think of a few right off the top of my head who, even though I said I've been doing these practices for a long time, when I think of them, the first instinct I have is anger and sometimes helplessness, sometimes wanting to over control. But the yogic response to this is discernment and detachment, which doesn't mean ignoring, but it does mean accepting. Not accepting and not doing anything, but just accepting the reality and not being completely consumed by this other person's behavior. So it's being able to pause, take a deep breath and respond from a place of clarity. And oftentimes that is going to help us respond in a way that is helpful and constructive, that moves the needle in a positive direction more than acting straight from anger or retaliation. And again, I think this one's really hard. But it is something that Patanjali teaches and I know for myself that is extremely helpful. I am by nature a really emotional person and it is easy to feel consumed by these immediate reactions and emotions. But yoga has taught me to pause and to respond from a different place, a more true place, a place that is more in integrity with who I want to be and who I feel I truly am. So we can practice finding equanimity toward the non virtuous through setting boundaries by maybe trusting that what comes around, goes around, maybe by letting go of any sense of moral superiority. Because we all have non virtuous qualities that we present at times. And it means being able to zoom out, look at things objectively, and then decide whether or not to take action and what kind of action that might be from there on the mat. That might mean meeting your own shadow, the parts of ourselves we don't like so much. It might mean seeing or being by a triggering teacher person and dealing with them from a place of equanimity I really like Mel Robbins the Let them theory. If you haven't listened or read to that, read that book. I definitely recommend it. But she talks about people being non virtuous and letting them letting them, letting go of the need to control other people's behavior. So we let that person be annoying, we let that person be rude, whatever it might be, and we take a deep breath and then we we say to ourselves, let me. What can I do? And that can really shift perspective and help us take responsibility for our own energy, thoughts, behaviors and actions. So again, the verse is cultivating attitudes of friendliness toward the happy, compassion for the suffering, delight in the virtuous, and equanimity toward the non virtuous. The mind retains its undisturbed calm, which is really the goal in Patanjali's Yoga Sutras is to find equanimity and calm within the mind because as Patanjali says, then we know our true nature. So these locks and keys matter for yogis and yoga teachers so much because they help us maintain peace and clarity in our relationships and in teaching.
[00:16:50] It helps us avoid burnout, compassion fatigue and reactivity. They offer us a daily reminder to meet the world skillfully and not reactively. The Bhagavad Gita says yoga is skill in action and that is one of the ways we can hone that skill. It enhances emotional intelligence and spiritual maturity and it connects us directly to Ahimsa which is non harm, Svadyaya which is self study, and Ishvara Pranidana which is surrender to the divine.
[00:17:23] Those are Yamas and Yamas or ethical principles in yoga that we're meant to embody as our foundation to the practice so we can take some time to integrate this podcast today. These learnings suggest journaling or reflecting on which of these locks is hardest for you and how you might pause and react in a different way. You might find this affirmation or mantra helpful. May I meet joy with friendliness, pain with compassion, virtue with delight and negativity with equanimity. And I encourage you to practice these qualities on your mat with yourself, with the others around you. If you are a yoga teacher and you're interested in integrating these philosophical tools into your teaching or personal practice, sign up for my 300 hour YTT True Love Yoga. It is a year long program. We're going to dive deep into yoga's inner teachings and explore how to embody these subtle tools. To lead with presence, clarity and heart to close the world is going to present us with many lucks we have opportunities to practice this every single day and yoga gives us the keys. I invite you to reflect or share which key you want to focus on this week. Feel free to tag me or True Love Yoga on Instagram. And if you love these philosophy episodes, definitely let me know because I would love to continue diving deep with you. Thank you so much for joining me today. May you meet the world with every equanimity and joy this week. Om Shanti Om. Peace.
